5 things to expect in the Carnival Row premiere

Amazon’s new series Carnival Row is dropping soon. So what can you expect from the premiere episode?

There is an unfortunate lack of fantasy television currently airing, which is why Amazon’s new series Carnival Row is so highly anticipated. I was lucky enough to get a chance to be at the premiere of the first episode and let me tell you, the show looks fantastic.

The series stars Orlando Bloom as Rycroft “Philo” Philostrate and Cara Delevingne as the faerie Vignette Stonemoss (the characters in this show have the best names). It is a fantasy set against a Victorian backdrop where humans and faerie kind are forced to live together, but not exactly harmoniously.

So for those of you looking for your next fantasy fix, what can you expect when this show premieres? Well, let’s break down five (spoiler-free) things you can look out for once the show drops on Amazon Prime.

1. Romance

Of course there’s romance! What’s a good fantasy show without some romance?

More from Amazon Prime Video

• Arranged marriage, spies, and more! Everything we know about Mr. and Mrs. Smith on Prime Video
• Our favorite vigilantes return in 2024!: The Boys season 4 release updates and more
• Who does Sterling K. Brown play in Invincible season 2?
• Gen V season 2 release updates and everything else we know
• Gen V ending explained: How did it set up season 2 and The Boys season 4?

It’s not necessarily the most central point of the premiere episode, but it’s there. And viewers can likely expect much more romance to come as the show will center on the star-crossed relationship between Orlando Bloom’s Philo and Cara Delevingne’s Vignette.

It may only be the first episode but I’m already rooting for them. There are also some twists and turns in the premiere in terms of relationships, with many more probably to come.

2. Darkness

As with any fantasy story (or any good story really), things aren’t always bright and happy. There’s a darkness to Carnival Row and the show reflects that in many ways down to the lighting and the mood.

Almost immediately we are shown that tensions between humans and faeries run high and that things in the Burgue aren’t going well. There are some shots that slightly more squeamish people might find a bit gruesome and there’s a murder mystery going on which is intriguing and leads to a pretty cool action/chase sequence.

3. Background

The point of a premiere episode is often to introduce you to the world and the characters. In the premiere of Carnival Row, you will meet many of the major players in the series and begin to learn about them.

However, with many of them, you also get the sense that there’s more to them than what we’re seeing. This is definitely true of Bloom’s Philo as he’s been described as “a man of secrets”. We are teased in the premiere with just enough information about the characters to introduce us to them but to make clear that there’s still so much more to learn.

Viewers will also get some background on the war-torn faerie homelands and the relationship between humans and faerie kind. We begin to see why it is the way it is, and why they’re now forced to live together.

Hopefully, we get to see more of the faerie homeland throughout the rest of the season because it’s sure to be beautiful and the shots of faeries flying in the premiere are gorgeous. I can only imagine how visually stunning it would be to see them at their height in their own homeland.

4. A story of refugees

In Carnival Row faeries and all other “critch” (a derogatory term for non-humans) are all essentially refugees. Forced to work as servants, vendors, or in houses of ill-repute they have come trying to find a better life after fleeing their homelands.

The humans do not look kindly on them though; they claim they are dangerous and that they have taken over the Burgue so “decent” people can no longer live there in peace. The police harass them, part of the government wants them gone, and most of them barely get by.

It’s a sad story we’re all familiar with. The premiere does not shy away from the hardships faerie kind have to go through just to make a life in this new place and your heart aches for them.

5. A feast for the senses

Moving away from the story for a moment, let’s talk about what you see and hear in the show’s premiere. You will hear some beautiful haunting background music. You will also see some visually stunning shots of faeries, of the fictional Victorian city the Burgue, and it doesn’t hurt that the two leads are played by people who are not at all hard to look at.

The fact that it does have a bit of a dark gruesome vibe does not take away from the fact that there are still some visually stunning shots. And again, I would like to petition to see more faeries flying and more of the faerie homeland! I have a feeling we may see that before long.

All in all this show has a lot of potential and I can’t wait for the whole season to drop. And for anyone worried that they will get invested in the show only to have it taken away, Season 2 is already in production so you need not fear.

Are you excited for Carnival Row? Will you be watching once it drops? Let us know!

Carnival Row will be available to watch on Amazon Prime on Aug. 31, 2019.