Here we’row
It’s been more than three years since Carnival Row soared onto telly screens — packed with plenty of magic, mystery and drama. And now it’s time to head back to the Burgue as season two of the Prime Video fantasy series began yesterday [February 17]. The episodes will be released on the streaming service weekly, reaching more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
As the 10-episode new season begins, ex-inspector Rycroft Philostrate — also known as Philo — is investigating a number of brutal murders which have been sparking social tensions.
The Black Raven andvignette Stonemoss, meanwhile, are plotting revenge for the unjust oppression inflicted by The Burgue’s human leaders, Jonah Breakspear and Sophie Longerbane.
Vignette declares in the action-packed trailer,“i thought if we were peaceful, they would show us mercy. But now we know the truth. If they shoot at us, nail our heads against the wall — they will pay for it in their own blood.”
Elsewhere, it looks like there could be some serious trouble in store as Tourmaline has inherited some supernatural powers that could threatened not just her fate, but the future of The Row.
Imogen Spurnrose has escaped The
Burgue — and her vengeful brother Ezra — with her partner, Agreus Astrayon. But the pair soon encounter a radical new society which could completely upend their plans.
The humans and fae folk are divided, and their freedom is on the line — leaving each hero to face impossible dilemmas and souldefining tests.
The series was created by Travis Beacham and René Echevarria and is based off Beacham’s A Killing on Carnival Row, which appeared in the first instalment of The Black List in 2005.
Orlando Bloom, Cara Delevingne,
David Gyasi, Tamzin Merchant, Arty Froushan, Simon Mcburney, Andrew Gower, Karla Crome, Jay Ali, Joanne Whalley star in the series, which is a co-production between Amazing Studios and Legendary Television.
Showrunner Erik Oleson recently opened up about what fans can expect from the second season — and how they are going to be going out“with a bang”.
He said,“there is this terrifically deep, lush world of amazing costumes and production, all that stuff.
“But the idea that the show should have something meaningful to explore was where I always start on any television season. And for this season, it was asking questions about what makes us who we are. Is it what we are born? Or is it what we do? Is it the stuff that’s determined before we’re even on the planet by DNA? Or do we get a vote in how we look at ourselves and define ourselves with the choices that we make, the actions that we take, and the way that we treat each other?” Erik also told how the script for Carnival Row, which originally started out as a feature film, was“unlike anything that I had seen”. He continued,“it really was a deep, well-thoughtout world that had infinite possibilities for the kinds of stories that you could tell inside of it.
“That’s of course a challenge when you have limited screen time, et cetera. But it really is unlike anything that I had seen.
“People might assume they know what it is, with the mash-up of steampunk with a Victorian-era detective with
“WE LOVE Each Other so Much... It’s REALLY FUN.”
magic and creatures and everything. It was just so ripe for the picking.”
Season one of Carnival Row was initially released in August 2019, with the second season announced shortly before it debuted. Production on the second season began back in November 2019 — and was paused in March 2020 due to the pandemic.
When the first season came to an end, Orlando Bloom’s Philo fully embraced his recently-discovered identity — and Marc Guggenheim, one of the series’ executive producers, previously told how that would continue to cause ripples throughout season two.
He said in 2019,“Well, it’s probably one of the biggest seismic changes to the show itself that happens at the end of the first season.
“And it’s something that we’re really going to be dealing with and dramatising in season 2. And the trick for Philo is, it’s not, unfortunately, as simple as him embracing the fact that he’s fae. To the fae, he’s not really fae. He’s a half-blood. So he basically is a man without a country.
“You know, he’s not human enough for the humans, but he’s not fae enough for the fae. He kind of exists in this sort of status Twilight Zone.
“Not to mention the fact that, because of this decision, he has relinquished his badge. So this cloak of authority that he used to have is no longer there. So that’s another thing that he’ll be wrestling with in season 2.”
Travis Beacham added,“in embracing who he is, he’s really embracing an entirely new set of problems.”
Tamzin told Chic last year about what fans could expect from Imogen and Agreus’ adventure when the highly-anticipated second season landed on screens.
She said,“i can tell you that — my character and David Gyasi’s character
— we disappear off on a ship at the end of season one and I think we’re hoping for a bit of a romantic sunset sail. But as it happens, in season two, that romantic sunset sail comes to a fairly abrupt end.” The actress shared that one of her favourite parts of playing Imogen is acting opposite — and having arguments with — Andrew Gower, who plays Ezra Spurnrose.
She continued,“i think the sibling chemistry is so much fun and acting with Andrew is always a massive joy. It’s so fun — as Imogen and Ezra, we bring out the worst in each other.
“It’s so fun, for me, to play someone who is kind of bossy, opinionated and rude — but also deeply frustrated because she’s trapped in this societal constraints. It’s been really fun playing with Andrew and having this bickering, sibling energy.
“We love each other so much and it’s just really fun to get to work with someone who’s so playful. From a being on set perspective, that had been awesome.
“I really enjoy Imogen’s feistiness — and particularly in season one, she takes matters into her own hands. I really enjoyed that.”
Orlando Bloom is best known for his role as Legolas in The Lord Of The Rings series. He reprised the role as the elfin archer for the final two movies in The Hobbit.
The 46-year-old is also well known for his role as Will Turner in The Pirates Of The Caribbean series, Kingdom of Heaven, Elizabethtown and The Three Musketeers.
Cara Delevingne’s acting career began more than a decade ago with Joe Wright’s Anna Karenina, in which she played Princess Sorokina.
But her big screen breakout role came in 2015, when she played Margo Roth Spiegelman in the romantic mystery
Paper Towns. Nat Wolff co-starred in the film, which was an adaptation of John Green’s 2008 novel. She also starred in Suicide Squad,valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets and Life In Ayear.
Cara also joined the cast of Only Murders In The Building for season two, playing Alice Banks, a young woman who works at an art studio calle d Third Arm Gallery. David Gyasi is well known for his roles in the telly series Troy: Fall Of A City, The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself, Doctor Who and The Sandman. He has also appeared on the big screen in Maleficent 2, Interstellar, Cloud Atlas and Annihilation.
Tamzin Merchant has starred in a number of period dramas over the years, from 2005’s Pride & Prejudice to The Tudors, in which she played Catherine Howard, to the bewitching Salem.
And her role in Carnival Row also inspired another project of hers: her books. Tamzin has penned two books so far, The Mapmakers and The Hatmakers.
She previously told Chic of the inspiration behind the books,“i was filming a TV show in Prague at the time called Carnival Row. I had a costume fitting late at night — when you get into the bit more chaotic second half of shooting a six-month show, you end up having costume fittings at weird times to fit around shoot days and stuff.
The costume designer was talking about having to find a special hat-maker in London to make particular hates to fit a character who has horns in the show.
“There are faeries and fawns in the show, and this hat-maker had to be found to make a special hat.
“That night, I had a dream about a family of special hat makers in London who made magical hats for the King and had a rivalry with a family of boot makers. There was a shipwreck in my dream and, at the very end of it, this book came towards me in the dream. It was called The Hatmakers.” Arty Froushan, who plays Jonah Breakspear, is known for his role in Topal in Strike Back as well as his role as Ser Qarl Correy in House Of The Dragon.
Simon Mcburney, who plays Carnival Row’s Runyan Millworthy, has previously appeared in Wolfwalkers, The Pale Blue Eye, The Theory Of Everything, The Manchurian Candidate and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
Andrew Gower joined the cast of
Being Human back in 2012 for the BBC Three show’s fourth season.
He played the vampire solicitor Cutler — and, in the same year, also had a guest turn in Misfits.
The singer-songwriter has appeared in a number of popular TV shows over the years, from Outlander to The Borgias, Poldark to Black Mirror.
Karla Crome, who plays Tourmaline, is well-known for her roles in Misfits and 2013’s Under The Dome. The actress has also appeared in Am I Being Unreasonable? and the podcast series, The Shadow Over Innsmouth. ■
The final season of Carnival Row began on Primevideo on February 17. New episodes will be added every Friday.