Review: Amazon’s <i>Carnival Row</i> Series Premiere – An Expertly Crafted World Full of Wonder and Terror
Series Premiere – “Some Dark God Wakes”
Premiere Date: Friday, August 30, 2019 on Amazon Prime Video
Reviewer Rating:
“For ages, the homeland of the Fae was a place of myth and legend.
Until the many empires of man arrived and warred for control of its riches.
Seven years ago, this great war ended when The Republic of the Burgue withdrew…abandoning the Fae to the iron fist of their rivals, The Pact.
Now the Fae’s homeland is the hell from which they yearn to escape.”
The opening narrative of Amazon’s new original series, Carnival Row, sets the stage, and tone, for an epic series filled with magnificent creatures such as Faeries, Fauns, and other sentient beings throughout the eight-episode first season.
Carnival Row is an expertly crafted fantasy series full of wonder and terror. The imaginative world, originally written as a screenplay, has been brought to life in an episodic series that allows the characters more room to frolic and play. After watching the first episode, “Some Dark God Wakes,” you are immediately transported into a new realm of reality where everything feels familiar but slightly askew. The aesthetic of the show knits together a few eras – a touch of Victorian, Dickensian, and Industrial – yet has its own unique signature.
The colors of the series are bit drab, especially in the area known as “Carnival Row.” Apart from the local law enforcement whose Constables were a royal blue jacket, and the scantily clad Fae harlots who occupy Carnival Row’s brothel, The Tetterby Hotel, whose hair color ranges from blue-teal to fuchsia, most of the inhabitants wear gray, black, and darker hues. It seems perpetually overcast on “the Row.” However, once you get into the affluent part of the city, the colors become infinitely brighter, as does the atmosphere.
The humans are divided in their opinion of creatures. Some are in favor of helping them, but a growing number are not. Because most of the Fae and other creatures had to flee their war-torn home country of “Anoun” (pron: A-noon), they are essentially refugees on the shores of Burgue. With an influx of refugees flooding the city, resources are dwindling. And with so many creatures willing to work for less, it’s taking jobs away from humans which causes a definite divide among the working-class humans who used to work on Carnival Row.
It’s not too surprising that Carnival Row was written over ten years ago, yet the issues presented are still relevant today. The tonality of the series reflects, in many ways, what’s happening in current times, and previous generations. Indentured servitude, immigrants and refugees seeking asylum, and caste systems on all levels – human and creatures alike. Carnival Row brilliantly shines a light on these aspects and shows many perspectives from varying points of view.
“Some Dark God Wakes” begins with Faeries fleeing from The Pact who have guns and fearsome canines. Barbed wires line the tree tops to prevent the Fae from flying away. There are some very graphic scenes of dead Faeries caught in the wire, so be warned.
Vignette Stonemoss (Cara Delevingne) does her best to help her fellow Fae leave Anoun by securing passage to Burgue. But after this last attack, she flies to the awaiting ship alone. The ship encounters rough seas, and all seems lost. As the shipwreck is discovered, Vignette is the only survivor. Devastated, she accepts a position in the Spurnrose household, the family who owned the ship, to pay for her passage to Burgue.
Now working in the affluent neighborhood of Finistere Crossing, in the employ of siblings Ezra and Imogen Spurnose (Andrew Gower, Tamzin Merchant), Vignette, with her wings bound, must abide by the rules or be deported.
Rycroft Philostrate (Orlando Bloom), who prefers to go by “Philo,” is an inspector for the Constabulary – the local law enforcement. He fought in the war and is now investigating a series of vicious crimes against Fae-folk. The killer, in the vein of Jack the Ripper, has been hunting Faeries but his last victim survived and is able to provide Philo with valuable information. Many of Philo’s colleagues are not in agreement with his methods or sympathies toward the Fae or any creature for that matter.
There is a story between Vignette and Philo that will come to light in the third episode titled “Kingdoms of the Moon.” For now, know that their estranged relationship has deep roots.
When a Faun (half man/half goat), Mr. Agreus Astrayton (David Gyasi), moves in next door to the Spurnrose house, the siblings are outraged. All Agreus wants is to be accepted, but he’ll soon realize that no matter how much money he has, the humans will only ever see him as a “Puck.” Their initial meeting may not have gone quite as planned, but Imogen is far more cunning than first appearances give away.
Bloom and Delevingne shine as the two leads of Carnival Row. Delevingne gives an endearing and soulful performance as the broken-hearted Vignette. Thinking she’s lost the love of her life seven years ago in the war only to learn he’s still alive turns her sorrow into vengeance.
Bloom does a magnificent job of playing Philo as a mysterious, quietly brooding man, who seems to have a soft spot for creatures. While it could be his genuine humanity or having served with the Fae in Anoun during the war, Philo works hard to find the villainous killer “Jack” before more Fae die.
There are so many layers to “Some Dark God Wakes,” it would be too much to detail in a review. Jack (Matthew Gravelle) sums up what lies ahead quite vividly. “You’re ill prepared for the hardship that lies ahead. There is more here than you can fathom. And while you go about your little life, so sure that this world belongs to you, some dark God wakes.”
Watch Amazon Original Series Carnival Row on Amazon Prime Video, available Friday, August 30, 2019.
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Photos: ©2019 Amazon Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Judy Manning
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