I didn’t workout yesterday. I did binge watch the new Amazon Prime show Carnival Row. It is a steam punk fantasy with all kinds of Fae; pixies, centaurs, werewolves and fauns. They are all living as refugees and outcasts in a Victorian style city which is filled with murders, mysteries and political scandals all amidst racial and religious conflict.
The first couple episodes were a little hard to get into. I found myself laughing at Orlando Bloom’s furrowed brow as he attempted to look troubled but only succeeded in looking like he was suffering from allergies. He was obviously set up to be the bad/good guy. He has had a hard life; he has a lot of scars, emotional and physical. He doesn’t take any crap from anyone. When a fellow cop harasses someone in front of him he broods just before slamming the man to the ground and shoving a meat cleaver in his face. When his lover asks what the scars on his back are from he broods more, and tells her she would be happier not knowing some stories. Yeah, he is that guy. We all know that character. But with Bloom’s poor brooding skills and a complete lack of pain or regret to be found on his features, it comes off silly.
Other than that I really enjoyed the show. As the series went on and I learned more about the other characters I was hooked. Cara Delevingne as the pixie Vignette Stonemoss; Jared Harris as the human politician, Absalom Breakspear, fighting for Fae rights; Tazmin Merchant as the sheltered rich girl Imogen Spurnrose; and David Gyasi as the rich Fae, Agreus Astrayon, who moves into the wealthy human part of town and turns Imogen’s world upside down, were just a few of the excellent performances Carnival Row provided.
My favorite was possibly Merchant and Gyasi as Imogen and Agreus. There were times when the story was not very subtle, but it was well told non-the-less. I was genuinely uncomfortable as I watched Agreus attempt to navigate the elite society and keep his dignity as the ignorant humans politely insult him and laugh at his insistence to be treated equally. And watching Imogen’s vapid and shallow character develop into something quite different was a highlight of the show for me.
The end, while it felt a bit rushed in the final episode, was definitely satisfying. The many side stories came together in a way that made sense and was, if not completely shocking, definitely a little surprising, and without a doubt very entertaining.
Anyway, that is what I did yesterday. Today I am going to try swimming again. Get back in the water, or back on the horse, or whatever the saying is. I hope that will do the trick and I will get some endorphins flowing.
Rey Wright 