Carnival Row

[FaxModem1]

So, I just binged the Amazon Original series, Carnival Row. It's not too bad.

Imagine a steampunk fantasy London-flavored world, wherein in the human dominated nation of Brugue City, there's lots of fantasy racism against fairies and fauns, who are pretty much immigrants and refugees. Each storyline is dealing with the differences in the haves and have nots, whether it's via differences in race, social class, wealth, etc. While this is all very intriguing, it can also be very off-putting, as this is a fully developed world, and it takes a little while to get used to the fact that everything in this world is fully fleshed out, and we don't really know everything about this place, and we may never know.

Is it an enjoyable experience? Yes.
Is it confusing at times? Yes.

But if you enjoy steampunk, fantasy, social themes, political dramas, or crime dramas, this should be a show you enjoy.

[Broomstick]

I watched this one, too, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to season two, which has been greenlighted.

While we mostly see "pix" (pixies, but not teeny little fairy people but human-sized ones) and "pucks" (satyr/faun) there are a few centaurs as background characters and trow (trolls) are referenced. There are also a werewolf-like creature (marrok) and a nasty thing called a "darkasher" which is a flesh golem, a thing assembled out of parts of dead creatures and animated to do the will of its master.

Dealing with war, murder and bigotry the tale is quite dark. The setting is also, literally, quite dark much of the action taking place at night or dimly lit interiors, sometimes to the point it hurts the production in my opinion but still very much worth watching.

Recurring themes are the problems of living a lie, bigotry, and either being or not being who you truly are. A bit heavy on the species intolerance, but it also segues into things like homophobia.

[Knife]

It was very enjoyable. Started off slow, but episode 3 really got things cooking. Loved the story, loved the acting. Was surprised that Legolas pulled off a pretty good tough guy cop routine. Was well done and I'm waiting for season 2.

[Ziggy Stardust]

The plot is a bit of a mess, and every once in a while the dialogue can be absolutely cringe-worthy, but overall I found it to be a very enjoyable binge watch. It has a lot of flaws, but in the end I think it's a "greater than the sum of its parts" situation. The overall aesthetic and setting of the show (and it's decidedly un-subtle political allegory) are just so interesting it's hard not to become invested in it.

I do wish the show would stop trying so hard to be "Game of Thrones" and lean more into its own voice, though. Sophie Longerbane had two separate monologues that were both basically parroting Littlefinger's "chaos is a ladder" speech. And the whole incestuous siblings seeking power for personal gain subplot between her and Arty just doesn't feel very organic, it feels more like a plot written by a committee trying to replicate GoT.

[Tsyroc]

I thought it was pretty good. Not great but good enough that I look forward to the next season.

The full on alternate (but feels familiar) world building was cool.