'Carnival Row' spoiler-free review: Fantasy, crime, and romance mix easily in a beautiful storyline
Faeries and Centaurs may have been in your childhood dreams, but 'Carnival Row' is anything but a childish fantasy. From complex issues of racism to universal stories of love, the Amazon Prime series has been successful in knitting together a tale that you are likely to remember days after watching.
The story starts with two people - the human Rycroft (Orlando Bloom) whose secrets define him and Vignette (Cara Delevingne), a Faerie who hides from no one. They are from totally different worlds and we see how these worlds have torn them apart. However, fate has a way of bringing them back to each other, and they have a way of forgiving each other for their worst sins.
Set in the city of Burgue where humanoids who escaped their wartorn homes have sought refuge, the Fae are mistreated. Even as they try to survive in a world that seemingly hates them, people in power try to keep them down. It is the social order, after all.
Challenging this social order comes a Puck - a half-man-half-goat - who moves into a rich human neighborhood hoping that he would be treated as an equal. He dresses in the finest clothes, lives in the most luxurious house and collects the most expensive artifacts, but he still has to live by the "social order." However, there may yet be one among the humans who is willing to look outside the box and realize just how stupid this social order is.
Meanwhile, the poor side of the city, where the Faes live, is facing the wrath of a serial murderer. With very murky detail and the possible involvement of magic that is unfathomable to even the Fae, there is not much Rycroft can go on. And, even though the rest of the police officers are unbothered by the gruesome murder of some Fae, he is hellbent on solving them.
The people in power, on the other hand, are trying to keep the city from crumbling even as politics take precedence over human decency. The success of 'Carnival Row' is in how it ties all these stories together seamlessly. The story flows beautifully and compels you to binge-watch it.
The visuals meanwhile are very realistic, starting with the beautiful and snowy land of Tirnanoc to the dingy and dark corners of the titular Carnival Row. The clothes are certainly inspired by Victorian England and so is societal conduct. The show has also managed to portray Fae as realistic as possible, with the sinewy Faeries and their hydrostat wings to the powerful hind legs and detailed and curved horns of the Pucks, the perfectionism exhibited in every aspect of the show is commendable.
From the storytelling to the visual experience, this is a show you wouldn't want to miss, so we hope you have August 30th marked on your calendars.