His Dark Materials: Season 3/ Episode 1 – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)
In the long-awaited return of “His Dark Materials,” Asriel is recruiting for his war as Will looks for his own allies, and Lyra is hunted by the Authority, with only her mother to protect her.
Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers. Additionally, some images and text may include affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission or receive products if you make a purchase.
In the long-awaited return of “His Dark Materials,” Asriel is recruiting for his war as Will looks for his own allies, and Lyra is hunted by the Authority, with only her mother to protect her.
| Aired (HBO) | 12/5/2022 |
| Episode Title | The Enchanted Sleeper |
| Director(s) | Amit Gupta |
| Writer(s) | Jack Thorne, Amelia Spencer |
| Introduced This Episode | |
| Father Gomez | Jamie Ward |
| Commander Ogunwe | Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje |
| Baruch | Simon Harrison |
| Balthamos | Kobna Holdbrook-Smith |
| Ama | Amber Fitzgerald-Woolfe |
Recap
This content contains pertinent spoilers. Also, images and text in this post may contain affiliate links which, if a purchase is made from those sites, we may earn money or products from the company.
One Girl With Far Too Much Power – Father Gomez, Father President MacPhail, Father Fra Pavel
As long established, The Authority isn’t fond of girls or women having too much power in their organization. Never mind one outside of their grasp who potentially is a piece to undo what their creator considered destine. So while Father President MacPhail isn’t freaking out, he is concerned.
This leads to Father Gomez, who desires to impress Father President MacPhail, to take the initiative to push Father Fra Pavel to get answers quicker on Lyra’s location, and he succeeds. Thus leading to him being given permission to, by whatever means he needs, to bring Lyra and Marisa back to MacPhail.
The Search For Lyra – Lyra, Marisa, Will, Roger, Iorek, Baruch, Balthamos, Ama
Unfortunately for Lyra, Marisa and her Daemon are keeping her drugged and captive, and the only person who could rescue them is a young girl, ama, who is deaf, and who Marisa may have won over. But fortunately for her, while under a drug-induced sleep, she sees Roger, and while she can’t reach him, at least she is able to reach him.
Also, lucky for Lyra, Will is committed to finding her. So between getting the assistance of two angels, Baruch and Balthamos, who want him to join Asriel’s war, to Will coming across Iorek, who joins his quest, Lyra should be rescued soon. Never mind, have more than enough people to fight off Marisa.
Are You Ready For War? – Asriel, Commander Ogunwe
Asriel traverses through one world into another to recruit Commander Ogunwe for his war council. First, he breaks him out of prison and then begins the long effort to convince him that there is a bigger war than the one the commander is fighting. As Asriel explains it, each world is fighting a single arm of the Authority. And rather than the head of it all being a God, it is but a rogue angel, and with Asriel having angels of his own, he thinks he has a fighting chance.
But it isn’t until Asriel proves the existence of other worlds that Commander Ogunwe becomes convinced and potentially ready for battle.
Things To Note
Question(s) Left Unanswered
- How big is Asriel trying to make his war council?
What Could Happen Next
- Coulter likely having to face Father Gomez before Will, Iorek, and the rest show up
- Watching Asriel continue to recruit for his war council
Collected Quote(s)
Fear is a gift. It allows people to learn.
— Father Gomez
Review
Highlights
ASL Inclusion
You don’t see the use of ASL much in television, and considering the character might be a long-term player while Marisa is hiding out with Lyra, this is a notable inclusion. Nothing huge or Earth-shaking, but a definite highlight.
Will Standing To Iorek
Iorek is a giant ass polar bear who, honestly, could kill Will even with that blade. All it would take is one horror movie, “Oh, it slipped from my hand” moment, and Will would be dead. But, just seeing him stand to Iorek and even scare him off a bit, while it did take Iorek down a few notches, it made Will seem more deserving of his blade.
Father Gomez Brings Intrigue
An aggressive member of the authority, who seems a bit sadistic and creepy? This could be interesting. Especially if he has some weird obsession with Marisa and maybe matches her crazy.
