Annabelle Harris
As we continue on our everlasting journey to find a show that fills the gaping void left by “Game of Thrones,” pause for a moment to watch the first season of Amazon Prime’s new original series, “Carnival Row.” This series is a melting pot of genres. For those of you who loved “Game of Thrones” you will love Carnival Row for its extensive world building and fantastical creatures.
Beyond the fantasy, “Carnival Row” is set in an era reminiscent of steampunk Victorian, appealing to us who love to binge period shows like “The Alienist.” Carnival Row fantastically combines mystery and fantasy, all the while paralleling issues we face in our own society such as immigration, racism and sexism.
The star-studded cast includes Orlando Bloom as soldier turned inspector, Rycroft Philostrate, from the Burge, a place much like Victorian London. Cara Delevingne as Vignette Stonemoss, a Fae immigrant trying to find her place in a xenophobic, nationalistic society that believes her and her kind to be better off dead. Social and political tensions threaten to tear apart the Burge in the division over these creature migrants fleeing from their homeland in desperate asylum from the empire building Pact.
The first episode starts unlike any other TV show and the momentum continues throughout the first season. An intense plotline and a gripping cliffhanger at the end of the season makes me wish I could binge the second season. The show obviously had strong financial backing from Amazon with its CGI and special effects makeup being top tier throughout the season.
Bloom and Delevingne do an excellent job of portraying the two conflicted main characters. They create a beautiful (and tear-worthy) romance that could warm even the coldest of hearts.
Script, casting and special effects all fell perfectly into place to create this amazing first season. Binge-worthy status is at a definite 100%. Romance, adventure, murder mystery and amazing CGI makes for one worthwhile pit stop on our binge watching journey.
