Review: Carnival Row Episodes 207 and 208 Deliver a Roar and a Whimper

Carnival Row Episode 208: “Facta Non Verba”

His hopes dashed along with those of the Fae, Philo rages as they return to the Row. Agreus has returned to Imogen’s family home in the Burgue, and his story of adventure (along with Imogen and her nefarious brother Ezra) is told. Having escaped the burning port city of Ragusa, Agreus, Imogen and Ezra traveled through the wilderness. It was a difficult trek for the lovers, who end up revealing their unsavory pasts to one another.

The Agreus/Imogen storyline, while often engaging, has always paled in comparison to the pairing of Philo and Vignette. The current attempt to make this B storyline as important the main duo’s A storyline—especially after separating it entirely from the Burgue/Row narrative—isn’t working well. The cute Darius/Tourmaline hookup succeeds because their characters are charismatic reflections of the heroes; their playful arcs both entertain and further illuminate the kinds of people Philo and Vignette truly are.

Agreus and Imogen, on the other hand, are stranded on their own narrative island, separate and apart. Instead of helping to drive the main narrative forward, this duo is instead employed as a velvet hammer to continually drive home Carnival Row‘s obvious themes. The audience already understands the show’s focus on racial bigotry and it need not be replayed beyond the Burgue, the extra stab at Soviet-era communistic failings notwithstanding.

Unfortunately, the pleasant, Ragusa-based narrative of Agreus and Imogen flaps like a flag in blustering wind; their personal conflicts can feel too forced, as if the writers are trying to artificially amp up the drama somewhere. The electricity of the tale returns only when the story returns to the Burgue, where the important storylines once again meet and cross and explode in often surprising ways.

If the entire Agreus/Imogen “Ragusa” storyline were to be deleted from the Carnival Row series, viewers wouldn’t lose anything. The writers would’ve had to figure out a different way to introduce the New Dawn rebellion into the Burgue narrative, but that’s about it. It would have been nice to spend all that extra “Ragusa” screen time in the fascinating alleys of the Row.

Episode Rating: B

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