I Watch TV: Carnival Row Season 2

 

Carnival Row Season 2

Carnival Row Season One would not stop to linger on any of the interesting situations it presented, and Season Two is much the same. After the assassination of the Chancellor of the Burgue, all the non-humans have been confined into Carnival Row. Disease is rampant and Vignette and other members of the Black Raven are making daring raids to get medicine.

Meanwhile Philo, revealed as a half-fae, is trapped in Carnival Row, tries to keep order, his contacts with the outside trying to improve things. These include Constable Berwick and Runyon Millworthy, once an itinerant entertainer, now advisor to the Chancellor as the only honest man he knows. Opposing him is the racist, though honest, Sergeant Dombey.

Tourmaline, Vignette’s friend, another fae, is having strange visions and it seems she may be being possessed by the Haruspex who either manipulated the villains of Season One, or was their most powerful servant, or both perhaps, it’s not exactly clear. Anyway she’s not safely dead. And Darius, Philo’s Marrok (werewolf) pal has been brought to Carnival Row, too dangerous to get involved in anything that might trigger his change… unless they’re very desperate.

Imogen Sprunrose, a human who ran away with her faun lover Agreus Astrayon aboard his ship, finds themselves captured by a Pact airship, only to learn that the Pact is riven by civil war. The very Bolshevik-esque New Dawn preach that humans and non-humans are all equal, and are engaged in a struggle with the strict feudal forces of the Pact.

Both sides are seeking influence and aid in the Burge, and the Black Raven’s activities spark reprisals. And someone – something – is engaged in monstrous murders. As I said it’s packed with events, not able to settle on the interesting things it brings up. It looks and feels fantastic and if sometimes the ideas it brings up – class and wealth, race and immigration, love and magic and transformation – are a bit flimsily dealt with, then they usually have another stab at it in a couple of episodes time.

Watch This: Absolutely fantastic steampunk fantasy crime and political thriller, with some real bite to the ideas and performances
Don’t Watch This: It’s rushed, silly, full of coincidence and not enough centaurs. Also they cancelled it!