S02.E02: The Cave

[Cranberry]

Quote

Lyra crosses into Will's world, and they set off to find answers about Dust. Will is shocked to discover he has grandparents, but quickly realises he can’t trust them.

Originally aired: November 15, 2020 (on BBC One; Nov. 23 on HBO)

[Cranberry]

The dialogue seems better this season than last, and seemed even better this episode than in the premiere. Jack Thorne had a co-writer for this episode, so that may be why. (Looks like he had a co-writer for episodes 2-4, and this episode's co-writer, Francesca Gardiner, wrote episode 5 alone. Not sure about the final two.)

I loved everything with Mary Malone and The Cave. I liked Lyra explaining Dust. I felt like last season they were a little vague about it; I remember people here not understanding the original sin bit. It's interesting to get confirmation that Dust exists (likely) everywhere under different names, and that it's somehow conscious. We know that it "settles" on adults and not on children, and that it's more attracted to man-made objects than to natural ones. I like how we keep learning a little bit at a time.

I feel like we're seeing more daemons this season. Apparently the show had more VFX vendors this time, so Framestore could focus more on the daemons. It's nice; it makes the world feel more immersive when you're not constantly wondering where the daemons are hiding. They also look amazing. Pan's red panda form is adorable.

I'm glad that the show isn't shying away from the religious (and anti-religious) elements like the Golden Compass movie did. All of that is so important to the trilogy that I can't imagine how anyone thought they could make an adaptation without it.

Speaking of the Magisterium... bombing powerful witches who were previously remaining neutral seems like a bad call.

[Quark]

Another great episode. Mary Malone was glorious. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Poor Will - he found his grandparents only to realize that they're lying assholes.

I can't wait for the witches to take some well-deserved revenge on the Magisterium. Listening to that misogynistic blathering idiot rail on and on was infuriating.

More Mary Malone, please!

[aghst]

I’m still not clear how Mrs. Coulter can be openly defiant of McPhail and the Magesterium.  She implied blackmail I suppose, since McPhail had a key role in letting the previous Cardinal die.

What power does she have though?  She was responsible for that lab to separate children from their daemons so she’s interested in some of the same things Asriel was interested in.

Not clear where Boreal fits into all this.  He works for the Magesterium yet he’s traveling in between the two worlds regularly and neither Coulter nor the Magesterium knows.  Certainly not Macphail either, because the Magesterium wants to suppress everything about dust and about alternate worlds.  So what’s his agenda, other than to try to find his Will’s father traveled through worlds?  He had a shit-eating grin as he asked Coulter about her daughter after he had met “Lizzie” at our Oxford — which looks glorious.

The witches watched the airships bombard their world.  They can fly around and zip like the Flash around and through men.  So why didn’t they at least attack the airships?

How is it that Will didn’t even know his grandparents exist?  His parents must have been estranged from them.  They seem to have been fed misinformation by Boreal’s henchman posing as a cop.  Grandfather was already cynical about why Will would go see them — and Will was preoccupied about getting access to funds.  Grandmother wanted what was good for Will but she also had been misled.

Lyra could have really blown Mary Malone’s mind by introducing her to Pan.

 

[AnimeMania]

So witches can travel very far away from their daemons, but those hawks are their daemons, right.

[Tachi Rocinante]

Good episode.  Wish I had BBC One.  I guess Lyra does recognize the betrayal.

I find it sort of funny that Serafina is played by a Ruta, and the other main witch is named Ruta.

[Llywela]

14 hours ago, aghst said:

How is it that Will didn’t even know his grandparents exist?  His parents must have been estranged from them. 

Not his parents, his mother, specifically. This was explained in the episode. Will's father went missing when Will was just a baby, then his mother fell out with her in-laws soon afterward and has had no contact with them ever since. She didn't tell Will anything about them, so since they clearly also chose not to make any attempt to maintain contact with him, that's how he didn't know they exist. Because they've never been part of his life and he was never told about them.

This was a good location-spotting episode for me. I always recognize random streets they wander around and the park where Will's portal comes out, but here the botanic garden where Lyra showed Will the alethiometer was filmed at Dewstow Gardens in Caerwent - every bit as beautiful in real life as it looked on the show.

Edited November 24, 2020 by Llywela

[tennisgurl]

I was unsure how Lyra in "our" world would go, but it mostly went well, although maybe in the future Lyra should kind of work her way up to "I have come from a parallel universe to learn about some magic particles" from somewhere a little more understandable. I really like Mary, she did very admirably roll with things, and The Cave itself was really cool. I like the further exploration of Dust, that every world has it, it just goes by different names, different applications, and is studied differently. I hope that Mary gets to meet Pan, she is going to lose it. 

I am glad that this season has more daemons and they're more visible, they really add to the world and its uniqueness, especially when we are also seeing the regular world without them. Plus I enjoy a good game of "spot the daemon"! Macphail's talk with his daemon was interesting, with him justifying his actions while his daemon reminds him that what they are doing is evil, even if they feel its necessary, it really works to show how daemons work as a persons soul come to life. On a lighter note, Pan's red panda form is so cute, poor Pan, suffering such indignity in this new world. "Don't ask how I'm doing or anything." 

I feel like the Magisterium trying to start a fight with the Witches is an amazingly stupid idea on their part, do they really want to pick on a bunch of super powered witches that we have already seen can take them on and win? Not only are they evil, they're dumb. 

The look of this show is so great, the set design is amazing in both worlds. 

[aghst]

23 minutes ago, Llywela said:

This was a good location-spotting episode for me. I always recognize random streets they wander around and the park where Will's portal comes out, but here the botanic garden where Lyra showed Will the alethiometer was filmed at Dewstow Gardens in Caerwent - every bit as beautiful in real life as it looked on the show.

According to Google Maps these Gardens are nowhere near Oxford?

[Cranberry]

They probably don't use the bench in the real botanical gardens in Oxford because there's a daemon statue there (and fan graffiti on the bench itself). Don't look up details unless you want to be spoiled for something from book three!

[Capricasix]

5 hours ago, aghst said:

According to Google Maps these Gardens are nowhere near Oxford?

The show is filmed in Wales.

[Llywela]

12 hours ago, aghst said:

According to Google Maps these Gardens are nowhere near Oxford?

The show is not filmed in Oxford. It is filmed from studios in Cardiff and uses location shoots across Wales and southern England. Trust me, that was Dewstow Gardens in Caerwent. I've been there many times, it's a really beautiful place (if I was less lazy I'd dig out a photo to show). For me, half the fun of this show is recognising the locations!

Edited November 25, 2020 by Llywela

[Capricasix]

Are the overhead shots of Oxford actually Oxford?

[Llywela]

9 hours ago, Capricasix said:

Are the overhead shots of Oxford actually Oxford?

Now that I can't tell you, I'm afraid. I can name the locations I recognise, but I don't recognise them all! They did do some filming around Oxford itself, though, so it is possible.

Will's portal comes out in a small park in Pontcanna Gardens in Cardiff, which I used to walk past most days on my way to work - back in those long ago days when I actually went to the office, that is!

[marinw]

I know I haven’t commented in a long time! I just wanted to say that this show is gorgeous and I love the somber tone even though I can’t claim to follow all the plot!

Also, I love how Lyra wasn’t impressed by Will’s iPhone.

[AnimeMania]

1 hour ago, marinw said:

Also, I love how Lyra wasn’t impressed by Will’s iPhone.

That's because all Lyra saw was words. Imagine if Will would of shown her maps and pictures of the buildings where they were supposed to meet. It would have been funny if Will showed Lyra videos of the animals from our world and as each one showed up, Pan would show off by changing into that animal. I would love to see a 6 inch tall elephant.

[Bill1978]

Did I miss something? Didn't the precious episode end on the 'cliffhanger' of a Spectre hovering behind Will when he decided to go for a walk at night? This episode just started like that scene didn't exist, I understand that the Spectre wasn;t going to attack Will but this episode played out like that scene just didn't exist for the audience.

During Season 1, I wasn't totally thrilled that we were following Will's story (mainly cause I knew it wasn't in the first book) but I must confess it was a good move by the show to do that, as the transition into our world felt smooth and natural.

I really appreciated the explanation of Dust and linking it to our world, I have a much better understanding of what it is. Not a complete understanding but a better understanding.

Still not caring that much about the Magisterium and Coulter, but I am tolerating them because I know they are important to the bigger story. I would much prefer to just follow Lyra and Will around.

I find it interesting looking at everybody's daemons. The settled daemon acts as a kind of spoiler alert for the job they are going to have as adults it seems. And I am glad we got to see lots of daemons this episode to help show how unique they are to Lyra's world since we were running around a lot on Will's world without daemons this episode.

And I agree with other posters, I definitely want more Mary Malone. I hope she gets to go world hopping.

[Llywela]

On 11/25/2020 at 11:35 PM, Capricasix said:

Are the overhead shots of Oxford actually Oxford?

I hadn't paid attention to the overhead shots before, but having had another look, I'd say that they are actually Oxford, yes. 

[Which Tyler]

Again, I'm late; as I'm watching through now (I watched the first season live, but then decided to hold off and binge the lot now it's finished), and coming here after each episode; but... locations:

https://www.atlasofwonders.com/2019/11/his-dark-materials-filming-locations.html

Edited February 10, 2023 by Which Tyler