Serafina Pekkala and her coven travel to find and protect Lyra. Lee and Grumman continue their own journey, though not without issues. The Magisterium determines to pursue Lyra urgently in light of a worrying revelation by their own alethiometer.

Frustratingly, after actually flirting with being the kind of show I had initially hoped it might be, His Dark Materials is fumbling the ball once again, and doing so on a fairly comprehensive scale.

Lyra and Will obviously narrowly escaped the clutches of Boreal and Mrs Coulter last time out, and headed back to Cittagazze where it turns out they’re far from safe as Angelica and Paola and all their friends are still very cross with Will for having left their oldest member to the non-too-tender mercies of the Spectres. But it’s ok because they get saved at the last second by the Eagles Witches, led by Serafina Pekkala who’s there to protect Lyra at all costs because a prophecy said so.

Meanwhile, Mrs Coulter and Boreal make their own way through the gate to Cittagaze (I’m not sure how that works because I was of the impression that the gate so jealously guarded by Boreal was between his own world and ours, although it’s possible that there are two and the show just decided that was another thing that didn’t need to be made clear to ‘newbies’ such as myself). At any rate, when they cross over they discover Spectres and Boreal is treated to a demonstration of just how much self-control Mrs Coulter has. Once again, there’s hints here that she may be the most fascinating character of all, but also a definite sense that we are never really going to get any answers. Also a further demonstration of just how very ruthless she can be.

Back at Magisterium HQ, Cardinal MacPhail gets an answer he wasn’t necessarily expecting from his request to Fra Pavel to consult his Alethiometer. Turns out that the details of the prophecy around Lyra are quite specific and potentially catastrophic for the Magisterium (and presumably all similar religious organisations across the various worlds – Pullman really doesn’t like Christian religion, does he?) so it’s time to really go after her this time.

This of course leads the Magisterium to cross paths with Lee Scoresby and Grumman, which allows Grumman to exhibit some of his own special abilities beyond making the wind blow, in between delivering vague pronouncements about all sorts of things.

And back with Will and Lyra, Will’s wound is increasingly bad, but can the witches save him? Will he trust the witches at all? And will any of it really matter? Oh and Professor Malone is wandering around Cittagazze as well, in case anyone was wondering. So there’s that.

As usual it’s all sumptuously shot, beautiful to look at, but possessed of a sort of supreme confidence in its own profundity that feels unearned to me. Whether I am missing something fundamental that only the books could fill me in on or it just isn’t there, the end result is the same – it’s a TV show that isn’t as great as it clearly thinks it is, and it’s failing to engage me with reasons why I should think otherwise.

Verdict: Lots happening with nothing of any real consequence. Disappointing. 4/10

Greg D. Smith