Recap: Carnival Row Season 1 Ep. 7 “The World to Come” – Chaos and Passion Erupt
Series Launched Aug. 30, 2019. All Episodes Available on Amazon Prime Video.
Reviewer Rating:
If you haven’t watched Episode 7 “The World to Come”
***** WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD *****
Carnival Row Episode 7 “The World to Come” picks up immediately after the dramatic ending of Episode 6 “Unaccompanied Fae,” where Philo (Orlando Bloom) is being taken to jail. As he is escorted in, the whole constabulary watches. Despite having worked alongside these men for years, they only see Philo as a half-blood “critch.”
The parallels of current society in comparison to residents on Carnival Row is tragically realistic. Now disgraced, Philo is put in a holding cell with humans and told he is a “half-blood.” While ordinary men would cower or have gotten their asses handed to them, Philo is more than capable of holding his own. And he does.
After finding Philo in one piece, a disappointed Dombey (Jamie Harris) put him in with the other creatures, one of them being Vignette (Cara Delevingne) who is in jail for her little stunt at the museum.
Imogen (Tamzin Merchant) and Agreus (David Gyasi), after returning from their trip to the auction, are greeted by an anxious Afissa (Tracey Wilkinson). She tells Imogen about the incident with Philo. Upon entering the house, Imogen’s brother Ezra (Andrew Gower) that their late father gave refuge to a “pix tart.” He’s also concerned that his dear sister is actually enjoying Agreus’ company.
As Ezra tells Imogen he wants to free her of the agreement to be seen in public with Agreus. She agrees that she too wishes to be free of her obligations but the look in her eyes tells a different story. Has Imogen fallen for a “puck?”
Piety (Indira Varma) tells the Haruspex (Alice Krige), whose name is Aioffe, that someone has been arrested for the recent murders and that she needn’t worry about the vision she had. “At the moment of my death, I’ll know who summoned it.” The Haruspex knows her vision will come to pass.
Runyon Millworthy (Simon McBurney) is ready to leave Carnival Row and The Burgue but runs into an old friend Symes (John Comer) who offers him a position to tutor Jonah Breakspear (Arty Froushan) for “a lot of money.” Destitute, and without his beloved troupe of Kobold actors, Millworthy accepts.
Jonah and Sophie (Caroline Ford) christen their new friendship with a frolic in a carriage. Sophie continues to speak of an alliance between them, and of her decision to put the “vote of no confidence” against his father. If you sense something awry with Sophie, trust your instincts. Jonah is blinded by her brazenness and forward thinking. He’s certainly under her spell.
Portia (Maeve Dermody) has a change of heart once she learns Philo has been arrested and charged with the recent murders. She retracts her claim about Philo being a half-blood Fae which throws his imprisonment into question.
Magistrate Flute (Mark Lewis Jones) comes to Philo asking him once and for all if he is a man or not. Philo has an opportunity to lie and free himself but stands his ground. The Magistrate is clearly distraught. He looked at Philo as more than just a colleague or favorite employee and feels betrayed by Philo’s secret.
Dombey doesn’t want Philo to see a trial and suggests to his colleagues that maybe Philo won’t make it to see his day in court. Constable Berwick (Waj Ali) warns Philo to watch his back.
If Jonah thought he was going to have an easy time with Millworthy as a tutor, he’s sorely mistaken. I love how Millworthy puts Jonah in his place.
“I know your type. Skating along on daddy’s wealth and good name without a thought as to how that story would end. I’ve been brought in to equip you with a little wisdom so you might vaguely become a more tolerable human being. Take it or leave it, but don’t think you can pay me to lie for you. Because I don’t care about your father. And I’m not afraid of destitution. But I think you are. So, it’s time to look to your own future boy, if you’re to have one at all.”
Best Parts of “The World to Come”:
Forbidden Romance
The most intriguing and alluring moment of “The World to Come” is the romance blossoming between Imogen and Agreus. She offers to help him find a suitable place to put his recently purchased painting. But I think we all know why she really stopped by.
As Agreus shows Imogen his new electric light bulb, things take a very romantic turn. Standing closer to one another, she put his hands in hers, then to her face and they share a kiss. She pulls away and begins to unbutton her dress.
They become more intimate, taking turns undressing, savoring the anticipation; the moment is quite seductive. The look in Imogen’s eyes as she gazes upon Agreus’ muscular physique, as if she’s never seen such a chiseled form. It’s as though she’s finally seeing him for the first time. She caresses his face and runs her fingers through his horns.
Her porcelain skin shines bright against his dark cocoa skin and fur. He picks her up, her back against the wooden doors, and he begins to make love to her. Gyasi is absolutely gorgeous and Merchant definitely knows how to be seductive.
While the next items may pale in comparison to the steamy romance discussed above, these next plot points are definitely noteworthy.
Cabal (Theo Barklem-Biggs) tells Quill (Scott Reid) that “The Hidden One” has brought him here for a purpose but that he must prove himself. The human man that scoffed and beat up another Puck in the street is to be sacrificed, “blood for blood.”
Chancellor Absalom Breakspear (Jared Harris) gets news from his counselor about the recent arrest in the murders on Carnival Row, but when Winetrout (Brian Caspe) mentions one of the victims was a “pix songstress” named Aisling (Erika Stárková), Absalom stops dead in his tracks.
The order has come down and Philo is being transferred. Of course, Vignette fears he’s being taken away to be killed. With a hood over his head, Philo is carted off and is taken away in a carriage. When someone pulls the hood off, Philo adjusts to the light as a figure comes into focus…it’s Absalom. Plot thickens!
What a tangled web indeed. I you put the clues together, you may have figured out who Absalom is, at least who he is to Philo. And you may have a suspect in mind for the real murderer. Tell us, who do you think is the killer? All will be revealed in the season finale.
Watch Carnival Row on Amazon Prime Video. All episodes launched Friday, August 30, 2019.
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Photos: ©2019 Amazon Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Judy Manning
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