Carnival Row Fans Agree That Season 2's Ending Made No Sense At All
Just like the love that half-fae Philo (Orlando Bloom) and faerie Vignette (Cara Delevingne) share, "Carnival Row" was cut tragically short. The allegorical fantasy series was always intended to have four seasons, but because of the ramifications of COVID, "Carnival Row" was canceled without a Season 3. Many of those involved tried to look on the bright side when it came to the series finale. In light of the bleak conclusion for many characters, Bloom supported the lack of a Hollywood ending. Fans on Reddit, on the other hand, had a different perspective altogether when it came to the romantic union between Vignette and long-time friend, Tourmaline (Karla Crome).
"I felt absolutely nothing seeing T & V end up together. They barely had any chemistry? Like T was I guess in love with V but it wasn't ever really reciprocated," u/WildWastedYouth posted. "They were better off as best friends." After focusing on the Philo and Vignette romance for most of the series, the sudden left turn was abrasive to fans. Even though showrunner Erik Oleson told Decider that Philo and Vignette ending up together: "would have been forced and kind of a little bit boring," the quick end of the show wasn't doing them any favors.
"V all of sudden loves T?" u/Life-Yogurtcloset-98 echoed. "That made no sense when V had a widows knot for 7 years over philo." Events may have had to wrap up quickly, but fans offered another resolution to the romantic conundrum in "Carnival Row."
According to some fans, Carnival Row could have leaned into polygamy
Based in a world of faeries and other creatures, the sky was literally the limit for an unforgettable ending. Unfortunately for "Carnival Row," the unexpected cancellation meant that many storylines didn't get the attention they deserved. Though Vignette's romantic ending with Tourmaline wasn't exactly predictable, many fans on Reddit were disappointed that the series didn't give respect to an important fae characteristic.
"[I]t felt odd to me that they introduced the fact that in fae culture [polygamy is] completely accepted and then didn't have the three of them end up together, it felt like that's what they were implying was going to happen," u/The-Homie-Lander argued. The Redditor supported Vignette's union with Tourmaline but felt that polyamory was an odd red herring. They concluded: "I didn't mind Tourmaline and [Vignette] ending up together, it just felt like there was no reason Philo and her couldn't have mended things." The last episodes also left another relationship up in the air. In Season 2, Tourmaline shares a connection with werewolf Darius (Ariyon Bakare) which is promptly dropped. The answer to this romantic math equation is a love quadrangle and would have been possible if there had been enough time to foster these relationships.
"I feel like there was a lot more they could have done with more seasons to develop it," u/schliche_kennen reasoned. "I wouldn't have minded seeing Philo, Vignette, Tourmaline, and Darius all end up together in some arrangement under one roof."