‘His Dark Materials’ Season 1, Episode 6 ‘The Daemon Cages’ Review: Freedom

This week on His Dark Materials, we’re delving into the horrors of Bolvangar. And we’re seeing plenty of action highlights in this episode. There’s Ma Costa (Anne-Marie Duff) breaking someone’s neck, Lee Scoresby (Lin-Manuel Miranda) firing a gun, Serafina Pekkala (Ruta Gedmintas) showing her witch battle capabilities, cliff ghasts, Lyra blowing up the Gobbler’s severing machine, and Roger’s (Lewin Lloyd) inspiring battle speech. All in all, the latter half of this episode is just filled with amazingly written and gripping action sequences. It also helps that the VFX team made the cold and unwelcome atmosphere of Bolvangar all the more realistic. It’s as unsettling seeing it onscreen as reading about it in the books.

The real highlight of this week’s episode of His Dark Materials, however, are the quiet moments between Mrs. Coulter (Ruth Wilson) and Lyra (Dafne Keen). Here, Keen holds her own ground with the adult actors as she does a magnificent job portraying Lyra’s simmering spite against her mother as well as her wit.

Wilson, on the other hand, is like a snake, ever-cunning and dangerous. Despite this, she’s one villain you just can’t help but share sympathy for in His Dark Materials. She might be cruel but, she has these bouts of humanity that Wilson so gracefully brings out that makes it look like she can feel something like love for her daughter. Her complicated psyche makes her all the more intriguing. This plus her relationship with Lyra is definitely a magnetizing point of the show and there are no two better actors to showcase it. So, before I can go on ranting and ranting about this amazing cast, here’s what went down in this week’s episode of His Dark Materials.

The Cruelty Behind the Walls of Bolvangar

After her initial check-up, Lyra is led to the dining area of Bolvangar where she immediately spots Roger. To avoid arousing suspicion, however, Lyra tells Roger through their daemons to act as if they’re not acquainted. That doesn’t stop the relief and joy pouring through each of them though. Just as Lyra’s seated, another girl at her table named Bridget McGinn is called out by one of Bolvangar’s doctors, Dr. Cooper (Lia Williams). Silence rings throughout the room and terror hangs thick in the air. Then, she’s led into another room and Lyra doesn’t see her again.

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Afterward, Lyra is called for another examination. While another doctor, Dr. Rendal (Amit Shah) takes her pictures, Lyra tries to probe for answers. Luckily, she acts dumb enough to not get caught. In the middle of it, the fire drill alarm rings and they’re all forced to go to the courtyard. There, Lyra reveals to Roger that the Gyptians are coming for them. To grant a little of help from their end, Lyra begins throwing snowballs which eventually creates enough chaos for her and Roger to slip away.

While looking for the exit, Lyra and Roger stumble upon a room where all the severed daemons are being kept. Then, they discover where all the severed children are being kept. And all of them look to be in the same condition Billy was when Lyra found him. There are only a shell and a ghost in the place where a child once was. After finding this horrifying scene, Lyra and Roger rejoin the other children who are being herded back to the dorms. Before they’re separated, Lyra tells Roger to pass the word around. The next time the fire alarm rings, everybody should be ready to escape.

Mother

Meanwhile, Dr. Rendal expresses some doubts to Dr. Cooper. It’s obvious that he’s not on board with hurting and killing the kids as Dr. Cooper is. But, she insists they’re on the verge of a breakthrough. For those unfamiliar with the books, the Gobblers believe that Dust causes sin and is related to daemons. And since Dust doesn’t affect children, they hope to prevent it from ever touching them by cutting their daemons off.

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Later on, the very mastermind of the project, Mrs. Coulter, drops in for a surprise visit. Hearing her arrival, the girls in the dorm scramble to fix everything in the hopes that the next child to be taken would be from the boys. At this point, Lyra confesses the truth about her relations to Mrs. Coulter to gain help. So, Annie (Raffiella Chapman), the girl in charge, tells her to haul herself up on the underside of her bed and grip tight. Lyra gets a close call with Mrs. Coulter’s golden monkey. But, she manages to get through undetected.

At lunch, Lyra’s name is called out and she’s led to the separation room. She tries to run but, Dr. Rendal grabs Pantalaimon, a sacrilege in the world of His Dark Materials. And soon, they’re both being thrown into two separate boxes. As the terrifying separation blade poises itself high up above, Lyra screams Mrs. Coulter’s name. At the same moment, Lyra’s mother walks into the control room wondering what all the commotion is about. And from “Mrs. Coulter,” Lyra turns to scream “Mother!” with all the voice she can muster. Hearing her screams, Mrs. Coulter’s blood runs cold and she pauses in horror. Then, without a seconds hesitation, Mrs. Coulter rushes to the control panel and shuts the machine down.

Vulnerability and Spite

After that close call, Mrs. Coulter tries to comfort Lyra with some chamomile tea and the truth about their relations. As she explains, she let Asriel do as he wants with Lyra because she thought it better for them both not because she didn’t care. Then, she proceeds to tell Lyra that they’re doing what they’re doing for the betterment of all, most especially Lyra. With this, Lyra retorts, “If it was so good, you should’ve let them do it. You should’ve been glad.” To this, Mrs. Coulter only sighs. Despite her own daughter’s spite and accusations, Mrs. Coulter refuses to apologize for who she is and what she thinks is the right thing to do.

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In a rare show of vulnerability, however, she seems genuinely hurt and apologetic over what she’s done to Lyra. With tears brimming in her eyes, Mrs. Coulter tells Lyra “I’m sorry. I never meant to do you harm.” These are the moments in His Dark Materials when you just can’t hate Mrs. Coulter. Because somehow, you can still see that she feels something and her complicated persona is more than just her cunning and cruelty.

After getting a grip back on her emotions, Mrs. Coulter asks about the alethiometer while consequently asking Lyra to pick a side. Using her mother’s emotions against her, Lyra makes Mrs. Coulter believe she’s picking her over her father. Then, she hands over the metal canister containing the spy fly they caught pretending it was the alethiometer. Once Mrs. Coulter works it open, the fly bursts out and knocks Mrs. Coulter to the ground giving Lyra the chance to escape. Outside, Lyra destroys the doors lock system. She screams with animalistic rage as Mrs. Coulter does the same on the other side of the door.

The Battle of Bolvangar

Staying true to her plan, Lyra breaks the fire alarm. As the sirens go off, she meets up with Roger in the cloakroom and tells him to get the severed kids. In his first attempt, none of the kids move out of their stupor. Determined, Roger heads back into the room. Then, he tells the kids that even though they’re separated from their daemons, they still have a choice “Do something or do nothing.” As he lays it out, it’s up to them to fight against what was done to them or to simply let it be and let it happen to others again.

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On the other hand, Lyra sets off to destroy the separation machine. Pushing all the buttons in sight, Lyra causes a magnificent explosion. In another corner of the building, the kids end up cornered by Dr. Rendal and some Tartars. Right on time, Ma Costa and the Gyptians burst in to come to their aid. Ma Costa personally snaps Dr. Rendal’s neck as revenge for Billy and rallies up the kids to safety. Lee Scoresby also joins in the fight with his shotgun. Elsewhere, Iorek is also doing some damage by plucking out the Tartars one man at a time.

When Lyra arrives at the courtyard, the battle is in full swing. And the Gyptians are fighting with all their might for their lives as well as the children’s. In the midst of it, Dr. Cooper spots Lyra and orders a Tartar to snatch her up. Before he could even get halfway, an arrow lodges itself into his neck. Serafina Pekkala’s form soon follows and weaves itself through the battle like a ghost, ending whatever’s left of it before shooting up again out of sight.

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With the ensuing silence, Roger emerges with the severed children. And despite the horrors done to them, each Gyptian takes a child in his or her arms and gives them the comfort that they’ve been terribly missing. From a hidden corner, Mrs. Coulter watches the scene unfold with tears in her eyes before walking away to the shadows.

The Voyage to the Sky

After the battle, Lyra says goodbye to the Gyptians to continue her journey North to Lord Asriel. Together with Roger and Iorek, she soars up into the sky in Lee Scoresby’s balloon. On the journey back, John Faa wonders what’ll happen to the severed children. The simple answer is, of course, to return them to their parents. But, even people who love them might turn away in horror to what they’ve become. In response, Ma Costa tells him that they’ll take them in and raise them as Gyptians like it’s the only answer in the world.

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On the other hand, up in the air, Serafina Pekkala visits Lee and his sleeping companions. And despite Lee starting the conversation off with contracts and money, his parental feelings towards Lyra are finally revealed. As he tells Serafina, “I was hoping you would find some way of chucking me some danger money. Instead, you blindsided me with love.” And soon enough, he realizes the direct correlation of Lyra’s fate to his new responsibility. If Lyra’s responsible for the world and he’s responsible for her, well, it’s as Serafina puts it. “The world is in your hands, Mr. Scoresby.”

Unfortunately, just as Lee finds Lyra, he loses her once again. Sometime into the night, a number of nasty Cliff ghasts attack the air balloon. Though Lee and Iorek try their best to defend their ship, the nasty little buggers tear through it. At one point, the entrance hatch opens and Lyra slides out. She holds onto the railings. But, just as Lee tries to grab for her, Lyra falls.

His Dark Materials continue Sunday, December 15th, with “The Fight to the Death” at 9/8c on BBC.