I’m always debating with myself how old something has to be before I give it the “retro” tag. If I had to do it all over again, I probably wouldn’t have a separate category for non-current reviews, but it’s too late to turn back now.

Anyway, it’s been four years since the TV adaptation of His Dark Materials wrapped up, but I only just watched it all, so that seems old enough to me.

I haven’t read the books this series was based upon. This may be unfair, and book fans can feel free to yell at me in the comments, but I think the TV series thoroughly sold me on not reading them. I largely enjoyed the series, but I felt like I did so despite the underlying story.

The first season was a bit slow but generally solid. It felt like it was picking up in the second season, but then started to get increasingly rambly and contrived by the end of season two, and season three mostly felt like a slow, steady decline leading up to one of the absolute dumbest, most contrived bullshit endings I’ve ever seen.

It also doesn’t help that the story feels like some sweaty reddit atheist’s fix fic for Christian theology. To be clear, I am non-believer myself, but I’ve always been uncomfortable with the sneering contempt some atheists hold for the deeply held beliefs of others, and His Dark Materials definitely comes across as something written by a guy who’s used the phrase “sky daddy” before.

The story also falls flat because we’re supposed to take the Christian god as the ultimate villain of the story, but the overwhelming majority of bad things are done by humans without any influence from the divine at all, and in fact many of the worst crimes are committed by those who oppose God.

Indeed, as much as the faithful are stereotypes of toxic religious fanatics, the supposed champions of human freedom also come across as a fundamentalist Christian’s negative stereotype of an atheist — amoral and self-serving. The end result is a story that feels offensive to both Christians and atheists, with no clear message other than edge for edge’s sake.

So why did I still mostly like the show (at least until the end)? For all the faults of the underlying plot, it is superbly crafted as a piece of television. The special effects and production values are excellent, the music is stirring, the sets and costumes majestic, and the acting absolutely top tier.

I have to give special praise to the series’ star, Dafne Keen, who frankly carries much of the show on her small shoulders. I loved her in Logan, and His Dark Materials proves that wasn’t a fluke. She’s just that good.

Ruth Wilson also plays a deliciously vile villain, and James McAvoy continues to impress me in all he does. If there’s a weak link in the cast, I’d say it’s Amir Wilson as co-protagonist Will, but even he’s not bad, per se. He just doesn’t really hold up compared to how strong the other performances are. I also wasn’t particularly impressed by Lin-Manuel Miranda in this show, but that might just because I don’t like the character archetype he was playing.

As much as the ending had me literally yelling out loud at my computer monitor, I don’t regret sinking the time into His Dark Materials. It was a good enough ride for most of its run, mostly on the strength of its cast. I wouldn’t call it must-see TV, though.

Overall rating: 6/10