Carnival Row's Incest Arc Is Better than Game of Thrones

 One of the most intriguing aspects of Carnival Row is how the series shaped the political landscape of the Burgue. This was a place where most humans hated the Critch  magical creatures such as fawns and fairied deeming them lower in caste. Interestingly two socialites who became ensconced in this bit of class warfare, Jonah Breakspear Arty Froushan and Sophie Longer bane  Caroline For cultivated most of the xenophobia in the show.

Their views offered a different angle to the heroes as Orlando Bloom's Philo a half fae passing as an inspector  and Cara Delevingne's Vignette a full fae took center stage with their romance  hoping for some means of unity. As Jonah and Sophie's macabre friendship turned into a love affair  Carnival Row transitioned it into a shocking tale of incest. In the process  it outdid what Game of Thrones attempted with the Lannisters.

Game of Thrones Botched Cersei and Jaime

Season 1 of Game of Thrones stunned newcomers by revealing Cersei and Jaime Lannister were in a sexual relationship. Her children belonged to him which would have thrown their claim to the Westeros throne into disrepute. Of course  A Song of Ice and Fire enthusiasts knew the affair the twins hid which left everyone curious to see how their finale would unfold given George R.R. Martin didn't finish their journey yet on paper.

However the show didn't execute their partnership properly  not fleshing out whether it was love or lust. Cersei even took other lovers alienating Jaime  while thinking her actions would get him to embrace his darkness. It set her up to rule with an iron fist but it also pushed Jaime toward the light. Yet the end had him running back to her when it seemed like he achieved redemption and helped the heroes take King's Landing.

It capped an inconsistent arc where their romance attempts at ruling together  and deciding to die in each other's arms never felt organic to the plot. This direction wasted the characters ruining the potential for them to subjugate the populace  given how sinister and egoistical they were. Sadly  the show just wanted fans to rely on their history rather than truly map out nuanced reasons why they couldn't see eye to eye and figure out the political endgame.

Carnival Row Had Jonah and Sophie as Lovers

On Carnival Row  Sophie romanced Jonah  recognizing that once they took over their houses and obtained seats in the government  they could become a power couple. However  she kept it secret that her dad fathered Jonah  knowing that he might have gotten cold feet about joining forces. It was pretty gross as she did manipulate him knowing they were siblings. But Jonah gave in after learning the truth, concerned only with his station and the power that came with it.

As such  he embraced the idea of them being together in secret as long as they could make dark changes to the Burgue. Season 1 ended with them pushing laws to segregate the Critch  nodding to the real world issue of immigrants and refugees. It all stems from Sophie using her parents  deaths as well as Jonah's, as part of a sick game, ensuring he'd be enveloped in hatred. Jonah didn't look back  which led to many Critch being murdered in a genocide that's ramping up for the final season.

It's why Philo revealed his true lineage and joined Vignette wanting to stand up against these racists and oppressors. However  unlike Cersei and Jaime  who couldn't get followers on board, Sophie and Jonah had Parliament eating out of their hands. In that sense  they got the unofficial throne to the Burgue, with the elite giving them free rein to cleanse the land   something the Lannisters tried to garner, but failed in Westeros. Ultimately  this sort of agency was Cersei's dream, but she flexed power too hard on Jaime  while Sophie figured out exactly how to keep her lover/brother eating out the palm of her hands  solidifying a union and the optics they needed.