So last night BBC premiered it’s new series with HBO, His Dark Materials. Having seen the trailers from the middle of this year I’ve been very hyped for it. I wanted it to be everything the movie wasn’t even if I knew it wasn’t going to live up to the books (nothing ever could) and it just…wasn’t.

Granted, it was better than the movie. But it wasn’t hard to be better than the movie. It just felt like what it was, a premiere episode. Full of heavy handed exposition like all the characters saying Lyra is special and the constant drone about the gobblers being a myth. I’m aware that not everyone has read the books but it doesn’t mean that we needed so many clunky lines to explain who people are or set up the twists and turns that are going to happen.

I think some of the acting was a bit awkward and not just by the child actors. If I could liken it to anything it would have to be the opening scene to Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland where all the dialogue is flat and the acting is rushed. I think a lot of scenes with the Gyptians were clunky and awkward but we didn’t get to see them for very long, maybe as they get more integral to the story, they’ll become more fleshed out.

On a positive note, the cast is great and I think that each character was well cast, especially Rose Wilson as Mrs Coulter – I can’t wait to see what she does with the character. And how can I forget to mention the absolute bae that is James McAvoy 😍

Overall, I think the episode did what it needed to do. It set up the world nicely and introduced people who are unfamiliar with the books to the story. I’m confused as to why they decided to show clips from the rest of the season in the ‘still to come’ thing as it practically ruined crucial moments of the story but I’m excited to see how it progresses.