The City of Magpies

I was surprised to see a second series of His Dark Materials so soon. I thought production would had been held up by the Covid pandemic.

In fact both series were shot back to back with only one standalone episode that would concentrate on Lord Asriel being delayed.

Both Lyra and Will Parry meet in a new world. They have each gone through a portal and discover that they both come from a city called Oxford.

This episode introduces the viewer to a new darker world. A city filled with children who may not be able to be trusted and a new bad called the Spectres.

What this episode does is show an expended world or worlds with new characters. Also more Lee Scoresby is a good thing.

5 out of 5 stars.

Awesome to see the series returning. Lara and Will travelling to a new world. With something more sinister lurking. And a mystery when they run into others. It was great to see Lara and Will react and talk about there own worlds. The epic story continues. Great visuals. Great direction and scope.

What a great start. After a solid first season, His Dark Materials returns better than ever, with an outstanding first episode. Every thing was better, acting cinematography etc, and it promises a whole lot for the rest of the season! In my opinion, dialogue improved the most, and it might get even better. Keeping it spoiler free, it made watching the first season worth.

Finally it's back. I couldn't wait any longer. The second season has improved a lot compared to the first.

The first episode of the second season keeps the quality standard of the first, with exciting narrative, tense moment and well crafted dialogues (Will and Lyra's interactions are perfect, you can really see the synergy of the actors). Let's see how it goes, but the premise is just great.

I need to mention the incredible work that the team made with the recreation of Cittàgazze, it was build in virtual reality a lot of time ago to test it and then it was realized in a parking lot in only six months. It feels like a real mediterranean city, with wonderful landscapes and little details. Good Job!