First Impressions - His Dark Materials Season 2

So last night saw the first episode of the second season of His Dark Materials and I have watched it and here here are my thoughts on that first episode and what it could mean for the season. 

Will needs some real character development 

So I thought the story arc involving Will and our world was the most boring part of the first season and now this season he has been made the co lead with Lyra and he is still really dull. I didn't care about their dynamic and I think Will just needs some character development, give us a reason to really care about his character now he is being portrayed as a main character. 

Have Mrs Coulter find Lyra quite quickly

Mrs Coulter is one of the best parts of this show and it seems like she is taking over The Magisterium which is an interesting development. But I don't want her to be away from Lyra for too long, she is a great character but she needs some relevancy to the plot, meaning she has to get to the world Lyra is on quickly and share more scenes with her. 

Lee Scoresby has a more interesting plot 

So Aeronaught Lee Scoresby played by Lin Manuel Miranda was a highlight from the first season and judging by this episode he will have a more interesting plot this season. He is tasked to find a knife of power for Lyra and it could lead to some great stuff, if you have seen the trailers he meets Andrew Scott's character and hopefully that dynamic can work. 

The Witches will get more to do this season 

The Witches are obviously an important part of the show, but were introduced pretty late into the first season so we didn't get that much time with them. But that seems to have changed this season, they seem to be planning to start a war with The Magisterium and it could lead to more epic fight scenes then the first season and flesh out there whole deal. 

What exactly is going on with Will & Lyra

So we meet Will & Lyra on a different world and honestly we learn very little, it seems they are connected and will have a quest on the new world but it isn't quite clear as to what they have to do and why it is important to the overall story. 

How will the show explain Asriels absence

So Asriel played by James McAvoy was one of the best parts of the first season and super important to the overall story. But McAvoy confirmed in an interview that due to the pandemic he wasn't able to return for the second season of the show. Now for me this is obviously disappointing news and I just wonder how the show will deal with this and whether it will succeed. 

Overall

Overall, I actually thought this was quite a weak opening episode of the season with not much given for us to sink our teeth into. I mean there are 7 more episodes so hopefully the show can improve and hit the high levels of the first season.