His Dark Materials – Armour

By: Ellie Dolan-Yates

A hot air balloon floats above red clouds and Lee Scoresby (Lin Manuel Miranda) is singing as he navigates. His hare Daemon, Hester (voiced by Cristela Alonzo), joins in. From above, he notices the Gyptians’ ship heading towards Trollesund.

Both Lee and the Gyptians have reached the mountainous region of Trollesund. Lee lights up a cigarette only to be told by Sysselman (Harry Melling) that he can’t smoke at an oil port. Lee asks Sysselman if there’s any truth to the rumor about an armoured bear, to which Sysselman asks him if there’s truth to the rumor about an aeronaut who causes trouble wherever he goes. Touché! John Faa (Lucian Msamati) tells Farder Coram (James Cosmo) to go and see the witches’ consul as he wants them to leave as quickly as possible. Lyra (Dafne Keen) isn’t keen (pun intended) on the North. Farder Coram asks her how she deciphers the alethiometer, and she shows him.

At the witches’ consul Farder Coram tells Dr. Martin Lenselius (Omid Djalili) that they need to get a message to a particular witch, Serafina Pekkala, and explains about the missing children. Lenselius tells Farder Coram that the fight is not the witches’ consul’s, but Farder Coram says Serafina will want to help. Lenselius tells Farder Coram and Lyra that are moved inland and the rumors are disturbing. There’s a reason you don’t see a child in the streets of Trollesund. Lenselius asks Lyra if she has the books to read her alethiometer, but she says she doesn’t need them. He tells her to use it to find the sprig of pine belonging to Serafina. Lyra finds it and Lenselius gives her a spray to use should she ever truly need Serafina. Lenselius tells Lyra to look for an armoured bear – Iorek Byrnison (voiced by Joe Tandberg).

Farder Coram and Lyra approach Iorek and explain that they need his help. Iorek tells them he has a job, moving heavy objects and Lyra asks him what kind of work that is for a panserbjorn. Iorek says he knows about the “child cutters” since he sees what’s going on even if the rest of the town don’t. When Lyra asks him if he’s a coward like the rest of the town, he growls in her face. She tells him they need him and he says he’s not for sale.

Mrs Coulter (Ruth Wilson) is visiting the Magisterium. She’s being given a telling off (as much as a woman of her nature can be given a telling off) by Father MacPhail (Will Keen). The Cardinal (Ian Peck) enters and he addresses Mrs Coulter as Marisa. He tells her that he’s passing leadership of the Oblation Board onto Father MacPhail and Mrs Coulter is stripped of all official duties. She sarcastically claps in his face. She says he won’t be doing that because she has Lord Asriel in a jail, controlled by bears, controlled by her. Mrs Coulter says she’ll travel north and hand him over as an act of service if they allow her to pursue her project and ask Fra Pavel’s (Frank Bourke) alethiometer a question- “Who is Lyra Belacqua?”

Farder Coram reveals to Lyra that he and Serafina were in love and had a child together. Sadly, their little boy died during an epidemic and Serafina wanted to rip the world apart, but he wanted to mourn in peace. He cries as he tells Lyra that he hasn’t seen Serafina since they buried their son.

Lee enters a bar which falls silence upon his entrance. No one is willing to engage with him. He announces that he’s after an armoured bear. After he presses one of the locals for information he gets punched in the face. He’s eventually thrown out, with the two watches and a wallet he’s managed to steal. Lyra asks Lee what he wants with a bear. He mentions Iorek and asks Farder Coram where to find him. Lyra asks what’s keeping Iorek trapped and Lee says he’ll tell her if she tells him where Iorek is. She doesn’t want to because she doesn’t want Lee to take him when they need him.

Farder Coram is telling John Faa that Serafina once told him about a prophecy of a child who he thinks might be Lyra. Serafina’s Daemon flies above them and John Faa says it must be true that the witches have the power to send their Daemons from them. Hold on a second… like Mrs Coulter and her Daemon?! Farder Coram bows to Serafina’s Daemon, Kaisa (voiced by David Suchet). Farder Coram says they’ll wage war if it’s what it takes to get their children back. Kaisa explains that some witches are working with the Oblation Board at The Station, or Bolvangar as the witches call it, which is four days north-east of Trollesund. Farder Coram translates Bolvangar to “fields of evil.” He asks Kaisa to take them there, but he says Serafina will support them whatever route their path takes.

Lyra and Pan (voiced by Kit Connor) are watching the Aurora. As the lights move, she briefly sees the city that Asriel saw. She wonders about Roger when Tony (Daniel Frogson) joins them. He asks about the bear and Lyra says it wasn’t what she expected. She tells Tony that they’re going to do whatever it takes to get the missing children back.

Lee finds Iorek, three years after they last saw each other. Lee says he wants to help Iorek, seeing as he owes him. Lee asks Iorek who has his armour and to tell him what he’s been up to, but Iorek tells Lee to leave as he doesn’t want him there.

Lee goes to Sysselman, trying to reclaim Iorek’s armour. Syssleman says it belongs to the Magisterium as Iorek is paying off a blood debt. Lee tries to counter the act under which Iorek’s armour is being kept with the act that keeps the Magisterium from having it. Lee asks who paid Sysselman to write the act and what it will cost for him to re-write it. Sysselman puts a gun on the table telling Lee to be careful, but Lee tells Sysselman that Iorek can’t be a slave and shames him.

Mrs Coulter is in her posh airship writing a letter addressed to the Northern King alluding to the fact that she is responsible for Iorek’s disposal. Lyra isn’t happy about leaving without Iorek, but john Faa tells her that Asriel is being kept prisoner. John Faa says they don’t want Iorek as he got drunk and wrecked the town. Lyra consults her alethiometer which says Iorek was tricked, but John Faa puts his foot down.

Boreal (Ariyon Bakare) confronts Fra Pavel about his meeting with Mrs Coulter. Boreal threatens him with what he knows about him and threatens to expose him if he doesn’t use his alethiometer to find out what Grumman discovered.

Lyra approaches Lee in the bar and tells him she represents John Faa and they’d like to hire him. She pinches some of his bacon as she tells him they will pay him in gold. Lee tells her that they’ll lose. She asks him how they can get Iorek to go with them. Lyra realizes Iorek needs his armour and disappears with the last of Lee’s bacon whilst he’s looking around the bar.

Lyra finds Iorek and tells him she can use her alethiometer to find his armour. Pandemonium ensues as Iorek breaks out of his workstation. Lyra and Pan try to stop him, but he barges straight into the church. Sysselman and his men move in on him. After throwing a member of the church through the stained-glass window, Iorek emerges in his armour. Sysellman’s men take fire at Iorek, but his armour protects him and he mauls Sysellman. Lyra screams at him to stop. Lee approaches and tells Iorek to listen to Lyra.

Lyra asks John Faa if she can bring along a little extra help…and by that she means Iorek. She says he’s practically Gyptian as he’s been mistreated and tricked. Lee introduces himself to John Faa saying that he doesn’t come cheap. Lyra says Lee will be useful as he has his own balloon. John Faa welcomes Lee and Iorek.

Mrs Coulter is searching for Iofur (voiced by Peter Serafinowicz). She thanks him for his help in capturing Asriel. Iofur tells Mrs Coulter that he captured Asriel to pay his debt to her when she disposed of Iorek, but Asriel is now his prisoner. Mrs Coulter tries to bargain with him. She says he can be the first and only bear to be baptised into the Magisterium. In return, he will destroy Asriel’s lab and make sure he stops searching for Dust, but she will control Asriel.

The Gyptians set off on foot in search of The Station.