Comic-Con 2020: 'His Dark Materials' Season 2 trailer draws heavily on 'The Subtle Knife' as Lyra meets Will
'His Dark Materials' Season 2 teases "strange new times". The trailer begins with Lyra (Dafne Keen) entering a new world where she meets a boy -- Will Parry (Amir Wilson) who is also not from the world that Lyra has now entered. This moment is important and season 1 has culminated to bring Lyra and Will together as they are meant to be the Adam and Eve of the new world. It also seems that the show introduces some of the important characters pretty early on in the season including that of Colonel John Parry (Andrew Scott) aka Dr. Stanislaus Grumman.
There is also the character of Dr. Mary Malone, a physicist, who is investigating the dark matter in Will's world. She is a character who plays the role of a catalyst and theologically speaking, she is the serpent that tempts Eve. Only in Philip Pullman's books, which is what the show is adapted from, the serpent is not really evil but someone who catalyzes Lyra's growth into becoming an adult, further helping her distinguish between good and evil and being able to make choices.
"When you first met Lyra she is an outgoing person, she trusts easily," however this will not be the case in season 2 explained Keen at the panel -- now that there is no one that she can trust, not after what happened with Roger. She also adds that this is the most beautiful thing about season 2 as she starts off being in her own shell and closed off but Will brings her "back into the world, back into Lyra." A bit of this is teased in the trailer as well.
Then, coming to the references to the subtle knife, we see Andrew Scott's John Parry holding a sharp knife that he describes as "a knife so sharp that it can cut between worlds." This is a nod to the book 'The Subtle Knife' which is the second in the 'His Dark Material' series authored by Philip Pullman. This also indicates how season 2 would be hugely adapting the second book as well.
The 'His Dark Materials' Season 2 trailer also sees Marisa Coulter (Ruth Wilson) speak about how many are looking for Lyra and the ones that do find her may not be all good. How Lyra is going to cope through this situation of not having anyone to trust and explore in a new world is going to be a huge part of the show. Keen also mentioned at the panel that the show will also feature her father Will Keen as Father MacPhail who is a Magisterium official.