The Final Uprising Begins in Season 3 of Are dark materials.
Those (like me) eagerly awaiting HBO’s third and final episode Are dark materials will appreciate the release of a season 3 teaser that gives us a first glimpse of what lies ahead. Based on Philip Pullman’s bestselling trilogy, our heroine, Lyra (Dafne Keen), will finally come to terms with her fate, even as her father, Lord Asriel (James McAvoy), declares war on the Authority.
(Spoilers for the first two seasons below.)
As we wrote earlier, the three books in Pullman’s series are: The Golden Compass (published as northern Lights in the United Kingdom), The subtle knifeand The Amber Spyglass. They follow the adventures of a 12-year-old girl named Lyra, who lives in a fictionalized version of Oxford, England, around the Victorian era. Everyone has a companion daemon in the form of an animal – a part of their mind that is outside the body – and Lyra’s is called Pantalaimon. Lyra discovers a sinister plot that sends her on a journey to find her father in hopes of thwarting it. That journey takes her to different dimensions (the fictional world is a multiverse) and eventually to her own coming of age.
The first season mainly covered the events of The Golden Compassalthough it also includes characters and events from The subtle knife. Most notably, S1 introduced the character Will Parry (Amir Wilson), who doesn’t appear until the second book in the series. He befriends a fugitive Lyra and possesses the subtle blade, which can cut the curtain between universes.
Initial reviews were mixed, but the second season amply rewarded those who stuck with the series. “Freed from the creative burden of setting up an expansive fictional world for viewers unfamiliar with the books, S2 was a fast-paced, yet emotionally resonating experience,” I wrote in my S2 review. “Ruth Wilson’s ferocious portrayal of the complicated Ms. Coulter remains a standout, and the heartbreaking season finale perfectly set the stage for the final showdown.”
In the S1 finale, Lyra followed Lord Asriel across the multiverse bridge into another world, just as Will found his own way into that same world through another doorway. S2 picked up there and covers the remaining events of The subtle knifethat established Lyra’s central quest and the climax of the confrontation portrayed in The Amber Spyglass. Lyra and Will, both strangers in a strange new world, teamed up to reunite him with his own father, a quest they believed was linked to the destiny they had to fulfill. They also discovered the subtle blade (formally known as Æsahættr), which can cut through the fabric between worlds.
In S2’s heartbreaking finale, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Lee Scoresby sacrificed himself so Will’s father could briefly reunite with his son and instruct him to take the subtle knife to Lord Asriel. Mrs. Coulter has kidnapped Lyra, believing her daughter to be the prophesied Second Eve who will bring about the fall of man. We last saw Lyra drugged and lying in a suitcase aboard a ship, bound for an unknown destination.
YouTube/HBO
McAvoy’s Lord Asriel was conspicuously absent from S2 due to the pandemic, with a planned standalone episode scrapped. But a final scene depicted him essentially declaring war on the Authority by summoning some angels to join him in revolt. That war – and probably some accusatory father/daughter fireworks after the events of the first two seasons – will feature prominently in S3. According to the official premise:
Based on The Amber Spyglass, the final novel in Philip Pullman’s award-winning trilogy, in the final chapter of this epic fantasy series, Lyra (Dafne Keen), the prophesied child, and Will (Amir Wilson), the bearer of The Subtle Knife, must journey to a dark place no one has ever returned from. As her father’s great war against the Authority draws closer, they will learn that saving the worlds comes at a terrible price.
The trailer opens with a voiceover from Ms. Coulter: “There are powers out there, Lyra, that you can’t begin to understand.” She swears she’s doing all this for Lyra, but realizes there’s no good reason for Lyra to believe her, even though her protective actions cost her everything. “What’s more dangerous than you?” asks Will at one point. She replies, “The truth.”
Meanwhile, Asriel gathers “the greatest of all worlds” for his war against the Authority – which looks like a host of witches and angels are involved. The fierce bear warrior Iorek Byrnison features prominently in the teaser. We also get a final glimpse of Lee Scoresby when Lyra visits the Underworld, and some tender moments between Lyra and Will.
The eight-episode third season of Are dark materials will premiere on HBO on December 5, 2022, with two episodes per week. The series finale will air on December 26, 2022.
Listing image by YouTube/HBO
