Children’s theft is a recurring theme in the series, and this episode explores how it affects both Lyra and Will. It also introduces the idea of what happens when people stop believing in something.
The his dark materials season 2 episode 6 recap is a recap of the fifth episode of the second season of the show, His Dark Materials. It discusses what happened in the fifth episode, The Scholar.
Ruth Wilson, how I adore you. You never fail to surprise me.
The emphasis of this week’s His Dark Materials episode is on Will (Amir Wilson) and Lyra (Dafne Keen) reclaiming the alethiometer, but this is Mrs. Coulter, please accept my heartfelt greetings.’s episode. Wilson has stepped it up a level, making it even more difficult to hate Lyra’s mother.
Will and Lyra devise a plot to recover the alethiometer from Charles Latrom’s/ Boreal’s (Ariyon Bakare) home in this week’s episode of His Dark Materials, “The Scholar,” while Will improves his knife skills. Meanwhile, Boreal has managed to get Mrs. Coulter into Will’s Oxford and is attempting to win her heart. The encounter with Mary Malone, however, is the most fascinating aspect of Mrs. Coulter’s trip there (Simone Kirby). Who’d have guessed that Mrs. Coulter, a lady with so much skill and influence, could feel envious of someone else? Aside from that, Mary is embarking on a new adventure.
Let us now turn our attention to this week’s episode of His Dark Materials.
Mrs. Coulter Makes a U-Turn
Mrs. Coulter isn’t one to turn down the opportunity to explore a new world. She follows Boreal to Will’s Oxford and home, driven by her desire to locate Lyra and her own academic curiosity. There, Boreal displays his collection of antiques and pricey historical knickknacks, most likely in an attempt to impress her. Mrs. Coulter, on the other hand, was solely interested in Lyra.
Boreal then admits to stealing Lyra’s alethiometer. Sadly for him, even with that guarantee, Mrs. Coulter is less likely to exhibit interest in him, despite the new things he’s showing her, until he recalls Dr. Malone and Lyra’s encounter. Dr. Malone’s ability to manage her own department, however, attracts Mrs. Coulter’s interest. Mrs. Coulter persuades Boreal to allow her see Dr. Malone, insisting that she must do so for Lyra’s protection. But she must, of course, blend in.
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Mrs. Coulter, as anticipated and humorously, finds jeans unappealing and picks them up like garbage from the pile of clothing supplied by Boreal. She opts for a great pair of pants, a lovely fuchsia blouse, and a black jacket instead. She also opts for a sleek low bun rather than the 50s hairdo. Yes, she seemed to have changed, but she had merely turned into a contemporary evil who is fearsome and always ready to stab you in the back.
Boreal is taken aback when she leaves her demon behind and insists on going alone. In response to his inquiries, Mrs. Coulter emphasizes her exemplary discipline and even makes a reference to witches. But it still doesn’t say how she can accomplish it.
Two Scholars Collaborate
Mrs. Coulter takes some time in Dr. Malone’s office to go through some of Mary’s papers and research. When Mary first arrives, she makes remarkably little attempt to conceal her true identity. Mrs. Coulter simply presents herself as a theologian who is both Lyra’s mother and an experimental theology. At this point, Mary relaxes and expresses her appreciation for Lyra.
As Mary said, the child has an incredible understanding of quantum physics and has given her an intriguing perspective on the morality of dark matter. Mrs. Coulter must be very proud of her daughter, Mary thinks at the conclusion. Mrs. Coulter responds, “I am,” with something like to a revelation of what she has long understood.
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Changing the subject, Mary inquires about Mrs. Coulter’s career and asks a question that has long been a source of contention: “Where would you say religion meets science?” Mrs. Coulter’s response, although contentious to some, is both unexpected and straightforward. She responds firmly, “Where does it not?” seeming perplexed as to why someone would question that.
For a brief while, Mary is stunned, but after regaining her composure, she begins to ask additional questions: What was Mrs. Coulter’s doctorate? Mrs. Coulter became more agitated as she asked, “Did she publish any papers?” Mrs. Coulter finally left when Mary turned around to get some coffee for them both.
The Fate of Mary
Later, Mary searches for her unusual guest but discovers that Mrs. Coulter does not exist, at least not on the internet. The Cave suddenly comes to life, and the black matter/dust exposes her role in all of this. “You must play the serpent,” it says ominously to Mary. It then tells her to locate the Cittagazze gateway and rescue the girl and the child. It informs Mary that her job there is complete and that they will not talk again in that realm after the message has been delivered. The Cave then perishes, abandoned by dust and the angels who had been waiting to bring Mary to her fate.
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Mary informs her sister about her intentions to take a break from her studies at home. She informs her sister she may be traveling abroad, as if planning to be gone for a long period. She was still skeptical at the time, but later that night, she followed the shadow’s directions and discovered the portal that Will and Lyra used to enter Cittagazze.
The Unrest Continues to Grow
In Lyra’s realm, on the other hand, the Magisterium is becoming more agitated, particularly in light of the recent witches’ assaults. Everyone who tried to attract others to Adriel’s cause was imprisoned and silenced, although Father Graves (Sean Gilder) still thinks the Magisterium should deny the anomaly/existence doorway’s entirely.
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Cardinal MacPhail, on the other hand, is certain that they shouldn’t, and that the Magisterium still retains the trust of the people. He only views Father Graves’ suggestions as a sign of mistrust in the Magisterium’s authority, so he arrests him, thus eliminating his opponent. MacPhail, on the other hand, is anxious to find out where Mrs. Coulter has gone and has asked Fra Pavel, their alethiometer reader, to investigate.
Devastation of the Specters
Meanwhile, Will is rapidly learning how to use the knife in Cittagazze. He can easily open and shut windows after a few more repetitions. As his skill in wielding the knife increases, he and Lyra begin searching for the precise place in Will’s Oxford where they can open a window and get inside Boreal’s home unnoticed.
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Lyra and Will come upon what’s left of Tulio, Angelica (Bella Ramsay), and Paola’s (Ella Schrey-Yeats) brother while attempting to figure out how to obtain the alethiometer once they’re in. They see the daughters clinging to their brother, as if frantically clinging to him would bring back whatever the specters have taken from him. When Angelica sees them, she shouts at them, accusing them of being responsible for Tulio’s death. Angelica pulls Lyra away as she attempts to sympathize. Instead, she sends them a message that they will be pursued.
Mrs. Coulter
Mrs. Coulter, heartbroken, returns to Boreal’s house in Will’s Oxford. Despite the fact that her visit with Mary was not productive, it did elicit feelings that were uncharacteristic of Mrs. Coulter. It becomes clearer when Boreal asks her how she felt about Malone, and she responds, “impertinent, intelligent…free.” She only spoke the final word in hushed tones.
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Dr. Malone had all of Mrs. Coulter’s desires. She recounts how, despite receiving the best score, the Magisterium refused her a doctorate merely because she was a woman while she was an honorary scholar. She authored a lot of papers, but they would only publish them if she gave the credit to a male. Even when she brings up the issue with Asriel, Boreal’s initial thought is that they’re discussing Asriel rather than her.
She directs her rage towards Boreal, asking whether he really believed he was the first person to transcend realms. After all, it’s possible that others discovered it as well. She believes Boreal, in particular, does not deserve it, considering what he has done with the chance. “This world is full with ideas, ideas that our world craves, and yet you have wasted your life selling trinkets,” she says. What’s more shocking is her reaction to his intense desire for her. “If you got me, you’d have no idea what to do with me.” (See, there’s a reason you can’t dislike Mrs. Coulter.)
Anger of a Daughter
The doorbell rings, and it’s Lyra on the other side. Mrs. Coulter remains behind while Boreal goes to meet her. Meanwhile, Will enters the room via a window, but is startled to find Mrs. Coulter there. He hides behind the couch before she notices him, but just as he reaches for the alethiometer, Mrs. Coulter’s golden monkey leaps to his feet and swipes it away from him, alerting Mrs. Coulter.
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Lyra rushes into the room at that same time, but comes to a stop when she sees her mother. Boreal is closing up on Lyra, and after forcing her towards her mother, he turns his attention to Will. Mrs. Coulter gives the alethiometer to Lyra as Boreal attempts to grab the knife from Will, practically begging her to return, offering to teach Lyra everything she wants to know and how to utilize the ability she has of reading the alethiometer. Lyra freezes as she is torn apart. Lyra’s rage boils over as her mother informs her that she is just like her.
She spats, “I am nothing like you,” before vomiting Pan on the golden monkey. Mrs. Coulter collapses to the ground in agony, and she is at Lyra’s mercy for the first time since they met. Mrs. Coulter, on the other hand, recovers control of herself while the daemons battle. Mrs. Coulter, despite her agony, slowly rises to her feet, frightening Lyra despite her rage.
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Thankfully, Will, who knocked out Boreal with a vase, swipes the alethiometer and awakens Lyra from her mother’s stupor. Lyra, Will, and Pan escape through a window cut in the blink of an eye before the monkey can grab them.
Lyra expresses her gratitude to Will at Cittagazze. She also tells him that the lady in the picture is her mother, and that she does not want to be like her. Rather, she aspires to be Ma Costa or Lee Scoresby. Will, on the other hand, is not convinced. To him, they’d be fortunate if they resembled Lyra in any way.
‘His Dark Materials: The Scholar’ is the first book in the ‘His Dark Materials’ series. Final Verdict
Mrs. Coulter is a divisive figure, and this is one of my favorite episodes of hers thus far. Mrs. Coulter’s society is still caught up in outmoded ideals, despite her brilliance and tactical knowledge, which isn’t directly stated in His Dark Materials. Dr. Malone, on the other hand, is respected and granted a leadership role despite her gender.
I like that they gave it to her instead of simply painting her as a harsh mother who has screwed up maternal love ideas. Continuing on from her encounter with Lee Scoresby, it humanizes her even more and helps us understand her motives, which were previously a mystery.
Who can overlook Mary and The Cave? I was pleasantly pleased at how well His Dark Materials handled the scene. Now I’m eagerly looking forward to reading about Mary’s experiences with the Mulefa. I realize it may be a long time away, but Mary has already begun her trip.
His Dark Materials continues on HBO on Sunday, December 13th at 9/8c with “Malice.”
The his dark materials season 2 episode 8 recap is a recap of the fifth episode of the second season. In this episode, Lyra and Will are on their way to find Lord Asriel while another group of children steal a child from Mrs Coulter
