His Dark Materials season 3, episode 7 recap: The Clouded Mountain

The penultimate episode of His Dark Materials season 3 has arrived! Season 3 episode 7, “The Clouded Mountain” has the Authority, specifically Metatron, taking action against Lord Asriel and his army, while Lyra and Will search for their daemons.

His Dark Materials Season 3 Episode 7 recap – Lyra and Will’s Search

Lyra and Will watch from a distance as the last of the dead leave the Land of the Dead. They now need to find their daemons and witness the first attack from the Authority.

Upon opening a portal to another world, the two watch as heaven and Lord Asriel’s army battle it out in the sky. It doesn’t take them long to be discovered by Ogunwe and his army.

He tells them that they need to stay out of sight as heaven is unleashing creatures that seek and kill daemons. If Lyra and Will’s daemons are killed, the war will be lost.

The two agree to follow him, when suddenly they are attacked by those very creatures that take on a very Grim Reaper/Dementor appearance. Thankfully Lyra and Will manage to escape but where are their daemons?

Luckily the two are found by witch Serafina and her daemon Kaisa. Pan and Will’s daemon, in the forms of a red panda and kitten, have been hiding but follow Serafina to safety.

While Lyra is able to see Pan briefly, he and Will’s daemon escape to safety as the war is about to come to a rather explosive end.

His Dark Materials Season 3 Episode 7 recap – The Sacrifice

The Clouded Mountain is the Authority’s form of an incoming attack. As it approaches, Lord Asriel’s army gets prepared, as he uses the Intention Craft to battle the angels in the sky.

Before the battle can truly commence, some are unsure if they could possibly win. Mrs. Coulter asks the angel Xaphania is they can achieve victory.

However, victory can only be achieved if Lyra and her daemon survive. To make the situation worse, Lord Asriel explains his plan which involves getting Metatron close enough to detonate explosives of dust.

The explosion will send them into the Abyss and thus heaven will be defeated. By them, Lord Asriel means himself and Metatron.

This revelation definitely doesn’t sit well with Mrs. Coulter, however she is tasked with detonating the explosions. The battle commences as Lord Asriel takes to the sky with angels and witches as soon as he receives word that Lyra and Will have arrived to their world.

As the battle begins, the Authority sends out creatures to kill daemons. However, this attack cannot hold a candle to Mrs. Coulter who is able to control and destroy them.

We saw her learn this ability in season 2. She takes it upon herself to meet with Metatron.

He allows her entry to heaven, leaving her daemon behind. Trouble is Lord Asriel has also arrived to heaven and can barely fight back against Metatron, who often takes Lord Asriel’s appearance.

Metatron is intrigued by Mrs. Coulter and asks her to join him while also admitting that sometimes humans are chosen to become angels. It was revealed that Metatron was once human.

Not surprisingly Mrs. Coulter plays the part she needs to very well, as she witnesses Lord Asriel practically getting tortured to death. He refuses to believe that Mrs. Coulter would betray him, even going as far as confessing that he still loves her.

Indeed, Mrs. Coulter could never betray him. Together and with the help of Stelmaria, they tackle Metatron as Mrs. Coulter’s daemon denotates the bombs.

The tragic couple do not survive and die together.

His Dark Materials Season 3 Episode 7 recap – The Authority is no more

Heaven collapses, as the Authority loses the war in a single day. However, the victory seems quiet and somewhat solemn.

Perhaps it is because Lyra’s parents are gone. Perhaps it is because she is unsure how to process everything that has happened as well.

As she and Will survey the damage at Lord Asriel’s camp, they find a block of glowing light. Will believes he can see someone inside, but when he uses the subtle knife to cut an opening, they find an angel cowering.

Within seconds the angel passes, turning to dust. It’s obvious that this is a literal piece of heaven that fell into the camp, but assuming heaven is now destroyed, the angels are too.

Lyra and Will don’t stick around and instead hope to be reunited with their daemons. The episode ends with them opening another portal and stepping through.

His Dark Materials Season 3 Episode 7 review

Admittedly, this felt like a very rushed episode that left a lot of questions unanswered. Why was Lyra so pivotal to the war when she did nothing to help?

Why did we not see the Authority? Did the Authority never exist?

Now that heaven is destroyed, does that mean hell doesn’t exist either? Does this mean that when someone dies, they just become dust and thus become one with the world around them?

Where is Father Gomez from the episode prior? Heaven may be defeated but what happens to The Magisterium?

I’m assuming most of these questions will probably be answered in the series finale. I am not familiar with the books the series is based upon, so I am unsure which questions will remain unanswered.

However, I am not that fond of having such an important episode feeling incredibly rushed with little to no explanations about anything. His Dark Materials isn’t the first show to make this blunder or power move, however you wish to look at it, but I was hoping it wouldn’t.

While I am excited to see how the series will wrap up and I am a little weary at the same time. Sometimes endings need to remain open ended so that the audience can decide.

However, for a show that as complex, different, and expansive as this, having a mostly completed ending works far better than leaving it a mystery.

What did you think of the His Dark Materials season 3 episode 7? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

His Dark Materials season 3 episode 8 airs on HBO December 26, 2022.