How an Abandoned Episode of Its Dark Materials Influenced the Series' Third Season [Exclusive]

"His Dark Materials" season 3 begins with Lord Asriel meeting Commander Ogunwe (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), an otherworldly rebel with visible scars and the marks of his years fighting an unseen enemy. Never one to beat around the bush, Asriel barely stops before trying to recruit the seasoned soldier to his cause, telling him all about infinite other worlds, angels, and his intention to win the war of his own free will. by eliminating the Creator. All things considered, Ogunwe takes these stunning revelations with remarkable ease.

Commenting on this, Jane Tranter noted that by removing Asriel's solo episode, the show's creators were able to give Ogunwe a bigger role to play:

"But actually the loss of this episode had some influence on what we did, how we positioned Asriel in the Season 3 opener, where we see Asriel going to recruit Commander Ogunwe in a different world because if we had that episode we could have explained more about what Asriel was doing, what his purpose and purpose was, what he hoped to accomplish, what his war was and the idea is that he was going talking to the guild leader in Cittàgazze, and actually that was good in the end because it gave us a chance to expand Commander Ogunwe's role, and see Asriel recruit him."

Asriel's encounter with Ogunwe even manages to slip into subtle character development by visibly showing Asriel reflecting on Ogunwe's open affection for his daughters. (Actually, taking care of your children? What a concept!) Overall, the series seems more confident than ever as it nears its final hours, though it doesn't have that intriguing episode dropped to help fill in the gaps.

"His Dark Materials" is streaming on HBO Max.