Carnival Row – An Unkindness of Ravens

By starrymag | March 4, 2023

By: Dawn Inchaurregui-Miller

 

 

Agreus (David Gyasi) carrys Imogen (Tamzin Merchant) over the threshold into the reception room of his home back in the Burgue, dressed as though they were just married. Her brother and all his servants are there and they toast to the happy couple, but then the scene changes and he watches as his servants are shot dead in front of him one by one, splattering blood across Imogen’s white dress as she stands still smiling. He wakes up terrified, sweating in bed. Imogen runs to comfort him and explains they are in a bedroom in Ragusa. A bell rings startling him but Imogen explains that it is the breakfast bell.

He steps outside and finds a woman named Hannah (Elizabeth Appleby) sleeping outside their room. She angrily tells him that was her room with her three other family members who now have to sleep elsewhere so that Imogen and he can stay there alone. He is surprised by this when she tells him Leonora herself kicked them out. Their conversation is interrupted when she is told she must get to work and he stands in the hallway visibly confused and feeling guilt. Imogen enters the hall for them to go to breakfast but Agreus says nothing of what just happened.

Downstairs Imogen recognizes one of the men from their ship but Agreus tries to keep her from speaking to him. He tells Imogen he was freed, as were the others who were working for their freedom. However, the sailor tries to talk of the others who were less fortunate and Agreus stops him short. Agreus still hasn’t told Imogen that the officers from his ship were shot in front of him and that he was next in line but the gunman was stopped at the last minute. He all but tells the man to mention nothing.

They then meet a man named Kastor (George Georgiou) who introduces himself as their block leader and tells them that everyone has to work, including women, meaning that includes Imogen. Agreus and Imogen are walking to the factory through the streets of Ragusa. Steam hisses and metal clanks as Kastor explains that they are building weapons to use against The Pact. Inside the factory Agreus sits Imogen down and says he will work enough for the two of them as he rolls up his sleeves. They talk of how Agreus made his money, capturing and returning deserting workers and betraying his own kind and how his men were assassinated against a wall in front of him. Kastor tells him that as slave captors they had no claim to their own lives, but Argeus defends the men and his own actions stating that they worked for their freedom and were never forced to be there.

When it comes to lunch time everyone queues for their meal and when Imogen reaches for a plate Kastor takes it and tells her it is for workers only. Agreus, ever the gentleman, gives her his own. Kastor suggests it may have been good for her to go hungry for once in her life. Things begin to get heated when Kastor rudely states that Agreus is only with her as she is everything he could never be, cultured, from a rich family and human. At this, Imogen stands between them and to prevent a fight and tells him she will work as it is boring sitting and watching.

Imogen is put to work building weapons with everyone else at the factory. A bell rings out leaving Agreus and herself looking confused and frightened as the workers gather to the front to see their leader, Leonora (Joanne Whalley). With utter devotion they smile and chant the word “Rovnost” with their hands over their hearts. Kastor informs Imogen that Leonora would like to have a word with her, but Agreus protests and wants to stay with her. Imogen tells him it’s ok and bravely walks up the stairs leading to Leonora’s office, though she is unsure as to what kind of greeting she will be met with. To her surprise Leonora is encouraging and talks of the gruelling factory work as something she should be proud of, having pushed herself to put her hands to work for the first time in her life.

They then discuss her relationship and Imogen is surprised when she learns Leanora has a human companion. She talks to Imogen about how disturbing it was for her to see her human lover’s feet and describes them as being hands at the bottom of his legs. It puts her own relationship into perspective as she is in the same situation only for her it was his hooves instead of feet. Leonora’s story resonates with Imogen and they laugh about the similarities they have, making Imogen start to feel more comfortable about being there. Leonora starts to make her feel that they have found a place where she and Agreus would be safe as a couple. The only word of warning she gives is whether Agreus can adapt the way Imogen is beginning to.

Agreus walks back to his room with Kastor and asks him where is the lady who had been sleeping on the floor. Kastor claims he has no idea who he is talking about. He describes her again, bringing up that Kastor himself had spoken to her that morning. He still claims to have no knowledge of her, saying that such a person does not exist and follows that with a thinly veiled threat to never bring her up again. This only serves to add to the suspicions that Agreus had already formed.

When Imogen comes back she speaks fondly of Leonora, telling him they have much in common. However, Agreus is dubious. He is concerned that Imogen is beginning to forget Leanora is not ordinary or like them, she is the leader of an army and gives orders to the people who are holding them captive. Agreus goes on to call Leonora a murderer and finally tells Imogen that the officers from the ship were executed in front of him. Leonora’s words; however, still ring in Imogen’s ears as she sits him down, bends to her knees and cleans Agreus’s hooves.

Leanora is handed a letter in her office and addresses a guest she is unsure whether to trust. This person has travelled with worrying news that the Burgue has been building and providing weapons to The Pact to use against them. She asks why she should trust this news and the worse for wear shadow that was once Ezra Spurnrose (Andrew Gower) tells her that he was there when the deal was struck. He has finally reached the island where his sister and her puck lover reside.

We shift to the Burgue where Seargent Dombey (Jamie Harris) returns home and plays with his son Rafe (Bertie Caplan). He talks with his wife Molly (Catrin Aaron) and greets his strict father Alasdair (Edward Peel) sitting in a wheelchair who is considered a hero among the police. He speaks with his son of honor for the treatment against the Fae and tells him he is proud of him.

The mood soon changes when Dombey hears his son call him and returns to the kitchen only to find Philo (Orlando Bloom) and Darius (Ariyon Bakare) waiting for him. Dombey moves forward ready for a fight until Darius bends down to talk to the son. Not wanting to make a scene in front of his child, Dombey becomes still. He feigns being calm and tells his wife to go upstairs with their son. Darius however says there’s no need and goes to play with the son ensuring that Dombey will listen to what Philo has to say.

Philo is there to warn him that the Black Raven are coming for him for the murder of Oona and encourages him to leave not only for his own sake, but for that of his family. Philo tells Dombey he knows it wasn’t Dombey or another human that killed Dahlia or Bolero, but The Black Raven doesn’t believe it. He asks Dombey to keep the other officers out of his way and give him space to investigate the murders before things get even worse. Maybe that could keep him and his family safe.

Darius smells Pix outside and takes Dombey out the back while Philo goes outside to speak to Vignette (Cara Delevingne). She had followed him there and is angered that he picked the wrong side. He responds that he has not picked sides as he is trying to prevent a war, but when she realizes it was a distraction she flys after them in a rage. A pursuit ensues, with The Black Raven members flying after Dombey attempting to kill him as he flees on a carriage with Darius, who tries to keep Vignette away from Dombey. “This is not your fight,” she screams as she repeatedly attempts to move past him to Dombey.

Philo shouts out to Darius to warn him that more pix are coming at them head on including Kaine (Jay Ali) and as Darius looks up, a dart is fired at him that instantly turns him into his Marrock form. However, this is used to their advantage when Darius jumps up and grabs the pix that shot it at him and pulls her to the ground.

Alone in the carriage; however, Dombey is now open to attack from the sky and Kaine manages to slice at his arm with a knife. Dombey then pulls out a gun and aims at Vignette, but Philo shouts for him to stop. When he ignores him and aims to shoot, Philo jumps onto the carriage and tackles him. Vignette is still in hot pursuit, but when she reaches the carriage it is still and there is no one inside.

Philo and Dombey emerge from a sewer and try to sneak away, but Kaine blindsides him and knocks him to the ground. He is finally able to exact his revenge, taking Dombeys’ gun. He looks down upon it, realizing it’s the very same gun that murdered his beloved Oona. He points it at Dombey screaming this fact, but Philo moves from the side and knocks Kaine out of the way.

Philo tells him this will not bring Oona back, which leads to Kaine taking out a knife to fight him with. As they start to fight one on one, Vignette interjects and makes them both stop. They argue briefly before whistles are heard and police come running from behind them, leading Vignette and Kaine to flee the scene. Philo, not having the luxury of the wings that were taken from him, is forced to stand his ground and is handcuffed.

Philo is led to the police station where Sargent Dombey makes a scene of calling him a half breed, but when it’s suggested he be taken to the cells and beaten Dombey says he should be dumped back where he belongs in the Row. He gives a nod of understanding towards Philo and calls for Constable Berwick (Waj Ali) to take him back himself. Knowing that the two of them are friends, it becomes clear that he is agreeing to let Philo investigate.

Vignette flies in through a window and finds Phaedra (Eve Ponsonby) injured from fighting with Darius. Kaine then follows her inside screaming that she should have let him kill Philo and they both argue that she should not be protecting him as he betrayed them. Vignette; however, states that he was not the target.

Tourmaline (Karla Crome) goes to see Mima (Jacqueline Boatswain) for help, who can instantly tell that she has used the power unwillingly given to her by the Haruspex. She tells her that yes she used the power, but it was to help someone. She states that she saw through the eyes of the creature, but this time it was coming for herself. At this Mima turns on her heel and worriedly asks if she saw her own death. Tourmaline is frightened that the vision will come to pass but Mima can only tell her that she isn’t sure if things can be changed but it is something the living should never know.

Mima, having known she would be back, has an old book with a spell to rid herself of the dark gift, but warns her against using the spell if she has already accepted the darkness. Tourmaline insists she hasn’t and desperately wants to rid herself of it, though Mima says no one has used the spell for six hundred years and it will be extremely painful to try.

Tourmaline jumps out of her skin and screams in terror when a marrock comes bursting into the old Haruspex house. She is almost out of the door when she stops herself. Having realized the marrock didn’t attack her, but had in fact ran straight past and headed to the back, she slowly walks through the house and finds a distraught Darius having locked himself inside. She speaks to him kindly through the door. Though she had no idea he was a marrock, she does not shy away from talking to him. She asks how he changed if it wasn’t a full moon yet and he begins to explain. The Pact has developed a chemical to trigger them and change them to their marrock form at will and that it was one of them that bit him.

He tells her how the army had tested on him with pain and other experiments to see what brought it out in him, thus giving him the scars that cover his body. She doesn’t understand why the army he fought for would do that to him and in anger he tells her he was no longer a soldier – he was just another critch. Realizing the offense he may have caused, he apologises. Tourmaline asks if he can control it and when he answers for the most part, she hastily grabs a blanket and swings open the door, to protests from Darius and covers him up. She tells him to come out and get cleaned up and patiently holds out a hand for him.

The gates to Carnival Row are opened and Berwick leads Philo back inside and he passes an angry Boz Ghaidos (Stewart Scudamore) who had helped him get out, only for more trouble to happen and Philo warns him that police will be coming. Philo sits at a bar, wincing from his bruises as he drinks, when Vignette enters and sits with him. After checking up on each other, Philo warns that the police know it was her and will be coming, but she refuses to leave. Instead she tells him he should be the one to run as she can’t protect him from The Black Raven that are now out for his blood, but he also refuses to run. They share a drink and a brief moment, but the atmosphere shifts when police whistles begin to blow in the distance and they realize they have come for The Black Raven.

Entering the street they see the police beating anyone they pass and, against Philo’s advice, Vignette flies away to warn them. Philo stops police beatings as he passes and comes face to face with Dombey and Berwick. When Philo demands to know what is happening, neither speak and it becomes clear that this wasn’t either of their idea and neither are partaking in the violence.

Vignette reaches The Black Ravens meeting place and sees the violence erupting inside. She breaks through a window and upon landing on the ground, shouts for everyone to stop shooting. When silence falls throughout the hall, she declares that she is who they are looking for and hands herself over. When Constable Thatch (Ryan Hayes) holds a gun to her head, Sergeant Dombey moves his arm down and says she doesn’t deserve a clean death and will be taken to the hydra. When she is led from the building Dombey and Vignette both silently pass Philo and it is unclear whether he intends to have her killed or to save her.