Carnival Row’s final season gets off to strong start with Episodes 1 and 2

Carnival Row review: Episode 202, “New Dawn”

The ocean journey of Imogen and the faun Agreus takes a turn for the worse, placing the lovers in deep peril. Against Vignette’s wishes, Philo decides to announce his secret true parentage (he is the eldest bastard son of former Chancellor Absalom Breakspear and a Pixie mistress, as established in season 1) and shock the Parliament into some kind of action.

“New Dawn” picks up where “Fight or Flight” leaves off, following the voyage of Burguish elite Imogen and the wealthy Agreus as they discuss where they might be safe as a mixed couple. Their ship is captured by revolutionary forces which have overthrown several of the cities of the powerful Pact. This rising revolt within the borders of the Pact causes considerable political strife. Jonah and Sophie plot to play each side against the other and build an empire on the ruins.

Carnival Row exists in a fantasy world heavily influenced by the early 20th century Europe. The parallel is very pronounced in “New Dawn.” The Burguish are modeled on the British with perhaps a few dashes of Germany tossed in, and when the Pact revolutionaries (called “The New Dawn”) appear early in the episode complete with Slavic accents, egalitarian ethos and Bolshevik ideals, it feels like we’ve landed in 1917 Russia. One thinks Lenin might even show up.

The arrival of the pseudo-Bolsheviks—they even use the terms “comrade” and “traitor to one’s class”—is jarring, largely because of the resemblance to real historical Russia. The producers may have pushed the similarities too far in this instance, and viewers may have to force themselves to remember this world is something of a parallel steampunk universe with the Fae mixed in.

Beyond the odd familiarity of the Russian Pact, “New Dawn” holds its own as the intrigues build in both the halls of the powerful and the shadows of the Row. Along with a strong undercurrent of the weird supernatural and the unexpected results of desperate plans, the strength of the episode bodes well for an entertaining final season of Carnival Row.

Episode Grade: B+

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