His Dark Materials: Season 2 – Review

HBO staying close to the original plot of “The Subtle Knife”

Season 2 of “His Dark Materials” is based on Pullman’s second book in the series, “The Subtle Knife”. Fans of the series will be happy to know that HBO stayed quite close to the book plot, not trying to rewrite it too much.

Season 2 is shocking, breathtaking, and psychological. In addition to adventures, it tells us more about human connections, interactions, and mother-daughter and father-son relationships.

His Dark Materials (Season 2) Story Summary

Together Lyra (by Dafne Keen) and Will (by Amir Wilson) travel across different worlds in search of Will’s father and answers about mysterious Dust. In contrast to Lyra and Will’s truthful friendship, Boreal and Mrs. Coulter have a dangerous cat-and-mouse relationship.

Season 2 is about our sense of self, and relationship with our souls. Ruth Wilson deepens her character in a fascinating way, becoming something much more complicated, trying to find some humanity and controversy in almost purely evil Mrs. Coulter. The dynamic between her and her Dæmon, which does not have a name and does not speak, shows us how Mrs. Coulter suppresses some parts of herself. She plays her character as horrific and compassionate at the same time in a very organic way.

We will see the two beloved characters from Season 1 again – Lee Scoresby and his daemon Hester. Lee has a much deeper capacity for love and sacrifice than Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter. For him, Lyra is a cause worth fighting for. He needs to protect Lyra, because her own brilliant but damaged parents cannot.

Overall thoughts on HBO’s His Dark Materials: Season 2

Following my recommendation for Season 1, Season 2 does not disappoint. I am looking forward to watching the next and final season – its production should start in 2021.

Release Date: November 16, 2020

TV Parental Guidelines: TV-14

Genre: Drama

Streaming Platform: HBO Max