'His Dark Materials' Season 1 Episode 2 Recap: "The Idea of the North"
When we last left Lyra at the end of the first episode of His Dark Materials, both she and Roger were on their way to London, though each had no idea the other was on board, as Lyra traveled first class, while Roger was taking the caged child route. This week's episode focused on what Lyra found upon arrival in London, which was a far cry from what she expected.
Lyra assumed several things upon her arrival in London. Mrs. Coulter was going to show her the ropes; they would be heading up to the North soon; and the mystery of Roger's disappearance would be taken care of. By the time the episode was over, none of these things had come to pass. Oh sure, Mrs. Coulter wanted to show Lyra the ropes all right, the ropes to climbing up the one percent ladder. In addition to taking her out to tea in the toniest spaces, she redressed Lyra in luxurious outfits and had her hair clipped and curled, turning the child into her virtual mini-me.
Confused and frustrated, Lyra begins to act out, and in doing so, starts to realize she's jumped into a rabbit hole that goes far deeper than she realized. On a hunch, when Coulter presses her about Oxford, she casually brings up Asriel and Dust. The result confirms that Coulter knows about Dust, and is disturbed to hear Lyra talk about it.
