His Dark Materials: The Cave (2x02)

 Another solid outing!

Cons:

As with last week, I found the stuff with the Magesterium the least interesting. Mrs. Coulter is great, but it seems to me like we're padding some of the church politics stuff from the book, in order to check in with Coulter more frequently. Maybe I'm misremembering, but I don't think there was quite as much of this in the book. It's not bad, it's just not my favorite aspect.

Will going to the bank, and then to his... grandparents' house? Was kind of weird. I didn't hate it, honestly, but it was another situation where it felt like padding so that we got enough time with Will while Lyra was doing her business as well.

Pros:

Although I did notice some padding in this episode, even that padding wasn't a total loss, as I'm really enjoying the performances across the board! The actor playing Will is doing such a good job of toeing that line, of being a kid who had to grow up too fast, taking on responsibilities, while maintaining that fear and also that credulity that kids continue to have even as they age.

The witches look cool. Just, stylistically, they look awesome. And I liked that we got a bit of an info-dump about witches and their rituals, as this is a good moment to set up some things that will be very, very relevant later on in the story. It doesn't happen like this in the books, but I don't mind having foreshadowing here.

I really liked Mary Malone! She's not exactly how I pictured her in the books, where I think she gives off more of a Nutty Professor/Miss Frizzle sort of vibe. Here, she's a little less frazzled, but I still think it worked very well. In fact, one of the highlights of the whole episode was the scene between Lyra and Mary, where Lyra tells the full truth, at the alethiometer's urging, and there's this moment of despair where Lyra knows she sounds insane, and Mary is helpless, just wanting to know what to do to help this poor lost girl. And then Lyra looks at her, and says "tell me about the particles you study." And this... current passes between them, this moment where they both know it matters. And you know so much about Mary, there. She's the kind of woman who knows what it is to have curiosity and conviction, and when she looks at Lyra she sees someone she should respect and take seriously. In a series full of adults who are dismissive of kids, this is one of those key moments where we know Lyra has found a true ally.

And all the stuff with the Cave was really cool, too! I like how things have been "updated" just that slightest bit, so it's not the way it was described in the book exactly, and looks more like a computer we'd see today. The same thing happens with Will's smart phone.

Just a quick note to say I love how the alethiometer is being shown. I feel like this season has already done a better job of emphasizing its importance, and as we learn more about Dust, the thing that powers it, we're also learning the good and bad of what it can offer. Plus it just looks super cool, the way it moves, the clicking... very steampunk. I want one.

Similarly, this episode continued the trend from last week of doing a great job with Pan. Even when he was forced to hide in Lyra's backpack in Will's Oxford, I never forgot he was there, and he would pop in with occasional commentary. We're still seeing the same few forms over and over, and I wish there was more variety, but it's nice to have him around.

The most important thing to get right about this season is Will and Lyra, and this episode wonderfully capitalized on what was set up in the first episode of the season. There's an innate connection there, but also distrust. Will is frustrated when Lyra turns up late, but you also get that sense of worry. They already care what happens to each other. We also saw another key moment from the book, when Lyra learns from the alethiometer that she's meant to help Will find his father. Until then, she believed that they had been fated to find each other, but she had cast herself as the protagonist, and Will as her helper. It's a humbling moment for her, to learn that her most important task is to help Will.

And the BENCH. The GARDEN. I'm not going to say a word, for those people who haven't read the books... but oh my god, my HEART. I thought it was such a smart and lovely idea to include the bench here, introducing it early on.

In short, I'm really, really enjoying myself with this show. It's hitting the spot for me when I think about how beloved the books are to me and my childhood, but also it's forging off and creating a separate affection in my heart.

8/10