The Magisterium from HBO's His Dark Materials is an authoritarian regime in a world where the separation of church and state never took place. And much like every authoritarian regime in history, it isn't very keen on equal rights. Philip Pullman, the writer of the book series, is known to have written His Dark Materials as anti-Narnia tales after criticizing that series and its author, C.S. Lewis, for being racist and misogynistic. The TV adaptation of Pullman's books follows the same themes, portraying the Magisterium as the monotheistic authority that seeks to control information and science as it tramples on personal liberties.

However, what really sticks out is the series' inherent misogyny that prevents women from getting higher education or becoming scholars, despite this world's men having female daemons. A daemon isn't a pet, but a physical manifestation of one's inner self. In that way, not only are these men in the constant company of women, but they also must feel feminine at some level.

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Having women daemons could stem from the fact that gender is fluid. The daemons only settle when a person becomes an adult or vice-versa, which just means they have settled on how they see themselves. In Season 1, when Lord Asriel meets Mrs. Coulter again, their daemons also embrace. When this moment happens in the books, the two creatures not only express their partners' sexualities but do so in a way that counters their perceived gender roles. They actually keep switching back and forth in their roles from submissive to dominant, depending on how their partners felt at that exact moment.

But it's still peculiar to see all the men in the show having female daemons and somehow still not feeling an ounce of empathy. One would think that if a daemon inside of a person could understand the effect the actions of their vessel had, they would do more to intervene. One explanation for this could be that daemons feel the same way their human does and in no way can influence their actions, leaving room for feelings of misogyny to creep through.

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Lyra (Dafne Keen) and Pan in His Dark Materials

The misogyny can then be explained by the fact that the Magisterium is run by men, a gender that seems to have wielded power for centuries and believe assuring similar liberties to anyone that is even remotely different could threaten said power in the world of His Dark Materials. This is an issue that is touched upon in the real-world on a consistent basis, especially when it comes to religion. When Lyra finds herself in Oxford of the civilian world, she meets Dr. Mary Malone, an astrophysicist who used to be a nun. Malone, in the books, describes religion to be "a very powerful and convincing mistake."

From the Dark Ages to present-day places where theocracies still exist, the subjugation of women's liberties and control of their bodies and lives remains one of the most prominent markers of oppression. It's in the nature of theocracies to be sexist and violent, and make no mistake, the Magisterium is just that. Sure, women are involved, but the men are in control of its feelings and actions. And with that being the casethe journey for the women of His Dark Materials won't get any easier.

His Dark Materials Season 2 stars Dafne Keen as Lyra, Amir Wilson as Will Parry, Ruth Wilson as Marisa Coulter, Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee Scoresby and Andrew Scott as John Parry. New episodes can be watched on HBO every Monday. 

KEEP READING: If You Love His Dark Materials, Read the Short Stories