re: HIS DARK MATERIALS Season Long Thread - S1 Ep8: "Betrayal" Season Finale

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Well .... tonight's episode sure took an interesting turn

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Easily the best episode of the season.

Ruth Wilson nailed Mrs Coulter so fricking perfectly. The scene between her and Lyra after she stopped the incision process was absolutely perfect. There's one line that sums up everything I love about her as a villain, when Lyra tells her Billy Costa had died, where she puts on this concerned face and says

"Well of course I'll find everyone responsible and make sure they're punished" or something like that and Lyra screams back "THAT'S YOU!"

And we see just how effortless it is for Mrs Coulter to lie and politic. She has spent so much time around beurocrats, aristocrats, and church officials - lying, manipulating - that she has completely forgotten what it's like to have someone call you out on your shite. And we see with the Spy Fly and upcoming on Svalbard just how much like her mother Lyra can be.

My only quibbles were small - didn't like the scene of Roger trying to motivate the children with no daemon, didn't like the tone of the conversation between Lee Scoresby and Serafina Pekkala, and biggest of all, I didn't like the awkward jump from Bolvangar to Svalbard. I remember that being a quick jump in the novel and this was an opportunity for the adaptation to smooth that out a little. Would have loved a one night respite with the Gyptians so we could get one more scene with Coram.