WiC Watches: Carnival Row season 1
EPISODE 107: “THE WORLD TO COME”
Because he withheld evidence from his fellow detectives, Philo is accused of being the man behind the murders and is thrown in jail. There, he finds some unexpected help from Vignette. Elsewhere, Ezra takes exception to Imogen’s relationship with Agreus. Sophie offers Jonah a deal.
What Happened?
Both Philo and Vignette end up in the holding cells of the Burgue police headquarters, where they start to reconnect. Imogen arrives home to a drunken Ezra, who’s now dismayed by her parading around town on the arm of Agreus. McBurney runs into his old friend Master Symes (John Comer) as he takes a train out of town and gets a job offer to tutor the devious Jonah. Meanwhile, Jonah and Sophie forge a relationship based on political opportunity.
Ezra tries to subtly confront Agreus, revealing he knows his new neighbor served as a skipjack (a human-paid agent who hunted down runaway Fae), but he’s obviously in over his head trying to lock horns (pun intended) with the wealthy puck. Tourmaline works to free Vignette, while a regretful Portia returns to the coppers to claim she lied about Philo’s half-Fae blood because of a quarrel. Though cleared of the murders, Philo confesses to his true lineage.
Carnival Row Tamzin Merchant as Imogen Spurnrose
Angry at Philo’s disgrace, Constable Dombey plots his murder, but Constable Berwick is taken aback and warns him. Philo talks with Vignette, having realized that whomever has raised the Darkasher is his father, a dark soul killing off all innocents who know about his bastard son. Romantic sparks between Imogen and Agreus. Back with Jonah, Sophie reveals herself as an agent of chaos.
In the dark recesses of the Row, Cabal (Theo Barkley) draws new recruit Quill (Scott Reid) deeper into the mysteries of their ancient puck cult, demanding he execute a captured human. Absalom reacts strangely when informed of the name of the murdered Aisling. He’s waiting for Philo when the police transport him to a secret location.
Carnival Row Cara Delevingne as Vignette Stonemoss
Was it good?
“The World to Come” hopscotches around from one story to another early on, then settles down into a fine installment. Watching Philo and Vignette reconnect through prison bars works on every level, and the focus on the Imogen/Agreus storyline finally puts some meat on the bones of their story. This episode is less thriller than drama and more drama. It works out nicely despite Carnival Row‘s tendency to telegraph its story twists.
New alliances are forming in the Burgue, all heavily laden with symbolism and poised to foment great social and political change: the bi-racial Agreus and Imogen make love, seen though the glass of the new electric bulb while Jonah and Sophie find a partnership both as lovers and agents of anarchy. Meanwhile, the violent old world, represented by the puck cult, lashes out for its own reasons.
In “The World to Come,” one can feel the narrative coiling, building up its energy like a snake about to strike, so we’d better be prepared for fireworks in the season finale. In the midst of it all is one man named Philo, half-human, half-Fae, who surely holds the key to saving everyone from Armageddon.