His Dark Materials goes all out in a jam-packed finale featuring a new threat, heartbreaking reunions, and the return of a familiar face.
His Dark Materials recently wrapped up its second season, which was based largely on Philip Pullman's The Subtle Knife. The second outing built on the epic story established in season 1 and introduced a slew of new characters and worlds. His Dark Materials' jam-packed season 2 finale may have tied up several of the show's storylines, but it also introduced new questions and plots to be explored in the third and final season.
This season saw Lyra Silvertongue (Dafne Keen) meet Will Parry (Amir Wilson) in the cursed city of Cittàgazze. There they discover a unique tool called the Subtle Knife, which can cut between worlds, and they resolve to find Will's father, John Parry (Andrew Scott). Aeronaut Lee Scoresby (Lin-Manuel Miranda) is also looking for Parry, hoping he can protect Lyra. Elsewhere, Mrs. Coulter (Ruth Wilson) searches for Lyra and seeks answers about the witches' prophecy that concerns her.
Clearly His Dark Materials season 2 had many plot thread to address in its finale, but it also took the time to prepare audiences for the episodes to come, even including a cryptic post-credits scene. Here is the ending of His Dark Materials season 2 explained in depth, as well as information about what may occur in the third season.
One of the biggest revelations of His Dark Materials' finale is that the witches' prophecy that indicates that Lyra is Eve before the fall. This is a reference to the Book of Genesis: Eve was one of the first humans on earth, and when she ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, she lost her innocence. This choice led to the fall of man, and the Magisterium in Lyra's world thinks that because of this prophecy, Lyra will commit a similar choice that will result in the second fall.
This being the world of His Dark Materials, the prophecy is linked to the mysterious substance known as Dust. The Magisterium views Dust as sin, whereas characters like Lord Asriel (James McAvoy) view it as what allows humans to create and have conscious thought. The choice Lyra makes will determine whether Dust will continue to or cease to exist. Not much is known about the choice at this moment, only that she must make it unknowingly and that Will will help her. Mary Malone was also told to play the role of the serpent, meaning that she will tempt Lyra in some way.
When Mrs. Coulter, Lyra's mother, discovers that Lyra is Eve, she captures her and appears to be taking her far away. Mrs. Coulter wants to isolate Lyra in order to prevent her from causing the fall, but she also wants to keep her child safe from the Magisterium, who seek to destroy her. It's an action based on both her sense of religious duty and her own strange form of motherly love.
In one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the finale, Will is reunited with his father John Parry - also known as Stanislaus Grumman or Jopari - after years apart. The two embrace, and John reveals how proud he is of Will and how they'll soon go home. However, the moment doesn't last long, as a Magisterium soldier kills John, leaving Will alone.
Throughout the season John has sought the Knife Bearer to tell them to bring the Subtle Knife to Lord Asriel, as he will not be able to win his great war without it. When he finally finds Will, he tells him exactly that. Will may not state outright that he will do this, but when he takes up his father's coat and sets off into the sunset, it seems like he is determined to carry out his father's final wish.
Lord Asriel was mostly absent from season 2 - an episode focusing solely on his journey was planned, but shooting stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, he still makes a large impression in his only appearance this season. He makes a grand speech to a group of angels about his plan for war against the Authority, saying that this is a fight for freedom from oppression in all worlds and that no one can afford to be neutral. While Asriel does not reveal his plan outright, witch Ruta Skadi says he told her that this will be a war across all worlds, not just Lyra's. She will mobilize the witches to join Lord Asriel, which, when coupled with his rebel angels, will make a formidable force.
A familiar face re-appears in a blink-and-you-miss-it post-credits scene. Roger (Lewin Lloyd), Lyra's best friend from season 1, is alone in the dark, calling for Lyra. Roger died when Lord Asriel severed him from his daemon in order to create the portal to Cittàgazze, so his appearance here is especially surprising. However, it foreshadows a massive storyline from The Amber Spyglass: Lyra's journey to the world of the dead.
While sedated by Mrs. Coulter, Lyra sees Roger in the miserable world of the dead and is determined to help him. She feels guilty for bringing him to Lord Asriel; she thought she was saving him from the dangers of Bolvangar, but she led him to his death instead. Lyra thinks that helping him escape the world of the dead, shown briefly in this scene as a dark void, will begin to allow her to do right by Roger and atone for his death.
The Authority is mentioned throughout the finale, including in Lord Asriel's final speech as the force he plans to fight. His Dark Materials does not reveal much about the mysterious figure, only that he is linked to the angels. However, Pullman's novels reveal that the Authority was the first angel, created by Dust. He claimed to be the creator of other angels and ruled over them, later becoming a deity throughout the worlds. The Magisterium in Lyra's world worships the Authority, so all their acts of cruelty and oppression stem from him. As Asriel attempts to fight what is essentially His Dark Materials' version of God, the show raises its stakes even higher in preparation for season 3.
Another heartbreaking death in the season 2 finale is that of loyal aeronaut Lee Scoresby. Lee joined forces with John Parry this season, hoping that John could bring his tool of protection to Lyra, whom Lee loved like a daughter. John told him about the Subtle Knife, saying that if the Bearer could get the knife to Asriel, everyone -including Lyra - would be protected.
Lee and John are chased by Magisterium soldiers, so Lee holds them off to buy time for John to forge ahead and find the Bearer. After a fierce fight, he is overwhelmed, and he and his daemon Hester pass away. However, his sacrifice worked, as John was able to reach Will and tell him about his role in the war to come. John's death follows soon after though, in a tragic end for both him and Scoresby, who only wanted to do good.
Out of the three books in Pullman's trilogy, The Amber Spyglass is the most epic in scope, so His Dark Materials season 3 will have to cover an immense amount of ground. Lyra vows to help Roger escape from the prison that is the world of the dead with the help of Will and the Subtle Knife. Lord Asriel wages war across all the worlds, and Mrs. Coulter wonders how best to protect her daughter and prevent the fall. Meanwhile, Dr. Mary Malone (Simone Kirby) ventures to a new world populated by the strange and wonderful mulefa species, where she begins to build a spyglass that will allow her to see Dust and make a discovery that will change the course of history.
The finale of His Dark Materials' second season does what the first season's finale did as well: raise the stakes. Season 1's finale introduced a new world for Lyra to enter, and season 2's finale introduces the villainous Authority, as well as the beginnings of Asriel's war. The ending in particular highlights one of the main conflicts of the series, which is the differing views of Dust: the Magisterium believes it to be sin, whereas Lord Asriel believes it to be freedom.
Season 2's ending also challenges the idea of destiny. Based on the prophecy, Lyra's destiny appears to be inevitable, yet Mrs. Coulter is determined to stop it from happening. Will is also told that his destiny as the Knife Bearer is to bring the Subtle Knife to Lord Asriel, but how will that change when he discovers that Lyra is gone? Their fates are supposedly tied to each other, so what happens when they are torn apart? Viewers will have to wait for season 3 to find out what happens to Lyra, Will, and all the worlds they journey through.
