His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman has been an entertaining series thus far on HBO Max. The series has established a great group of characters and a legitimate world-saving storyline. Or in the case of the series worlds saving. The showrunners have asked the viewers to pick sides and in season three that is even more present. This is the last season of this series so all the subplots have to be tied up. Their final fate is revealed.
Lord Asriel (James McAvoy) is amassing an army to try to fight the Authority or the Magisterium and he goes to various worlds to recruit soldiers and leaders for his army. Lyra Balacqua (Dafne Keen) wakes up after being asleep and she has a mission to try and save a close friend. She teams up with Will Parry (Amir Wilson) who she may have romantic feelings for. And Marisa Coulter (Ruth Wilson) wants to be redeemed for her past actions and so she tries to get her husband and daughter to help her but she is irredeemable. So she switches sides and sees she has no friends on either side of this fight.
This season has to tie up loose ends from previous seasons but it has some other arcs that help broaden some of the main characters. Like in previous seasons there are a lot of massive world-saving events. There are some really good battles and the visual effects involving the knife are pretty cool. And when the two kids go to a very special world it has a look completely different than the rest of the show. This series has always had a good look anyway and this season is no different than the past seasons.
His Dark Materials is one of many adapted book series that have been made into series. In the overall context of things, it’s not the best series but it has a different vibe about it that makes it one of my favorites to watch. This series had created worlds within the overall show that are pretty neat. Season three specifically has a world with creatures that aren’t of the earth which is pretty interesting. The magic within the show such as the alethiometer a magical compass, and the magic dust which is what the worlds are based on are all fascinating. Also, the fact that each character on this earth has demons which are animals that are like the souls of the human characters. These are reasons why this show is so interesting.
Along with the four main characters, there are a handful of supporting characters that help round out season three. A general who has been imprisoned escapes and joins the army of Asriel. He’s played by Adewale Akinnuoye Agbaje. Mary Malone (Simone Kirby) is a nun who is on a mission of her own that leads to self-discovery regarding dust. Father MacPhail (Will Keen) the leader of the Magisterium is out for blood and no one will get in his way. Witches and Angels also play a major part in this season but it’s hard to name every character that plays a part in the show.
His Dark Materials is a well-developed series. It has a lot of moving parts that make it hard to follow along with. All the magical aspects make the show special amongst a lot of shows with similar types of fanciful stories. A myriad of characters keeps the series interesting and quite fascinating. The whole idea of multiple worlds isn’t anything new to movies, literary works, or television shows but in His Dark Materials, it’s done in a very cool way. The showrunners and writers Jamie Childs, William McGregor, Jack Thorne, and of course Phillip Pullman have made this a must-watch every November for the last few years. It’s a fantasy series I look forward to each year. The cast is fantastic and the overall aesthetic and feel of the show are terrific.
4 stars
Dan Skip Allen
From the Fourth Row! 