TV: His Dark Materials (HBO)

[kook10]

My daughter has really taken to this show. It is a good one for all of us to watch together, and it is a bonus that she has a book series to read along with it.

 

[Jussi]

It was touched upon earlier in the thread, but is there more stuff on the show that was explained better in the books?

 

[Siamese Dream]

Glad to finally see the back of Angelica. The girl who played her couldn't act in Game of Thrones, which is normal for a child actor, but didn't seem to have gotten any better with age for this. The city kids in general just didn't match up at all well with the versions in the audiobook at least anyway.

Spoiler: Season finale spoiler

The death of Lee Scoresby (and of course Hester) really hit hard. It was somehow much sadder in this than in the book. I didn't like much about this season but bravo for that.

 

[Jussi]

That was the season finale??

 

[Blender]

Episode 6 was pretty good, certainly gearing up towards a confrontation in episode 7 and/or 8.

That was the season finale??

The UK is ahead of most other places, so it depends which one you watched.

 

[Jussi]

Episode 6 was pretty good, certainly gearing up towards a confrontation in episode 7 and/or 8.


The UK is ahead of most other places, so it depends which one you watched.

BBC version.

 

[Siamese Dream]

This season was 7 episodes

 

[Blender]

This season was 7 episodes

Ah, so only 1 left to air here then. I thought it was an 8 episode season.

 

[Jussi]

Ah, so only 1 left to air here then. I thought it was an 8 episode season.

Seems it was supposed to be but Covid happened. All we got was two clips.

 

[Desdichado93]

there will be a third and final season.

'His Dark Materials' Renewed for Third and Final Season at HBO, BBC | Hollywood Reporter

HBO and the BBC will bring the saga His Dark Materials to a close with the show's third season.
The two networks have renewed the fantasy drama based on Phillip Pullman's novel trilogy for a third and final season, with production set to begin in Cardiff, Wales, in 2021. The pickup comes six days before the second season finale airs on HBO.
"Bringing Phillip Pullman's epic, intricate and culturally resonant body of work to television has been a tremendous privilege," said Francesca Orsi, executive vp HBO Programming. “We thank our incredible partners at the BBC and the entire Bad Wolf team, led by the indefatigable Jane Tranter, for their exceptional work on the first two seasons. We look forward to completing the trilogy with this final chapter in Lyra’s journey."

 

[Blender]

So I watched episode 7, and that felt incredibly rushed. Solid season overall, but the season finale was not very good.

 

[kook10]

So I watched episode 7, and that felt incredibly rushed. Solid season overall, but the season finale was not very good.

Likewise. It was short - 49 minutes - so it hardly felt like a finale. Since it also ended more like a cliffhanger rather than a break point, if felt a little unsatisfying. It will be a long wait for the resolution.

 

[Blender]

Likewise. It was short - 49 minutes - so it hardly felt like a finale. Since it also ended more like a cliffhanger rather than a break point, if felt a little unsatisfying. It will be a long wait for the resolution.

I know they had some COVID issues with filming, but I read that they completed all of the material for everyone but Asriel, who was supposed to have a standalone episode, so I'm not sure why everything was so rushed and haphazard at the end there.

 

[Jussi]

 

[Jussi]

 

[SoundwaveIsCharisma]

For whatever reason, I didn't actually watch this when it first came out. But now that the series finale has happened, I'm going to watch it. I think part of it was the concern that they wouldn't actually get to end the series, and I'd be left with part of a show. The book series was one of my favourites growing up, so I really hope they do a good job translating it.

 

[SepticFish]

I haven't read the books and found it extremely average. I enjoyed season 1, and that's probably what kept me watching, but in the end I just didn't care for most of the characters. The long break between season 2 and 3 didn't help. There were many times where I was confused and didn't know if I had forgotten details, or they just weren't explaining things well enough.

 

[Jussi]

I don't think the show did very good job at the beginning in world building or explaining things. But slowly I figured things out. But man, season 3 really did ended up on a high note. Finale was great though bittersweet, I think I actually got a little emotional. I did geta chuckle out of Will's daemon's name though. Kirjava, which is literally "colorful" in Finnish. In a show with lots of Finnish names among characters and actually Finnish spoken in season 1 by a Finnish actor and terrible Finnish spoken by a British actor. Dafne Keen, though... She is going to be such a star.

 

[Siamese Dream]

Me watching the action scene at the end of S3 E2 because it was clearly filmed at one of my favourite childhood stomping grounds; Dunraven Castle in Bridgend, South Wales (the neighbouring beach also being a famous Dr. Who filming location)

Link to google maps image (hopefully)

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

 

[Blender]

I enjoyed season 3 overall, was a good return to form after the inconsistent season 2.

 

[Holden Caulfield]

I LOVED these books as a kid. I kinda lost track of it in my later teens and 20's though.

The Nicole Kidman movie was such a big let down though, I wasn't sure I'd be able to get into this series. I watched season 1 aways back and the inclusion of some Subtle Knife stuff told me they were invested in it and wanted to do it right though, IMO. And I wasn't disappointed.

They weren't afraid to lean into just oddness. There's basically no explanation of daemons (at the start). They just are. I remember this from the books. It took me awhile to really grasp them. Then you have ballons, armoured bears, witches, multiple worlds, odd misplaced or outdated words/terms from no where. But it kinda made sense in the sense that if you were from a nudist society, reading a "normal" book who would bother explaining clothes. They just are. The books and therefore show just kinda dropped you in and you had to figure it out as you go. My fiancee who hasn't read the books hasn't been able to get over this aspect to get into the show. So I get why it hasn't generated a huge audience.

Yes it's a bit clunky at times. Yes the dialog can feel stiff sometimes. The world building can feel inconsistent at times. Motivations can feel a little forced at times. But damn if alot of my formative stuff comes from these books. Maybe it's all nostalgia on my part but I love this series. Its odd without having to pretend to hide it. It doesn't talk down to its readers, even if the readers are generally young. It played right into my growth away from a catholic (albeit not practicing) family, that being yourself is OK. You don't need to bend down to "The Authority" just cause it calls itself the authority. Question everything.

I've been saving season 3 until the entire thing was released so I could just binge through seasons 1-3 all at once. Just got into season 3 after finishing seasons 1-2 over the past couple weeks. It's kinda refreshing, I haven't read book 3 in probably 15-20 years so alot it is like going through it for the first time. I remember some of the major events, but not much. Can't wait to finish it.