Carnival Row

Carnival Row
Genre	Urban fantasy Neo-noir Political
Created by	René Echevarria Travis Beacham
Based on	A Killing on Carnival Row (film script) by Travis Beacham
Starring	Orlando Bloom Cara Delevingne Simon McBurney Tamzin Merchant David Gyasi Andrew Gower Karla Crome Arty Froushan Indira Varma Jared Harris
Composer	Nathan Barr
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	8 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Rene Echevarria Travis Beacham Marc Guggenheim Jon Amiel Orlando Bloom Gideon Amir
Producer	Orlando Bloom
Production location	Czech Republic
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	50–67 minutes
Production companies	Siesta Productions Legendary Television Amazon Studios
Original release
Network	Prime Video
Release	August 30, 2019 (2019-08-30) – present (present)

Carnival Row is an American neo-noir fantasy web television series created by René Echevarria and Travis Beacham that premiered on Amazon Prime Video on August 30, 2019. The series stars Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne. In July 2019, it was announced that Amazon had renewed Carnival Row for a second season.

Premise

Carnival Row follows "mythical creatures who have fled their war-torn homeland and gathered in the city as tensions are simmering between citizens and the growing immigrant population." At the center of the drama is the investigation into a string of unsolved murders, madness of power, unresolved love, and social adjustments eating away at whatever uneasy peace exists.

Cast and characters

Main

• Orlando Bloom as Rycroft Philostrate ("Philo"), a half-blood Inspector of the Burgue Constabulary, investigating a dark conspiracy at the heart of the city. A veteran of the war, he sympathizes with the fae to the disgust of many of his colleagues.
• Cara Delevingne as Vignette Stonemoss, a fae and Philo's former lover, who believed him to be dead. She falls in with a group of fae ruffians, known as the Black Raven, while dealing with her complicated feelings for Philo.
• Simon McBurney as Runyon Millworthy, a human street performer and master of a troupe of kobolds.
• Tamzin Merchant as Imogen Spurnrose, an heiress who becomes involved with Agreus to support her lifestyle.
• David Gyasi as Agreus Astrayon, a wealthy Puck shunned by Burgue high society for his appearance and origin.
• Andrew Gower as Ezra Spurnrose, Imogen's brother, whom she blames for mishandling the family finances and driving them into debt.
• Karla Crome as Tourmaline Larou, Vignette's friend and former lover, Poet Laureate of Tirnanoc, and a sex worker in Carnival Row.
• Arty Froushan as Jonah Breakspear, Absalom's son, who rebels against his controlling father.
• Indira Varma as Piety Breakspear, Absalom's manipulative wife, who seeks to enshrine her family's legacy.
• Jared Harris as Absalom Breakspear, Chancellor of the Republic of the Burgue.

Recurring

• Caroline Ford as Sophie Longerbane, the complicated daughter of Absalom's political rival.
• Alice Krige as Aoife Tsigani, a Haruspex, or witch, in the service of Piety Breakspear.
• Ariyon Bakare as Darius Sykes, Philo's old friend and a former soldier of the Burgue now held in captive luxury due to having been cursed as a wolf-man during the war.
• Maeve Dermody as Portia Fyfe, Philo's landlady whose romantic advances he frequently rebuffs.
• Jamie Harris as Sergeant Dombey, a constable known to harbor racist beliefs against the Fae and despises Philo for sympathizing with them.
• Waj Ali as Constable Berwick, Philo's timid partner who nevertheless remains loyal to him even when Philo is exposed as a half-blood.
• James Beaumont as Constable Cuppins, an officer who finds Philo's interest in the Fae unnatural.
• Tracey Wilkinson as Afissa, the Puck housemaid and cook to the Spurnroses.
• Anna Rust as Fleury, a Pix courtesan at Moira's brothel.
• Mark Lewis Jones as Magistrate Flute, the head constable in the Burgue who urges solidarity amongst his officers and frequently butts heads with Philo over his concern for the Fae's welfare.
• Leanne Best as Madame Moira, the proprietor of The Tetterby, a brothel on Carnival Row.
• Theo Barklem-Biggs as Cabal, a Puck malcontent seeking to bring his brethren together.
• Ronan Vibert as Ritter Longerbane, Absalom Breakspear's primary political opponent and longtime advocate of Fae subjugation.
• Chloe Pirrie as Dahlia, the ruthless Fae leader of the Black Raven.
• Scott Reid as Quilliam ("Quill"), a Puck footman unjustly dismissed by the Chancellor, who turns to radicalism.
• Sinead Phelps as Jenila, Sophie Longerbane's Puck lady's maid.
• Jim High as Fergus, a human servant in Mr. Agreus' household.
• Erika Starkova as Aisling Querelle, Philo's mother and a once-famous Pix singer turned to the life of a scavenger.

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	"Some Dark God Wakes"	Thor Freudenthal	Story by : René Echevarria and Travis Beacham Teleplay by : René Echevarria	August 30, 2019 (2019-08-30)
Vignette Stonemoss escapes Pact soldiers onto a ship, where she is taken to the hold along with the other fae-folk that she helped escape from Pact-occupied fae land. The ship is wrecked in a storm, with Vignette the sole survivor. It is revealed that the ship belonged to Ezra Spurnrose, who lives with his sister Imogen in one of the richer neighborhoods in the city. Ezra reveals that he lost a significant amount of money on the ship that Vignette was on, and since Vignette was indentured to the ship, he now expects her to work as a maid for Imogen. Vignette goes to Carnival Row on an errand, where she meets an old friend, Tourmaline, who has become a prostitute. She reveals that Vignette's old lover Philo is alive, contrary to what Vignette believed. Philo is a police inspector, currently investigating a case relating to violent attacks on fae-folk. He questions a victim, who provides him with a detailed description, which leads him to realize that the attacker is a sailor due to the frequency of the attacks. He tries to catch the assailant, but the man warns him that a "dark god" has awakened under the city before committing suicide. Vignette reveals to Philo that she knows he is alive and leaves angrily. Imogen and Ezra learn that their new neighbor is a faun named Agreus, shocking them. Absalom Breakspear, Chancellor of the city, faces strong opposition from his rival Longerbane. He converses with his wife Piety about his son Jonah, whom he warns not to visit Carnival Row for fear of a scandal.
2	"Aisling"	Thor Freudenthal	René Echevarria	August 30, 2019 (2019-08-30)
A fae named Aisling is attacked and murdered near the sewers, and Philo investigates. It is revealed that Aisling is a singer who fell from grace and turned to scavenging. Philo asks a fae butcher to perform an autopsy, and allows a fae priestess to perform last rites. Imogen meets Agreus, who shows an interest in her which she immediately rebuffs. A drunk Ezra attempts to rape Vignette and she assaults him in self-defense; Ezra accuses her of stealing, and files a police complaint against her. Philo overhears this and buys Vignette's contract from him. Ezra tells Imogen that they are actually financially unstable, and that he plans to give the house as collateral to the bank to procure another ship. Imogen has her own plans, and sends a letter to Agreus, reciprocating his interest. Vignette decides to join the Black Raven, a rebel fae group that deals in contraband, and accepts a test of worth to steal a flag from inside the police headquarters. She succeeds in doing so by blackmailing Philo into letting her escape. Philo meets Darius, an old friend from his army days who is currently in prison. Jonah is kidnapped while visiting Tourmaline. Due to the lack of a ransom demand, Piety suggests that they consult a witch, who kills Absalom's pet bear as a sacrifice and tells him that Longerbane kidnapped his son. However, it is revealed that Piety herself is responsible for the kidnapping, and that she asked the witch (her family's loyal servant) to lie.
3	"Kingdoms of the Moon"	Anna Foerster	Travis Beacham	August 30, 2019 (2019-08-30)
A flashback episode, detailing how Philo and Vignette first meet. Philo and Darius are soldiers with the Burguish army and occupy a fae village to have proximity to a telegraph line. When Philo's commander asks him to investigate whether the faefolk living there are a threat, Philo's wanderings leads him to a library that is watched over by Vignette. Vignette threatens him to stay silent and is ordered to keep a close eye on him by Mima. Vignette helps the Burguishmen fix a part of the telegraph line that is broken across a ravine, where they are attacked by Pact soldiers who morph into wolves using a syringe. Darius is bitten by the wolves, turning him into one. Philo learns of this and promises to keep it a secret and "take care of it" when they return to the Burgue. Tourmaline and other fae seek refuge at the fae village, revealing that their home was attacked by the Pact. Tourmaline talks to Vignette, revealing that they were past lovers and asks her what her plans are with Philo after the war ends. When Vignette confronts Philo about their future, he reveals that he is a half-blood orphan who had his wings cut off when he was a child so he could pass as a normal man. News arrives that the Burgue has ordered its troops to return home. The Pact attacks the village, and Philo asks Mima to tell Vignette that he is dead so that he would not be a liability to her. In the present day, Vignette tells Philo that she would not reveal his secret to anyone, but that their love is finished.
4	"The Joining of Unlike Things"	Thor Freudenthal Anna Foerster	Travis Beacham & Marc Guggenheim and Peter Cameron	August 30, 2019 (2019-08-30)
Finch, the headmaster of Philo's former orphanage and his foster father, is murdered; while investigating the scene, Philo encounters the killer in the sewers and manages to drive it off. The priestess explains to Philo that the creature is possibly a Darkasher, a golem made from bits of corpses put together and then reanimated with dark magic. To prove this theory, Philo visits the witch and asks her to create a Darkasher that will be bonded to him, which requires her to take the form of Vignette and sexually assault Philo so she can collect his seed. An increasingly distraught Absalom agrees with his wife that Longerbane should be taken into custody until he confesses to kidnapping their son. Agreus agrees to support Imogen if she helps him gain the acceptance of her peers. Dahlia suspects that Vignette may be informing on her and gives her until that evening to find the real informant or be put to death. Tourmaline forces Philo to reveal that the informant is Hamlyn, just after he tells Philo that a deceased member of the Black Raven was hired to dig up several bodies. Piety finds Longerbane on the brink of death and poisons him, before telling her husband where to find Jonah. Vignette attacks Hamlyn, but he overpowers her, and Philo shoots him dead. Dahlia promotes Vignette in Hamlyn's place. Jonah is returned to his father, before noticing that the sound of his mother's heels is the same sound he heard in captivity. Philo decides to let Vignette go and takes his landlady Portia out on a date.
5	"Grieve No More"	Andy Goddard	Ian Deitchman & Kristin Robinson	August 30, 2019 (2019-08-30)
As the Darkasher cannot be killed while its master lives, Philo focuses his efforts on determining who was responsible for creating it. Over Ezra's objections, Imogen invites Agreus to an afternoon tea party with several of her friends, which proves to be a humiliating experience as he insists on being treated as their equal. Just as Agreus prepares to leave, Ezra swallows his pride and permits him to stay; Agreus gives him a check afterwards. Philo returns to the orphanage, revisiting painful memories of his childhood. He also meets with the assistant headmaster, who reveals that Finch regularly traveled to the Tetterby for companionship. Longerbane's ambitious daughter, Sophie, assumes his office and declares her opposition to coexistence with the fae. Jonah finds himself enthralled by her as he grows increasingly distant from his family. Runyon's performers are seized by the police and deported as unregistered pets, despite his pleading. Philo meets with Madame Moira, and learns the truth: Finch was in a secret relationship with Morange, the police coroner. The man confesses that Finch also knew Aisling in his younger days, leading Philo to deduce that Aisling was his mother. Later that night, Morange is murdered in his home by the Darkasher. Jonah's former footman, Quill, joins a secret society of Pucks after their leader, Cabal, gives him a book to read.
6	"Unaccompanied Fae"	Andy Goddard	Stephanie K. Smith	August 30, 2019 (2019-08-30)
Philo's fellow officers become suspicious of him as he seems to be making no progress in his case. Jonah meets Sophie, and learns that she has only been pretending: she abhors her father's politics, but cannot afford to alienate his supporters if she intends to fulfill her ambitions. The two part with Sophie telling Jonah that they are very much alike, but that he is still under his parents' thumb. Philo tells Portia he is a half-blood, and she ends their relationship and kicks him out. Vignette discovers that her library has been shipped over and put on display at a Burguish museum; enraged, she chases several patrons out of the exhibit and is arrested for trespassing. During a procession, Quill witnesses one of his fellow Pucks being beaten by an abusive foreman, and Cabal tells him to take it as proof that humans will never accept the Fae. Imogen accompanies Agreus to a charity auction, where he impresses her with his wit and by making a show of humiliating a haughty couple who insult her. Constable Dombey forces Portia to reveal Philo's secret. Berwick tries to explain Philo's theory about the Darkasher, but Dombey and the Magistrate are convinced that Philo made it up to disguise the killings. Runyon tells Philo that the late Mr. Spurnrose, an admirer of Aisling, let her stay at his house so she could give birth safely. Philo is arrested shortly thereafter and taken into police custody.
7	"The World to Come"	Jon Amiel	Story by : René Echevarria Teleplay by : Peter Cameron	August 30, 2019 (2019-08-30)
Dombey puts Philo in a cell hoping he will be killed by the human prisoners; Vignette warns him and he fights them off. The witch warns Piety that she will die soon, and that the police have the wrong man. Overcome with guilt, Portia gives a statement to the police claiming that she lied about Philo being a half-blood after an argument. The Magistrate offers to free Philo if he swears that he is a man, but Philo admits that he is half-fae. Dombey subsequently plots to have Philo murdered before he can be brought to trial. Runyon is hired as a tutor for Jonah, and lambasts him for his lack of purpose, driving Jonah to accept an offer from Sophie to help her with a plan to drive his father from power. Ezra, furious to learn of his father sheltering Aisling, tries to separate Imogen from Agreus by telling her that Agreus will cast her aside once he has gained the respect he seeks. When Imogen later visits Agreus, they confess their feelings for each other and have sex. Cabal inducts Quill into his society by having him kill the foreman. Philo and Vignette reconcile their love and realize that the killer is Philo's father, who wants to rid himself of his half-blood son and has been gradually killing those close to him in order to learn his identity. Philo is then removed from his cell by Dombey, having been warned by Berwick of his plans. Instead of being killed, however, Philo is taken to a rural estate to meet his biological father: Absalom Breakspear.
8	"The Gloaming"	Jon Amiel	Travis Beacham	August 30, 2019 (2019-08-30)
Absalom prepares to kill Philo, until his son convinces him that he did not kill Aisling. The two swap stories, and Absalom promises to free Vignette so they can start a new life together. Before he can do so, a disguised Quill stabs him in his office. Piety reveals to Jonah that Sophie is his half-sister, which leads Jonah to realize that his father never pushed him to succeed because he suspected Jonah was not his biological son. Ezra catches Agreus and Imogen sleeping together, and tries to shoot Agreus who responds by striking him. The pair then take Agreus' ship out to sea, deciding that they must find a new home. Piety smothers her husband and inspects his liver, learning of Vignette's existence. The witch is killed, and Philo finds her just in time to receive a warning that Vignette is in grave danger. Piety sends the Darkasher to kill him, but Vignette frees herself and stabs Piety with a pair of shears, killing her and her monster. Jonah assumes the Chancellorship with Runyon as his chief advisor and deduces that Sophie was responsible for the murders by convincing Piety that Philo, not he, was destined for greatness. Nevertheless, he forms an alliance with her and declares the establishment of a ghetto for the Fae, forbidding them to leave the Burgue or interact with humans. Choosing to embrace his Pix heritage, Philo joins Vignette and the other fae in the ghetto.

Production

Development

On January 9, 2015, it was announced that Amazon had signed a development deal for the series which, at the time, had Guillermo del Toro on board as a co-writer, executive producer, and director. The series, set to be co-written by del Toro, Travis Beacham, and Rene Echeverria, is based on a feature film spec script written by Beacham, entitled A Killing on Carnival Row. The company ordered three scripts with the expectation that if the series went into production del Toro would direct the first episode. On June 6, 2016, it was reported that the production had been given a pilot order with the previously announced creative team still set to be involved.

On May 10, 2017, it was announced that the production had been given a series order with Beacham and Echeverria still executive producing, and with Echeverria expected to act as showrunner. It was also announced that filmmaker Paul McGuigan would be directing the series. By this point, del Toro had stepped away from the project, as his feature film schedule did not permit him to stay on as an executive producer as the project moved forward. On November 10, 2017, it was announced that filmmaker Jon Amiel had replaced McGuigan as director.

On June 3, 2019, it was announced that the series would premiere on August 30, 2019. In July 2019, it was announced that Amazon had renewed the series for a second season.

Casting

In August 2017, it was announced that Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne had been cast in the series' two lead roles. On September 22, 2017, it was reported that David Gyasi, Karla Crome, Indira Varma, and Tamzin Merchant had joined the main cast. In October 2017, it was announced that Simon McBurney, Alice Krige, and Jared Harris had been cast in recurring roles. On November 3, 2017, it was reported Ariyon Bakare was joining the series in a recurring capacity. On December 15, 2017, it was announced that Andrew Gower and Jamie Harris had been cast in recurring roles. On January 30, 2018, it was reported that Scott Reid had joined the cast as a series regular. On October 8, 2018, it was reported that Anna Rust had joined the cast in a recurring capacity.

Filming

The series spent almost five months in pre-production before filming began. The series was shot entirely in the Czech Republic throughout 108 shooting days. Principal photography began in October 2017. In February 2018, it was reported that the series was filming in Prague.

Much of the work was done at the Barrandov Studios in Prague, while locations included the city of Liberec, the chateaux in Frýdlant and Krnsko, and at the Prachov Rocks (Prachovské skály) area.

Filming concluded on March 14, 2018.

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, Carnival Row holds a 55% approval rating based on 60 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Beautiful, but bloated, Carnival Row boasts meticulously crafted mythology and luscious world building—unfortunately its story of haves and have nots simply has too much going on to create anything cohesive." On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 58 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

External links

• Carnival Row at IMDb