Carnival Row (Season 2) Episodes 3 & 4: Carnival Row returns on Prime Video in a decidedly better outing in episodes three and four, which has come as a pleasant surprise. It is created by Rene Echevarria and Travis Beacham and executive produced by Marc Guggenheim, René Echevarria, Jon Amiel, Travis Beacham, Cara Delevingne, and Orlando Bloom.
Wendey Stanzler directs these two episodes. She has directed several episodes in popular TV shows such as ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ ‘Desperate Housewives,’ ‘Parks and Recreation’ and ‘The Vampire Diaries,’ amongst others.
Carnival Row (Season 2) Episodes 3 and 4 Recap:
Episode 3 – The Martyr’s Hand
The episode begins with Tourmaline (Karla Crome) looking at the severed heads of Dahlia and her right-hand man’s heads mounted on the wall, which were discovered at the end of the last episode. She has another vision where she encounters the ghosts of the two murdered fae, after which she returns to the real world and runs away from the area.
At the same time, Philo (Orlando Bloom) wants to investigate the murders, while Vignette (Cara Delevingne) believes that the police are responsible. Officer Berwick (Waj Ali) approaches Philo, and they briefly discuss the murders before Sergeant Dombey (Jamie Harris) appears and insults Philo. He lies outright by saying that the Black Raven killed Chancellor Jonah Breakspear and refuses to investigate the crime while mocking Philo. While leaving with the other officers, he is chased by Kaine (Jay Ali), who wants to kill him for shooting Oona but is stopped by Vignette, who says that he will only get himself killed if he acts now.
Vignette takes down the severed heads of Dahlia and the other fae, and the Black Raven gives them a funeral to honor them. Philo sees Runyon Millworthy (Simon McBurney) and warns them to stay away lest he is killed as one of the Chancellor’s men. Millworthy agrees and convinces Philo to stop his plan of outing himself as the late Absolom Breakspear’s bastard son, as he has a new plan to reopen Carnival Row. However, he refuses to share it with Philo for his own safety, saying that they’ll go back to Philo’s plan if his doesn’t work.
Millworthy meets with Major Vir (Andrew Buchan) in secret and promises the weapons that The Pact wants, and they can have them quicker than they thought. Though suspicious of Millworthy’s motives, as Millworthy is known as a fae sympathizer, Vir agrees to present his offer to The Pact ambassador.
Sophie Longerbane (Caroline Ford) enters Carnival Row with some ministers under guard to earn some goodwill and as a publicity stunt following the Black Raven’s appearance at the dinner in the previous episode. She visits a clinic to distribute medicine and is very disturbed to see the fae’s condition, and is even more shaken when she holds a sick fae baby.
Elsewhere in the Row, Tourmaline locates Philo and tells him about her visions, thinking he will say she has gone crazy. Instead, Philo realizes that she has witnessed the killings from the killer’s perspective and can help her solve the murders. He meets with Boz (Stewart Scudamore), the pit fighting organizer from the previous episodes, to get a message to Officer Berwick. But Boz refuses after the Black Raven’s actions have caused him trouble. He also adds that Darius is no longer permitted to stay in his buildings after the same. This leads Philo and Boz to reach an agreement to deliver his message to Berwick in exchange for Darius getting new accommodations.
In the Burgue, guards escort Millworthy to Chancellor Jonah Breakspear (Arty Froushan), who questions him about his being seen at Dahlia’s funeral. Millworthy notes that he has made no secret of his friendship with the fae, also denying any knowledge of the Black Raven’s actions at the ambassador’s welcome dinner. Jonah accepts these responses and informs him of Vir’s request for the weapons in just a few weeks. Some ministers argue, but Sophie reveals that they will release the strongest fae to work in the weapon manufacturing factories for a minimum wage. Following the meeting, Minister Winetrout informs Jonah of the rumors about Sophie owning the factories and making a huge profit, having covered her tracks. Jonah refuses to listen, saying he will only do so if there is any proof that there isn’t currently.
Philo and Tourmaline are searching for the church in her visions, where she sees Dahlia get murdered, and Berwick is with them. They finally find the church in question with the headless bodies, and Berwick thinks only a fae could have carried out the murder at such a height. To create another vision for Tourmaline, Philo guts one of the bodies, and she touches the innards, sparking a vision where she sees humans killing fae on the Row. This is also through the eyes of the killer until it spots her, and the vision ends.
At the Black Raven hideout, Vignette questions some of Dahlia’s methods, saying that while well-intentioned, they never brought about change, and asks the other members to fight back. To inspire action, she tells them of how the Black Ravens were warriors back in their home country of Tirnanoc.
Tourmaline goes to the haruspex shop, where she discovers Darius (Ariyon Bakare), and they each introduce themselves. Though Darius is hesitant, Tourmaline happily makes them some tea.
In hiding, Sophie talks to Jenila (Sinead Phelps), or Nilly, her faun friend and maid, about her experiences in the Row. She tears up as she recalls the baby’s face with the disease and says it is her fault. Nilly slaps her and tells her to stop being weak and that they can’t stop now. She then mentions being whipped by Sophie’s father to punish Sophie, which Sophie deeply regrets. Nilly then tells her to remember their original plan, to make men like her father suffer by making Sophie, chancellor.
Having heard rumors that his sister Imogen voluntarily left with Agreus, Ezra decides to take drastic action. He corners Agreus’s manservant Fergus (Jim High) and pretends to show a change of heart regarding Imogen’s and Agreus’s relationship. When Fergus reveals that they are in Ragusa caught up in the civil war, Ezra kills him.
Philo goes to the Black Raven hideout and tries to convince them to act by revealing Dahlia’s murder at the church, saying no human could have done it. Vignette reveals that they intend to go after Sergeant Dombey for his killing of Oona, but she is unmoved. Vignette then gives Philo an ultimatum: to side with the fae or to be against them.
Episode 4 – An Unkindness of Ravens
Episode 4 begins with a dream sequence where Agreus (David Gyasi) and Imogen (Tamzin Merchant) have returned home happily, and others, including Ezra, are celebrating them. Suddenly, everyone is shot dead, and Agreus wakes up from his nightmare. Imogen comforts him, and he heads down for breakfast, where he sees a woman complaining that her family of four was evicted to give room for Agreus and Imogen. She is sent to work by the newly arrived Kastor (George Georgiou), who introduces himself as the block leader and says that everyone must work.
After eating, they head to the factories which are making weapons for the New Dawn. Imogen doesn’t work as Agreus offers to do her share of the work, and he and Kastor have a discussion on the murder of his ship’s officers. Kastor denies being his captors and says that they are liberators but must punish those who deny others their freedom, which in their view, the officers did as the sailors were slaves.
When it is time for lunch, Kastor refuses to give Imogen food as she didn’t work, and only those who work get to eat. Agreus gives her his share, prompting Kastor to taunt him by saying how he could betray his own people and whether he loves Imogen because she is human. Sensing danger, Imogen offers to work before Agreus attacks Kastor.
Leonora (Joanne Whalley), the leader of New Dawn, enters the room to watch and encourage the workers and summons Imogen but not Agreus for a conversation. Leonora says that everything they build belongs to everyone and asks Imogen how it was to work for the first time. Imogen reveals that she struggles to let go of some of her prejudices against the fae and is thus surprised to know that Leonora has a human mate. The two women bond over a lighter moment where they laugh about their respective partner’s feet and hooves. Leonora then says that Agreus’s resistance to their ideas could prove to be a problem.
Back at the house, Agreus asks Kastor about Hannah, the woman from the morning, and Kastor says that she doesn’t exist and should never be mentioned again. A gloomy Agreus is later joined by Imogen, who tells him that they should stay in Ragusa. To dissuade her, he reveals that the officers of the ship were not set free as Imogen thought; rather, they were executed on Leonora’s orders. Agreus follows it up by sharing his belief that Ragusa is a lie, and although deeply shaken, Imogen still believes that they should stay as there is no other place for them.
In the Burgue, Dombey returns home and is greeted by his wife and son, with whom he shares a loving moment. He also drinks with his father, and he praises him for his shooting of Oona. At that point, Philo and Darius (Ariyon Bakare) arrive at his house and warn Dombey that the Black Raven is after him and that they are here to protect him. Darius smells fae with his enhanced sense of smell, and Vignette reveals herself to Philo, who believes he is trying to stop a disaster as killing a policeman would cause major problems for the Row. She says he chose the wrong side and begins to chase after Dombey and Darius, who have escaped.
After a prolonged chase where Darius turns into a werewolf, or marrok, to stop the fae, Dombey manages to escape while Philo fights with Kaine. Vignette stops them, and when Philo asks her if this is what she has become, she says she is what humans made her. She and Kaine fly away just as the police show up. Though some of them think Philo should be kept in prison, Dombey repays his debt to him by sending him back to the Row, but in his usual manner to not arouse suspicion.
Meanwhile, after the experience in the church, Tourmaline goes to the Mima, who initially refuses to talk to her but does once Tourmaline reveals that she saw a vision of her own death. The Mima gives Tourmaline an old magical recipe to purge the darkness, but it will only work if she herself hasn’t become the darkness. Tourmaline is putting together the ingredients as Darius enters his marrok form. She is afraid at first but goes to him as he turns back into a human and listens as he shares the experiments that the Burguish performed on him while he was in captivity. Darius wishes to stay locked up in a small room in the shop, alone, but Tourmaline goes to help him anyway.
Carnival Row (Season 2) Episode 4 Ending, Explained:
At Carnival Row, a nonchalant Philo shares a drink with Vignette, and each of them requests the other to go into hiding as they have been declared enemies by their respective sides. However, both of them refuse to do so and look back fondly on their trouble-free days together, signifying the end of their relationship because of their different stances.
This is when the police, led by Sergeant Dombey, appear and start beating up the innocent residents of the Row for information on the location of the Black Raven. Vignette flies to the hideout to warn them but finds it under siege. Seeing her people outnumbered and dying, she reveals herself as the one they want and surrenders to them. Vignette is led away by the police in handcuffs and looks on, unable to do anything.
Ezra arrives at Ragusa, meeting with Leonora and informing her of the deal between the Burgue and The Pact for purchasing weapons. The ending will shake things up even further in the Row, leaving the Black Ravens without any leadership. They will probably hate Philo even more, and with Vignette gone, there is nothing to stop them from going after him, especially since they already saw him as a traitor. Perhaps Kaine will step up to lead till Vignette returns?
As for Philo himself, he will likely do all he can to get Vignette out, including potentially breaking her out, as it’s possible the unsolved murders will be pinned on her. Before that, though, he will have to keep himself and Darius safe. Speaking of Darius, the show hints strongly at a romance between him and Tourmaline. It is the only possible one with a happy ending, as Jonah and Sophie know they are siblings, and Philo and Vignette are a catastrophe. Agreus and Imogen are also slowly growing apart with their stances on the New Dawn.
The New Dawn is clearly the fantasy version of communism, which is shown by them calling each other “comrade” and their egalitarian principles. The freedom they offer appeals to Imogen but their disposition toward violence bothers Agreus. This will likely be the source of a major rift between the two moving forward. Throw in Ezra’s vengeance, and it will complicate things even further.
Carnival Row (Season 2) Episodes 3 & 4 Review:
Episodes three and four are much better than the first two, with several plans in motion that will collide down the road – if they haven’t already. Sophie’s motivations are revealed to be personal and vengeful, and it is plain that while she has a conscience, she and Nilly won’t stop till they achieve their goal. A vague statement is all we have on what their ideas are, but this sheds a lot of light on Sophie as a character which speaks to the improved writing.
Jonah is doing the best he can in a difficult position, one he was never ready for and one which he didn’t want, and he is being lied to and manipulated by both Sophie and Millworthy, whom he trusts. At least Millworthy is acting for the Row, the biggest victims in this mess, which adds layers to all his interactions with everyone, more proof to the improved writing by adding intrigue.
The third episode leaned toward the season’s overarching mystery, while the fourth was an action-heavy episode, and they balanced each other out quite well. All of the major characters became more relatable and understandable in these two episodes, and the plot moved forward as well, becoming more interesting in the process.
