There’s the deeply charismatic, perfectly cast Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee Scoresby, the Texan balloon-cowboy. Stuart Jeffries, The GuardianĪctress Ruth Wilson is at her scene-stealing best with a performance that’s both seductive and chilling. Wearing a blood-red dress and crypto-fascist boots, and with eyebrows unparalleled in conveying menace, Ruth Wilson is my kind of Mrs Coulter. Despite coming from different worlds, one with witches and the other with iPhones, the pair are clearly cut from the same cloth, both inherently believing in the importance of goodness and morality. HOW IS THE ACTING IN THE NEW SEASON OF HIS DARK MATERIALS?ĭafne and Amir both do a masterful job at portraying young characters who are just as wide-eyed as they are wise beyond their years, bouncing off one another as they explore the curious city of Cittàgazze together. Will the new episodes of the effects-heavy series continue to deliver the fantasy goods? Here’s what the critics are saying about season 2 of HBO’s His Dark Materials. The first season of His Dark Materials is Certified Fresh with an 80% score on the Tomatometer.

Season 1 ended as she stepped into a new world known as The Citagazze with her daemon Pan, destined to meet young Will Parry ( Amir Wilson), an important hero from the second book, for the first time. (A standalone episode featuring James McAvoy as Lord Asriel had to be cut from the season due to the Covid-19 production shutdown, but the character is expected to return in a third season that would focus on the events in the novel The Amber Spyglass.) The new season picks up exactly where season 1 ended: Lyra Belaqua, who is now known as Lyra Silvertongue, witnessed Lord Asriel murder her friend Roger ( Lewin Lloyd). The new episodes, which premiered on November 8 on BBC One and airs on HBO starting November 16, will once again star Dafne Keen as Lyra Belaqua, Ruth Wilson as Marisa Coulter, and Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee Scoresby. Season 2 is right around the corner, giving fans of this re-interpretation - which pays more attention to The Subtle Knife, the second book in the trilogy - something to look forward to, as many of us continue to look to genre TV as an enjoyable form of escapism. One year ago, His Dark Materials premiered on both HBO and BBC, giving audiences a fresh look at the fantasy world inspired by Phil Pullman’s book series.

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