HBO‘s Its dark materials returned last night for the premiere of its third and final season. The series is a painstaking adaptation of Philip Pullman’s gritty trilogy about a girl from another world and a boy from ours who become embroiled in a rebellion against Heaven. For many, the best thing about the show is the star-studded ensemble cast. James McAvoy plays the enigmatic Lord Asriel, Ruth Wilson is the implacable Mrs. Coulter and logan The outstanding Dafne Keen plays Lyra Silvertongue, a girl with the unique ability to read a mystical, truth-telling “golden compass” known as the alethiometer. Best of all for my money though Its dark materials comes from Kit Connor.
Oh, you didn’t know that heart stopper Heartthrob Kit Connor was on HBO Its dark materials? Well, that might be because Connor never appears on screen as himself. Instead, he is the voice actor behind Lyra’s demon Pantalaimon. It’s his voice that has encouraged and comforted Lyra throughout the series. Kit Connor is the literal soul of Its dark materials and deserves more kudos for its brilliant voice acting.
in the Its dark materials In Season 1 we are introduced to a parallel world where people’s souls exist outside of their bodies in the form of animals called demons. These demons can change depending on the mood of their person until the age of puberty. After that, daemons will be locked in a single form forever. As the series progresses, we learn that there is a mysterious substance called Dust that is linked to this phenomenon. While the Magisterium – a ruling body that is part church, part dictatorship – believes that dust is a literal original sin, others, like Lord Asriel, see it as something more complex. Lyra is drawn into a wild journey north, both to rescue her kidnapped friend Roger and to reunite Lord Asriel. There are talking polar bears and immortal witches. Lin-Manuel Miranda has a hot air balloon. Finally, Lyra goes to another world and meets a boy from our universe who has a magic knife. It’s quite an adventure.
Pantalaimon or simply Pan is at Lyra’s side. He’s the voice of reason when her impulses get the better of her and her constant cheerleader when she’s down. Pan needs to be both a reflection of Lyra’s inner workings and a unique personality. Kit Connor, who is only 18, has captured these nuances with his voice throughout all three seasons of Its dark materials. While Netflix heart stopper could have catapulted Connor to mainstream stardom, Its dark materials proves he’s a soulful performer with a bright future ahead of him.
While Dafne Keen and Amir Wilson could be the faces of Its dark materialsKit Connor is undeniably the heart and soul of the show.