10 things His Dark Materials season 2 needs to get right

Photo: Ruth Wilson in His Dark Materials.. Courtesy of Alex Bailey/HBO

Mrs. Coulter’s Struggle

Mrs. Coulter is one of the most interesting characters in His Dark Materials, partly because she’s portrayed by the talented Ruth Wilson and partly because she’s written with so much complexity. You know you should be rooting against her, but she has moments of genuine vulnerability, something the HBO series has given her even more of.

It’ll be interesting to see how the show handles Mrs. Coulter’s fall from grace in The Subtle Knife, since she doesn’t get that much attention in the book. Given her failure at Bolvangar, fans can assume her authority will be in question. In the book, the Church is very skeptical of her at this point, which makes her desperate.

Seeing that desperation play out onscreen will no doubt be made more satisfying by Wilson’s acting skills. Since the show has already given Lyra’s mother more screen time and depth than the novels, it would be nice to see this storyline expanded on, especially given what happens at the end of The Subtle Knife.

(It will also be interesting to see Mrs. Coulter’s odd relationship with Boreal and learn about the new army she’s building, one that will send shivers down viewers’ spines if the show gives us a glimpse of it in season 2.)