His Dark Materials – Betrayal

By starrymag | December 29, 2019

By: Ellie Dolan-Yates

 

 

In war-like circumstances The Cardinal’s speech is being beamed into the Magisterium’s airships whilst Mrs Coulter (Ruth Wilson) is loading a gun. High in the mountains Lord Asriel (James McAvoy) is looking over his findings and his Daemon Stelmaria (Helen McCrory) tells him “it’s time.”

 

Asriel tells Lyra (Dafne Keen) that she shouldn’t have come to find him and that she should have stayed at Jordan College where she was safe. Lyra says that she would have been proud knowing that he was her father all along and asks why Asriel never told her. He says that it’s too sentimental to tell her why. As Lyra begins to cry Asriel tells her that she’s stronger than that. Lyra explains that her name is now Lyra Silvertongue and that name was given to her by someone who actually loves her. She hands Asriel the alethiometer, but Asriel tells her to keep it as he doesn’t need it. Lyra is understandably annoyed at this after everything she has been through to get the alethiometer to him. She asks Asriel how he can call himself a father, but he replies, “I’ve never called myself a father.”

 

Father MacPhail (Will Keen) tells Mrs Coulter that they should reach Asriel’s lab by morning. Mrs Coulter states that Asriel will be waiting no matter what time they get there. Mrs Coulter begins to play with Father MacPhail’s fear of Asriel’s work. Father MacPhail comes back at her by saying that she “melted” in front of him once she met Asriel. Mrs Coulter tells him that his sin is being envious of her and Asriel’s conviction and sureness. Mrs Coulter shares with Father MacPhail that she’s the best weapon he’ll ever have.

 

At the Magisterium Boreal (Ariyon Bakare) asks Fra Pavel (Frank Bourke) if he has answers from his alethiometer yet about what Grumman discovered. Fra Pavel says the alethiometer gives you the answer you need and not the answer you desire. He goes on to say the answer will be in the form of a riddle. He tells Boreal that “there’s a knife in a tower, surrounded by angels” and that Grumman’s son will lead Boreal to it.

 

Back in Asriel’s lab Thorold (Gary Lewis) asks Asriel if Lyra has everything she needs such as a toothbrush. Father-of-of-the-year Asriel tells him that he’s not overly concerned about that right now as The Magisterium are on their way. Asriel says that he’s found the enemy and now he’s not being guarded by bears he is free to go after it. He asks Thorold to make sure Lyra is safe when The Magisterium arrive. Thorold tells him that the least Asriel can do is say goodbye to Lyra before he leaves.

 

Pan (voiced by Kit Connor) tells Lyra that they don’t need Asriel as they can leave at first light. Roger (Lewin Lloyd) knocks and asks Lyra if he can come in. He says he’ll walk backwards and sit backwards so he can’t see her in the bath. Roger tells Lyra that he’s spooked by Asriel seeing as he was angry to see Lyra yet instantly calmed down as soon as he saw Roger. Lyra tells him that it didn’t go so well when she told Asriel she knows he’s her father. Roger says that parents are more trouble than they’re worth and that’s why he never bothered getting to know his. He says he’s always liked that he and Lyra were both orphans.

 

Boreal is in Oxford telling The Pale-Faced Man (Jamie Wilkes) that he shouldn’t have let Will (Amir Wilson) get away. Boreal explains that he’s messing up too much and wonders if he can trust him to work on his own. He asks his associate to think about what Will would be doing right now and to get rid of him. It turns out Boreal’s associate is a D.I. He puts an alert out over police radio to look for Will as a missing person.

 

Pan and Salcilia (voiced by Eloise Little) are playing whilst Roger and Lyra eat sandwiches and talk things over in their makeshift den. Roger says that Lyra can always use the alethiometer to find out how Asriel really feels and what is going to happen to them. Lyra says it will only tell her what it wants her to know. Roger thinks they should just go on what they already know then – they’re only there because of each other. They’ve changed each other’s lives. Lyra says she can’t promise she won’t stop changing Roger’s life.

 

Asriel wakes Lyra. He starts explaining that he doesn’t actually know what Dust is, but The Magisterium think it’s sin raining down from the sky and infecting everyone’s souls with evil. The Magisterium ignored it until it was discovered that it only settled on people during puberty and then they made the connection to Adam and Eve. They re-labeled Dust as “original sin.” Asriel says that the Authority have been making people believe they were born guilty. Lyra mentions that Mrs Coulter is cutting children’s Daemons to preserve their sinless souls, but those who had their Daemons cut looked empty. Lyra explains that Mrs Coulter stopped them from cutting her, but was happy to damage others which sparks Asriel’s attention. Asriel understands that there is a massive leak of energy when the bond between human and Daemon is severed. If Asriel can build a bridge they can use Dust to cross to the city in the sky. Asriel tells Lyra that he doubts the Magisterium know that Dust is what makes the alethiometer work. Asriel says that Lyra was never sent to him and the alethiometer is hers. He explains that she’s the product of something extraordinary.

 

The Magisterium’s airships are approaching Asriel’s lab. Thorold tells Lyra that Asriel has already gone, but he will keep her safe. Lyra notices that Roger has also gone and soon realizes why. She runs off into the snow to shout for Iorek (voiced by Joe Tandberg) who comes running. Iorek rounds up his bears. In the mountains Asriel tells Roger that Lyra will be joining them. Mrs Coulter and The Magisterium descend on Asriel’s lab. Mrs Coulter tells Father MacPhail not to touch anything and to get the guards out. As Mrs Coulter looks over Asriel’s findings Thorold knocks Father MacPhail out. Mrs Coulter asks Thorold if Asriel is trying to flood them all with sin. Thorold keeps quiet and Mrs Coulter agrees to let him leave. She’ll say that Father MacPhail is staying there to investigate and she’ll take the troops to find Asriel. She knows Asriel never treated him well.

 

At the top of the mountain, beneath the lights, Asriel is setting up his experiment. The bears and Lyra close in as the wind howls around them. Lyra notices the spotlights Asriel has set up in the mountains. Overhead The Magisterium have noticed the bears and Mrs Coulter tells them to open fire, leaving Lyra and the bears dodging bullets. Iorek tells the bears to prepare the fire hurlers as Lyra takes cover. As bears fall around her, Lyra is knocked by an explosion close to her. She only just hears Iorek telling her to hurry as he’ll take her to the mountain. Roger tells Asriel that they need to go down to save Lyra, but Asriel grabs him and Stelamaria grabs Salcilia in her mouth. Asriel places a terrified Roger into a cage. Iorek explains to Lyra that he can’t cross the narrow bridge to the mountain. Lyra thanks him and snuggles her head to his nose before kissing it. Lyra treads the bridge as if on a trapeze of snow. In a tense moment she slips, but makes it across with Pan.

 

As Roger pleads with Asriel to be let out Ariel says that he’s sorry, but “in war there are casualties.” He’s going to free humanity forever. As Lyra struggles to scale the mountain she tells Pan to fly up to see if he can see Roger. Pan tells her that Roger and Salcilia are in cages like the ones at Bolvangar. Lyra can hear Roger’s screams as she approaches the top of the mountain. Despite her efforts and reaching Roger’s cage, she doesn’t quite make it in time. Unfortunately, Roger and Salcilia are cut from each other. As they are separated the energy blows Lyra from the cage and down the mountain. Below The Magisterium lower their weapons as,in a single glowing beam energy pours from the sky.

 

Before Asriel stands a portal and behind him stands Mrs Coulter. She’s come to stop him. Asriel is pleased that she has seen what he’s done. He believes it’s the end of The Magisterium. No more oppression, darkness or suppression of knowledge. Asriel tells Mrs Coulter that the light is the sun from another world. As they both stand before it he tells her that there’s far more dangerous power out there. Asriel asks Mrs Coulter to work with him to help create a “New Republic of Heaven.” He wants them to take the universe apart and put it back together again. They passionately kiss, but Mrs Coulter says that they can’t. Asriel believes she can lie about whatever she wants, but not about who she truly is. They can change all the worlds together. Mrs Coulter says her place is with Lyra and says goodbye to Asriel before he enters the portal.

 

Lyra wakes in the snow and hides behind a rock as Mrs Coulter looks at Roger’s body. After she has gone, Lyra holds Roger and strokes his face. She says that they got it all wrong and she didn’t get to tell Roger that she’s sorry. It’s all her fault for bringing him there. Pan says that they need to find Dust as it might need protecting from Asriel. Lyra says they will be alone, but Pan replies that they’ve always been alone…except for Roger. With nothing left to live for and determined not to let Asriel win, Lyra and Pan enter the portal. Whilst evading the police in Oxford we Will’s attention is drawn by a cat. He follows it through a gap in the fence at the back of a park. He too enters a portal.