One of Carnival Row’s themes includes romance, with a mix of relationship complications of course. Philo and Vignette, the series’ lead characters, are definitely one of the show’s couples that dealt with a lot of obstacles, especially on their stand on politics. So did they end up together in Carnival Row Season 2?
The answer is no, Philo and Vignette do not end up together or get married. Vignette ends up marrying someone else in the series.
Warning: More spoilers ahead from the Carnival Row series finale. Read at your own risk!
Vignette and Tourmaline Get Married
Philo and Vignette don’t end up together in the series finale. After the battle between the New Dawn and the Burgue, Vignette chooses to leave the Row, while Philo to stay and continue to fight in the war between the humans and the fae. “Many moons later”, Vignette ends up happily marrying Tourmaline at Tirnanoc (the fae’s home), where they share a meaningful kiss.
After Philo kills the Sparas and the battle between the New Dawn and the angry mob ends, Philo and Vignette share one final embrace. Vignette tells Philo that she's always loved Tourmaline, and he tells her that he's always loved her. Additionally, Vignette begs Philo not to die trying to stop the war.
At the end of the episode, we see Philo rejecting the position as the new Chancellor of the Burgue. In his speech to the Burgue Parliament, he calls Vignette the love of his life and shares how he would not have lost her if he chose to change sooner.
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Politics Drives Philo and Vignette Apart
Politics has always been a barrier in Philo and Vignette’s relationship since the start. Vignette and Philo met during the Great War of Tirnanoc. Philo led a fleet of Burguish soldiers, while Vignette was among the fae. Despite their differences, they were able to form a connection, which started with the book “Kingdoms of the Moon”.
After the war of Tirnanoc, Vignette was informed that Philo was killed in the attack. Years later, they meet again at the Burgue and eventually rekindle their romance, even with Vignette’s ongoing complicated relationship with Tourmaline.
Throughout Season 1, even when they have rekindled their romance, Philo and Vignette continue to struggle with their political views. Vignette has always been an ally of the fae, but Philo seems to be trapped between two worlds. As a half-fae, being both a Pix and a human, he struggles to pick sides. He always thought he could choose a third option, which was to stand in the middle ground and fight for peace. However, towards the end of Season 1, Philo calls himself a “Critch” and chooses to stay with Vignette on the Row rather than be separated from her. Season 1 kind of hinted that the two’s romance would be stronger than ever.
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But their romance is short-lived in Season 2. At the start of the season, we see both of them intimate with each other but choose to avoid talking about politics. However, they couldn’t ignore their opposing political views any longer and break up in the fourth episode. After a Black Raven attack, with Philo on the human’s side, Philo tells Vignette that they make a fine couple, to which Vignette responded “we did, for a time. And it was good fun fooling ourselves.”
Philo seemed to cling to Vignette as he looked for ways to free her when she was imprisoned at the Bleakness Keep. But when Philo was the one who got imprisoned in a later episode, Vignette chose not to do anything to free him, saying that just because Philo helped her didn’t mean she should help him either. Instead, she chose to focus on finding ways to keep Tourmaline safe.
So Vignette chose Tourmaline in the end, which kind of ruined the entire premise of Season 1 where two different characters fight for their romance in a war between the humans and the fae. But Vignette’s decision is her decision, and we’ll never know if she meets with Philo again, as Season 2 is Carnival Row’s last season.
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Carnival Row is available to stream on Prime Video.
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