After a very long break of almost four years, the popular fantasy series “Carnival Row” returns to the screens of Amazon Prime Video. On February 17th, the first two episodes of season two were released on Amazon’s streaming service. Once again, the main actors Orlando Bloom (46) and Cara Delevingne (30) as Rycroft Philostrate and Vignette Stonemoss fight their way through the main location of the series “Carnival Row” called The Burgue.
Fans of the series have to accept that the second installment of the show will also be the last. Amazon announced this last November. Season two consists of ten episodes. Two new episodes will be available to stream at once on Prime Video each week, with the grand series finale expected to arrive on March 17th.
At the end of the last season, events in the fantasy city-state of The Burgue overturned. After the death of Chancellor Absalom Breakspear (Jared Harris, 61), his son Jonah (Arty Froushan, 29) takes over government power. Jonah has the fairy district of Carnival Row fenced off, creating a ghetto. Fairies and humans should no longer be able to mix in the future.
Meanwhile, Rycroft Philostrate professes his fairy nature and lives with Vignette Stonemoss in the newly established ghetto. Lovers Agreus (David Gyasi, 43) and Imogen (Tamzin Merchant, 35) take Jonah’s ship to leave the burgue and find a new home.
This is exactly where the events of season two begin. “Philo” and his partner Vignette live together in the ghetto, but disagree on how to respond to the oppression of the fairies and other magical beings by humans. In the very first moments of the new season, Vignette ambushed a human train to steal valuable supplies.
Meanwhile, Philo is drawn into his old life as a cop when a gruesome series of murders rocks the city. His old colleagues ask the former inspector for help with their investigation, but are also skeptical of him now that they know his true nature.
After the death of the witch Aoife Tsigani (Alice Krige, 68), Vignette’s former partner Tourmaline (Karla Crome, 34) seems to have inherited her supernatural powers. Imogen and Agreus end up fleeing in a neighboring city-state that is based on a radically new model of society. The two are amazed at this.
Even though “Carnival Row” ends with the second season, viewers should not miss the new episodes of Amazon’s elaborate fantasy production. Because even in season two, the steampunk series created by the co-creators Travis Beacham (43) and René Echevarria (61) is still captivating with its rarely shown urban fantasy setting.
In addition to the usual opulent equipment with a love of detail, the cruel oppression of the fairies and fauns comes to the fore even more clearly than before on the action level of the series. At the same time, the very different lovers Imogen and Agreus experience what real change in the world of “Carnival Row” can look like.
Last but not least, the Amazon series is carried by the grandiose chemistry of the two main actors Bloom and Delevingne, whose rousing love story also has a few surprises in store for viewers in season two.
