HIS DARK MATERIALS (S1E1) “Lyra’s Oxford”: BBC Gets It Right

With Game of Thrones leaving a fantasy-shaped hole in the HBO lineup, the network is looking for something new and fantastic to take its place. While they premiered a great new adaptation of Watchmen a few weeks ago, this past Monday gave us the pilot to their adaptation of Philip Pullman’s fantasy trilogy, His Dark Materials. The show, which is being distributed in part by BBC, is set to air eight episodes for its first season, and a second season is already in the works.

Pullman’s controversial trilogy has been ripe for an adaptation since the attempt in 2007 to bring the first book in the series The Golden Compass to life (or The Northern Lights for our friends across the pond, a Sorcerer’s/Philosopher’s Stone situation). It was a muddled adaptation that seemed to be banking off the high of The Chronicles of Narnia, and I don’t have much good to say about it besides its cast. The film was famously boycotted by  The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights in 2007, and the book series has since faced a lifetime of bans from a multitude of organizations.

Yeah, these books are punk rock. So let’s talk about this first episode.

What’s Going On At Oxford?

So what is His Dark Materials about? A few title cards break down that the world we are shown on the screen is different from ours. In this world, the tyrannical Magisterium is in charge of things. Peoples’ souls manifest outside of them in the shape of animals called dæmons. Young childrens’ dæmons have the ability to turn into any animal they wish, but will settle when the child reaches adulthood.

The show focuses on a specific child, Lyra (Logan’s Dafne Keen) who was brought to Oxford college as a baby by her uncle, Lord Asriel (James Macavoy). She lives there with the professors and is friends with a servant boy named Roger. Along with her dæmon, Pantalaimon (Pan for short), Lyra discovers that her uncle has been exploring in the north, and has discovered something called “Dust”.

She meets and befriends the mysterious Mrs. Coulter (Ruth Wilson), who takes Lyra on as her assistant. When Roger is stolen by the “gobblers”, Mrs. Coulter and Lyra head off to London to find out what happened to her friend. Before Lyra leaves, Dr. Carne (Clarke Peters) gives her the ominous “alethiometer”, a strange, compass-like instrument that he tells Lyra to keep secret, even from Mrs. Coulter.

I know it might sound like a lot, but the show takes its time with these events, and gives some breathing room that you can get your bearings in Lyra’s world.

Already Better Than Its Predecessor

What strikes me about His Dark Materials so far, and what struck me in the trailers, is how much visually darker it is from The Golden Compass film. And then I thought about it. And now I realize that His Dark Materials isn’t going for a dark and gritty look like some other shows on TV, it’s going for a grounded look. Viewers can find brightness in Lyra’s figure running against the green grass of the University or the bright northern lights that Asriel has captured with his photograms. The show doesn’t glimmer like an oddly polished Marvel film (this is not me taking a side in Scorsese v Marvel) it’s just a beautifully realized version of Pullman’s world.

We’re treated to intimate cinematography, often hand-held to keep up with Lyra’s daily antics, which perfectly suits a show that has youth as in the forefront of all of its themes. The score of the episode (which I’m listening to as I type) is a grand, sweeping display that forebodes the epic journey that we know Lyra is about to embark on with Pan. In terms of looks and overall ambience, HBO should be proud of what they’ve got on their hands.

The casting of this feels right on the money so far, even if some of the performances feel stiff, like the actors are still settling into the skin of their characters. McAvoy in particular delivers some lines of dialogue with a strange conviction, but given the complexity of his character, I wonder if his performance will grow on me during a rewatch of the episode. These worries fled my mind when I got to watch Lyra and Roger. Their relationship is a heartwarming look at two best friends who dream of traveling the world together. They have a blind loyalty to each other that forms a direct line from them to your heart.

An odd complaint that I have, that I hope is rectified in episodes to come, is with the dæmons, or lack thereof. There are many shots of people conversing where their dæmons are nowhere in sight. In his writing, Pullman brilliantly uses the dæmons to show the emotions of the characters, like an inner monologue acted out by a creature. I recognize that it’s probably a pain for the VFX department to add an animal to the heels of every actor on screen, but its what the book calls for, and its what we deserve.

Wherever The Alethiometer Takes Us

I really liked this episode. I know what happens in this story, but even so, I feel the mounting anticipation as I wait for next week’s episode, and I can’t wait to see who we meet next. His Dark Materials is, at its core, a story of adventure, so strap in and let’s see where the zeppelins take us. I’ll be back next week at 9pm, and not just because I was assigned to write these reviews.

What did you think of the premier of His Dark Materials. Like the cast? Not enough dæmons? Are you not watching because you’re a book purist and you’re just here because you love my reviews?? (Thanks!) Let me know in the comments below, and I’ll be back next week!

Watch His Dark Materials