- Released: November 3, 2019
- Amount of seasons:3
- Seasons watched:3
- Rating: 3.5/5
Synopsis
My Thoughts
Look, okay, I love the first two seasons of this series, mostly because I also loved the two books they were based on. That...wasn't the case for book three. I loved Northern Lights, and The Subtle Knife was really good as well, but the last book The Amber Spyglass just left me feeling a bit disappointed. I didn't care for the Land of the Dead plot, and since it takes up a huge chunk of the story it just didn't work for me. How did this final season do in adapting the story? And did I like it?
Eh, yes it is a good adaptation (like the previous two season) and yes I also do like it, better than the book in fact. Maybe I'll need to re-read it (it has been a while) but I felt a more connected to the story here, though I still am not fond of the Land of the Dead plotline. It is an important plotline, but if the viewer isn't invested in it, it does take up a huge chunk of the page/screentime. And while I like the execution of the third season better than The Amber Spyglass, this still is my least favorite season of the series. Still good, just my least favorite of the three.
I do still like the characters, but I find myself less attached to Will and especially Lyra here, and I honestly don't know why. She's quite admirable in how she's willing to do anything for her deceased friend Roger, but at the same time this quest also causes a lot of heartache and danger for her friends. It means that she (and Will) is forced to leave behind her daemon, which is basically the worst betrayal to Pan, and yeah, I do not blame him for being angry with her at all. And of course she's putting Will, her best non-daemon friend, in mortal danger by traveling to the Land of the Dead. If Will didn't have his handy knife they'd have been screwed.
So like, while I appreciate Lyra's dedication and persistence here, I just...don't agree with how much she's putting others in pain and peril for her own sake. Her quest to save Roger does eventually lead to her saving everyone trapped in the Land of the Dead, but back when she was trying to get to this land the only reason she wanted to go was to make things right with Roger. She didn't even know the exact situation they were in. So basically all she knew is that she was separating from Pan and putting Will in real danger based on her own feelings and dreams. Which I just don't like that much. Flawed characters can be fun and I loved Lyra in prior seasons, but this decision of hers just made me like her a lot less.
Still, the rest of the season was pretty good. I liked the handling of the conflict with the Authority, Asriel (who was pretty much absent last season) and Marisa get their times to shine as antagonists, the Land of the Dead plotline had me more engaged than when reading the book and I loved the parts involving the mulefa world and Mary Malone, of course. And her appearance in the final episode was so good, her re-uniting with Lyra and getting to play the snake as she was told.
It's a good and solid season and a good conclusion, it just personally doesn't hold my attention as much as the first two did and I felt more disconnected from the main characters here than before. Also, I just...do not buy Lyra and Will as a romantic couple. They have a fine chemistry but even after they got together I just didn't feel a spark, if that makes sense. So the fact that them getting together solves the Dust imbalance in the universe didn't work that much for me, but I do like that an act of kindness is what saves the day in the end. Not the killing of the Authority or whatever else. And the ending, whether you buy Lyra and Will as an item or not, is pretty damn devastating with the duo having to stay in their own worlds forever with all windows closed.
A good conclusion, just not my personal favorite.
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