While the first episode of His Dark Materials stuck closely to the original source material of Philip Pullman's The Northern Lights, fans were shocked and delighted in equal measure when the second episode took a huge departure from the original novel – and brought the story into our own world. While the events of His Dark Materials are largely set in a world very similar to our own, but where everyone has a daemon (an animal representing the person's soul), the second episode saw Lord Boreal step through a window from the Jordan college crypts into our world.
So why is this so significant? The presence of our world being connected to the same one as Lyra's – and that people can step from one to another through a window - was originally introduced in the second novel, The Subtle Knife. In the novel, Will Parry discovers the window by accident and finds his way into a different world. Bringing this element into the first season of the show was considered a smart move by viewers, particularly as it brings forward new characters who otherwise wouldn't have been introduced until season two.
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Fans were quick to take to Twitter to discuss the major twist in the storytelling, with one writing: "Hold on a second, this world looks familiar!! Is that a modern police car I see?! Kudos @jackthorne," while another added: "Oh boy, world crossing WAY ahead of the books. It is all. Kicking. Off. #HisDarkMaterials." A third person added: "I'm gonna lose it. This is amazing. The adaptation us fans of the book deserve."
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