His Dark Materials
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Daemons are the backbone of this whole story.
They are the X factor that makes the series universe a compelling fantasy world.
Souls and companions both, living outside our bodies, their presence is what makes a human being whole.
That fact is the whole point of why were here.
This week, with The Daemon Cages, that lack evolved into something positively ghoulish.
The bond between human and daemon is sacred; theprologue in the premieretold us so.
No child pets a daemon; no child seems to even acknowledge their presence.
Even theHarry Potterfilms had more animal contact than this, and Harrys owl lived in a completely separate tower.
But when has Lyra Belacqua ever listened to Roger Parslow?
Unfortunately, what they find is the opposite of an exit: Its a room of cages.
Hes changed by the trauma of his experiences since Jordan, and it shows.
Even adult actors have trouble with this degree of subtlety.
The younger has been nursing some doubts about killing children in the name of science.
A whole five children have survived the procedure since she visited last!
Now the patient can be conscious during and after treatment!
Intercision is basically a stand-in forlobotomyat this point.
Of course, it doesnt take.
allow just enough time for the lady of the hour to show up and shut down the machine.
What follows in an anteroom between Madonna and child is nothing short of a watershed conversation.
Grown-ups are infected so deeply [with Dust] that its too late for them.
Sin drove her to cheat on her husband.
It drovehimto attempt to kill his wifes bastard, and it then drove Asriel to kill him.
Its why everyone in her old life turned her into a pariah.
Of course, this is the thought process of a zealot.
We can see the realization that her motheris truly beyond redemption.
Ma Costa immediately finds the terrified younger scientist who murdered her son and snaps his neck.
Shows over; we won.
The Gyptians gather up the daemonless children Roger has successfully coaxed into following him.
(Mrs. Coulter and her daemon escape,fittingly, through the HVAC system.)
His contractisfulfilled heshouldbe getting paid that danger money for extending it.
He loves Lyra now, so yeah hell maybe die for free.
Or, my bad, help the Chosen One fulfill her great and terrible destiny.
Again, where is Pantalaimon as the two of them plunge to their imminent death?
Guess he was just relaxing in her pocket.
To the point where its starting to sound more horoscope than prophecy?
Why are the severed daemons incageswhen they leave Bolvangar and not in their humans arms?
What kind of daemon name is Nicholas?
We didnt need to check in on Wills universe at all this week.
What a nothingburger scene, watching him watch YouTube videos of his dad.
And the weird Billy would have been proud of us coda between John Faa and Ma Costa.
These feel like little parenthetical additions after studio notes come back demanding the show check in with every subplot.
Instead, we really could have used more time to build emotion in the central story line.
