His Dark Materials (BBC serial)

I watched it. Been many years since I read the books so I can't really remember what's going on... which is a shame because my partner (who hasn't read the books) keeps asking me what's happening and what things are. I only have a vague recollection of the spectres.
 
I think it is winding up in pace which is good. I wasn't a fan of the McGuffin where
where Lyra leaps out of a car forgetting, her bag and apparently Pan and the alethiometer. Only to have the alethiometer stolen
It was necessary for the plot, but I felt it out of character.
 
Dave said:
As for forgetting her bag, she hasn't been in a car before, hasn't worn a seat belt before, doesn't know this Oxford. That's disorientating.
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And not forgetting that she'd realised that she was in a jam just seconds after barely escaping from the previous one.

This would be enough to throw anyone into somewhat of a spin, let alone someone who is, after all, still not an adult.
 
Ursa major said:
And not forgetting that she'd realised that she was in a jam just seconds after barely escaping from the previous one.

This would be enough to throw anyone into somewhat of a spin, let alone someone who is, after all, still not an adult.
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In addition to this I think a big factor is that she realises the car is accelerating away from Pan which is why she gets increasingly frantic about wanting to get out since the prospect of physical separation from your daemon would be terrifying to someone from her world.
 
You can all be right, but it didn't feel true to me.
 
I'm only talking about the TV show. Not even its adaptation as I don't know the books well enough to compare. I'm not trying to convince anyone of my opinions, just that it didn't feel right for how I perceive Lyra would have acted...
 
Stephen Palmer said:
Very much enjoyed the first episode of the second series. Anyone else see it?
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I've been watching it, and enjoying it. I've not read the books since they first came out so can't remember much of the plot, so it's like watching it fresh. Hoping that by the end of S3 I'll be able to read his new trilogy without having to reread the original!
 
What I like about this series is that they've clearly listened to viewers' concerns re: season 1 and actively addressed them in season 2. It makes me feel like I'm in safe, considerate hands, hands that care about what they're making. Far too often, I see serieses (!!) start with a big budget bang and then slowly, slowly start to meander into the floodlands of turgid and tired writing until you're at the point where you're desperate to quit it but it's become such part of your life that you daren't, just out of fear of change.

I swear, it's the same psychology that makes people struggle to quit bad situations. I bet the producers know it too. I bet it's part of their strategy. God, I'm cynical. They probably have a name for that point too. Yeah. Gah. :)
 
jd73 said:
What I like about this series is that they've clearly listened to viewers' concerns re: season 1 and actively addressed them in season 2.
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Ah, what are they doing differently? I didn't really get into the first series, though I couldn't put a finger on why. I remember The Subtle Knife being the most interesting book in the trilogy (though I can recall almost nothing about it) so I've been thinking of giving this series a go, but haven't so far because the first one didn't hold my attention.
 
HareBrain said:
Ah, what are they doing differently? I didn't really get into the first series, though I couldn't put a finger on why. I remember The Subtle Knife being the most interesting book in the trilogy (though I can recall almost nothing about it) so I've been thinking of giving this series a go, but haven't so far because the first one didn't hold my attention.
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Two things jump out at me; one is the presence of daemons in the background, and the other is pacing. This season seems a little ... not faster exactly, but ... tighter, more compelling, where season had a lot of moments that started to drag quite badly imo.

I think also they have found their voice a bit more. It seems to me that S1 didn't fully know what it wanted to be (a situation probably caused by quite a generationally diverse fanbase, including younger viewers, older viewers, fantasy audience, non-fantasy audience, new viewers to the series, old hands, and so on - a curse that Star Wars also massively battled with, tmm). Pullman is, as I understand it, primarily a children's author but the take up of HDM by older readers probably caused a bit of a direction wobble. Whereas now, they seem to have settled into a "yes, we are for younger viewers too but we have a weird Dr Who-ish sheen and we can make the two work together" sort of vibe, for me. Kid-friendly TV used to be like that anyway - some of the stuff in the UK in the 70s and 80s was downright freakish as I recall, and probably long overdue an homage or three :) All of which is good. It's a reasonably bold course to go, I would say.
 
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jd73 said:
one is the presence of daemons in the background
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Yes, there are people who hadn't read the books, who said here that they weren't aware that everyone should have a daemon, or more importantly, they they could not be separated from it without great pain and distress. If that wasn't made clear to viewers then it was a huge mistake, though very likely a cost problem. I had noticed myself that daemons are much more present in the background in this second season.
 
Dave said:
Yes, there are people who hadn't read the books, who said here that they weren't aware that everyone should have a daemon, or more importantly, they they could not be separated from it without great pain and distress. If that wasn't made clear to viewers then it was a huge mistake, though very likely a cost problem. I had noticed myself that daemons are much more present in the background in this second season.
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Yeah, definitely. I tend to have a very budget-conscious approach to things, so I'd have just said, 'look all you need is two seagulls and a ferrett. My mate's got a ferret you can borrow and meanwhile stick a sandwich on that table and there's your two seagulls, instant daemons, no pesky union pressure.' :) Almost guaranteed it's not that simple of course but hey ho ...
 
I noticed more daemons, though still not enough in my opinion. Most people seem to have bugs now. I mean, they really didn't need to CGI every daemon though - borrow a rat, they happily sit on shoulders. Or, you know, dogs are pretty tame. :sneaky:

re things that aren't clear to people who haven't read the books - my partner asked why Lee Scoresby didn't just grab Mrs Coulter's monkey to knock her out. It's not overly obvious that it's taboo to touch other people's daemons.
 
The interface where YA meets adult themes and philosophy is a particularly fascinating one for some authors, me included. Pullman did the first two novels extremely well, but the third one is a mess. It will be fascinating to see how they deal with the demise of the Authority. My Factory Girl trilogy was intended to reach a similar audience. Doubtless I'll go there again.
 
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