Carnival Row Season 2 recap guide: All 10 episodes explained
Carnival Row Season 2, Episode 4
Episode 4 initially picks up with Agreus and Imogen. We spend a lot of time with them, getting to know the world with the New Dawn in charge. It’s soon clear that not everything is roses and sunshine, though. Agreus sees through the cracks.
Back in The Burgue, Philo has to pick a side, and he chooses to protect Sergeant Dombey. It’s clear that his and Vignette’s relationship has come to an end. At least, for now.
Agreus and Imogen learn about the New Dawn
We initially see Agreus and Imogen getting married. It’s clear that this is a dream that turns into a nightmare. How can we have anything happy happen in Carnival Row? As shots are fired everywhere, we realize that it is Agreus’s nightmare.
He wakes to find Imogen with him. The two of them are in a room to themselves, but when Agreus goes for breakfast, there’s a woman sleeping outside and children running around. The woman tells him that Leonora made it clear that she, her husband, and her children had to give up their room for Agreus and Imogen. What makes them so special?
A man turns up and tells the woman to get to work before showing Agreus and Imogen to their workstations. Everyone works here, although Agreus decides that he will work for both himself and Imogen. She hasn’t had to work a day in her life. When she isn’t allowed food because she didn’t work, she decides to try her hand at it.
At the end of the day, Imogen speaks to Leonora. Leonora tells Imogen that she has a human lover who couldn’t touch her hooves for a long time. The two have more in common than Imogen would like to admit. They seem to create a good friendship, but Agreus is seeing through the cracks. After all, he knows that the ship’s captain and others weren’t liberated.
Agreus asks about the woman from earlier. The man who has been showing the two around says that there was no woman. It’s clear that something happened to this woman and nobody is allowed to talk about it. This is a world where people who are taken away are forgotten about it, and if you ask questions, you get in trouble. It’s not the type of world Agreus wants to live in and he tells Imogen about what happened to the ship’s captain and crew. Imogen seems to want to live in denial and, instead, washes Agreus’s hooves.
Back with Leonora, we find out that Ezra has made it over with proof that The Pact is buying weapons from The Burgue. Leonora knows that there is a fight coming to New Dawn, and she welcomes Ezra in.
Philo protects Sergeant Dombey
Meanwhile, Philo makes a choice. He knows that if the fae kill a cop, things are going to get a lot worse for all of them. He decides to save Sergeant Dombey—a man we get to see more of in this episode, even meeting his family.
Philo and Darius get Dombey out of the house as the Black Raven turns up. Darius is hit by one of Vignette’s darts, and he turns into a his wolf-like creature. It’s up to Philo to get Sergeant Dombey to safety. He manages it, but of course, Dombey decides not to thank Philo. Instead, Philo is arrested for being out of the Row and taken back there. Dombey makes it clear that it’s a good enough prison—although is it? Dombey could have thrown him in a jail cell, so I guess this is Dombey’s way of thanking Philo for saving his life.
It’s not good for Philo and Vignette, though. They clearly have different views on how to tackle the current problem. Vignette wants a revolution and Philo wants to find a way to balance everything out while finding out what this actual create is that’s attacking them all.
It’s going to be even harder with Vignette arrested at the end of the episode. The cops did go to the Row to burn it down and a fight broke up. Vignette turning herself in was the only way to save her people.
Tourmaline and Darius connect
Back in Episode 3, Philo allowed Darius to stay at the Haruspex’s house. Tourmaline gets there and is shocked to see him there. Initially, she agrees that Darius is trespassing, but then she decides to tell him the truth. So, Darius gets to stay. He needs to stay off the Row if he wants to stay alive.
During this episode, Tourmaline turns to the woman she spoke to in Episode 2 about her curse. She wants a way to get rid of it, but also shares that she’s seen her own death. The woman isn’t happy that Tourmaline has used the curse for herself. It’s not going to be that easy to remove it, but she hands Tourmaline a book to help with that anyway.
Tourmaline goes back to the house to see a wolf-like creature there. Then that creature turns into Darius and she realizes that Darius is a Morrok. This is surprising considering it isn’t a full moon, and Darius explains how he was used in an experiment to turn at will so the soldiers could use him to their advantage.
There’s a sweet connection between the two of them. They are finding friendship with each other, and I’m assuming this is going to go further. They seem good for each other at this point. Tourmaline is kind and caring, a person Darius needs in his life to see that not all human and fae are the same.