Lyra has been dreaming of Roger at the chapel where her mother, Coulter, has kept her drugged. Gomez’s spy fly finds Lyra’s location and heads back to Geneva. Balthamos and Will are on their way to Lyra as well. Unbeknownst to Balthamos, an angel from the Authority is following him as he heads to Asriel to tell him about Aesahettr. The tension in the air is palpable as what happens now is of crucial importance and shall decide Lyra and Will’s destiny. Here’s a recap of “His Dark Materials” Season 3, Episode 2.
Spoilers Ahead
Republic Of Heaven
Commander Ogunwe arrives at the Republic of Heaven, where he meets Ruta Skadi and her daemon Sergi. Both had been sent by Serafina Pekkala to aid Asriel in his quest. The aim is to force the Authority to reveal his face, to provoke him. Only then shall they challenge him to war. News arrives from Magisterium spy Agent Salmakia (a covert agent the size of a fly) that Magisterium is prepping for a mission to search Lyra. Asriel hasn’t moved. Stelmaria doesn’t like how Asriel is dismissing Lyra and wants him to accept what he knows is the truth, i.e., that Lyra is Eve. That’s when Ruta rushes in and informs them that there are angels above their camp. Asriel comes out and joins the others to see what’s going on. Two angels are spotted fighting each other until both crashes nearby. Asriel realizes that one is from the Authority while the other is with the Republic. When the fatally injured Baruch tells him that he has a message, Asriel orders the other angel to be taken to the intercision chamber. Xaphania, another Angel who is a member of Asriel’s council, is at the spot as well and recognizes Baruch. Baruch tells Asriel that the boy who wields the Aesahettr, the god killer, has been found. It is the only weapon that can destroy the Authority and his regent, Enoch, aka Metatron. The boy, accompanied by an angel, Balthamos, is on his way to Lyra. Baruch thus dies, his dust fading away. Asriel comes to the intercision chamber, inside which Alarbus, the other angel, is being held. He turns on the machine to pull intel out of Alarbus via torture. Alarbus reveals that the Authority wants to bring an end to the freedom of will and thought across all worlds. Ruta tells Ogunwe that Asriel’s daughter Lyra is Eve. The only way for Asriel to find the knife, Aesahettr, is to track the Magisterium ships, one of which is Agent Salmakia. Ogunwe doesn’t like the fact that Asriel is using his daughter as a trap, but Asriel has put a lot on the line for his mission and will easily risk his daughter’s life if it allows him to kill the Authority. Soon, Asriel gets a message from Salmakia that the ships are going to land on Fairisle near the German Ocean. Lyra is with a woman named Marisa Coulter. He tells Salmakia to take Lyra and Will, if he is with her, to safety until he arrives there. Asriel and Stelmaria then leave for Fairisle.
The Serpent’s Destiny
Dr. Mary Malone is surrounded by wilderness as she tries to make sense of the world she is in using her I Ching box and creating a map. She comes across an abandoned camp, where she encounters two girls. They stayed behind while the rest of the people left with Commander Ogunwe through a doorway that led to another world. The girls tell her about the girl she is looking for, Lyra.
The Magisterium Agent
Father Gomez’s spy fly returns to him with Lyra’s location. Agent Salmakia listens from hiding as MacPhail prepares his Magisterium forces by giving an inspiring speech to the guards about purging the world of sin forever. They need to retrieve Eve and her mother and bring them back, dead or alive. All the guards board the ship along with their captain, Father Gomez. Agent Salmakia is also hiding on the ship, tracking its journey so that she can update Asriel.
Aesahettr’s Journey
On the ship, Balthamos senses Baruch’s death and is utterly pained and distraught. They arrive at the location. Will tells Iorek to keep watch while he and Balthamos head ahead. They find the muted young girl, Ama, and ask her about Lyra. With Coulter not in the chapel, for the time being, Ama leads them there. Will walks inside and finds Lyra asleep. That’s when Coulter returns. She tells Will that the Magisterium intends to kill Lyra, a.k.a. Eve, The Mother of All Sin, to prove their devotion to the Authority. She asks Will to stay with them, but he decides to leave and go to Asriel just as he was meant to, provided Coulter takes care of Lyra. As much as Coulter wants Will to be with her and Lyra, she has no means to stop him. Will leaves. After going a distance, he, Balthamos, and Ama notice Magisterium ships in the sky right above them. Will decides to head back and safely bring Lyra with him.
The Fairisle Chapel
At the chapel, Coulter hears sirens blaring and looks out, only to find Magisterium ships overhead. Gomez comes down from one of the ships and finds Coulter sitting outside. She tries to stop him, but she knows she can’t. She ultimately takes Gomez inside and sits, listening to his words about letting the Magisterium do the needful, i.e., fulfill Eve’s destiny by dying. Coulter listens quietly as he sees Will peeping through a magical hole. Realizing that he is back to help, Coulter decides to stall Gomez by talking to him. Meanwhile, Will walks into Lyra’s room through a doorway and wakes her up. A shriek from Coulter’s daemon makes Gomez turn when Coulter hits him in the head with a rock, knocking him unconscious. She then heads to the other room and finds Will and Lyra leaving. She decides to join them, but Will is against it. Struggling to open a portal with his knife, he ultimately breaks it. With the knife gone, Coulter pulls a gun on Will, as he is of no use to her anymore. Lyra gets in front of the gun, asking Coulter to let them go. The very next moment, Agent Salmakia stings Coulter, telling Will and Lyra that she has been sent to take them to Asriel. Lyra doesn’t want it, but Will reassures her. Will collects the pieces of the knife, and they head outside. There they are shot at by Magisterium guards, but not for long, as Iorek intervenes, throwing the guards off with his brute force. Will and Lyra wish Ama goodbye and leave through a doorway Will had left open when he arrived at the location. Salmakia follows them in as well.
‘His Dark Materials’ Season 3, Episode 2: Ending Explained – Does Asriel Find The Aesahettr?
Asriel arrives at the Fairisle chapel and finds his wife, Marisa Coulter, and a Magisterium Father both unconscious. Stelmaria checks the other room. There’s no one else there. They were late. Somewhere else, Will and Lyra lie asleep by the fire, holding each other’s hands. Asriel may take Coulter to the Republic and ask her about the Magisterium. Meanwhile, Alarbus has a lot more information to give regarding the Authority and his kingdom. Will and Lyra will head to the Republic as well, where they might come across Asriel. After all, Salmakia is still with them. But what about the Aesahettr? It is now gone. How else can the Authority and his Regent be destroyed? “His Dark Materials” Season 3, Episode 3 has a lot to answer for.
