"Unaccompanied Fae" is the sixth episode of Season one of Carnival Row.
Synopsis[]
The pieces of the puzzle start to come together for Philo. Vignette finds home in a place she never expected. Jonah sneaks off to see someone he shouldn’t. Imogen takes a costly risk.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
Special Guest Star[]Guest Starring[]
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Co-Starring[]
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Plot[]
Philo arrives at Morange’s home to find that he’d been murdered by the Darkasher. Like the first two victims, his liver was taken as well. Philo lies to Magistrate Flute, Constable Berwick, and Sergeant Dombey and tells them there are no connections between the three victims. While Morange was a good man, there were rumors that he handled abortions, reconstructions, and Pix looking to pass as humans by getting their ears bobbed and their wings sheared. Flute puts Philo in charge of finding a connection.
Jonah and Absalom discuss Sophie Longerbane and how she turned the tables on him. Jonah wishes to watch his father in Parliament once more, but there’s no session as Ritter Longerbane’s body is lying in state and his daughter will be receiving condolences from his supporters. Jonah then sneaks off to attend Longerbane’s wake as Sophie receives condolences.
Vignette wakes to find Tourmaline drawing the man she slept with last night. She draws all of her customers as soon as the sun rises. Some of them are grateful because she made them feel young again for the night. That they don’t have to hate their own bodies. Others are just pigs, but she sketches them all the same. She jokes that maybe one day after she’s given up the life that she’ll have a show. She’d call it "A Whore’s Revenge." The girls laugh and realize just how much they missed each other, before sharing a kiss. They’re interrupted by Fleury, who reveals that there’s been another killing.
Magistrate Flute and Sergeant Dombey consider whether or not there’s a connection between the three victims. Berwick reveals that he tracked down a cabbie who picked Monrage up from the Row, outside the Tetterby Hotel.
Runyan grows sadder by the moment after losing his Kobolds. He sees one of his flyers on the side of a building and is heartbroken at the sight of it, and tears it down.
A large group of religious Faun, among them are Cabal and Quill, march the Row, striking themselves with whips and demanding that the "Hidden One" show his face.
Afissa delivers Imogen a dress from the dressmaker, courtesy of Agreus, who Imogen agreed to accompany to the charity auction at the museum this afternoon. Both Imogen and Afissa are impressed with it. Ezra enters the room and reveals that Morange, a friend of their father has been killed.
Bagstock and Grayson discuss the series of murders in the Burgue. Grayson wonders if Philo can share any details, but Bagstock informs him that Philo left earlier and that he can hear all the comings and goings as the walls are thin. Grayson hopes that he’s okay as the paper says it was someone from the constabulary who was killed. After Grayson leaves, Bagstock advises Portia to end her relationship with Philo. Should she refuse, he will be vacating his room at month’s end. He saw Portia leaving Philo’s room with his own eyes. When he again threatens to leave at the end of the month, Portia returns his deposit to him and tells him to be out by the end of the day.
Sophie and her Critch handmaid Jenila request to be alone as the wake comes to an end. Sophie is not as heartbroken over her father’s death as she had led on. In fact, she and Jenila mock those who offered their condolences. Unbeknownst to them, Jonah secretly watches from above. It’s not until they discover his presence that he reveals himself to them. Sophie isn’t at all what he expected. He’s surprised by her affection for Jenila despite her performance at Parliament regarding the Critch in the Burgue. Sophie reveals that was all an act. In fact, she doesn’t even like the word Critch, as it’s a slur.
As her father’s daughter, she would’ve been a fool not to give that performance. Rumor has it is that the reason Sophie’s father had her sequestered away is because she had a difficult birth and came into the world a simpleton. While Sophie’s mom did die in child birth, she is far from a simpleton. She did have a lonely childhood however. No friends, but for the volumes in her library. No amusement, but for the litany of secrets drifting from the room down the hall from hers, where the most important men in the city convene to whisper and plot. Sophie knows that her father didn’t kidnap Jonah, and she knows that he knows as well. They both suspect his mother being the actual culprit. They have much in common and Sophie would rather be friends than foes.
Philo returns home to find Portia waiting for him. She wants to take their relationship to the next level and have Philo move into her room. While he’d like that, he can’t give her what she wants. He can’t give her a family, due to being a half-blood, which he reveals to Portia. He also tells her how all the murders are connected to him. Costin Finch was his old Headmaster, Morange sheared his wings, and Aisling Querelle was his mother. Portia panics and kicks him out her home.
While running the lots, Vignette notices a museum with a grand exhibition of treasures from Tirnanoc. She enters the museum to find the books from the Tirnanoc library she had sworn to protect. Vignette is left without words, only tears, for the very thing she had feared most came to fruition.
Philo pays Darius a visit. He concludes that Philo’s half-blood secret finally caught up to him. Philo wasn’t aware that Darius knew his secret, but as Darius reminds Philo, the wolf fades slowly. He can smell the fae on Philo, who then tells Darius that he told Portia about his secret. Philo thought that maybe she would accept him for what he is. Darius scolds Philo for making such a reckless decision. Philo is the only reason they let Darius live. If something happens to Philo, then they’ll definitely get rid of Darius.
Cabal, Quill, and the rest of their religious group continue their march through the Row, calling out the Hidden One and asking that it reveal itself all the while whipping themselves, leaving fresh, bloody wounds. A Burguish man taunts them for their belief and then proceeds to attack one of them, whipping him mercilessly. Quill wishes to bring a stop to the beating, but Cabal advises him against it and point to this moment as an example. The humans will never accept them, and therefore they can make no peace with them.
Constable Berwick enters the Tetterby and questions Madame Moira about Morange. From Moira, he learns that Philo was there the night before, which Berwick reports to Magistrate Flute and Sergeant Dombey, who questions Philo’s intentions for following Morange. Berwick also reveals to Flute and Dombey about the Critch rumors regarding the Darkasher. A creature raised from the dead to do one’s bidding. Philo swears he saw it, but Berwick is skeptical. As is Dombey and Flute, who orders Berwick to keep an eye on Philo.
After being kicked out by Portia, Philo moves into the constabulary and then begins his search for Runyan. Berwick informs him that Runyan is putting on a show on the Row. After Philo leaves, Berwick secretly follows him.
Vignette hides in the darkness as the museum docent reveals to a crowd that the library was recovered in the summer of ‘41, when the Republic of the Burgue took Anoun back from the Pact and held it until that Austery. It was brought across the sea timber by timber. Vignette walks out of the darkness and chases the group of ladies out the room.
The Haruspex has a vision of her death. She’s in her shop when the Darkasher approaches her from behind. She turns around and in looking at the Darkasher, knows the identity of its master. However, she is killed moments after. She shares this news with Piety, who is distraught and hopes that it can somehow be prevented. Unfortunately, as the Haruspex knows all too well, there is no cheating death. Piety wants her to stay with them until the danger has passed.
Vignette is taken out the museum and into custody. She tries to fight them off, but she’s of no match for three constables.
Agreus and Imogen arrive at the museum for the charity auction. They garner a lot of attention from the other guests. They are approached by Louisa Pembroke and Leslie Boythorne. Leslie makes a snide remark about Ezra’s lost fortune. Imogen and Agreus informs him that Ezra is putting his money into the shipping trade. Leslie has his eyes on the most striking and triumphant painting from Augustus Hope. "The Rising". It’s expected to fetch well north of 100,000 guilder. As Leslie and Louisa leave the room, Agreus states that they had sex in the carriage on the way to the auction. He can tell by his keen senses, which all Puck have. Imogen laughs following a joke made by Agreus regarding how tightly wound Louisa is.
Philo finds Runyan on the Row to discover that his Kobolds were deported. However, the reason he’s there is to learn more about Aisling's past. Philo reveals that Aisling did have a child and the circumstances of that child’s birth had something to do with what got her killed. Runyan reveals that ought six or ought seven is when Aisling was at the height of her fame. There was someone she wouldn’t talk about. Runyan had never seen her so happy. One day, she changed. She canceled her standing engagement at the Abbey and went away for months. When she came back, she was sadder. She wrote a song about it. Aisling stayed with a benefactor in the Crossing for that time she was gone. Things were different back then. Friendships between fae folk and humans were not so impossible. The benefactor in question was Simon Spurnrose. Philo continues his investigation, unaware that he’s been tailed by Berwick.
Next up for auction is The Rising by Augustus Hope. Bidding starts at 100,000 guilder, which Leslie places a bid for. The bid eventually lands on 200,000 guilder. Leslie currently has the highest bid. And just as it seems the painting is his, Agreus places a bid for 300,000 guilder. Without contest, Agreus takes the painting home and Imogen is greatly impressed. Agreus never intended to purchase the it, but he did it because he wanted Leslie to know that he could take it from him after he took it for granted that it should be his. Admittedly, Agreus isn’t at all what Imogen expected, though he could say the same about her.
Portia enters Philo’s old room and tears the blankets and sheets off the bed. She then receives a surprise visit from Sergeant Dombey, who’s interested in why Philo decided to leave. Dombey learns from Portia that Philo is a half-blood and he reports back to Berwick and Magistrate Flute with this information. Also, he reveals that the murdered fae singer was his mom. This leads them to suspect that Philo is the killer as all three victims had a connection to him. They believe that he killed them to hide his secret and so Flute sends out a squad to bring him in.
Philo arrives at the Spurnrose house to further inquire about his mother’s time spent there. Afissa remembers Aisling. She had just started working for the Spurnroses, and Simon let her have what is now Imogen’s room. He was a good and progressive man. He even arranged for Morange to look after her. Beyond that, Aisling stayed until the baby came. Cried for days after Morange left with him. Aisling never spoke of the father. Afissa was given the impression that she was frightened of him. According to Afissa, the baby has sad little wings. By the looks of them, he never would’ve even been able to fly, assuming he survived, as a lot of half-blood don’t make it far. Afissa always wondered what became of the child.
Sergeant Dombey, Constable Berwick, and several other constables arrive and place Philo under arrest for three counts of suspicion of murder. As he’s being taken away, he tells Afissa that she no longer has to wonder what happened to Aisling’s child. Dombey tells Philo to shut up and punches him in the gut. Philo retaliates with a headbutt. This angers his fellow constables, who go on the attack. Luckily for Philo, Berwick is there to separate the fight and see Philo inside the police carriage.