A few weeks ago, Amazon Prime dropped the first season of its brand new show Carnival Row, promising viewers an epic fantasy drama with a forbidden love story. The trailer reminds of an amalgamation of Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings, with the possibility of Jack the Ripper turning up at any moment, but Carnival Row proves to have its very own story and relevant themes.
The first season follows Rycroft “Philo” Philostrate (Orlando Bloom), a human detective who investigates a string of mysteriously supernatural murders, only to uncover secrets about his past that threaten his identity and place in the Victorian-style fantasy society, and Vignette Stonemoss (Cara Delevingne), a fairy fleeing her war-ridden homeland to Carnival Row where she struggles to find a place in this new world, only to realise that her former lover Philo is not, as she had believed, dead.
Even though the show maintains stunning Victorian Era aesthetics, the world of Carnival Row is, in fact, fantasy, but you wouldn’t know it from the lavish costumes, the lack of electricity, the dirty streets and the social structures in The Burge, a colonial force that reminds of the British Empire. However, the beautiful Fae wings that almost look like stained glass and the Fauns’ carefully crafted horns are so at odds with the rest of the world that it couldn’t be anything but a fantasy series.
The Burge’s wars against The Pact left Tirnanoc, the homeland of the Fae, in ashes, causing a not too unfamiliar refugee crisis in which the Fae seek to make a new life in The Burge. On Carnival Row, the Creatures are forced to live in a ghetto under constant scrutiny from the police. In a society not made for them, the Fae have little chance of escaping either servitude or poverty if they don’t want to risk deportation. Relationships between humans and Creatures are frowned upon outside the walls of Carnival Row’s brothels and the Fae have little to no rights at all. What starts as a dire situation in the first episode of Carnival Row only grows worse before the eighth episode is over.
The outlook for the Creatures that came to The Burge is bleak, which is only underlined by the dark, cinematic colouring and the grave string music that only rarely allows the viewer to hope for a better ending. But the bleakness of Carnival Row has a certain melancholic beauty to it that will entice fans of fantasy and film noir alike. The visual highlight of the show, however, is not the detailed Victorian setting with its costumes and mansions, it is Tirnanoc. With its snowy, strangely shaped mountains (inspired by the Prachov Rocks in the Czech Republic), deep forests and temples, the Fae land looks almost like Skyrim and it invites the viewer to dive deeper into its secrets and stories. The third episode in the first season is not only the most visually pleasing, but it will also make you want to put your phone down so as not to miss out on any details it reveals about the characters and their tragic love story.
Back in the Burge, the viewer is introduced to an array of characters and the politics of this colonial power. While the threat to the Fae as the Burge’s minority is very clear from the beginning, the motives and actions of the characters aren’t always as transparent and change with the circumstances. The politics of the Burge might seem a little confusing at first, but Carnival Row more than makes up for that with its characters who often surprise in the best of ways by not being quite what the viewer expected them to be. The most notable case is that of Imogen Spurnrose, a member of the Burge’s Victorian society who never quite seems to fit in and who strikes a deal with a wealthy Puck (the Burge’s derogatory term for a Faun). Even though the show’s main focus lies on Philo, Vignette and the mysterious murders, Imogen and Agreus receive a fair amount of well-deserved screen time and have the viewer root for at least one happy ending. Even the Chancellor’s seemingly useless son, Jonah Breakspear, eventually sparks the viewer’s interest once he teams up with Sophie Longerbane, daughter of his father’s rival, to pursue a goal not yet entirely clear to the audience.
Just as interesting as the characters are the casting choices of Carnival Row with a string of very familiar faces as well as a few not so widely known actors. Orlando Bloom proves to be an excellent choice for the main character as he already brings with him his very own fanbase, but he also fittingly conveys the role of the broody detective with a secret. Other famous actors include Chancellor Absalom Breakspear, played by Jared Harris (The Terror, The Expanse, The Crown, …) or his wife Piety Breakspear, portrayed by Indira Varma (Game of Thrones). Cara Delevingne (Suicide Squad) is a model and actress who, in her role as Vignette, has an air of otherworldliness about her that perfectly underlines the Fae character.
Carnival Row is not a perfect show, especially when it’s being compared to an internationally successful series like Game of Thrones. It is unlikely to attract the same number of viewers or develop the same kind of intrigue that spans over multiple seasons, but it is an easily overlooked and underrated gem that definitely deserves a chance. The dark, grim Victorian looks which instantly transport the viewer into the world of Carnival Row are only one reason to give this show a try. The characters, who may not be lovable at first sight, will either grow on you or, at the very least, spark a curiosity that will make you want to know just where the story is going with them. The show may not be entirely convincing as a mirror of our society and the real-life refugee crisis, but it is a fantasy show, after all, one that captivates with ethical questions, interesting characters and an absorbing story filled with romance, supernatural crimes, politics and secrets.
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