Ranking Every Major Performance In Carnival Row
8. Caroline Ford (Sophie Longerbane)
It transpires that the whole chain of events was put in place by Caroline Ford’s Sophie Longerbane, seeking to create opportunities from chaos. It’s a very close sentiment to Littlefinger’s ‘chaos is a ladder’ in Game Of Thrones, and it’s clear that’s the role she’s supposed to fulfil here. However, while she does an able job in parts, there’s a few questions left.
Why is she planning a trip away if she never intended to go? How could she know her blackmail on behalf of Philo’s mother would lead to her own father being killed? How has she achieved any more than her father in Parliament, if she’s just peddling the same racism he did, despite not even believing it?
She’s clearly a symbol of opportunistic politicians adopting populist policies, but they don’t show her having any success, yet we’re just supposed to go with it.
Ford’s acting is pretty solid when she’s actually employing the facade, with her bombastic speech and tearful mourning of her father. The problem is that it’s a little one note once Jonah (and the audience) have found out it’s all an act. It’s all just casually coy and wry, no longer trying to contain her secret.