‘Carnival Row’ season 2 review: Marvel at the wild, wonderful characters and elaborately constructed worlds

Everything that worked in Season 1 of Carnival Row works spectacularly well in Season 2 as well. By the same token however, all that was wrong with Season 1 of the steampunk neo-noir continues to be giant stumbling blocks in the second and concluding season.

The world-building with the attendant lived-in language and space is top notch as ever. Carnival Row, where fae, fawn and other non-humans are ghettoised, exerts its seedy charm in direct contrast to the wood-panelled, stately, soaring buildings of the Burgue. In Season 2, we also have the slightly dissolute faded charms of the port city of Ragusa.

Season 1 ended with Philo (Orlando Bloom), an inspector, finding out the truth behind the horrific murders and embracing his destiny by joining his fae lover, Vignette, (Cara Delevingne) on the Row. Jonah, (Arty Froushan) has grown from the rebellious rake frequenting the pleasures of the Row to Chancellor after his father’s death. He chooses the canny street performer, Millworthy (Simon McBurney) as his advisor and forms an alliance with Sophie (Caroline Ford), the daughter of his father’s biggest rival. Uptown girl, Imogen, (Tamzin Merchant), runs away with Agreus, (David Gyasi), a faun hoping to buy his way into society, much to her brother, Ezra’s (Andrew Gower) horror and disgust. 

We are quickly thrown into the thick of the action in Season 2. Vignette joins the rebel group, the Black Ravens, to hijack a train for medicines and other essential supplies. Imogen and Agreus land at the port of Ragusa where Agreus’ expectation of a warm welcome is belied by the New Dawn, led by Leonora, (Joanne Whalley) having taken over the island. Ezra is hot on the heels of the couple, who Leonora’s second in command, Kastor, (George Georgiou) has put to work.

Rejected by both the humans and fae for not being human or fae enough, Philo passes his time fighting for Boz (Stewart Scudamore). Sophie and Jonah continue their uneasy yet passionate alliance. An arms deal between the Pact and the Burgue looks like it would benefit Sophie the most. Millworthy sounds out Vir (Andrew Buchan), a Pact general, for where his sympathies lie.

On the Row, meanwhile apart from a mysterious illness, Vignette’s friend and former lover, Tourmaline (Karla Crome) is being tormented by horrible visions. The witch from season 1, Aoife (Alice Krige) has given her Sight to Tourmaline who sees death and destruction everywhere she looks.

Philo’s former colleagues at the Burgish constabulary unofficially consult with him, on the insistence of Constable Berwick (Waj Ali), much to the disgust of the bigoted Sergeant Dombey (Jamie Harris).

While Philo (who is forever striding purposefully to nowhere) and Vignette seem to be the centre of the story, it is the other characters, who garner more interest. We are invested in Imogen and Agreus as they negotiate the ocean-wide chasms of their species and upbringing. We are equally invested in the fledgling relationship between the troubled Tourmaline and Darius (Ariyon Bakare), Philo’s friend and soldier who is now a Marrok, a type of werewolf.

Like Season 1, there is too much going on in season 2 as well. While aspiring to be a statement on society, the reading is too simplistic to carry much weight. The way to enjoy Carnival Row is to marvel at the wild and wonderful characters and the elaborately constructed worlds. The costumes are rich and the creatures gorgeous. Who would have thought of those fae wings designed like those of a moth? And that wicked beastie of Season 2, the sparas, is truly the stuff of nightmares.

Carnival Row, based on Travis Beacham’s feature film spec script, ‘A Killing on Carnival Row’, was originally set to be co-written, executive produced and directed by Guillermo del Toro. Though the auteur stepped away from the project because of scheduling conflicts, the DNA of his imagination is visible on the mind map of the project.

With some judicious editing, tighter control on the many plots and sharper focus, Carnival Row would have been truly path-breaking instead of just being the gorgeously mounted curiosity it is. 

Carnival Row is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video