His Dark Materials: LIAR

 1) How does His Dark Materials fit the conventions of the fantasy TV genre?

  • Emotive, often quest-based narratives
  • Political narrative themes or social commentary
  • Iconography including magic, mystical creatures or similar
  • Often set in imagined worlds or time periods

2) Applying Propp's character theory, what character roles do some of the main characters in His Dark Materials fit into? 

  • The Hero: Lyra Belacqua (Silvertongue) is the protagonist who undertakes the quest to rescue kidnapped children, discovers the truth about Dust, and ultimately attempts to repair the broken universe. 
  • The Villain: Mrs. Coulter and The Magisterium oppose the hero, representing oppressive authority, and seek to suppress knowledge and free will

    • 3) What enigma and action codes (Barthes) can you find in His Dark Materials? Make specific, detailed reference to the text using media terminology (e.g. media language - camera shots, diegetic/non-diegetic sound, mise-en-scene etc.)

    Enigma codes (Hermeneutic) introduce mysteries that delay full disclosure, while action codes (Proairetic) signify sequential behaviors that build immediate cause-and-effect anticipation. 


    4) What examples of binary opposition (Levi-Strauss) can you find in His Dark Materials? How do these create narrative or drama for the audience? You can find reminder notes on all these narrative theories here - just scroll down to narrative. 

     good v evil; young v old; human v alien; dark v light etc.

    Representations


    1) How are women represented in His Dark Materials? Are gender stereotypes reinforced or subverted? Think about Lyra and Mrs Coulter here.

    Many characters in this episode of His Dark Materials subvert stereotypes. Lyra is a strong, independent female character who doesn't need or want help from anyone on her dangerous quest across different worlds. She can't cook, isn't bothered by her appearance and takes what she wants. Mrs Coulter also subverts female stereotypes as a cold hearted villain. She is actually Lyra's mother but displays none of the maternal stereotypes the media usually presents as typically female.

    2) How are men and masculinity represented in His Dark Materials? Think about Will and Lee Scoresby here.

    Will subverts male or masculine stereotypes. He is kind, welcoming and wants to help Lyra. He cooks her food and makes up beds for them to sleep in. Not all characters subvert stereotypes though - Lee Scoresby is in many ways a classic masculine man on a mission to help Lyra.

    3) How is age (e.g. teenagers; adults) represented in His Dark Materials? Does the show reinforce or challenge stereotypes about young people? Think about Lyra and Will plus the abandoned children they meet. Also think about Mrs Coulter and other adults.

    Most of the main characters in this series and episode are children and they are shown not to need adults or help from older people. The abandoned children of Cittàgazze also demonstrate they can live without adults - which subverts typical stereotypes. Mrs Coulter also shows how stereotypes are subverted as a parent who does not care for her child.

    4) How is race and ethnicity represented in His Dark Materials? Are stereotypes reinforced or subverted?

    The actors in His Dark Materials are from a range of ethnic and social class backgrounds and the character of Will subverts stereotypes of race and ethnicity as well as gender. However, some stereotypes are reinforced - the abandoned children in Cittàgazze are presented as working class in a very stereotypical way. 

    5) What representations of the world can you find in the episode - is it like real life? A fantasy world? Something from the past or future? Give examples from the episode.


    His Dark Materials: Will Parry’s Oxford is the real-world Oxford we know today. It reflects our actual history, complete with modern technology, cars, and typical contemporary societal systems. 

    Audience

    1) What audience do you think His Dark Materials is aimed at and why? Think about demographic and psychographic groups. You can revise Pyschographics here.

    • Age:14-40
    • Gender: mainly women and teenagers 
    • Education: high education 
    • Social class: middle class
    • Race/ethnicity: mixed race and white people
    • Job: doctors or engineers 
    • Home: country side


    2) What audience pleasures are offered by His Dark Materials - The City of Magpies? Apply Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory to the episode. Make sure you provide specific examples from the episode to support your ideas.

    Personal Identity: 
    Lyra Silvertongue: Younger viewers often look up to Lyra as a brave, rebellious, and fiercely independent protagonist. Her stubborn nature and questioning of adults reflect the universal teenage experience of breaking away from parental control. 

    Will Parry: Will’s introduction and his desperate need to protect his mother allow viewers to relate to modern, grounded values like responsibility, family loyalty, and morality. When audiences see these children step up, it validates the adolescent identity.  

    Personal Relationships: 

    The Long-Awaited Meet-Up: The City of Magpies fulfills a major emotional payoff by finally bringing Will and Lyra together. The audience feels a personal investment and affection for these two protagonists, and watching them build trust—and form a dynamic duo out of sheer necessity—gratifies our desire to see meaningful relationships develop on screen

    Diversion (Escapism):  Audiences are instantly diverted from their daily routines by the introduction of new, sprawling worlds. The sweeping visuals of the deserted, beautifully haunting Italian-style architecture of Cittàgazze (the "City of Magpies") offer an aesthetic escape into a mysterious ghost-town.

    The Magisterium's Submarine: The tonal shift to the claustrophobic, dark submarine headquarters of the Magisterium provides high-stakes dramatic thrills, allowing viewers to escape the mundanity of reality by losing themselves in high-fantasy suspense.  

    3) Thinking of the 3 Vs audience pleasures (Visceral, Vicarious and Voyeuristic pleasures), which of these can be applied to His Dark Materials? Refer to specific scenes or moments in the episode to explain your answer. 

    Vicarious and Visceral pleasures are particularly dominan 

    4) How did fans react to Season 2 of His Dark Materials? What about critic reviews? You can find some possible answers for this in this BBC website article on the critical reception for His Dark Materials and watch the fan reaction video above.

    Critics and fans felt the adaptation was "harder to love" than the novels, though most agreed it successfully expanded the fantasy universe. 


    5) What might be some of the preferred and oppositional readings for His Dark Materials? Why did some fans love it? Why have other people criticised it? 

    Atheism for Kids": Some critics decry the trilogy's themes—such as the "killing" of God—as propaganda designed to corrupt youth, leading to past efforts to ban or restrict the books in schools and libraries

    Pacing and Tone Shifts: Some fantasy readers and critics find the books messy, noting that the narrative pace drags in the final volume (The Amber Spyglass

    Industries

    1) Which companies produced this His Dark Materials series?

    Bad -Wolf

    2) What were the UK viewing figures for A City of Magpies? How did this compare to season 1 of His Dark Materials?

    4.4 million uk viewers 

    3) What was American network HBO's role in making His Dark Materials and why is this important? Look at the notes above for more on this.

    providing the significant financial backing and scale necessary to produce a top-tier fantasy epic

    4) What famous stars are in His Dark Materials and why do you think they were selected for the show? Watch the Comic Con panel video in the notes above to see the stars talking about the show.

    Dafne Keen (as Lyra Belacqua): Best known for her breakout, physically demanding role in Logan.

    Ruth Wilson (as Mrs. Coulter): Acclaimed for her intense roles in Luther and The Affair.

    James McAvoy (as Lord Asriel): The Split and X-Men star

    Lin-Manuel Miranda (as Lee Scoresby): The Tony and Grammy-winning creator of Hamilton.


    5) Who are Bad Wolf and what do they produce?

    Bad Wolf is a prominent, award-winning television production company based in Cardiff, Wales, with additional offices in London and Los Angeles. It was founded in 2015 by former BBC executives Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner

    Comparison: Doctor Who - An Unearthly Child and His Dark Materials - The City of Magpies

    1) How are the technical conventions different between 1963 Doctor Who and 2020 His Dark Materials (e.g. camerawork, editing, sound and mise-en-scene)?

    he jump from limited-budget, live-to-tape studio sets to modern, blockbuster-tier CGI fundamentally altered their technical conventions. 

    2) What similarities and differences are there between Doctor Who and His Dark Materials in terms of genre and narrative?

    Both Doctor Who and His Dark Materials are British speculative fiction masterpieces. While both feature multiverse exploration and young protagonists opposing tyrannical authorities, they differ in scope. 


    3) How are representations of people, places and groups similar or different in the two shows?

    To provide the most accurate analysis of how representations differ, please specify which two shows you are comparing.
    However, in media analysis, representations of people, places, and groups generally contrast across shows based on how directors use ideology, stereotypes, and settings. 

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