10 things His Dark Materials season 2 needs to get right

Image: His Dark Materials/HBO

The Subtle Knife

The Subtle Knife is right there in the title of the second book, so you know it’s important. But what is it? There are details you can discover for yourself, but it’s a weapon so sharp it’s able to cut doorways in the fabric of reality, allowing whoever holds it to open windows to other world. It’s a vitally important and powerful magical object, one that could decide the fate of the war between Asriel and the Magisterium.

And Will becomes its bearer, which sets his character up to make some major decisions heading into the third and final installment. Given that the HBO series hasn’t put as much weight on Will’s character as Lyra’s, it’ll be nice to see the series give him the spotlight for a change. Will winning the knife from the person currently holding it should also make for an intense, action-packed moment if the series handles it well.

Boreal’s obsession with the knife is also fascinating, as is his pursuit of Lyra and her alethiometer. He’ll have a more active role in the second season, and is a terrific source of tension. The Subtle Knife has some great action set pieces in it, including a knife fight with Will’s new weapon, and one bit where Lyra and Will sneak into Boreal’s home. Stuff like that should keep season 2 from feeling slow or drawn out.