A ‘(Dark) Material’ world

Pullman’s trilogy continues on the small screen

By Rachel Jones TV Media

Join in on the adventure of a lifetime as the HBO adaptation of Philip Pullman’s well-loved trilogy, “His Dark Materials,” continues with an all-new episode airing Monday, Nov. 30. Now in its second season, the series started off strong and continues to impress fans who are all looking forward to the twists and turns to come.

If you’ve read the books (or saw the 2007 film “The Golden Compass”) you’ll already be looped in on the show’s character lineup and the uniquely magical world created by Pullman. The series follows a cian Msamati (“Gangs of London”) as John Faa, King of the Gypsies; and Andrew Scott (“Victor Frankenstein,” 2015) as renowned scholar and mystic healer Col. John Parry. Like most everything right now, the series was struck hard by the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns, though, fortunately, it wasn’t as severely affected as most other shows. Season 2 is scheduled to consist of seven episodes, which were all (quite fortuitously) filmed before the current pandemic struck. Having just begun to film its eighth Season 2 episode, “His Dark Materials” was forced to cease all production due to health dangers about the mysterious Lord Asriel, so fans of the show will hopefully have that to look forward to sometime in the future when the episode has been completed as planned. While Season 1 focused primarily on the events of the first book in the series, this season’s episodes are based on Pullman’s second book, “The Subtle Knife.” The Season 2 storyline is expected to show what happens after Lord Asriel opens a bridge to a new world. Meanwhile, mourning the loss of her best friend, Lyra heads off into the unknown, searching for her father and continuing to investigate Dust — an elementary particle that

Spyglass” soon followed in 2000. When “The Golden Compass” movie came out in 2007, many of the book’s readers were extremely disappointed in the film as they felt the book’s integrity was not accurately represented. Luckily, the series adaptation, “His Dark Materials,” has had a much warmer reception, with the first season going on to receive 10 BAFTA Award nominations and winning two. Also, while “The Golden Compass” featured a rather high-profile cast, it’s possible that the cast of “His Dark Materials” could be considered even more studded with stars.

From the list, find each word and circle its letters in the puzzle to reveal a message relating to this week's theme

Snacktime!

Sudoku

Sudoku

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. Solution below

Videoreleases

Made in Italy

Videoreleases

Made in Italy

After getting divorced from his wife, Ruth (Kettle), Jack Foster (Richardson) wishes to secure the funds to purchase the London art gallery where he currently works but which will be sold by his inlaws following the divorce. Jack comes to the conclusion that, in order to buy his beloved gallery, he must sell the Italian villa, once owned by his late mother, which he co-owns with his estranged father, Robert (Neeson). Upon traveling to Italy, Jack and Robert find the estate in a state of disrepair far beyond what they had imagined. Required to get the home into a presentable condition, the father and son pair must finally work together and, in the process, resolve not only their feelings of grief over losing a wife and moth-

After getting divorced from his wife, Ruth (Kettle), Jack Foster (Richardson) wishes to secure the funds to purchase the London art gallery where he currently works but which will be sold by his inlaws following the divorce. Jack comes to the conclusion that, in order to buy his beloved gallery, he must sell the Italian villa, once owned by his late mother, which he co-owns with his estranged father, Robert (Neeson). Upon trav-

Micheál Richardson and Liam Neeson in “Made in Italy” er, but their feeling towards each other.

Fill in the grid so that every row, every box contains the digits 1 through 9. Solution below

Director:JamesD’Arcy.Stars: YolandaKettle,MicheálRichardson,SouadFaress,LiamNeeson, ClaireDyson,LindsayDuncan, ValeriaBilello,HelenaAntonio, MarcoQuaglia.2020.94mins. Comedy.

Micheál Richardson

Liam Neeson in “Made in Italy”