Mother of Dragons. Daughter of Aristocrats. Tamzin Merchant absolutely delivers in this episode with a subtle yet riveting performance. A character who’s had to adapt to her situation, I love how much the character has grown this season. As Imogen Spurnrose has become the most changed person in the series, gone from spoiled aristocrat to a woman who has found her independence… and is willing to do anything to keep it.
Now, I was told not to spoil a lot about what happens in parts of this episode. So I’m restricted to only a few somethings that I can say regarding what’s impressive about it. Which is the levels of stops they pull out in this one. In fact, I’ll just share it: there’s a freakin’ active flamethrower they use in this episode! And not the special effects kind either.
Why this is happening and under what context, I cannot share for embargo purposes, but I will say, that this one is a very Agreus-and-Imogen-focused episode, with so much of it focused on their survival and how they maneuver through what is essentially a revolution.
Episode 8 Review
It’s fair to say Carnival Row has entered Game of Thrones levels of shock value. The ravages of war, and what it means to fight for your rights in a world that won’t acknowledge it, showcases much of the coming conflict in just how much our characters strive to escape the inevitable: Humans vs. Fae war that feels on the horizon.
What’s interesting is in seeing how much of that puts these characters into the light. Where Agreus shares a heartbreaking origin story that fans really cannot miss. How his history of escaping indentured servitude, and working his way out of his chains by bounty hunting and selling his fellow Fae, details a dark history. All for the sake of building a reputation. Which… is something we’ve sort of known about. Just never the level of detail.
Comparing it to Imogen’s origins of her wild spinster days (whatever that means to an aristocrat, though I’m assuming she was more or less the Paris Hilton of her generation), a big theme of this episode is how the two deserved one another… and not in a good way. Though how this plays out and what happens within the story, I’m not a big fan about, as it’s pretty evident that the show is doing the one thing I’ve been complaining about for two weeks again: playing off the will-they/won’t-they romances I’ve come to grow to hate in the series. The fact that we’re starting to pull that card with the show’s most healthiest and emblematic of peace couple? Is a big no in my book.
As for Ezra, he proves to be a sniveling douche-hat, much like how he’s been portrayed as most of this season. Seeing him go along for the journey is a bit of a mess. As this is someone ill-suited for conflict, let alone warfare. Meanwhile, Leonora, the New Dawn leader Satyr, does something unprecedented.
For the first time in the season… we finally start to see the storylines cross regarding Imogen and Agreus’ story, finally intermixing with Philo and Vignette’s. Given the outcome of the last episode, things are a mess, and a large secret is revealed regarding yet another betrayal. I think this might have worked earlier in the season. Now? It sort of restarts the storyline yet again. Tipping the scales again regarding who’s evil. And who’s morally right?
The Take
The best things about this episode were its performances. It’s also nice to see the Imogen and Agreus story finally resolved because I think any longer along their side story, it might have gotten stale. As for New Dawn and what’s happening… I can’t say that it’s all that surprising. Especially, as the series reaches its natural conclusion with the final two episodes.
