Carnival Row is a perfect mix of fantasy and gritty reality, with a dollop of Victorian-era murder intrigue, and of course, social commentary on a lot of real-world issues like racism, immigration politics, and a lot more heavy stuff. It is not a Disney fairy tale, but it is a tale worth binging! With eight hour-long episodes, you’re basically getting 4 long movies, and you’ll be begging for more when it’s over. Season 2 was already greenlit, so that’s good news!
Now let’s get to the meat of it. Here are 5 reasons why you should check out “Carnival Row” today!
Costumes and Visuals
Carnival Row is set in an alternative Victorian-era England, where humans and fae kind lives in… a sort of a peaceful society. As you’d imagine, all those dresses, suits, horse carriages, interiors of houses, the poor, the wealthy, and everyone in-between has to look appropriately. And they do! But the best VFX were used for flying pixies, horned pucks, centaurs, and other fae. See it for yourself!
Orlando Bloom as Inspector Philo
Our main hero, Philo, is a police Inspector trying to catch a serial killer, who only targets “critches” (a racial slur for all the non-humans). Imagine Sherlock Holmes only more handsome and twice as badass. Orlando Bloom kills it as Philo, too, stealing every scene.
Lady and the Puck
The connection between Agreus and Imogen has probably the most surprising twist out of all the plot lines. Not to spoil anything, here’s the gist of it: due to some unfortunate events, a wealthy madame named Imogen, who lives with her brother, suddenly finds herself in need of money. Right at that time, their new neighbor across the street is moving in. Imagine Imogen’s surprise, when the rich new neighbor turns out to be a fae!
Multi-Layered Plot Twists
The writers have created a whole living city in “Carnival Row”. One moment you see this seemingly unimportant character, and by the end of the season, they become the catalyst for a fantastic twist because of that thing that happened to them. It’s tough to do this without spoiling anything… Let’s just say that with all the supporting roles, you never really know who’s supporting whom.
What the Future Holds
Season 2 is already in the works, so you at least know that Amazon won’t leave you stranded with just these 8 episodes. And as to the characters, new locations, and more political drama, you can bet your Prime subscription that we’ll have more strange fae species, visit fantastical places, and keep fighting for fae rights in that cold and unwelcoming world!
