Carnival Row

Ignore the political nitwits in an uproar. They did a great job with this show. Very in depth, great backstory, lore, acting, script. Orlando Bloom was amazing and Jared Harris is always great.

No spoilers here but don't let the politics stop you from watching this.

This was absolutely splendid. I had no expectations when I started watching it and knew nothing about it, thinking it would be Ripper Street with a touch of fantasy. First couple of episodes I was still thinking that but soon after I was utterly hooked by the believable world building and strong acting from the leads especially Orlando Bloom who shakes free of the last remaining vestiges of Legolas and gives a commanding tragic performance. The Victorian steam punk vibe is excellently bought to life and the underlying story of a displaced people struggling against prejudice and violence in a dark and hostile capital is superbly done. Clearly there are metaphors in this depiction for our own times but they are not so heavy handed as to distract from the main murder investigation that has reflections of the Ripper hunt. The answer to the murder mystery is apparent to the audience some way before the actual denouement and if there is a criticism it would be the stretch on credulity that gets us to the end in a rather hurried and over played final episode. A minor criticism though in gem of a show and I hope we will see more.

The Amazon series is easier to follow even as it introduces initially-unconnected characters in multiple social classes. This gives "Carnival Row" plenty of areas to explore. It seems the time is right for audiences to become invested in this magical world, even if it's a far darker and nastier place than they might have otherwise imagined.

If you are a fan of fantasy-drama, then stop reading this, and start watching this series. Need some reasons--where to begin? It has an important overall theme: race. The visuals and sounds are impeccable (e.g. sets, costumes, make-up, and filming locations like Prague). The performances are spot-on. Orlando Bloom gives his most mature, nuanced performance yet, and Cara Delevingne's exceptional portrayal of a fae (fairy) is alone reason to watch the series. Jared Harris raises every scene he is in, as always, and David Gyasi's is outstanding in perhaps the show's most complex role. The emotional writing creates a fully realized world. It is kind of like Pratchett's Discworld (without, unfortunately, the humor). Can't wait for Season 2.

I didn't really know what to expect from Carnival Row but I gotta say that I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. You can tell they spent a lot of money on this as the world they put together is really impressive! For any fans of fantasy this is a must watch and even if you're not into fantasy that much it's still a good watch!