His Dark Materials: The Daemon-Cages (1x06)

Dang, a ton of stuff happens in this one episode!

Cons:

In theory, I'm glad we've got a fast pace. There's a lot to cover in just eight episodes. There was plenty of great material in this episode, and for the most part the resonant moments really landed. But I have some complaints.

So, first of all, the fast pace felt kind of awkward when we had these really brief cut-aways from what was happening with Lyra. We've got a scene of the Gyptians on their travels, and a scene of Will watching a video of his father. These scenes cut through the main action and were pretty awkward and unnecessary.

I know I've said this before, but it's really annoying that the daemons are not more ubiquitous in this world. In this episode, we are meant to understand the visceral, painful horror of children being separated from their daemons. So then why are daemons so much an afterthought in the filming and atmosphere? Why can I remember the girl that helped Lyra hide from Mrs. Coulter, but not the presence of her daemon? Why don't we see the children snuggling and petting their daemons in the cafeteria scenes? Where's Pan when Lyra falls out of the balloon at the end? It bothers the heck out of me that the daemons aren't a bigger part of the visual storytelling.

There was also some hokey dialogue in this episode - especially when Lee says that thing about being blindsided by love. I actually really liked the conversation between Lee and Serafina, but nobody could have pulled off a line like that without making me cringe.

Pros:

This episode had a lot of amazing action and great tension. Everything Lyra went through - from arriving and communicating with Roger through daemons, to hiding under the bed from her mother, to being forcibly put into a cage separate from Pan, was brilliant and tense. Great acting, great pacing. I really felt it at the end when all of the kids were running around, and everything seemed lost, but then the Gyptians came bursting in. I'm going to ignore the fact that it makes no sense logistically that they just would have shown up like that, with perfect timing... because, you know, whatever. It was a cool action scene.

As is true whenever she's around, Mrs. Coulter stole the show. Her panic and pain when she realized Lyra was the one in trouble felt so rue. She's a giant hypocrite of course, but what else is new? I also like that Mrs. Coulter continues to underestimate Lyra in some pretty serious ways. Lyra manages to trick her with regards to the alethiometer, which was a great scene that just emphasized how resourceful Lyra can be. I loved seeing her manipulate her mother like that, especially since I can understand how much turmoil Lyra must be feeling during that scene.

Mrs. Coulter gives the thesis statement of the villains here in this scene, as she tries to explain what she's doing. At puberty, daemons are a manifestation of "sin." If they are cut away, then sin can be curtailed, and the world will be changed for the better. Of course, there is collateral damage, and the equipment they currently have is clearly imperfect, hence why there have been fatalities, and why Mrs. Coulter saved Lyra from going through the procedure herself. She even promises to protect Lyra's friends, and brushes it aside when Lyra angrily tells her: "Billy Costa is dead." The anti-organized-religion message has been downplayed somewhat in the show from what it is in the books, but this speech from Mrs. Coulter was a good reminder of what the good guys are meant to be fighting against.

I also really liked seeing Roger again. We didn't get a ton of time to get to know him before he was taken, but I'm happy to report that this child actor really holds his own. I feel like I understand him as a person, understand the choices he had to make to survive. Lyra shows up and immediately starts creating waves. Ultimately, what she does helps people to escape. But that doesn't discount his own bravery, the things he's able to accomplish.

It was a little cheesy, but I liked that moment when Ma Costa talked about how Billy would be proud of them helping Lyra and the other children. They now have to focus on getting the kids back home, even the ones who are without their daemons and don't really resemble their former selves. It's nice to have a quest for the Gyptians to complete, even as Lyra, Roger, Lee, and Iorek set off for future adventures.

Like I said, I really liked the scene between Lee and Serafina, despite one cringe-y line. I loved another one of the lines, and Lin-Manuel Miranda's delivery was perfect: "So it's me? She's responsible for the fate of everything, and I'm responsible for - for her?" Lee has realized that he's gotten in over his head, but his love and care for Lyra is so apparent. (That's part of why I hated the 'blindsided by love' line... it was implied, we didn't need to hear it out loud).

And that dramatic cliffhanger... I mean, it's manipulative of course, but it totally works for me. The attack, all of the fighting, Lee's shooting, Lyra's desperate grasp onto the side of the balloon, Lee's anguished cry of Lyra's name... this is the stuff of good action story-telling. Poor Lee is going to be so devastated, and feel so guilty for his failure. Roger, who just got his friend back, is going to be crushed by this loss. Iorek will be furious. And of course, we all know it will be okay, but the characters don't! Not yet!

That's where I'll stop. I liked the things that happened in this episode. It was well made. But there were larger problems that I can't ignore. I can't pretend this was flawless, but I'm still enjoying myself!

8/10