His Dark Materials: The Lost Boy (1x05)

Will?! What the heck! Let's discuss.

Cons:

I am not at all unhappy with the introduction for Will and his mother. I think both actors did a good job, and the story is intriguing and feels natural here. It makes perfect sense that Will would be introduced so early, given that they've already revealed the existence of multiple worlds, and Lord Boreal is already hanging out in Will's world, looking for info about John Parry (aka Grumman). All that said... I do have some worries. Is introducing Will here going to diminish some of the most powerful parts of the story, that don't come up until much later in the books? Well... inevitably. I still think this could work alright. I'm not willing to say they've made some big huge mistake by making such a big change. It makes sense to expand the world and add in these details, but there is definitely something lost by doing so.

I've brought this up before, but is bears repeating here in this episode specifically. The daemons need to be ubiquitous. They need to be there always, a part of the environment, always around. There are so many moments when we see a human without their daemon clearly visible. It's not breaking the rules - their daemon could be something small, hiding in their clothing. That's fine. But the problem is, we get moments like when Ma Costa runs up to Billy and immediately starts asking where his daemon is. She clearly noticed the daemon was missing immediately. Can people sense that? It just doesn't work unless the absence of a daemon is immediately apparent to a viewer, not just the characters.

Pros:

I loved Lyra this week. I've been a fan of her this whole show, but this week I really, really loved her. She's precocious but not in that annoying way that most kids on TV are. She's determined. She's willing to take risks. She knows how to manipulate adults to get what she needs, but she's also realistic as a kid, one who still gets scared and needs reassurance. I loved that she fought to follow her instincts, telling John Faa and Ma Costa that she needed to go on a journey. Turns out, the alethiometer was taking her to Billy Costa, and to the truth about what the gobblers are doing to these poor kids.

All of the stuff with the Gyptians this week was super touching and tragic. Seeing Ma Costa's reaction, and Tony's reaction, to losing Billy... yikes. That whole funeral scene was pitch perfect. John Faa's song, the shots of the family's grief, Lyra and Lee standing there together, separate and yet still somehow a part of the moment... all of it was stunning.

Speaking of Lee, he took a back seat for the most part this week, but I like that he's proving to be a friend to Lyra. I loved the moment when he held her back so that the Costa family could be alone. They love her, he says - but she's not a part of this moment. That was such a good insight, and the perfect example of the fact that Lyra is intelligent and can take care of herself, but she's still a kid, and some of the emotional nuances are going to be difficult for her to understand.

In one regard, though, her emotional awareness is better than most. I really like the relationship developing between Lyra and Iorek. He gives her insights into the values and skills of the armoured bears, and she holds her own, while still being respectful. I liked the moment when she instinctively huddled close to him for warmth, and then realized she was being presumptuous. Given the natural comfort that Lyra feels with her daemon, it would make sense that she would gravitate towards any animal with that same level of familiarity. But Iorek is an autonomous person in his own right, and Lyra respects that as well.

I want to praise the way this episode ended. It could have stopped at the raid on the Gyptian camp, and just ended with Lyra getting taken. But instead, we get to see a bit more, see some of what the GOB has been up to. It brings things full circle, as in this episode Billy Costa dies, and thus one of the reasons for the mission has been lost. And now Lyra is getting personal insight into how Billy must have been treated. We also see another example of Lyra's cleverness, as she gives a false name. She's a captive, but at least she has a measure of anonymity, so maybe her mother won't find her.

Meanwhile, Will Parry has arrived on the scene! Thus far, I think his characterization is spot on. He's just... a normal kid. Maybe a little quiet, a little strange, worried for his mother who is dealing with some severe anxieties and other mental issues. We'll learn more about him along the way. I like that he takes on something of a care-taking role with his mother, and that his mom is apologetic for upsetting him, basically becoming like a child in certain moments. But much like Lyra, Will is also realistically a child in his own right. He's got his hangups about his dead father, he worries about his mother embarrassing him or getting herself into trouble. He's a good kid, but he's still a kid.

I was kind of ambivalent on Lord Boreal hanging out in "our" world, but having Will here and taking some serious steps on this story really adds a lot. As I said, there are some losses that come with this approach, but I'm willing to see where it goes.

I'll briefly mention Serafina Pekkala's introduction. Not a ton to talk about yet, but I did like how she helped to establish the witches as holders of knowledge and secrets, as that will obviously be important moving forward. And her connection with Farder Coram is genuinely affecting. We know about their history, so there's so much weight to this meeting between them. They have taken such different paths, but they are forever united in their grief and love for their son.

And that's where I'll stop. I've been very impressed with this show thus far. I can't believe there's just three episodes left of this first season! We're really moving the story along, but there's so much left to cover!

8/10