HIS DARK MATERIALS (S1E5) The Lost Boy: Part Of Me Is Definitely Bear

Three episodes left? But we just started! As I approached the most recent episode of His Dark Materials I was struck by these thoughts. With only three episodes left to wrap up the season, episode five had a lot to deliver. I think the show’s going really well, but there has been a feeling of humanity missing from the folds of each episode.

I’ve felt a lack of gravity, in terms of the weight of the problem, and a pull toward the characters that I’m supposed to be rooting for. I previously mentioned in my first review that Dafne Keen‘s performance felt a bit rigid, and that Lin Manuel Miranda still had to prove himself to me. I don’t want to count my dæmons before they hatch, but this episode delivered just what I’ve been looking for, and is the best of the season thus far.

Back And Forth

Lyra’s study of the alethiometer continues to make great strides as she travels with the Gyptians to the North. When the strange contraption tells her she must go to a ghost town, she and Iorek find Billy Costa, the son of Ma Costa. When they realize with a shock that he’s without his dæmon, they rush him back to the Gyptians, where he is given a funeral pyre.

The show also introduces us to Will Parry, the son of John Parry, about whom Lord Boreal has been attempting to obtain information. We learn that Will’s mother is troubled, and that though she might seem like she’s having meltdowns, she’s right about the men that have been watching their house. The episode ends with Lyra being kidnapped once again and sent to Bolvangar, the prison run by the General Oblation Board, and the place where children are separated from their dæmons. And we’ll hang on that cliff until next week.

Emotions Are High, And That’s Good!

There was a wonderful self-awareness in this episode that made me want to live in it forever. It was like you could feel that the show runners knew that this was going to be one of the seminal episodes of the series. Every character seemed to get their moment to shine: Ma Costa telling her dying Billy that it was okay for him to let go, Farder Coram finally getting to kiss his beloved Serafina Pekkala, Lee Scoresby telling Lyra everything would be okay, John Faa leading a farewell song for Billy, and Lyra watching it all happen through wide, teary eyes.

And yet, with all of this emotion coursing through the veins of the episode, we get some moments of simple delight. Moments that make us love the characters, not because of what they’re going through, but because we love to watch them interact. Iorek and Lyra finally together on their own was something we all needed to see. Watch as Dafne Keen’s eyes grow to the size of softballs as she recounts all the ways her father lied to her, only to realize she’s bothering Iorek, her words faltering into mumbles. It’s a great sequence, and we feel like we’re watching Mowgli with his jungle family when she stands and proudly says, “Part of me is definitely bear.”

Lee and Lyra get their moments too, and I was delighted to see Miranda enjoying himself as the aeronaut, lounging on his balloon like he can’t be bothered to walk on his own two feet. But when Lyra needed comforting, I was on board for the decision to cast him in this role. He speaks softly and kindly, in that way that has become synonymous with Lin-Manuel Miranda, and is just what our Lyra needs. We’ve all come to be protective of her, and since we can’t jump into our TVs, it’s warming to know she has Lee to help her.

These moments of kindness were cut hard by the death of Billy Costa. There are a lot of reasons the scene was heartbreaking, but the Gyptians singing him into the next life was masterfully done. It gave weight to Lyra’s mission to stop the Gobblers. It showed everyone, gathered in a circle, staring at the pyre, and reminded us that these people are the heart of this show. That we’re supposed to root for the characters that are fighting this fight. It brought a face, or faces, to the show. His Dark Materials became less of the title, and more of the characters we want to see succeed.

What did you think of this episode? Did you cry (I did)? Are you excited for the final three episodes? Let me know in the comments below, and I’ll see you next week for episode six!