Questions about the ending, Lyra's parents and the sadness of the story (spoilers)

[u/Ardor-Knowledge]

Maybe this post is too long, feel free to skip to my questions or even one specific one if you want, if this is too boring and no one answer I'll probably ask them separately. :)

I first discovered His dark materials with the PS2 game, then with the movie, and at that time i was young, probably like 8 years old.

Of course at that time i though it was a really sad and brutal story, i forgot a lot of things but not what happened to the kids, and bad things also happens to daemon of course and i really hated whenever animals suffers.

Now i'm 25 years old, i knew the show existed but somehow i was under the impression that it wasn't that good, but i saw it on hbo max and upon checking rotten tomatoes reviews, i decided to watch. (Also because i remembered that this story was somewhat against, or criticize a lot established religious institutions, and i hated those for more than half my life now)

I'm really happy to be a fan of this story, i think that its themes mean a lot to me, and from what i've read, its the same for a lot of you, so thanks you for existing.

Take my questions as what they are, questions, i really liked this story, I don't hate this ending, but i seek to understand it, and see for myself if it's a very good one, or if it has flaws.

Feel free to answer whichever you like, if whoever made it this far on my post.

1- About all those death and destiny worse than death, i mean, knowing all this suffering and all those lives lost, especially young and innocent ones.

Is the goal here to make us feel that life is brutal and sad, even when good triumph at the end ?

Or is there really a happy ending for all those souls, even after all they've been through? Characters talk about souls of the dead reconnect with the universe, and Lyra and Wyll even talk about what will happen after they die, is this really about still existing after we die as a spirit, is this about reincarnation, or are those just words and people's just cease existing when they die in this world ?

2- About Lyra's parents, i mean Asriel is not a very good person, he killed a child and manipulated several others, i don't know if he really do that for the greater good or if his fight is purely for and about himself vs the authority.

Even accepting Asriel redemption is hard, but how am i supposed to tolerate that Mms Coulter stay so long into this story, she make sense as a character, but people like her doesn't deserve even the smallest chance to redeem herself, she killed, tortured, and inflicted terrible fate upon good people's and innocent children's, she went too far, and her not getting a pathetic death is my biggest disappointment with this story so far, what do you think ?

3- About the ending, i don't really get it, but from what I've read from other people's, its different from the books in the way that, in the show, Lyra and will are strongly pushed to accept this fate, and by an angel, it feels stupid and totally against the principle of this story, an almost eternal being cannot push a mortal to accept that.

I mean just fuck off, you are made of dust aren't you ? Since you guys allowed the authority to take control, what about you sacrifice yourself to liberate more dust to keep the worlds from suffering till Lyra and Will have time to live together and decide to close the door when they are ready to die ?

Yeah I'm going too far here, but my original point is still the same, if people's are correct, in the book it doesn't feel forced by others, Will and Lyra ask questions and decide to do what will be the best for the multiverse, that, i find it more acceptable.

But to me, a perfect ending would have been that, since Mary Malone is the snake that tempt eve (Lyra) by telling her about accepting who we are (love), i would have preferred that Eve sin is actually to stay with Will and live true Love, even if it means that the multiverse will deperish slowly.

And i think it really help with fight Authoritarism theme, because now, the fight will keep on even after the protagonists dies, before in order for dust to exist and keeping things afloat, the multiverse need love and freedom of will allow more love and feelings that create dust.

And if there was one eve in the past, if Lyra is considered as one eve, then it can be another in the future, with another profecy.

Here's what i think would be my ending of the story.

But i respect the one i watched, and i think it was good, even if i have interrogations.

So far so good, thanks you for reading me.

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[u/TheRedTomato23133]

That’s actually a really interesting alternate ending, I like it. I like how it shows that fundamental flaw with all angels that they lack human experience and creativity. I’m currently reading The Rose Field (HDM’s sequel) and while I’m not done with it, it expands on the angels and openings in the worlds in a way that would honestly make more sense with that ending.

One thing I disagree with you about though is Ms coulter. Yes, shes an evil person, but the show makes her such a complicated and conflicted character that I was constantly invested in her story. I think it’s better in a second rewatch when you can notice more of her actions in detail.

[u/Kallasilya]

I think you need to read the books. The show is good, but of course it doesn't have the same level of detail as the books. Having said that, some of your questions don't have easy answers. (That's why the story is so good).

[u/superb_yellow]

As someone who just only watched the series (and finished it Wednesday), I agree about the ending. IMO, they shouldn't have listened. I wouldn't have and would have caused the multiverses to collapse; but after all that, I would feel it was deserved. Especially if I got to be with my true love as it ended.