Iorek is definitely one of the highlights for me so far, but some of the casting and characterization is so far off the books description that it takes away from the enjoyment. The combination of Tony Makarios and Billy Costa has bugged me; the differences in their daemons was meant in the books to highlight how daemons were mirrors of the humans' personalities. Ratter was dull and uncreative because Tony was. Billy Costa had a vibrant life and culture; his daemon was reflective of that with additional forms and changes.That said, Lyra is now feeling like Lyra aka one of the best female characters of all time. And the armored bears look phenomenal. It's eyes and muzzle make it feel truly alive. So I'm enjoying myself even if the emotional heft is being hurt by the inability to capture the essence of deamons and their relationship to "us" due to budget.
Ma Costa and gyptian portrayal in the show are so different as well. A character who is written as a force of nature comes out as a hand-wringer, and the bright, colorful, and clean boats that the gyptians are described as being so prideful of in the books are dank, rusted, and dingy claptraps.
And Lin-Fucking-Manuel Miranda. Ugh. Am I the only one?