Cara Delevingne Loves Carnival Row's Willingness To Discuss Oppression

With only two seasons to tell a relatively ambitious show, there was a lot of ground to cover. But the "Carnival Row" finale did not disappoint as it wrapped up its characters. Many may have noted the Season 2 finale lacks the traditional Hollywood ending, but that was by design. While the series is arguably based around the romance between Vignette and her hybrid lover Rycroft "Philo" Philostrate (Orlando Bloom), the show resolves with the fae marrying her longtime confidante, Tourmaline Larou (Karla Crome).

This ending not only steers away from the heteronormativity present in most romantic stories but is more fitting with what "Carnival Row" is about. Polyamory is common in fae culture, and that romantic dynamic does not have a large voice in mainstream media. Like themes of oppression, Cara Delevingne was also passionate about depicting this story.

"[W]e didn't want to do that kind of the predictable, happily ever after between Philo and Vignette. That would have been forced and kind of a little bit boring, honestly," executive producer Erik Oleson confessed to Decider.

But even more importantly, this union was inspired by Delevingne and her passion for this representation. "And Cara also in real life is a major queer advocate and we wanted to lean into her real life desires to kind of give voice to that community," Oleson added. Vignette can love both Philo and Tourmaline which is a happy ending in its own right.