Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for His Dark Materials season 3, episode 2, "The Break," and Philip Pullman's book The Amber Spyglass.
Mrs. Coulter’s daemon, the golden monkey, does not talk in His Dark Materials unlike similar creatures from the show. While it is said that humans in every world have their own daemons, it was only in Lyra’s world that humans were actually able to see the daemons. While it can be difficult to define what daemons are and what is behind their connection with humans, daemons can be perceived as an extension of human’s very souls. That is why each human and daemon paring in His Dark Materials is so unique, and it helps explains why the relationship between Ms. Coulter and her daemon is so different from others.
After two seasons of HBO’s His Dark Materials, audiences have grown used to talking animals who show emotion and whose actors’ performances are as important to the story as those of the human characters. Lyra’s daemon Pantalaimon, for example, has followed the character since the beginning of Lyra’s story in His Dark Materials and is played by Kit Connor. Mrs. Coulter’s golden monkey, on other hand, has never once spoken in His Dark Materials, likely due to how emotionally repressed she is. The golden monkey is an extension of Mrs. Coulter’s emotions, and given how she rarely expresses her feelings truthfully, her daemon never talks.
Why Mrs. Coulter & The Monkey Have Such A Unique Human-Daemon Relationship
According to Ruth Wilson, who plays Mrs. Coulter in His Dark Materials, having her daemon not speak at all is as if she was “silencing” part of herself (via EW) – which makes sense for the character. Mrs. Coulter, both on HBO’s His Dark Materials and the books, is aware of her flaws and the mistakes she has made. For example, Mrs. Coulter initially prefers not to tell Lyra she is her mother. It’s not easy for viewers to know sure whether Mrs. Coulter is telling the truth when it comes to her feelings toward Lyra, or if she is only playing with other people’s emotions.
That is something His Dark Materials’ season 3 premiere perfectly depicted. Will needed to know whether Mrs. Coulter was saying the truth about protecting Lyra, yet he was only able to tell what her true intentions were later in the episode. Mrs. Coulter hides her emotions so that she can use them as tools, which ironically summarizes her unique human-daemon relationship with the golden monkey. As a comparison, James McAvoys’ Lord Asriel is rather open regarding what his true goals are. Therefore, Asriel’s daemon Stelmaria often acts as his war advisor. That said, Mrs. Coulter’s golden monkey daemon is loyal to its human despite the coldness between them.
Will Mrs. Coulter's Golden Monkey Daemon Talk In His Dark Materials Season 3?
Mrs. Coulter’s daemon talks briefly in The Amber Spyglass, the third and final book in the His Dark Materials Trilogy. Considering that HBO’s His Dark Materials season 3 will cover the events of The Amber Spyglass, it would make sense for Mrs. Coulter’s daemon to talk at some point in the season. However, while Ruth Wilson suggested that the golden monkey would talk in His Dark Materials season 3, EW confirmed that such a moment, which was indeed in the script, didn’t make it to the show. Given that the golden monkey only has one throwaway line in The Amber Spyglass, the scene might not have been needed after all.
His Dark Materials season 3 releases new episodes Mondays on HBO.