Carnival Row – Season 2 Episode 10 Recap, Review & Ending Explained

The Fight

Episode 10 of Carnival Row season 2 begins this finale with the humans angry at the Row for the burning bar and Phaedra says that was the plan. Vignette is confused and they head to the New Dawn to find out the reason. She crosses paths with Philo who wants to rush to the parliament to warn the humans about Vir.

Darius tries to stop him and asks why they are not continuing with their plan to kill the Sparas. Philo simply apologises for putting Tourmaline in danger and leaves.

Darius goes back to Tourmaline and tries to continue with the plan without Philo. She tries to get him to leave by saying she doesn’t have feelings for him. He says he knows she likes Vignette but he doesn’t care. But she calls him a monster and that she won’t be able to fight him if he turns into a werewolf as well as the Sparas. He sees that she is pushing him away but he leaves anyway.

Does Imogen listen to the New Dawn?

Meanwhile, the Pact ambassador and Major Vir are angry that the New Dawn emissaries will be allowed into the parliament. Millworthy recalls Imogen’s legal right but assures them that he will try to get them seats so that they can hear whatever lies she spews. He leaves them in the common room where Kastor and Imogen also happen to be waiting.

Kastor jokes about the ambassador but Imogen is still angry for Agreus. She asks how she can trust they won’t hurt him again and Kastor says she can’t. We then see an unconscious and one-horned Agreus tied up and Vignette pities him. Kaine says that is the fate of anyone who stands against the New Dawn. 

What is Leonora’s plan for the Row?

Leonora then announces their next plan of action as the mob increases outside the Row. She says the Sparas has plans for the parliament and that it will only be the fae who will fight the mob. She proposes a heavy-casualty plan that will ruin the Row and Vignette comes up with a better one.

She offers herself as bait as the mob is looking for those who burned the bar and Kaine joins her. She says they will lead the mob to Oberon Square where the casualty on their side will be less as they will have enough cover from where they can shoot at the mob.

As Philo tries to rush to the parliament, he is stopped by Thatch and his men who string him up and try to hang him. As he blacks out, he sees Vignette’s face. Suddenly, Dombey and his men rescue him.

What does Major Vir the Sparas want?

Meanwhile, Imogen is going through the speech the New Dawn has written for her and she finds it informal and crude. While she goes on about how it is a matter of life and death and they need to be perfect, she notices that Kastor is distracted as he keeps looking at Vir who is tapping his fingers (probably in morse code).

At that moment, Millworthy asks the parliament if they should allow the Pact representatives to be present in the chamber and they could care less as they just want the whole ordeal to be over. As he goes to escort Imogen and Kastor, she pretends to faint. When Kastor goes to bring water for her, she tells Millworthy that Kastor and Vir are probably working together.

While the New Dawn in the Row gets ready for the mob, Millworthy confronts Vir. The Pact officer doesn’t deny it and says that he will support Imogen’s peace offering between the Burgue and New Dawn even if it gets him killed. He admires Millworthy for being a human who defends the fae and asks if he is with him or against him. Elsewhere, Agreus uses his strength to cut through his ties and kill his guards. 

Outside the Row, Dombey’s men try to stop the mob. Thatch goads him into opening the gate and the mob rush in. They start beating up innocent fae bystanders while Kaine tells Vignette to stay hidden. After the mob is halfway in, the two show up and lure them to the square.

Meanwhile, Philo rushes to the Parliament with Dombey’s pass and goes to Millworthy just as everyone is making it to the chamber. As Vir is about to leave the room, Philo whispers to Millworthy that he is the Sparas. Unfortunately for them, Vir is able to hear them and Philo’s plan to evacuate the building.

The Pact Ambassador tries to interrupt but Vir kills him. He smirks at Philo and turns into the Sparas. Philo tries to stop him but Tourmaline gets into Vir’s head and gives away her location. The Sparas flies away and Philo realises that he is going after her. 

What happens in the fight with the Sparas?

The New Dawn spots the Sparas and cheers but Vignette realises that he has come for Tourmaline. She tries to go to her but Kaine begs her not to leave them. As they bicker, they come out of their hiding and a human kills Kaine. Leonora watches the whole thing and tries to kill Vignette who runs off. The bullets alert the mob and the New Dawn starts their plan early to shoot them all.

The Sparas comes for Tourmaline but Darius and Vignette appear and try to help her fight him off. Philo reaches just in time and shoots him in the head. Unfortunately, Darius is fatally wounded and he dies in the arms of Tourmaline and Philo. Vignette tells Philo that she loves Tourmaline but begs him not to die while trying to stop the New Dawn.

He drags the Sparas’ corpse to the square and Leonora orders the New Dawn to retreat for now. Dombey finally tells his men to arrest the remainder of the human mob. As Leonora runs, she is stopped by Agreus. Phaedra tries to attack but he kills her with a gun. Leonora says they may have lost the battle but the seeds of a revolution have been sown in the Row. He alerts the cops of her presence but she kills herself.

In the square, Thatch who had gone into hiding during the chaos comes out and shoots Philo in the back. Dombey shoots the cop in the head and runs to Philo.

How does it end for everyone?

After a time-lapse, we see Millworthy putting on a play about Philo’s death with some goblins in the Row. In the parliament, Philo who is alive but injured enters with a walking stick and thanks them for appointing him as chancellor even though he is half fae.

He ends up giving a speech on how they don’t want change as they expect him to be a self-loathing fae who will continue to implement their oppressive laws. He rejects the chancellorship and says it should be a faun or someone who will make real change and he leaves while the Parliament is in an uproar. 

Meanwhile, Imogen unwraps Agreus’ healed horn and says it is magnificent. They launch an electric company in their street and the residents are in awe. As for Vignette, she goes to Tirnanoc with Tourmaline and marries her.

Back in the Burgue, Philo walks through the streets of the Row which has been restored. There are no more barbed wires and humans and fae can intermingle. Philo spots Dombey who thanks him for his help. He then runs into Millworthy who marvels at the peace in the Row. He is, however, disappointed that Philo turned down the chancellorship.

But since the former officer was only offered the position because he was a Breakspear, Philo says that there should be a change. Millworthy remarks that he sounds similar to Aisling, his mother and Philo realises that the human was in love with her. Millworthy asks what’s next for him and Philo says they will have to find out.

The Episode Review

Sure, we expected there to be some confusion, but not the confusion we got when Philo suddenly changes his plan for a confusing reason that not only confused viewers but Darius as well. First of all, you make the Sparas aware of Tourmaline, but you leave her alone? To go to the parliament, for what?

Vir is going to be coming to the Row to kill Tourmaline aka the plan you created to use her as bait. Sure, there are times a plot twist can be frustrating to give us a better, cathartic resolution, but this isn’t it. Had they just done what they did anyway in the end and used that huge machine gun they got for no reason, Darius would probably not be dead!

But the rest of the episode was pretty good. While we didn’t think they would be able to wrap up so many ambitious storylines in one episode, Carnival Row somehow did it. Our only issue or two is the New Dawn and Vignette’s endings. While misguided, New Dawn did make some points about equality; and a spin-off or side story regarding the rebels would be a good call (take notes Amazon).

As for Vignette ending up with Tourmaline… really? Hey, we are all here for some good queer representation but this was just forced upon us and too sudden. There are some iconic LGBT+ couples with slow-burn and angsty storylines, but Vignette and Tourmaline didn’t have it. Instead, Tourmaline and Darius, that is something we could have 100% rooted for.