Ryan Shoots First: Carnival Row
Carnival Row is the new series on Amazon Prime that is one of the first of many to claim to be the “New Game of Thrones”. It will be a sentiment that dark genre shows will claim as there is a huge group of fans, some who are crushingly disappointed, who are looking for that next fix. Carnival Row has the makings to be huge for Amazon and develop a deep dedicated following. All of this is because of the excellent world building that is done. Not everything works but that’s part of the fun. Such a large series like this shouldn’t expect everything to work and you can never anticipate what side characters, complementary arcs and underrated moments are going to become huge. To compare to Game of Thrones they would have never guessed some of the characters and moments that would become irrevocably tied to the series. Like the Hound, who became a walking meme and fan favorite. Who would have known in that pilot when he came riding into Winterfell what we were in for over the next 8 years. That’s the big takeaway from the first episode, the potential. The budget is there, the world is there and the cast is there, put all that together and the most exciting thing about the show is the potential for where it could go down the road.
That’s not to say this first episode isn’t good on its own. Carnival Row has had a hard life coming to fruition first existing as a potential movie titled A Killing on Carnival Row with at one time Guillermo Del Toro tied to the project. In 2017, Amazon looking to capitalize on the gritty violent fantasy genre GoT has built bought the rights to the property and decided to develop it into a series. Carnival Row is set in a semi-steampunk Victorian fantasy world where fantasy creatures and humans live together in a city named Fae. Orlando Bloom, who’s geek fantasy cred needs no explanation, plays detective Rycroft Philostrate. He is investigating a murder that brings him across the path of his former lover Vignette, who is a fairly played by Cara Delevingne (Suicide Squad, Valarian). The fairies are driven into the city after fleeing a war in their homeland which feeds into a xenophobia prevalent amongst the human population The “ripped from the headlines” nature of the show presents some undertones prevalent that are very much things we deal with today racism, nationalism, classism and the ongoing immigration debates are clearly motivation. I wouldn’t worry too much as it is not shoved in your face but if you tend to really not like any criticism of the way our society is it may bother you. It reminds me more of a X-men approach to how we as humans can be more so than someone pushing a political agenda.
The series is exceedingly heavy which is why I mention above the sell of the promise of what could be if your willing to hang in there is great. The Game of Thrones comparisons will follow this show for a while but it’s hard not to compare to the somewhat slow burn that show began with that turned some away but became what many loved most if they were willing to hang in there. If deep lore and complex issues on the backdrop of a dense, stylistic, and sometimes ultra violent murder mystery interests you this will be worth investing in. If you’re looking for some escapism and fun fantasy action you may not get that quick fix you were hoping for. But therein lies the beauty of these shows, most of us have access to Amazon video and the investment of a few hours to see if we are hooked isn’t too much to ask on a holiday weekend. I for one am excited to see where the series goes and am hoping it can scratch the GoT itch that has been flaring up as summer comes to an end. Surely you don’t want to be the one catching up when it’s the hot thing in 3 years while all your friends talk about how they’ve been “fans since the start” do you?
