TV Reviews

His Dark Materials

My friend named Christian told me to watch this show and I just devoured all three seasons.

He told me to watch it because he understands my plan of Cloudland and told me that Lord Asriel, played by James McAvoy, reminded him of me.

Then I realized it was based on the book The Golden Compass which I had read the beginning of when I was little.

I usually don't get too bloggy on /reviews but I am not blogging in 2023 but I have a lot to say about this show and the religious significance, maybe I'll make a video analysis.

The quality of the show comes from the epic premise of your souls being visible animals in a fantasy world. The idea of what animal form your soul would take is incredibly alluring and beautiful. Asriel's is a snow leopard, and I would definitely love that. However, just a cat would do fine for me, or a fox.

I actually identified with more characters than just Lord Asriel. I have some Lyra in me and a little will, and some of the physicist or "serpent".

The entire show is anti-christian. You could call it anti-catholic but that doesn't bother me. I'm more concerned with the general idea of no godly reprucussions for any actions. The bad guys of this show are religious zealouts called the magisterium. "Magister" means "teacher" in Latin and they have some illuminati vibes claiming to possess knowledge but running the church in a doubleminded way.

The witches of the show are of course good, the Daemons (which I always pronounced daymons) are called Demons and are good and represent a persons soul (animal form).

So demons and witches are good, and clergy are bad. The Authority in the Kingdom of Heaven is viewed as the main antagonist of Asriel. Asriel wants war with heaven. It's interesting because the Authority in the heaven in the show is just another angel, not the true God of all things, or Creator. So Asriel's war is just.

I've declared war on the Illuminati and Freemasonry and the USA, basically. But I haven't gone as far as to declare war with the King of Heaven. I have declared in the book of Elam that I'm done waiting for Jesus to come down, and I'm trying to bring Earth up to Heaven, and meet in the clouds, with a new and improved morality, with more sexual freedom. Lord Asriel meantions true freedom and paradise on Earth in his speech in the incredible penultimate episode of the final season. It does make sense, if you really think about it, for the Devil to play both the Devil and God of this world. After all, the Devil's primary goal is to be as good as God or better. "Anything you can do, I can do" sort of thing.

It makes sense that Lucifer would create his own world, or pose as this world's creator, just to try to be like God. In the show, Asriel points out in a rousing speech how God uses fear of hell to prevent us from living our lives, and the promise of heaven to keep people loyal to his wishes. But in the show Lyra visits the Land of the Dead and frees the souls trapped in purgatory. Asriel points out that the Authority lied again.

To me, without looking it up, the creator of this story and show is basically a former Christian, with good knowledge of the Bible, who tried to be sinless, like me, but then decided the hell with it and cursed God for making life so difficult to follow God's demands. Why did God make us want what we want and then tell us not to do it, or that it's wrong to have desire? It's a reasonable cry. I've had the same thoughts and basically the same ultimate conclusion, however, I'm careful not to take it so far. Sure, we should do what feels right, and trust the truth, the alietheometer, or our own golden moral compasses, but we should only go so far, and remember to stay toward the light. We can't discount good and evil altogether, I think we can just be much more lenient with ourselves, and not so restrictive like organized Christianity can be.

I don't want a total rebellion, and total freedom from the laws of God. I just want some more. It's very possible God didn't intend us to be taught to feel guilty for what comes natural. It's possible that is simply a control mechanism from the arm of religion of the Illuminati or Magesterium.

It's kind of disappointing that I don't have an answer for you, and that I'm still figuring it out. In a way, with everything I've thought about, and experimented with believing and practicing, I'm back to square one. I'm back almost as a child again. I used to not worry about a God punishing me for stupid stuff that Christian's punish themselves for. I used to intuitively know what true right and wrong was. I didn't have to be told. This doesn't mean the bible is worthless. Without the bible, stories like the golden compass couldn't have been written. But I think it's time to put the book down, like Adampants said. It's not going anywhere.

I'm openminded. I understand the urge to declare oneself free from God's horrible rules he may or may not have given. I understand the urge to obey God's laws to the best of one's ability. I understand the tendacy for people to not even worry about it. I understand it all. I've lived it all. In a way, I've learned nothing. I've learned that thinking I know things, gets me into trouble. I know just enough to make decisions in my own life, for myself, if that. But I don't know what you should do with your life. I don't claim to know the truth from falsehood, not anymore at least. I can just point out the authors obvious intent to influence people's minds by making a story where homosexual angels fight dark angels, witches are good, religion is bad, demons are good, sin is just dust or consciousness feeling alive, yet prophecies are true. It's not an easy show to analyze. And I don't even know what perspective I'm analyzing it from. I still believe in conspiracy theories and the search for the truth, and I still have Jesus in my heart. But I have my questions and doubts.

The worst thing about Christianity is my desire for it to be true out of weakness. I desire to be saved. It says to he who believes in the Son he has sent the same shall be saved. So it's tempting to throw logic and further analysis aside and just believe. That's my least favorite thing -- that I might be wishful thinking, or backed into a corner where I'm damned if I continue to grow my mind.

9.2/10

Vikings

9.5/10

When Ragnar is on the screen, I am mesmerized. The show suffers when he is not.

True Detective: Season 1

10/10

"Death created Time to grow the things that it would kill." - Rustin Cohle

This is one of the best seasons of television ever. Matthew Mcconaughey and Woody Harrelson are both brilliant and the writing and directing are spectacular.