Fans have a number of questions now that the most accurate adaptation of Philip Pullman’s legendary trilogy has concluded, the most pressing of which is whether His Dark Materials will be renewed for a fourth season.
For those who are unaware, the His Dark Materials television adaptation was planned such that each season would focus on a different book in the collection. One of HBO’s most watched shows featured The Golden Compass in its first season, The Subtle Knife in its second season, and The Amber Spyglass in its third season of His Dark Materials. His Dark Materials won’t be renewed for Season 4 as a result, but since the show has largely covered every aspect of the books, fans won’t have any unresolved questions. Now that that is out of the way, let’s explore some of the major themes from Season 3 of His Dark Materials.
The Destruction of The Subtle Knife
In His Dark Materials, the brief, two-edged blade with two different metals is a representation of subtlety and judgment. Lyra (Dafne Keen) must be able to distinguish one thing from a virtually identical thing because she and her pals are being influenced by forces beyond their capacity to comprehend. The knife, also known as “sahaettr,” had two edges, one of which was capable of piercing any material and the other of slicing through the fabric dividing the various worlds of the multiverse. When Will (Amir Wilson) and Lyra cut a window to open a portal so they could travel between their worlds, a Spectre would emerge from the Abyss and Dust would be lost.
The angels had to shut all of the windows leading to the various multiverse planets. One window could still be open, the angels reasoned. And while though Lyra and Will naturally thought it was their chance for a happily ever after, they soon came to the realization that the World of the Dead still need a window so that passing souls might leave instead of being imprisoned in purgatory. Additionally, people from one planet could not endure in another for very long. Eventually, they understood that the Subtle Knife had be destroyed in order to stop humans from piercing through different realms once more.
How Does Mary Malone Become the Serpent
Mary Malone (Simone Kirby) tells Lyra about her experience with romantic love while they are together in the Mulefa realm, which alludes to the Garden of Eden in the book. The sensual intensity of this encounter causes Lyra to finally give in to her affections for Will. By doing this, Lyra commits the Original Sin and Mary Malone assumes the role of the serpent that tempts Eve to succumb to the delights of this world. The gentle cascade of Dust shows that Will and Lyra’s love is not awakening, and in a similar way, Mary Malone’s role in enabling Lyra to not only recognize but also admit her sentiments is not satanic in origin. If anything, she is crucial in Lyra’s realization of her love.
Why Can’t Lyra Read the Alethiometer Anymore?
One of Lyra’s unique qualities is her capacity to understand the compass-like tool that exposes the ‘truth’ by combining a variety of intricate symbols. Lyra has a natural talent for reading the alethiometer, a skill that takes practice and determination to master. Lyra is unable to read the alethiometer by the end of the series. Lyra queries the angel Xaphania (Chipo Chung) in the book as to why she no longer had the gift. She replies in a straightforward but unsatisfying manner, implying that Lyra’s natural ability to read the alethiometer without any formal training was a gift: “You read it by grace, and you can reclaim it by work.” She will have to commit her life to learning how to interpret the compass-like gadget like the typical person now that the gift has been taken from her.
Now that Dust is connected to the “grace” that allowed Lyra to read the alethiometer, Dust is drawn to Lyra’s innocent perception of the universe. The clarity is lost when Lyra encounters two of the most important adult experiences, love and sexual awakening, but the fact that Lyra may restore her comprehension of the device shows that wisdom can only be attained through maturity and losing one’s innocence.
Why Does Dust Stop Flowing When Will and Lyra Kiss?
His Dark Materials Season 3 image of Dafne Keen as Lyra and Amir Wilson as Will
Lyra ultimately admits that her feelings for Will are more than just platonic when Mary Malone portrays her part as the “serpent” The much-awaited, passionate display of love that results from this knowledge causes Dust to cease flowing and instead fall straight down as it should.
Lyra fulfills the prophecy of being the new Eve by realizing her affections for Will. Or, to put it another way, her passion for Will and her experience of romantic love is as strong as Eve’s, and since love is the most powerful force in the multiverse, Dust regains its natural equilibrium and falls just as it should.
Although their experience of love was universe-altering, the two can’t remain together because in order to maintain this equilibrium, Will and Lyra must cease hopping between their worlds and shut all the windows in the multiverse.
Mrs. Coulter & Lord Asriel’s Sacrifice
While Lord Asriel (James McAvoy) may not have always had a passion for “healing” all the planets, he does accept that prophesies have meaning. In line with his vision, Lord Asriel offers himself up for sacrifice in order to further the greater good after quickly realizing that his daughter Lyra is the only one who truly has a chance of saving the multiverse. Mrs. Coulter (Ruth Wilson), who has struggled throughout the entire act with her complicated and intense love for her daughter, makes a sacrifice for Lyra.
Lord Asriel’s War Was Not as Important as Lyra’s Story
Fans expected Lord Asriel’s war to be the conclusion since so much of Lyra’s existence has centred around the fact that her father has a “mission”—or more accurately, a penchant for preserving the multiverse. His eagerly anticipated conflict with Metatron (Alex Hassell) and the Kingdom of Heaven, however, was only depicted in one episode of season three’s “The Clouded Mountain.” It’s fair why the showrunners didn’t go into great detail on Lord Asriel’s War given that the season only had eight episodes. Furthermore, Lyra and her journey as the new Eve—the Eve whose “Fall” restores the natural order of the world rather than incurring God’s wrath—were always at the center of His Dark Materials.
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