His Dark Materials: Season 1, Episode 6 “The Daemon Cages” – Recap, Review (with Spoilers)

His Dark Materials finally shows signs it may pick up, and it is all thanks to possibly closing a chapter on the Gyptian saga.

His Dark Materials finally shows signs it may pick up, and it is all thanks to possibly closing a chapter on the Gyptian saga.

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Directed By	Euros Lyn
Written By	Jack Thorne
Air Date (BBC One)	12/8/2019

Recap

Reunited & It Feels So Good: Roger, Lyra

The main benefit of being captured comes in the form of Lyra and Roger being united more than anything else. But, with finding each other comes the reveal of what Roger has suspected. And for us, those wondering how and why adults could do this? Well, we learn that the station is ruled with an iron fist, and even those who are not as stern and heartless, they are broken in ways that allow them to believe following orders absolves them. If not this idea that the breakthrough they’ll make is worth the damage and deaths they will do.

This way of thinking and operating the facility, of course, puts fear in many of the children, for with some never returning, like Billy and many kids who were severed from their daemons, it puts them on edge.

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Emotions Are More Of A Liability Than Asset: Mrs. Coulter, Lyra, Roger

Yet, Lyra, who has just shown up, quickly gains the trust of the children. Not with Roger’s help, by much, by the way. It is more due to her having a plan, willing to admit she is Mrs. Coulter’s daughter, and using that when she is nearly severed to fool her.

Mind you, when Mrs. Coulter rescues her, it is purely based on love. If not a bit of amazement for having a daughter capable of so much despite so little involvement from either her or Asriel. Yet, it is being shocked and in awe of her daughter that she is tricked and made a fool of. A giant fool, in fact, for Lyra ends up being the catalyst for the end of the station.

At least, she provides the distraction and destruction to make things a hell of a lot easier for the kids and Gyptians, when they arrive.

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That Girl Is Something Special: Lee, Iorek, Serafina, Lyra, Roger, Lord Faa, Ma Costa

Though a big part of how and why the Gyptians don’t get massacred and kids do escape is Serafina. Someone who, by herself, takes out a good number of the opposition, minus Mrs. Coulter, who hides away, and that leads to Ma Costa and Lord Faa reclaiming all the children. Including those who are severed, who Ma Costa is ready to claim as Gyptians if they are denied by their families.

But, with the children rescued, it seems Lyra’s time with Gyptians comes to an end as they head back on foot, and she is with Lee in the air, alongside Roger and Iorek. Well, at least until monsters known as Cliff-Ghasts attack, by reasons I cannot fathom, and Lyra falls out of Lee’s balloon.

Though, let us note, before that happens, Serafina, who apparently knows Lee, speaks to him about protecting Lyra as she continues her journey, and though he wishes he was monetarily compensated, he agrees. Especially as it becomes clear Lyra is something special – which makes her falling out of his balloon, assumingly to her death, all the more devastating for him.

Comment Down Below

1. Is this the last we see of the Gyptians?
2. Is Lord Faa the father of Ma Costa’s children?

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Review

Highlights

There Was An Emotional Reaction

For most of the season thus far, every action or reveal has led to a hunch. Asriel and Mrs. Coulter being Lyra’s parents? Hunch. The death of Billy Costa? Hunch. Lyra knowing how to read an alethiometer? Hunch. Lin-Manuel Miranda finally showing up? Hunch. Nothing really inspired much of a reaction, and the show seemed to be using Keen’s star power as a crutch that was starting to bend.

However, seeing those kids freed, Mrs. Coulter have a moment with Lyra, that combination inspired tears for us. It’s hard to say why, considering we didn’t cry over a kid dying, so ones we know even less about being rescued shouldn’t inspire such emotion. Yet, even with how quickly the oh so dangerous station was taken down, it somehow had the same impact as if the journey was challenging.

This hopefully means that something better is around the corner, and this isn’t just a fluke or me being strangely emotional for no reason.

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As One Chapter Ended, We Were Prepped For The Next

To be honest, I’m hoping we’re ending Lyra’s involvement with the Gyptians for there is a need to wonder if maybe they’re the reason things have been so sluggish? That may be between Lee, Iorik, and the long-awaited return of Asriel, things can really pick up. Add in Mrs. Coulter dealing with a major failure in her career, and the fallout from that, it creates a lot of interesting storylines as the season goes into its second half.

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