Amazon Prime’s streaming content may not have gotten as much attention as other streaming platforms, but it always succeeded in bringing new ideas to the table. The 2019 series, Carnival Row, was one of these shows with lore so well-developed that it could have been a 10-part fantasy book series. Starring Orlando Bloom, the series takes place in an urban fantasy world and follows all the pitfalls that come with it. Rycroft “Philo” Philostrate (Bloom) is an inspector of the Burge, a metropolitan area that takes a page out of Victorian London’s book. In addition to social climbing and crime, however, there is the added element of fae folk.
In this world, the vicious collective known as the Pact invades the fae homeland, causing the destruction of their people. Many of the fae traveled to the Burgue as refugees, where other mythological creatures also took shelter in the slum known as Carnival Row. In the first episode, war veteran Vignette Stonemoss (Cara Delevingne) finally makes it to the Burgue after smuggling countless others to the city. When she arrives, she is shocked to discover her former lover, Philo, is still alive when she thought he had perished in the war. Their fractured relationship is the foundation of the series as Vignette has to navigate this new world and face the xenophobia aimed at her. The series also follows Imogen Spurnrose (Tamzin Merchant), an entitled human who, though in her own relationship with a Faun, moves past her own racism to become a better person. This ensemble fantasy series should have gone on for many seasons, but did not achieve the acclaim it deserved.
Carnival Row Told a Timely and Socially Aware Story
Released at the height of the pandemic, Carnival Row sadly lost the momentum that it needed. Four years separated the first and second seasons, and while that may work for House of the Dragon, the series could not withstand the blow. This, in addition to the critical response to the series, did not help in the long run. Carnival Row had an intricate setup, but it did not immediately find its audience. Critics maligned the series for its ambitious attempt at storytelling, though the series had a lot to offer. Carnival Row delivered a metaphor about racism and xenophobia that was admittedly heavy-handed but was right in line with stories like the socially aware Children of Men.
Arguably, when the world needed it most, Carnival Row showed audiences the sad realities of the state of refugees in the world. Fae and others like them were ousted from their homelands. But when forced to come to the Burgue, they were treated with distaste and outright violence. Vignette was forced into indentured servitude at the home of the Spurnroses while her best friend from home found a living as a sex worker.
Philo’s lineage was also significant, as he was a fae hybrid who passed for a human. He did this to protect himself from the violence he saw every day perpetrated against those he cared about. Fauns and faeries are just some of the species that are objectified and despised simply because they are different. Carnival Row took this simple idea and turned it into a fascinating fantasy series. The Amazon Prime show was regrettably ahead of its time, even though it shouldn’t have been. After only two seasons, it was canceled, despite the star power of Orlando Bloom and DC star Cara Delevingne. Had it premiered only a couple of years after it did, it could have found the success that other platforms have with fantasy. Fans can watch this hidden gem by streaming both seasons on Amazon Prime.
Release Date
2019 – 2022
Network
Amazon Prime Video
Showrunner
Travis Beacham
Directors
Travis Beacham
Writers
Travis Beacham
