Carnival Row Season 2 Premiere Review: Orlando Bloom, Cara Delevingne’s Fantasy Series is Bogged Down by Bloated Plot and Political Filler (LatestLY Exclusive)

Carnival Row Season 2 Premiere Review: The first season of Carnival Row was pretty much a love story that mixed political turmoil with fantastical creatures. It didn’t really hit that mark, but with a murder mystery at the helm and some well-shot action in place, it was overall an interesting time that wrapped up the season well. Now, having watched the first two episodes of the second and final season, it runs into the same problems as the first season, and sometimes even more. Carnival Row Season 2 Trailer: Cara Delevingne and Orlando Bloom’s Amazon Prime Series Shows Supernatural Beings and Humans Struggling To Co-Exist (Watch Video).

The second season pretty much picks up after the ending of season one where we saw Rycroft (Orlando Bloom) embrace Vignette (Cara Delevingne) after she accepts his secret Fae heritage. However, he is needed back as another mystery requires him while Vignette is trying to help her folk in the Black Raven. What is unexpected though is that the mystery ultimately leads to the Black Raven which puts the lovers at odds with each other.

There has been a long wait between the seasons, and the second outing for Carnival Row isn’t all that worth it. The most noticeable thing here is just how it repeats a lot of its plot beats here. For a good half of season one, Rycroft and Vignette were at odds with each other while previously being lovers, and the second season again just does that. It creates for a repetition that somehow make these characters less interesting.

With Rycroft, a lot could have been done with him trying to deal with his Fae heritage, but even then, the show is sloppy in its execution of that even though Orlando Bloom tries his best. Delevingne, on the other hand, remains unconvincing here once more. There are scenes that showcase she has the chops to pull off a few dramatic scenes, but as a whole, it's just not very compelling. It’s just makes the storyline seem very unconvincing and undoes a lot of season one’s development.

Watch the Trailer:

The political turmoil of Carnival Row Season Two also feels very filler-like. The first season did blend in some nice themes regarding class and xenophobia while involving mythical creatures into its plot, which very much reminded me of The Witcher, however, here it's there to pad out some of the plot. It’s spearheaded by Jonah Breakspear’s (Arty Froushan) rise to becoming a chancellor, and that side of the plot just didn’t pack in enough of a punch to remain all that intriguing in these two episodes.

What is intriguing though is the side plot including Imogen (Tamzin Merchant) and Agreus (David Gyasi) who are on the run from her brother Ezra (Andrew Gower). Their plot has more stakes because they are practically trapped on a land that is filled with the enemies of Burque, and there is a sense of dread involved to them which does makes their plot seem tense. There is also a nice message thrown in here, that definitely felt like one of the more well paid off parts of the season.

Carnival Season Two’s steampunk inspired Victorian era world also thrives in worldbuilding and looks visually good. With the city having barbed wires put across it to stop the Black Raven and the city streets having a life of their own, it was nice to see some thought put in over here. Sadly though, none of that actually ends up really mattering a lot because again the show doesn’t really have a tight story to tell us. Carnival Row: Orlando Bloom's Fantasy Drama to End With Season 2 at Amazon.

The first two episodes are also bloated to the brim, and it eventually starts getting overwhelming. The story never really finds a footing, and with the series going through a number of creative changes over the years due to COVID, that shift is very much noticeable here due to how pre-establish plots from season one just end abruptly. It overall makes for a dull escapade that never truly capitalises on its elements, even if there is room for potential.

Yay!

Worldbuilding

Visuals

Nay!

Feels Bloated

Repeated Plot Beats

Final Thoughts

The long wait for Carnival Row Season Two wasn’t really worth it. With a bloated plot and a story that undid a lot of character development for Rycroft and Vignette, season two begins on disappointing note that showcases a lot of missed potential. The first two episodes of Carnival Row Season 2 are streaming on Amazon Prime Video right now.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 17, 2023 07:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).