Carnivale's topics - tribe.net

Grandma's Knife

2008-01-30T02:41:18Z

Does anyone have any idea where I might be able to buy something like it, or at least vaguely similar?

posted in Carnivale - 4 replies

Petitions

2007-02-15T18:43:56Z

I really encourage this... It actually worked for Arrested developement and it worked for family guy...online petetions and heavy DVD buying. Please take 2 minutes and google petitions for Carnivale and another 5, and sign a few. Could work.

here's one that i signed..

http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/savecarnivalenow

they've got over 2,000 sigs... :shrugs: we might at least get a movie out of it?

posted in Carnivale - 3 replies

Season 2 Replaying every saturday night...

2006-09-27T06:19:46Z

on HBO2....at 8pm eastern i believe...thank fucking god!!

posted in Carnivale - 6 replies

Rita Sue on Deadwood?

2006-07-30T23:20:41Z

Am I crazy, or is the actress that plays Rita Sue playing an actress on Deadwood? I just love her! So sexy, such a gorgeous beautiful WOMAN.

posted in Carnivale - 1 reply

Damn..

2005-08-10T17:37:31Z

http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire2005/index.php?category=0&id=31008

posted in Carnivale - 47 replies

Carnivale Garage Sale????!!!!!

2005-06-04T02:41:21Z

http://www.la.com/blog/weblog.php?id=P1382

Not sure where the person who posted this got the information....

posted in Carnivale - 1 reply

Email freom Clancy Brown

2005-05-26T22:47:03Z

I copied this from the Yahoo Carnivale group: sounds to me like the show is safe:

Re: (MOD) RE Carnivale Creator heads to Showtime

Dear Beth:

(I'd post this but I don't want my E-mail address out there so please
pass any portion of this note along to the fans on the Yahoo group
whenever you see fit)

You've hit the nail on the head yet again! There is absolutely nothing
to read into the recent press releases about Dan and Tracy developing a
show for Showtime except that SOMEONE (read: Showtime or some cranky
entertainment beat writer) wanted to try to knock some of the luster off
of HBO's golden tower.

There are many reasons not to worry but the first and foremost is -
HOWARD KLEIN!

Howard executive produces at least three shows for different networks
that I know of and is currently paired with CARNIVALE writer William
Schmidt to develop a fourth for none other than HBO! Now I'll grant you
Howard is not the "Creator" of CARNIVALE or any of the other shows he
Exec Produces nor does he write or direct but he is deeply involved in
all of them AND finds
time to operate a top talent management company named 3 Arts (perhaps
you've seen the logo in the end credits of OUR show). Certainly a mind as
creative and facile as Dan's could manage to run an established show like
CARNIVALE as well as develop a few more ideas.

The second reason (almost as obvious as the first) is - HOWARD KLEIN
AGAIN!

Tracy Torme is one of Howard's clients (and an old friend). Howard, and
by logical extension HBO, surely knew of Dan and Tracy shopping their
ideas around (although I'll bet HBO was surprised they landed at
Showtime!). Howard is the guy with the intimate relationships and
communication with HBO. To think this was somehow unexpected is absurd.
If HBO wanted to wrap either Dan or Tracy up exclusively, they could
have; but that's not the way it happens in TV. It's WAY too expensive to
pay someone NOT to play in another sandbox. Plus DK is very sought after
these days. By the time HBO makes up their mind about a third season, I
would expect DK to have at least three more development deals in place
all over town!

The question then becomes will we have a third season and; if so, will
HBO seek to sign Dan up again? My feeling is, "Yes and Yes!"

To the first part of the question - CARNIVALE is not finished. We know
that the final event in our story doesn't occur for another 10 or 11
years and we don't flash forward that far during the finale of season 2.
HBO wouldn't allow the story to end abruptly, it's not their style and
not their reputation. Caroline Strauss and Miranda Heller are smart
cookies who have made their names by taking chances on stories and
subjects and styles that have re-defined series television. And Chris
Albrecht, as the main architect of ALL of it, is not suddenly going to
start behaving like the middle managers that run some of the competition.
HIS vision of HBO as a place where creators are afforded the freedom to
pursue THEIR vision is what keeps HBO on top. Because of that, HBO enjoys
the preeminent place in Hollywood's creative community. It is the FIRST
place people approach with their BEST ideas.

To the second part of the question - read the last half of the above
paragraph. Dan loves CARNIVALE and HBO first. He is not discontent nor is
he a malcontent. I've asked him directly if he would sign on again. He
would in a heart-beat. But these are delicate issues in the beginning;
fraught with ego, strategy, and, ... well... ego. Who says what when
takes up a lot of brain-time in high places. Protocols real and imaginary
are expected to be ignored or honored depending on the phase of the moon
and violations are both admired and despised. Blah blah blah blah....

The truth is it is DK's story. He's the "creator" that is so esteemed by
the HBO model. There is no reason not to expect he will be back. Howard
can do a lot of useful things, but even Howard knows he's not a
story-teller. Howard knows that without Dan, this story will fall flat.
There are too many
disparate strands that support the grand design. There is too much
specialized detail that focus the audience in unexpected and compelling
ways. The characters, time, and setting are too specific to be entrusted
to a second-team back-up. I know it, the writers know it, Howard knows
it, Dan knows it, and HBO knows it. If there is any reason not to allow
Dan to finish telling his tale, I am unaware of it. I must conclude he
will not be allowed to be "the one that got away." (Especially to
Showtime)

I completely understand and empathize with some of the panic posters.
I've suffered through baffling decisions by suits. I don't trust 'em
either. Their nervousness about the future of CARNIVALE is informed and
grounded by experience. All I ask is that you give HBO the benefit of the
doubt. Let
your skepticism be informed and eased by Albrecht's track record. Since
he took the reigns at HBO, the rules have changed. Why would CARNIVALE
suddenly inspire the iconoclasts at HBO to behave like sheep. No, they
are a different breed. And they are tenacious. They don't flail and whine
and look for escape hatches. They look you in the eye and green light
shows like
DEADWOOD, BIG LOVE, UNSCRIPTED, K STREET, SOPRANOS, SIX FEET UNDER, and
on and on.... These folks are horses of a different color. NOT birds of a
feather.

Now to the one sad truth, and the only part of your post that is less
than 100% true. Ben and Justin (Nick and I) are not essential going
forward. Never were. Actors (and sadly the characters they play) hardly
ever are. There are exceptions: Tony Soprano, Carrie Bradshaw, SpongeBob
Squarepants, etc. But ours is an ensemble that serves the story and story
is the star. Ben & Justin could continue but they just as well could not.
There are plenty of characters to carry on the continuity of theme and
narrative (most obviously - Samson). I wish this weren't true, but I have
to be honest...I would still be enthralled with this show even if I
weren't on it - perhaps moreso. Sorry but that's the reality.

Now having said that, there is only one person I would trust to make such
a transition correctly - Dan Knauf. Any other way would smell too much
like a "purge". So the only real indispensable "star" of this show is the
"creator" - Mr. Daniel Knauf. As Milch is to DEADWOOD and Ball is to SIX
FEET UNDER so too is Knauf to CARNIVALE.

So do not despair, fellow Carnys and Knauf-tic faithful. Let the
priesthood at HBO do what they will in their own time. They are wise and
bold and committed. They will make the right choice. It is self-evident.
I am sure that we will continue to tell the story and "...show you
things. Wonderful,
terrible things...." (those 5 emmys right out of the gate didn't hurt
either. SOPRANOS didn't win that many their first season!)

Courage!

Regards - Clancy

posted in Carnivale - 17 replies

For those for whom Hope springs eternal

2005-05-24T17:20:46Z

There is a movement afoot to save Carnivale and also one to have a live CarnyCon, probably in LA sometime next year.

People are working on the website www.savecarnivale.org and there are WWBJD? items for sale at http://www.cafepress.com/SaveCarnivale.

If you would like to keep up with what's going on, a good place to look is here: http://savecarnivale.blogspot.com/

if you would like to join the effort to save Carnivale, go here:
http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/HelpSaveCarnivale/

if you would like to help plan the live CarnyCon (and read more emails from Dan), go here: http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/CarnivaleHBO/

Byt the way, Dan says that "HBO is agressively pursuing other avenues for Carnivale within their parent-company. Under that umbrella is a number of various book publishers, as well as DC comics." He also loves the idea of a radio serial.

It's always impossible....til it ain't.

Have a pleasant day, children!

Ursula

posted in Carnivale - 8 replies

FX to reair season 2

2005-05-13T20:24:55Z

FX is reairing season 2 this september

http://carnivale.fxuk.tv/about_the_show.asp

I wonder if anything will be edited. I would think so to put in commericals.

posted in Carnivale - 0 replies

Star sighting in the Castro, SF

2005-05-01T01:17:26Z

Clea Duvall spotted eating with a very cute girl at le Bon Gateau in the Castro,
Is she doing work here??

lots of freckles...

posted in Carnivale - 7 replies

Other TV Shows?

2005-04-16T16:38:50Z

I just realized it would be fun to have a poll feature on Tribe.

What other shows do Carnivale watchers watch regularly, and why? Which is your favorite?

posted in Carnivale - 25 replies

Carnivale Marathon

2005-04-11T20:19:51Z

This is for anybody who lives in the Atlanta area:

In about a month I will be hosting a Carnivale marathon (season2) at my house. Is anybody on this tribe in the area?

posted in Carnivale - 5 replies

Cancelled (according to this article) !?!?

2005-04-11T15:19:56Z

http://www.nysun.com/article/11710

can anyone refute this (please?)

posted in Carnivale - 10 replies

Wasn't the MUSIC GREAT?? Will there be a CD??

2005-04-06T17:03:08Z

The old music they used in Carnivale was GREAT!!!

I wish they would make a 2 CD collection of all the old stuff...
Ruth Etting's Love Me or Leave Me
Sing, Sing, Sing

They used some of my favorites in the show....

Does anyone know if this is in the works??

aa

posted in Carnivale - 4 replies

Carnivale Freak Out

2005-04-06T01:40:57Z

OK, I crammed in FOUR episodes of Season 1 Carnivale last night right before going to bed at 1am. I was haunted by thoughts/images/semi-dreams all night of the damn show! Has that ever happened to anyone?

BTW, my feelings about SOphie have changed a bit after seeing how she acted towards end of Season 1. she does have an evil side, but doesn't seem any worse than a typical selfish teenager type. Just seems more plausbile I suppose...

posted in Carnivale - 10 replies

Two ways to make ourselves heard

2005-04-05T20:42:57Z

to save Carnivale - an HBO survey and an online petition:

http://www.hbosurveys.com/surveys/carnivale05.htm

http://www.petitiononline.com/bbcarniv/petition.html

I was #190 on the petition yesterday morning, it was up to 600+ last night.

posted in Carnivale - 4 replies

Has anyone SEEN Nick Stahl in the new movie SIN CITY??

2005-04-04T16:10:55Z

I heard that he plays a character called YELLOW BASTARD??

Is it TRUE?

Is the movie good??

want to know!

aa

posted in Carnivale - 9 replies

rita sue..

2005-04-02T20:27:27Z

I loved in this past episode when Stumpy said to her: "one of these days you're really going to have to get over him" (when Jonesy came back and him and Libby were hugging and Rita Sue was standing there looking all jealous)

posted in Carnivale - 42 replies

3/27 Season Finale

2005-03-31T12:33:53Z

* Spoilers obviously if you haven't watched it yet *

Wow. The episode was semi predictable until the end.

And the end was crazy.

Does Sophie now have the powers of both the CoL and CoD? It seems she can heal like Ben, but she has her dad's eyes. The creepiest scene was definitely the "It's your house" scene.

Not having a 3rd season would be criminal. Does anyone have a link or anything about whether it's happening or not?

posted in Carnivale - 31 replies

Oh yeah another season!

2005-03-30T19:21:31Z

I haven't posted, nor have I signed onto tribe for many weeks, but I just have to say - Oh yes powers that be another season of Carnivale I have reason to live.

Woopee!!

posted in Carnivale - 11 replies

Scudder's mom

2005-03-30T05:54:56Z

Scudder's mom tore her eyes out - was it because she had the ol' black eye powers and couldn't stand it?

posted in Carnivale - 1 reply

set design (possible spoiler for season 3)

2005-03-30T05:45:22Z

What the hell is this?

This is the official website of Carnivale's production designer. Take a look at some of the images. Holy smokes...

http://www.berntcapra.com/carnivale/carnivale.htm

posted in Carnivale - 6 replies

Who Wants Season 3?

2005-03-29T03:37:17Z

Make your voice heard. Here is the form on HBO.com where you can tell HBO that you want to see another season of Carnivale.

http://www.hbo.com/apps/submitinfo/contactus/submit.do?title=Carnivale%20&questiontype=HBOcarnivale

Also, if you have a blog or a website you should DEFINITELY mention how you're looking forward to a 3rd season of Carnivale. They said that the online chatter was one of the big reasons for bringing it back.

posted in Carnivale - 5 replies

What next?

2005-03-28T22:09:15Z

* Obviously spoilers if you haven't watched the season finale *

Where will they take this in season 3. It would seem silly that Justin's followers would stick around. Will Ben and the Carnivale keep putting on shows? Will Ben stay with the Carnivale? Won't Sophie and the Carnivale have to meet up again?

If they do a third season I think it should open up in Europe during WWI and explore the connection between Management, Lodz, and Scudder. After going through that, it jumps back to the "present" for the last few episodes to reveal Sophie's destiny.

posted in Carnivale - 4 replies

Added some new photos

2005-03-26T17:22:11Z

This tribe was due for some new photos. I pulled a bunch from the HBO site.

posted in Carnivale - 8 replies

Does Iris Have Powers?

2005-03-24T19:46:12Z

I was just wondering--does anyone think Iris could have any powers or any kind of clairvoyance? I know there is really only supposed to be one avatar per family, and its always male, but I keep wondering if she might have something?

posted in Carnivale - 15 replies

What's Up With Lodz

2005-03-24T09:17:09Z

Ok, friends--I admit I'm totally obssessed! ;-)

But SOMEONE had to get this topic going...WTF is up with Lodz. I'm still not clear on what went down in that showdown in WWI involving Management, Lodz, Scudder and the dancing Bear either.

My guess is that Lodz and Appy will come back somehow and that Lodz means to do harm and Appy is trying to help or do good?

posted in Carnivale - 1 reply

Who Did Ben Kill before he joined the Carnivale?

2005-03-23T19:10:13Z

Does anyone know?

posted in Carnivale - 11 replies

2.27.05

2005-03-23T00:56:40Z

ok, now that I have it out of my head that the show is about to end, I was able to get back to really enjoying the show. tonight was awesome and I take all the mean stuff I said back. :)

I got teary eyed when sampson and ben had their little handshake scene. tuggin at my heartstrings!!

posted in Carnivale - 14 replies

usher question

2005-03-22T20:04:14Z

ok, so justin is now the Usher right? My question is about the Usher of the last generation...the tatooed man. Who the hell was that? I was thinking that it would've been either Belyakov or Scudder but it was apparently neither? I guess there CAN be more than one avatar so maybe it was just some other random one? And why was Kerrington so hung up on him?

Or is that particular image of the Usher just the generic kind of mascot image. Like Captain Morgan...the cartoon on the bottle is Captain Morgan but there are all kinds of guys dressed up like that in bars and at concerts all across the country...haha...i know...bad analogy. I was just waiting to see that particular guy do some shit and now it seems like he was just kind of a teaser character.

posted in Carnivale - 6 replies

Son of a! (SPOILER ALERT)

2005-03-22T19:59:38Z

Sophie is brother Justins daughter! The Usher got the Boon!! We're all goin ta hell!!!!!

posted in Carnivale - 20 replies

A good sign?

2005-03-22T19:57:33Z

Before the previews of next week's show, it said that it would be the season finale, not the series finale. At least HBO hasn't decided to cancell it yet. Whether they will later remains to be seen....

posted in Carnivale - 8 replies

prophet & usher - explain please

2005-03-14T04:56:39Z

Thanks!

posted in Carnivale - 29 replies

DK's riddles

2005-03-11T09:33:52Z

DK laid a few riddles on us at the yahoo group. This week. Thought I would share them with you all......

Here's something y'all might chew on...

1) What do all the women who have borne Avatara have in common?

And

Who said they were all crazy? Pretty much everyone. Fruitcups all around! OH. Wait a minute! That's only half the answer. Maybe
there's a clue in The Book of Matthias...

Hmm. Here's something interesting:

------------------------------

2) Though she, and she, and she may lead
None shall ever follow Him.
For underfoot, the soil is leeched

And all that grows
Is Madness.

-------------------------------

Have fun,
D

posted in Carnivale - 0 replies

3/6 Episode

2005-03-10T13:29:05Z

No one else started it so i did. What did everyone think of last night? Jonsey now knows Bens deal, Ben knows he bleeds blue. I love the visions of Stroud and how Ben sometimes totally comes through, he's gonna drive Stroud mad!

Sophie is the Omega. I think they purposely showed how strong Ruthies son, his name escapes me right now, really is. He will def become Bens muscle at some point.

Thoughts on the episode?

posted in Carnivale - 26 replies

Origin of the phrase: "Strike Lucky"

2005-03-10T02:57:56Z

I believe the term "strike lucky" is a gold or silver mining term - where you hit the jackpot by striking wealth with your pickaxe. Then the term migrates to gambling and games of chance (The "Silver State" of Nevada, gambling central, was settled by Silver mine speculators)

In the case of Carnivale -- with Samson and Ben - Samson wanted him to "strike lucky" -- on his gamble of castching up and getting Scudder before it's too late.

Source:
-----
"strike it rich"; also, "strike oil" or "strike it lucky." Experience sudden financial success, as in He never dreamed that he'd strike it rich this soon, or They really struck oil with that investment, or One of these days we'll strike it lucky. The first of these idioms originated in mining, where it referred to finding a rich mineral deposit. [Colloquial; second half of 1800s]

--The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

-------

posted in Carnivale - 5 replies

samson's trailor scene

2005-03-02T03:02:02Z

Can someone explain to me the trailor scene, in the last episode, does it have a particular meaning? what about the Fetus is the jar.

posted in Carnivale - 10 replies

Old Cherry Blossom Road episode 1/30

2005-02-27T20:41:54Z

There are some really f*ked up families on this series . . .

Ben's Grandma is the creepiest thing ever! His whole "deliverance" family was like a Twilight Zone goes to Kentucky scenario.

And Pimp-Daddy with his "lunch counter" . . . and doting daughter said it didn't sound "too bad".

posted in Carnivale - 20 replies

2/20 Damascus

2005-02-27T09:54:29Z

This episode was way too short.
But it sure packed a lot of interesting developments into 45 minutes! - kind of like Samson - big things in small packages:)

posted in Carnivale - 34 replies

Ben, Justin, and thoughts on how it all works

2005-02-27T03:08:49Z

Hey all, it's your absentee tribe moderator here. I've had to stay away from the tribe because I've been 2-3 weeks behind since I dumped HBO. I've been catching up every so often and I just watched the 2/20 episode.

So far this season has been really good, but last episode exposed more than we've ever seen by far! Seeing management, Scudder, and Ben using his powers all in a few minutes.

Obviously there are spoilers if you aren't caught up.

So, here are my thoughts on all the relationships which in my opinion, is what makes the show interesting. Once they reveal how it works the show won't be as good.

Here is what we know:
Management is Justin's father.
Scudder is Ben's father.
Ben & Justin are the opposing creatures.
Each generation seems to have opposing creatures.

Here is what we need clarification on
Who raped Appolonia? Scudder or Management? I think it was probably Scudder and that would make sense if Sophie were to mirror Iris.

Is Management Iris's father? They could be half brother and sister like Ben and Sophie. If he is not, it could explain why Iris has no power but Sophie does.

How does Scudder know who Ben's opposite is? Is this why Management was able to easily track down Ben?

Does the power always transfer hereditarily? It must not because otherwise Management would have already known Justin was Ben's opposite. Maybe this is where Lodz comes in. Maybe he was after the power.

Why didn't Scudder explain anything about the power during their long car ride? Why didn't Ben ask any questions?

What does being the Usher actually mean? Is there only one Usher?

posted in Carnivale - 8 replies

Foreshadowing/Symbolism in Carnivale opening credits

2005-02-23T06:59:13Z

Has anyone studied the opening credits for hints on where this story is going? I noticed some of the imagery has shown up in story, e.g. Babe Ruth, KKK (Crone's husband as a founder), dancing the two-step, dust storms...

I am curious about the tarot cards at the end of the intro. The final three cards that are blown off the trunk are the Moon, Sun, and Judgment.

I also wonder how FDR might fit into this story, as he basically closes out the intro images looking mighty fascistic.

Any thoughts?

posted in Carnivale - 3 replies

What did everyone think of the 2/13 episode?

2005-02-22T22:55:26Z

i thought it was an interesting change or pace, or maybe even "transition" episode?

interesting to see these two groups of misfits/outcasts interact.

did sophie, or sophie and ben, make it rain?

posted in Carnivale - 13 replies

Eyes and Dolls

2005-02-10T03:43:25Z

Lots of doll imagery in this one: the doll lying by the roadside grave, the porcelain faces in Geddes' house, the whole mask thing.....Loved Geddes' evil cherub surgical mask!

It was a pretty restful episode, comparatively--nothing too nasty or freaky, except for Stumpy, who I'm increasingly wanting to slap silly. Even Justin and Iris were vaguely almost noble.

Did anybody catch the imagery in the moon tarot card sequence? That was pretty cool, but it went too fast.

posted in Carnivale - 0 replies

Death Mask Writing

2005-02-06T01:13:32Z

On the back of Scudder's Death mask, there was writing. A date and a city in Okalhoma. And the words "evander grades" or "evander gredes" (I can't remember the exact spelling.)

Anyway, I looked up the Latin roots of the words and the closest to "evander" was "evaneseo" means "to vanish" / "evanidus" means "vanish" / "evando" which means "to escape." The closest I could find to "grades" was gradior which means to conduct one's self, walk, or live.

Don't know if the words even are latin in origin, but it was worth a try. Anyone else know what the words mean?

posted in Carnivale - 3 replies

questions

2005-02-04T17:37:12Z

Is it me or is Stumpy trying to pimp the girls more? And why is he so desperate for more money? I've watch all episodes so far, I keep thinking I missed something. Who was the man he owed money to in last weeks episode.

Also is something about to start up between Jones and Libby.

posted in Carnivale - 9 replies

reptile guy?

2005-02-04T13:42:15Z

just a random question...

what happened to the reptile guy from Season One? He just disappeared this season. Did they mention what happened to him at all?

I'm assuming that actor wasn't available during filming or something? Not that he was that important to the plot of the show, I just found it odd that a character would just disappear without being "killed off".

posted in Carnivale - 5 replies

The Extra Tarot Card

2005-02-02T18:10:22Z

The extra tarot card that wouldn't burn - it was titled "Le Passeur" i think. What does that translate to in English?

posted in Carnivale - 11 replies

Season 2

2005-02-01T19:24:54Z

So... I just watched the first episode of season 2, and it wasn't as great as last season... anybody else feel that way?

posted in Carnivale - 22 replies

1/23rd episode

2005-01-31T20:09:19Z

Was everyone as confused by the latest episode as I was? I was trying hard to concentrate and understand what was going on, but I felt like I had dyslexia or something . . .

I'll have to watch this one again to figure some things out.

But there was nothing confusing about Justin asking his new disciple if her "mother taught her to pray", was there?! And in full view of his mentor/nemesis yet!

posted in Carnivale - 47 replies

Justin and Iris

2005-01-26T18:51:25Z

I don't think that they are brother and sister. I think that he's Rasputin's son, and she's Anastasia. Maybe she's too old to be Anastasia. I don't know. This show is great how it gets you thinking, though.

posted in Carnivale - 8 replies

Did I just see that . . . ?

2005-01-24T22:23:12Z

In last week's episode, there was a shot of a dusty road from above which then cut to a shot of Sophie zombie-walking down that same road.

When it was the shot from above, were there two shadows that came into the frame or was it my imagination?

It looked like one of the shadows was wearing some sort of veil, the other was clearly Sophie.

I'm assuming that if I did indeed see two shadows, the other one was her mom.

Comments/thoughts?

posted in Carnivale - 7 replies

Adrienne Barbeau . . .

2005-01-24T22:18:27Z

. . . sees dead people.

This should be interesting. I wonder if Lodz is gonna tell her what happened . . .

I'm really creeped out by Justin's "apostle" from prison. He's the scariest thing yet!

posted in Carnivale - 18 replies

New season!!! Jan 9th

2005-01-17T03:29:59Z

Can't wait.

posted in Carnivale - 9 replies

hi all

2005-01-16T03:18:43Z

new guy here. Now that I've rewatched season one ,I'm ready for season 2 . I had to rewatch because the first time around interuptions were a bitch.
I forget the actors name who plays the preacher, but do any of you remember the first role you saw him in? I vaguely remember him with Sean Penn in some juvenile hall movie.

posted in Carnivale - 8 replies

Buy - the DVD! December 7th, 2004

2004-12-12T03:10:32Z

Oh, my YEH! I can catch up with everything now!

Carnivàle Season 1 DVD Available December 7
Winner of Five Emmy® Awards Carnivàle: The Complete First Season arrives exclusively on DVD from HBO Video, December 7, 2004.

Additional DVD Content Includes "Making of Carnivàle" Featurette, an exclusive seminar featuring the cast and crew at The Museum of Television and Radio and audio commentary featuring Creator Dan Knauf, Executive Producer Howard Klein and Directors Rodrigo Garcia and Jeremy Podeswa.

posted in Carnivale - 6 replies

Who wants Season 2?

2004-12-12T02:48:38Z

Use this form and ask HBO to bring Carnivale back.

http://www.hbo.com/corpinfo/contactus.shtml

posted in Carnivale - 21 replies

Can anyone tape the reruns?

2004-10-22T21:57:39Z

I am stuck in a tiny town for a year with no HBO2. I will pay!!!
:)
Email me.
:)

posted in Carnivale - 4 replies

Screening

2004-10-02T07:27:35Z

Anyone want to arrange a possible screening part when it finally starts - unfortunately I don't have HBO and I will have to get friends to TIVO it, but maybe someone else has a place to gather?

TNG

posted in Carnivale - 1 reply

New moderator?

2004-09-26T09:53:41Z

Does anyone know if it's possible for me to name a new moderator? I love Carnivale, but I'm probably dumping HBO and I figured a new mod would be better for the upcoming season. Hopefully I'll be able to still watch it on someone else's TiVo. heh.

I looked all around and couldn't find a way to upgrade someone to a mod position. Any ideas?

posted in Carnivale - 5 replies

So does anyone really know

2004-09-17T18:18:31Z

If the new season starts in January? I hear a rumor on the hbo site's message board.

posted in Carnivale - 8 replies

Carnivale gets Emmy Attention

2004-09-13T17:05:15Z

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=597&e=2&u=/nm/20040913/tv_nm/television_emmys_dc

Sorry about the ugly URL. Good news though.

posted in Carnivale - 0 replies

Rumor...

2004-09-10T01:06:37Z

It's a bit removed so I can't guarantee any sort of accuracy but....
My brother who also worked on Carnivale last season just worked with a guy who is going on to do a new show that is taking over Carnivale's stages at Santa Clarita Studios. (I told you it was removed) ...Apparently they are shutting it down after shooting half the new season. It is unclear whether it's being put on hold pending better scripts or if HBO has just had it with the whole affair. I hope it's not true because I was excited about seeing ex-news anchor and real life lobster lady Bree Walker as a new character this season. Anyway, there's your rumor for the week. -J

posted in Carnivale - 2 replies

New to the Tribe.

2004-09-05T06:47:04Z

Just wanted to say Hello, I am glad this tribe is here. I really like the show, but admitiadly a lot of the biblical refrence goes over my head. So much for my Catholic upbrining, I must have been doing something else druing catichizim.
I was originaly attracted to it for the cast. I love Clea Du Val for one thing.
I am glad to see that it's comeing back, thought they are makeing us wait far to long. But that's kind of what HBO does.
I am hopeing by reading your opnions I will undsrstand more of the meaning. I want to "get" the show not just like it. I look forward to the discussions that will ensue once the new season starts. Meanwhile I am reading through old posts.
Peace all,
Todd

posted in Carnivale - 14 replies

my friend ben told me

2004-07-28T23:10:54Z

that he met someone this weekend who worked on the show. He couldn't get anything out of him but the guy did say that no one knows whats really going on exactly and what will happen, even the actors.

so thats a bit comforting :)

posted in Carnivale - 8 replies

Clancy

2004-04-16T21:03:54Z

Am I the only one with a crush?
Peace!!!

posted in Carnivale - 3 replies

Article about Season 2

2004-04-06T13:59:39Z

Here is an article that was in TV Guide. If there is a season 2 we wont see it till 2005!!!!

http://www.tvguide.com/news/insider/

posted in Carnivale - 7 replies

I got censored on the .org site with my post on St Louis (possible spoiler)

2003-12-29T13:17:50Z

there is a thread on the .org site "what happened in St Louis"
and I posted that I read in an interview with Michael J. Anderson (Sampson) where he said Lodz stole the power he has and he has no business having it. I suggested maybe this is where he did it. They censored my post saying it was possible spoiler content

pretty weird huh?

I'm feeling really bittersweet about this episode. First ripped off that it's not 2 hours. Also bummed cause it could be up to a year before we see a new episode knowing HBO.

this show is too fun@!!!

everyone enjoy the season ender.

posted in Carnivale - 2 replies

check this out

2003-12-29T03:54:05Z

this is hysterical

http://www.mooncross.net/carnivale/

posted in Carnivale - 2 replies

Symbolism & Ritual in Carnivale

2003-12-16T09:12:58Z

http://www.carnivale.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=172

anyone read any of this on .org? I just started to a bit, there is a ton of info on here but its extremely intersting. Thought I'd pass it on. There are 14 pages so far...but from what Ive read so far a lot of it is really interesting.

posted in Carnivale - 7 replies

Renewed.

2003-12-16T09:11:54Z

The circus stays at HBO
HBO will give its Sunday-night series "Carnivale" a 13-episode second season, starting production in the spring and airing next fall. The series got mostly good reviews this fall, but had mixed ratings, with 3.5 million viewers watching the finale, down from 5.3 million for its premiere. - Variety (12/11)

posted in Carnivale - 15 replies

Finale episode discussion

2003-12-13T01:41:12Z

Spoilers if you haven't seen the season finale of course!

So goodbye professor Lodz... It's too bad because his character was awesome. It makes sense though and I loved how management gave Lodz his sight back so Ben could read his eyes.

Sophie, Jonsie, and Apollonia all dead, too? My guess is that Sophie can't be killed so easily now that they've all but confirmed she's Ben's sister.

We probably all hoped for Ben and Justin to meet up, and I'm surprised the writers were able to keep themselves from doing it. Season 1 was two different shows.

It would be a huge tease if they never make a season 2, so let's hope it comes back soon.

Any speculation on what brand Management smokes?

posted in Carnivale - 32 replies

Justin and Iris eating

2003-12-02T20:55:31Z

I saw this question on the HBO board..and I was thinking the same thing..

Does anybody know what the opening scene of Justin and Iris sitting at the dinner table eating....has to do with the show? I am questioning the relevance of that scene.
Any ideas?

posted in Carnivale - 14 replies

The Russian Soldier

2003-12-02T04:41:20Z

The Russian has pretty much dropped out of the show since we saw him with no arms and legs...
Any thoughts on that?

posted in Carnivale - 2 replies

What is this?

2003-12-01T14:43:06Z

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Studios/2403/justin.html

posted in Carnivale - 2 replies

Scudder = Management?

2003-11-25T16:47:49Z

Could it be??

posted in Carnivale - 27 replies

Carnivale word games

2003-11-25T05:43:36Z

It's obvious Milfay - the title of the first ep and the place where Ben was picked up is an anagram for "family."

But, what of other place names??

Scudder = cursed (extra d)

Crowe (Justin & Iris) = cower (also the symbology of the crow)

posted in Carnivale - 2 replies

yay

2003-11-21T04:33:16Z

about 8 minutes till carnivale!!

suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuundays

posted in Carnivale - 1 reply

Props to Adrienne Barbeau

2003-11-20T07:10:51Z

For a woman coming up on 60, Adrienne Barbeau looks amazing. Is there a painting somewhere in the attic?

posted in Carnivale - 4 replies

Updated Theory

2003-11-17T20:24:20Z

Russian Soldier = Brother Justin's (BJ) father
Scudder = Ben's father

BJ = Avatar of Darkness
Ben = Avatar of Light

Light begets darkness and darkness begets light. Therefore...

Russian Soldier = previous generation's avatar of light
Scudder = last generation's avatar of darkness

The Russian is the character of light and trys to kill his son, BJ in the train wreck and sends assasians because he knows his potential for evil. BJ's sister Iris understands Justin's power and also is an evil character, leading her brother to this point.

Scudder is trying to kill Ben in his visions.

Management = russian soldier
Lodz = good guy
"Blood will spill" comment at the end of last episode is misleading. The blood of Scudder and his minions will spill.

Again, I feel this last part is the most shaky part in my hypothesis..

posted in Carnivale - 3 replies

I put up a ton of pictures

2003-11-13T05:13:52Z

more soon :)

posted in Carnivale - 0 replies

sickest show ever??

2003-11-12T07:00:21Z

It is to me :)

posted in Carnivale - 8 replies

carnivale.org

2003-11-11T19:05:31Z

have you guys seen this site?? it has a fantastic message board and all kinds of goodies on there. theories galore, interviews with the makers of the show etc....I haven't had time to check it out much but it is a carnivale lovers dream

posted in Carnivale - 1 reply

Is there an award for best opening sequence?

2003-11-10T18:24:45Z

If so, Carnivale wins hands down. The blending of old footage and tarot cards, the music, it's probably one of the most interesting I've seen. It really gets me in the mood for the show.

posted in Carnivale - 3 replies

After the Ball Is Over - recap - Spoliers

2003-11-04T22:41:52Z

By Aaron | Season 1 | Episode 2 | Aired on 2003.09.21
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/story.cgi?show=122&story=5442&limit=&sort=

In the interests of clearing out my inbox, I have a few short notes before we begin:

1. The best X-Files episode of all time is "Jose's Chung's 'From Outer Space.'"
2. Yes, I am an idiot. Freaks was released in 1932.
3. Not even Management knows when The Sopranos or Six Feet Under will be debuting their new seasons.
4. I have no interest whatsoever in purchasing Viagra, Levitra, Ativan, Vicodin, cable descramblers, penile enhancement hydraulics, labia sculpturing services, or home equity loans.
5. Eight and three quarters.
We open in a quaint little small-town diner, with a pastry case in the foreground prominently displaying several slices of pie (Note to self: Make macro for Twin Peaks link). While it's not quite possible to determine whether Edward Hopper is sitting in a corner somewhere sketching away, we can see Brother Clancy Brown entering in full cassock and grabbing a stool at the counter. He silently accepts a cup of coffee from the waitress (it's damn fine! And hot!), but before he can take more than a sip, young Ben Hawkins enters and takes a seat beside him. The hell? I thought the carnival was in Oklahoma? And didn't all those spoilers say that these two...oh. Hang on a second. Things just got even weirder. The Chasee from last week's dream sequences wanders in, and slides into a booth behind our two leads, where a tasty-looking steak dinner is already waiting for him. The waitress comes over to pour him a glass of red wine, and then our gathering of gentlemen is completed by the arrival of Chasee's World War I nemesis, who moves to join him in the booth. For the sake of clarity, and also my sanity, said nemesis will heretofore be known as Private Funboy (tm Slashgirl). I like this actor (Michael Massee), so I sort of feel bad that even after ten years, the most notable entry on his resume is still the fact that he fired the shot which killed Brandon Lee. Anyway, these two face each other across the table in a shot that's recognizable from the dreams, with Private Funboy wearing what is definitely a Russian military uniform (scroll down, and note the hat and epaulets). Both Ben and Brother Clancy are transfixed by the sight of these two, as they watch them intently via a mirror hanging behind the counter. It's notable that in "reality," The Chasee is seated directly behind Clancy and Pvt. Funboy is directly behind Ben, but in the mirror, their positions are reversed. The waitress takes all this in, and then finally breaks the extended silence by dryly commenting, "Every prophet in his house." And with that, The Chasee raises his wineglass in a toast to Pvt. Funboy, but the instant their glasses touch, the giant window which frames their booth explodes inward in a hail of badly-rendered CGI fragments. Ouch. I ran through a plate-glass window once when I was in high school, and I've still got about two dozen scars to show for it. I've heard the CGI fragments don't hurt as much, though.

The explosion manages to jolt Ben and Brother Clancy each out of his sound sleep, with Clancy waking up in the comfort of his sparsely furnished bedroom, and Ben waking up on the ground underneath a truck. That can't be good for your back. They both seem considerably disturbed by the dream they've just shared, whereas I, on the other hand, loved this scene. It's the perfect way to mess with everyone's expectations after the pilot, and it also sets up the whole creature of light/creature of darkness game of generational who's who we've all been playing. Plus that pie looked really good.

Ahh, I just love the smell of carnivals in the morning. Smells like...cabbage, actually. Ben drags himself up off the ground, and heads over to the water pump for a quick sponge bath. Or rag bath, as the case may be. Those of you looking for your weekly quota of shirtless Nick Stahl shall not be disappointed. Those of you looking to see the strippers in flimsy nightgowns will also not be disappointed, because two of them are hanging around the pump doing a little shirtless-Nick-Stahl-ogling themselves. Personally, I don't get it. The boy is even pastier-looking than I am, and I haven't seen the sun since this season started. Wouldn't you think a farmer should have, you know, a farmer's tan or something? The younger stripper who isn't Meatloaf's daughter ["and who is Carla Gallo, a.k.a. Lizzie from Undeclared" -- Wing Chun] flirts with him a bit, primarily by complaining about how tired she is of waking up with grit in her teeth. Ooh, classay! Although I do think it's good that after it took us almost an entire episode just to learn Ben's name, we've at least managed to get the "Does she spit or swallow?" question answered in less than five minutes flat. She also asks if Ben has any "Jills" back home, to which he responds "A couple." Wow. I can think of a lot of people who wouldn't mind having a couple of Jills around the house. Or maybe that's Giles. At any rate, she grabs a rag and tries to wash his back, but Ben pushes her away and insists he doesn't need any help. "I guess farmboy ain't used to gals like us," observes the older stripper, who resembles nothing so much as a Rubenesque Dharma. That's Dharma of Dharma and Greg, by the way. Not Dharma of Dharma and Zen. Things get exponentially squickier (or sexier, depending on your perspective), when Dharma is revealed to be Not Meatloaf's Daughter's mother. Then they get exponentially funnier when she refers to his "bunch of Jills" back home as "a whole herd." Heh. Nick Stahl, ladies and gentlemen. Strippers love him, sheep fear him. Dharma goes on to remind Ben that he was "practically hypnotized" while staring at her tits in last week's episode. "That's okay," she adds, while jiggling her breasts. "That's what they're there for." "I seen better," he replies, much to Dharma's amusement. And frankly, I find that difficult to believe. He also stumbles a bit as he walks away, and I'm not sure if that's due to the limp he's been sporting in these episodes, or if we've just seen the second best rendition of the "boner walk" in HBO history (Don't email; here's the best).

Elsewhere in Carnieland, Sofie is giving Mommatose (tm maystone) a rag bath of her own. The conversation here is predictably one-sided, but it's nevertheless made clear that Ma would like Sofie to bring that nice young Ben boy around the trailer more often. Sofie is reluctant, but does agree to try inviting him over for cookies and scary fortune-telling later that afternoon.

Jonesy, meanwhile, is handing out the work assignments for the day. There's some discussion of the valves on the "Colossus," and also of the need to sew up some holes in the "cooch-tent" so that the "hayseeds" don't get a free show. And speaking of free shows, Ben is completely distracted through all this by the sight of Adrienne Barbeau taking a shower in a tiny little wooden enclosure right in the middle of the midway. And while that's not quite as distracting a sight as it was back in the '70s, she's still looking pretty fine. She's definitely the second-hottest snake handler in HBO history (yeah, yeah. Here's number one). Jonesy catches Ben looking, and smiles a bit as he assigns him the task of cleaning out the "baggage trailer." Ben gets some quick clarification on where this trailer might be found, and then heads off to get to work.

After limping around the edges of Carnieland for a bit, Ben finally finds the trailer parked alongside a truly bizarre-looking tree. That thing is wider than it is tall, and looks almost as though the entire trunk was buried in the sand. It's like The Joshua Tree on steroids. Ben enters the trailer, which is jammed with all sorts of trunks and other random miscellany, and decides to start by going through an old suitcase he pulls off one of the shelves. The first thing he finds in there is a top hat, which he pops open in yet another of the shots we first saw during last week's dream sequences. Then he pulls out The Chasee's black tuxedo, which is now splattered with something that could be either blood or dirt. Everything is so brown on this show that it's sort of hard to tell. Then things get really weird (at least from his perspective), when he finds a picture of a young woman standing in front of a sign which reads "Big Sky Farms." That's only relevant because the same sign appears in the previews for next week's episode. He's obviously startled by the photo, and flips it over to reveal that the words "H.S. and Flo" are printed on the back in some kind of block calligraphy. Seeing as how we've now gone almost ten full minutes with nothing overtly creepy happening, the door to the trailer decides to suddenly slam itself shut, leaving Ben in almost total darkness. He pulls out a Zippo lighter (flick, ahh...) to continue examining the picture, and then gets up to leave. As he heads for the door, however, the camera lingers on a dead human fetus that's encased in a jar. And just as Ben finally opens the door to let in some light, the fetus opens its eyes and blinks a few times. Ooh, very cool. And it's probably for the best, but I feel compelled to mention that Ben totally fails at this point to get sucked down a garishly-colored wormhole and served dinner by an older versionof himself in a bizarre outer-space apartment. (Yeah. I know. But you try coming up with blinking fetus references at 3 in the morning and see how well you do.)

After leaving the trailer, Ben walks across Carnieland and eventually runs into Samson, who isn't happy to learn that the new guy has been cleaning out the "baggage trailer." After yelling at Jonesy for wasting everyone's time, Samson explains that the baggage trailer is basically just a version of your average snipe hunt. Apparently carnies somehow get their jollies by assigning people to tasks that can't be completed because they don't actually exist. Wow. It's certainly good to know that my boss at the day job used to be a carnie in a previous life. Talk about a creature of darkness. Anyway, Ben insists that the trailer is real, and even offers to show Samson where it is. When they get there, however, the trailer is gone, and only the creepy-looking tree remains to mark the location. Ben is confused, but he remains insistent that the trailer was actually there, and even shows Samson the photograph of the woman he found. Now it's Samson's turn to be confused, as he examines the photograph and does a horrible job of lying when he says that he doesn't know who the woman is. Ben does a much better job of lying about the same question, however, because I didn't even realize at this point that he actually does know the woman. But more on that later. Samson tries to keep the picture for himself, but Ben invokes the ancient carnie code of "Finders Keepers/Losers Creepers" and decides to keep it for himself.

This prompts Samson to return to his own trailer, where he pulls an album down off the shelf and locates a copy of the exact same photo. Hmm. Incidentally, other pictures in the album include a clown, a woman with giant postage stamps on her dress, a daguerreotype of General Custer with what appears to be several small squid hanging from his belt, and a guy in a leotard, gray tighty-whities, and a pointy party hat balancing two upside-down penguins on a pair of barbecue tongs. See, you think I'm making that last one up, but I'm not. Check your tapes. "What the hell are you up to?" asks Samson as he turns to face a small, curtained-off area at the back of his trailer. Pay no attention to the presumed God behind the curtain, however, because we don't get any more details on that one this week.

And now back to Brother Justin. Clancy stands in his little bedroom, getting dressed for a lengthy day of praying, preaching, and pedophile prosecuting. I've no doubt Kyan would be highly distressed to see him putting on his hair gel from front to back. Carson, however, would probably go crazy for the cassock. Clancy heads out into the hallway to leave, but stops when he hears the shower turning off in the bathroom. He peeks in through the open door, and because nothing overtly squicky has happened in the last ten minutes, he decides to spend a brief moment ogling his sister's wet, naked breasts. Ew. And I'm sure Ed Harris must be oh so very proud. To his credit, Clancy does take a moment to look disgusted with himself. And then he goes right back to staring at his sister's tits. Did I say "Ew"? I did? Good. Ew again.

Church. Yet another incredibly dreary hymn. We pan around the congregation, and spot last week's Coin Puking Dirty Lady near the back. This time she's brought the entire extended Coin Puking Dirty family along with her, although in all fairness I should also point out that she now appears to be scrubbed cleaner than Felix's side of the apartment. Several of the local townsfolk shoot disapproving glances at the Coin Puking Dirty clan, and why wouldn't they when you consider that Mr. Coin Puking Dirty Lady is sporting an Amish beard, several missing teeth, and a singing voice that's at least three and a half octaves off-key. One townie in particular, who shall be known for now as Bald Townie, casts a long, lingering look at a pair of Coin Puking Dirty children who are seated in the row ahead of their parents.

Fade to outside, where it's time for the standard post-church meet-and-greet. Coin Puking Dirty Lady proudly introduces her relatives, including Clem, Larry, Darryl, Darryl, Cletus, and another Clem. Then she introduces the horde of Coin Puking Dirty children, listing their names as "Harold, JJ, Molly, Dorothy, Tim, Lyle, Greg, Peter, Bobby, Jan, Marcia, Cindy, Denise, Theo, Vanessa, Sondra, Rudy, Bart, Lisa, Maggie, Alex, Mallory, Jennifer, Mike, Carol, Benjamin, and Boner." "Brother Justin's put your grandma on the righteous path," she adds, beaming at Clancy. "And therefore the Lord has blessed me to use the coins I puked up last night to buy the soap I used to clean y'all." Or something like that. Bald Townie comes over at this point, and shoos away the migrants like a particularly annoying species of Coin Puking Dirty mosquito. His name is then revealed to be Carroll Templeton, but Carol is also my mother's name, and my relationship with Ma is odd enough without me having to visualize this guy when I'm talking to her. As a result, he'll be known as Bald Townie from now until the end of time. Or at least from now until he blows his head off in the last five minutes of the episode. BT complains that the church is getting a little too crowded, and then makes plans to stop by and visit Clancy at home later in the day. Sister Iris just stands there silently throughout this entire scene, although she does at least keep her breasts covered up this time.

Carnieland. Meatloaf's Daughter and Not Meatloaf's Daughter each grab a plate of food (meatloaf, perhaps?) and sit down for lunch with Ma Dharma and Pa Pimperson. Dharma complains that Meatloaf's Daughter eats way too much, and adds that, "No one wants to see a lumberjack dance the coochie." Heh. Although I do think John Cleese would beg to differ. As does Not Meatloaf's Daughter, who's really starting to grow on me here. She's definitely the cutest one in the entire cast, and I'm thinking I'd sure like to see her in high heels, suspenders, and a bra.

Elsewhere, Samson and Jonesy are eating at their own little table. And no, that's not a midget joke. Samson reports that things are "fixed" with the local constabulary, which isn't relevant at all in this episode but does appear to be a plot point for next week. Jonesy then asks whether Babe Ruth has managed to hit another homer, but Samson advises us that the Bambino is still stuck at 699. While he's talking, however, Jonesy spots Sofie carrying her tray, and stands up to invite her to sit with them. Sofie, however, opts for a spot at the cool kids table (if by "cool" you mean "sullen and covered in dirt") with Ben. Jonesy looks sad, and then drops back into his chair just in time to hear Samson gush, "Seven hundred? Can you believe that? Nobody's ever going to beat that!" Hmm. Could that be a Hank AARON shout-out? Still pissed about Sofie, Jonesy grumps that, "Babe Ruth is an overrated, flannel-mouthed hick who never did nobody a bit of good but himself." Oh, yeah. That's a shout-out.

At the cool kids table, our two young potential lovers-to-be are acting all awkward and flustered. Sofie asks what Ben's been doing in terms of work for the carnival, and Ben details all the different crappy jobs he's been assigned. Sofie describes him as a "roustie," which Ben doesn't understand, and which puzzles me as well, because there's no way he's going to be able to make dreadlocks out of that razor-burn buzz-cut he's sporting. Sofie clarifies her description by expanding it to "roustabout," but that doesn't make me like it any better. Presumably because it sounds vaguely pirate-y, and that sort of thing is really Miss Alli's problem, not mine. Sofie then offers to speak with Samson about getting Ben a better job, listing both "flasher" and "talker" as possible career paths. Ooh, I bet that "flasher" option got a few of you panting on your sofas. On the other hand, you should probably remember the "talker" suggestion in a few minutes when he goes on to call her mom a "turnip."

Lodz & Lila. Aw, yeah. These two are totally my favorites. They're eating at a nearby table, and Lodz is interested in knowing if Lila senses any sexual tension between Sofie and Ben. She quickly agrees that Sofie seems interested, but also feels that Ben "wouldn't know what to do with a woman," adding, "He needs someone to show him the ropes. Someone with experience. Someone with facial hair and endless supply of feather boas." Lodz, however, strongly recommends against this idea. "That would be unwise," he tells her. "It might kill you. And at the very least, the experience would definitely make hair grow on your chest." You know, I hadn't noticed this before, but after reading the forums I absolutely have to agree that Patrick Bauchau sounds exactly like Hannibal Lecter.

Sofie, meanwhile, has finally worked up the courage to invite Ben back to her trailer. Of course, she also makes the mistake of claiming that the whole thing was her mother's idea, which while technically true is still probably not the best thing to say to the cute boy who thinks your mom is in a coma. "No offense," replies Ben, "but your ma gives me the creeping willies." Heh. And while I'm sure pretty much every man in the world has longed to say those exact words to his potential paramour at one time or another, it's still probably not the best thing to say to the cute girl who's mom is in a coma. Sofie brushes off this particular insult, and goes on to say that Ma has been pestering her about Ben for days now. Ben's response this time is simply to say, "Your ma's a turnip." Ooh, suave. Sofie stomps off in a huff, and Ben promptly grabs her plate to steal the rest of her lunch. And you people think this guy is hot?

Cut to Clancy and sister Iris, walking along the streets of downtown Mintern. They're substantially less creepy during daylight hours, and that aura of normalcy is only enhanced by the sound of Iris blathering on about some sort of a blanket drive for the local migrants. Clancy isn't hearing a word she says, however, and she finally calls him on his distraction as they arrive in front of their destination. Clancy tries to go for the save by asking if Iris is wearing a new dress, but she just laughs at him and drags him inside. Hmm. Brother and sister, or old married couple? You be the judge.

More, go here:
http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/story.cgi?show=122&story=5442&page=6&sort=&limit=

posted in Carnivale - 0 replies

Milfay - Spoliers Recap

2003-11-04T22:38:42Z

TVWOP Recaplet
By Aaron | Season 1 | Episode 1 | Aired on 2003.09.14

http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/story.cgi?show=122&story=5414&limit=&sort=

“ 'Before the beginning,' he solemnly intones as a faint halo of light expands behind him, 'after the great war between heaven and hell, God created the Earth and gave dominion over it to the crafty ape he called Man.' Hmm. 'Crafty ape'? Is that like an orangutan who does macramé? ”

Episode Report Card
Aaron
A-
251 users
A-

"There is no fate but what we make for ourselves."
-- Nick Stahl as John Conner, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

"To each generation," Samson tells us, "was born a creature of light and a creature of darkness." "In every generation," Giles said, "there is a Chosen One." "And unto all the generations," sayeth Our Lord Tubey, "Aaron shall be called forth to recap a show about religious freaks in the desert."

So it is written, and so it shall be done.

We all have our roles to play here at Television Without Pity, I suppose. Miss Alli does reality TV, Stee sticks to crappy MTV, and Alex Richmond is known far and wide as our show killer extraordinaire. (Interesting side note: Alex Richmond has killed a total of nine shows. Kim has actually k i l l e d ten ). My own career, however, is proving somewhat harder to categorize. The simplistic answer is to merely call me "HBO's Bitch," but a deeper analysis would seem to indicate The Lord working in some very mysterious ways. "The Lord," of course, being Sars in this case. After all, I've been made to recap spoons and goons and giant buffoons, not to mention Boon, still more Dune, and Claire de Lune (UK readers should feel free to insert their own "sexed-up" Geoff Hoon joke here). And now at long last the two great threads of my recapping history have merged here with Carnivàle, as HBO gives us a show about -- you guessed it -- religious freaks in the desert. It can only be fate, right? Right?

"And The Lord said…'I have made thee a God unto Pharaoh, and thy brother Aaron shall be thy prophet."
-- Numbers 8:9

["Oy."
-- Sars 3:15]

After some particularly snazzy opening credits (featuring tarot cards, Babe Ruth, Mussolini, Jesse Owens, and the Hindenburg), we begin with Michael J. Anderson addressing us directly in front of a plain black background. "Before the beginning," he solemnly intones as a faint halo of light expands behind him, "after the great war between heaven and hell, God created the Earth and gave dominion over it to the crafty ape he called Man." Hmm. "Crafty ape"? Is that like an orangutan who does macramé? And I'm also pretty sure God created the Earth IN the beginning, not before it. I don't think it bodes well for this show's constant religious allusions that they can't even get the first three words of The Bible right. Michael cocks a quick eyebrow before continuing with Carnivàle's signature line: "And to each generation was born a creature of light and a creature of darkness, and great armies clashed by night in the ancient war between good and evil." "There was magic then," he adds, "and nobility, and unimaginable cruelty. And so it was, until the day a false sun exploded over Trinity, and man forever traded away wonder for reason." Oy. Thanks for the nuclear-powered anvil, boys. While we're at it, it should also be noted that said false sun didn't explode until eleven years after the show takes place, so I hope no one minds being spoiled on Mikey's ultimate fate while we're still less than two minutes into the pilot.

We then smash cut directly into a truly bizarre dream sequence, with any number of disturbing and presumably plot-related images flashing by almost too fast to register. A thorough Zaprudering with my TiVo's pause button, however, yields the following shot list:

1. A guy (played by John Savage) in white tuxedo is being chased through a cornfield by a gentleman I'll just call Creepy Ugly Naked Tattooed Guy.
2. The Chasee again, only this time he's hiding in a trench, and wearing an American World War I uniform.
3. A Masonic ring bearing the legend "In Hoc Signo Vinces," which they were probably hoping no one would notice, because it's a bit of a spoiler if you know your ancient history.
4. The Chasee, and now he's wearing a black tuxedo and sitting in a restaurant.
5. The Chasee again, facing the other way in the same restaurant and wearing what I think is either a German or Russian WW I uniform.
6. More cornfield, only this time we get a better look at Creepy Ugly Naked Tattooed Guy. He's got a tree printed on his chest.
7. The same "magician reversed" tarot card that Ben draws later in the episode.
8. A fly-by shot of mourners surrounding a casket on a wagon. It's very sort of "Bring Out Your Dead," only very fast and significantly less funny.
9. Adrienne Barbeau kissing a snake.
10. A top hat being popped out to its full height, as if by a magician.
11. The cornfield again. More chasing.
12. A dead sheep. Or possibly a dead horse. Or maybe a dead mountain lion. You know what? It's a dead furry mammal, and it probably isn't kosher. Enough said.
13. A photo of a group of coal miners hanging on an unidentified wall.
14. A close-up of a hand grasping Creepy Ugly Naked Tattooed Guy's creepy, ugly, naked, tattooed butt.
15. The owner of said hand is shown to be a woman getting raped. I'm about 80 percent sure the woman is Sofie's mother.
16. The dead furry mammal again.
17. A close-up of those coal miners, this time revealing that The Chasee is among them.
18. Still more of the cornfield chase.
19. A gun on a pillow, with four bullets lying beside it.
20. An incredibly disturbing close-up of an arm with a claw-like, two-fingered hand at the end. If that's real, it's really, really freaky. If it's fake, the prop department on this show rocks.
21. A shot of Nick Stahl, waking up and pulling away the blankets to reveal that his both of his legs have been severed above the knee. It's only a flesh wound!
22. A clock pendulum swinging back and forth at high speed.
23. The Chasee in his WW I uniform, cowering in a trench.
24. Same guy, and now he's aiming his rifle at someone off-camera.
25. A wide shot of a funeral under what looks suspiciously like the Six Feet Under tree.
26. A close-up of that same tree, tattooed onto Creepy Ugly Naked Tattooed Guy's chest.
27. Fade to white.

Incidentally, can someone please hit the nickname thread and come up with something better for Creepy Ugly Naked Tattooed Guy? He shows up a lot, and that's not really something I can abbreviate.

The dream ends when Nick Stahl wakes up in a tiny little two-room shack. He raises his head to see a woman lying in bed in the other room, hacking and coughing as a dust storm rages outside. And speaking of outside, that's exactly where we cut to next, as a legend reveals that we're in Oklahoma in 1934. The remnants of Hurricane Isabel are swirling around my high-rise office as I type this illicitly on company time, but they're absolutely nothing compared to the flying dust that's pelting Nick's home. Back inside, Nick watches the woman cough, and then slowly (verrrrrrrry, verrrrrrry slooooooooooooowly) creeps up beside her and reaches out to touch her hand. Before he can make contact, however, she wakes up and fearfully jerks away. "Momma, please!" he begs, but whatever he's offering she stubbornly refuses. He slowly (slooooooooooooowly) collapses to the floor and starts to cry. And with one final gurgling cough, Momma wheezes off this mortal coil. Farewell, Mommie Dustiest. And there's really only one thing I can say after watching someone die of a lung disease: Flick, ahh…

After the mildly discomfiting failure to appear of an Ironically White Title Card of Death, we fade to a shot of Nick digging his mother's grave just outside the shack. He's got her body lying out there beside him, covered with a sheet that billows in the furious wind. Out on the horizon, we see a bulldozer emerging from the haze, and it's quickly established that the shack has been repossessed by the First Merchant's Trust Bank and therefore scheduled for destruction. Nick, however, stubbornly refuses to move out of the way, and Dozer Guy (played by HITG! Jack McGee) threatens to run him down, which the law apparently allows. So, what? He's Arthur Dent now? Will there be Vogons? Did Nick remember to pack his towel? Does anyone want to hear my crappy poetry?

This pastoral little encounter is interrupted by the sudden arrival of a convoy of carnies. Michael J. Anderson, hereafter known as Samson, and Tim DeKay, hereafter known as Jonesy, are seated in the cab of the lead truck. "They're set to squash him," mutters Samson. "Nah, they won't squash him," replies his colleague. "They're gonna pork him." "They're not going to pork him, Jonesy," insists Samson. "This ain't Deliverance. At least not yet." Okay, just kidding. They do, however, decide to wager "two bits" on whether or not said squashing will occur. Sadly, there's no mention at all of the shave and a haircut Nick Stahl so desperately needs at this point. He certainly hasn't reached Krause-ian proportions or anything, but this whole "possessed by the Devil's Flow-Bee" look he's working here really isn't doing the boy any favors.

Spotting an opportunity to influence events in his favor, Jonesy hops out of the truck and heads over to speak with Dozer Guy. He soon manages to convince him to hold off on the squashing for a few seconds through the cunning combination of logical reasoning ("It'll gum up your works") and pelting the guy with rocks. Wow. I wish I knew about that tactic when I was hitting the college debate circuit. We'd have cleaned up. Of course, what's funny about this shot is that the only two pebble-sized rocks in this entire dust-bowl wasteland just happen to be lying right at his feet. Mighty convenient, don't you think?

A short reprieve secured, Jonesy sidles over to chat up Nick. Despite the large, highly obvious, blanket-covered corpse lying a mere three feet away, Jonesy seems to think that Nick is just out there planting crops. He also asks if Nick's mother is anywhere to be found, presumably so that Nick can point out the body just as Dozer Guy comes over to try and hurry things up a bit. They both realize what's going on at the same moment, and Dozer Guy reluctantly agrees to fetch some shovels from his 'dozer.

Remember when I said Nick moves really slooooooooooowly? Well, he's not the only one. Those last four paragraphs cover almost seven minutes, and no more than a hundred words of dialogue. Six Feet Under would have more than a hundred "fucks" alone in that amount of time.

The funeral. Assorted as-yet-unidentified carnies have gathered around to sing "Nearer My God to Thee," accompanied on a tiny little hand-accordion by a freakishly skeletal Adrienne Barbeau. Also in attendance are Samson, Jonesy, a pair of Siamese twins, various roadies, and a tastefully-veiled Bearded Lady. Others, including Clea DuVall and Sydney from The Pretender, hang back by the trucks. Sydney even sings along a bit, in French, no less. Ooh la la! This goes on and on, through at least three verses of a hymn I don't know the words to, with Nick Stahl looking all the while as if he's about to faint.

See the B-movie queen, performing hymns on her machine. She's desperate for some cuisine, what a scene, what a scene

The instant the song ends, however, chaos breaks out. Dozer Guy fires up his dozer and promptly flattens the shack, and Samson orders everyone immediately back onto the trucks so they can get going. Adrienne Barbeau, however, insists that they just can't leave Nick alone. Aww. I guess after Ernest Borgnine and the Swamp Thing, she's got something of a soft spot for stray weirdos. Or maybe she's just hoping to reprise her role in Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death and finally get a decent meal for a change. Samson, however, doesn't like the idea. "We got nothing open," he protests, before adding that they're down to "tater shucks" for food. Actually, tater shucks sound pretty good right about now. Where's that bag of chips I had stashed around here somewhere?

While the carnies bicker, the chaos continues. After being on the verge of fainting for several minutes, Nick finally does keel over (see? Slooooooooooooooow), and we also begin to hear sirens approaching in the distance. Having noticed that Nick appears to be sporting some sawed-off leg irons that would indicate he's escaped from a chain gang, Samson finally caves in and decides to bring him along rather than leave him for the cops. I guess it wouldn't be much of a show if he didn't. Fade to…black? Okay.

Interlude: I haven't really had an occasion to mention this yet, but seeing as how it's needed to set up a joke in the next paragraph, I'd like to take this moment to point out that in addition to being the episode's title and an actual town in Oklahoma, "Milfay" is also an anagram for "family." Special bonus thanks go out to Suzanna for emailing with that tidbit, which I totally missed. In my defense, I wasn't really paying attention so much, because I was already planning to make a MILF joke about Adrienne Barbeau. This way is better, though, don't you think?

Fade up on a billboard announcing that we're in a quaint little town called "Mintern." In addition to being an actual town in California, Mintern is almost, but not quite, and anagram for "Terminator." CA residents should feel free to insert their own "sexed-up" Arnold Schwarzenegger gang-bang joke here. We cut to a very nice-looking Methodist church, where yet another dreary hymn I don't know the words to is being sung by the congregation. Wow. Christians have really depressing music. I mean, just look at Stryper, for God's sake. This particular congregation is being led by a bespectacled Clancy Brown, who sits quietly on the dais as his parishioners drone their way through the last few words of the song. Ahh, Clancy. We've all got love for you man, but your résumé is seriously all over the place. This guy has been in some great movies (The Shawshank Redemption, Highlander), some decent movies (Buckaroo Bonzai, Starship Troopers, TV's Earth 2), and even some truly naughty movies (Female Perversions, Annabelle's Wish, Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot). ["He also turned up on ER for a while." -- Sars] And before all you fanboy nerds out there start composing virus-laden e-mails to chastise me for putting Highlander ahead of Buckaroo Bonzai, let me just validate my own nerd credentials by adding that whatever you may think of the man's film choices, his video game selections have been damn near iconic (including "Fallout," "Mortal Kombat," and "Crash Bandicoot").

Anyway, Clancy finally stands up to deliver his sermon, which is all about plagues and sandstorms and other things he describes as "being harbingers of the apocalypse." Incidentally, other notable harbingers include Madonna's children's book, the Cincinnati Bengals, and Miss Match. He then segues into a bit about being kind to the less fortunate, and this is accompanied by a shot of an elderly woman in the back row palming a silver coin out of the collection plate. All the other churchgoers are scrubbed clean and Mintern-fresh, whereas this woman is covered in dirt and grime, so you just know she has to be evil. The only person who seems to notice this transgression, however, is Amy Madigan, who has been seated off to the side up on the dais the entire time. Her eyes narrow a bit as she stares the dirty lady down, and she actually starts to look even creepier than she did before, assuming such a thing is even possible. Although I suppose Clancy must have noticed it as well, because even he seems a little frosty as he closes his sermon with "The Lord giveth, and The Lord taketh away." The service ends with an slightly more jaunty rendition of "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands." Heh. Is "It's A Small World After All" considered a hymn as well?

An audio fade takes us back to Clancy's chambers, or whatever a priest's office is supposed to be called. A vestibule? A rectory? Our rabbi just calls it his office. He greets The Dirty Lady, whom our eagle-eyed forum readers have already identified as a former Ma Kent. No, not that one. After offering her some tea, which she declines, he correctly deduces that she's come up from Oklahoma to seek work in California. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to find any, so she's been living out in a squatter's camp near the highway. "We ain't got no preacher," she explains, "so I been coming up here the last three Sundays. A lady's got a right to worship." Clancy couldn't agree more, and he even takes her hands in his as a show of solidarity. Or maybe not, because he quickly reaches up her sleeve to find the coin she stole from the collection plate. "I see you in my sermons," he sighs, "and you pray so hard it breaks my heart. But my words, they wash over you like water over a stone." Dirty Lady starts to cry, but Clancy presses the coin back into her hand, and delivers his own take on the show's theme: "We all, each of us, carry within us the seeds of our own salvation, and our own damnation. You do believe that, don't you?" Dirty Lady, however, is unable to answer, mostly because she suddenly starts puking up coins. Whoa. Cool effect. She's obviously a bit freaked out by this, but Clancy has the look of a man who's seen stranger things, even if he's not real happy about it. "Kneel and pray," he instructs her, but she's too petrified to move. "KNEEL!" he shout. Oh, yeah. This one's definitely a priest. Still crying, the Dirty Lady drops to her knees, and tries to follow along as Clancy prays for salvation. Unfortunately, she's still spewing coins like a Reno slot machine, so all Clancy can do is gather her in his arms and Heston, "Enough!" a few times to the heavens until she finally stops. He cradles her there on the floor, trying to comfort her, but the sobbing continues as creepy Amy Madigan watches from the other room. Personally, if I suddenly discovered that I had the ability to puke up Susan B. Anthonys, I'd probably respond with a hearty "Hallelujah" and a raging case of bulimia. But that's just me. ["I'd wonder who plunked me down in the cherry-pit scene from The Witches of Eastwick, myself." -- Sars] And in any case, when Clancy looks over to check out the coins, they've mysteriously vanished. I suppose that means the whole thing was only a shared vision, but it's also possible the coins were just made of leprechaun gold. Speaking of which, "Accio nicotine!" Flick, ahh…

And now back to the carnies. It's well after dark as the convoy of trucks cruises down a dirt highway. An announcer on the radio extols the virtues of the banking industry, which I'm totally taking as a shout-out. At least up to the point where Samson shuts off the radio in disgust, that is. Jonesy wants to know if Samson has discussed Nick's situation with "management." Samson confirms that he has, but also whines that only have $34.87 in the kitty, and they just can't afford to be taking in strays. Only he does it by using phrases like "choking on the nut" and "another belly to wash." Those of you desperate for HoYay can make of that what you will. Management's reply to all this? "He was expected." "Expected?" asks Jonesy. "What the hell does that mean?" "I stopped asking that question a long time ago," answers Samson. I suspect we may all have to stop asking that question before this season is over.

As the convoy pulls into Mintern at last, we see a young girl awakened from her bed by the passing headlights, she tumbles out of bed, and drags herself across the floor to the window, with her obviously paralyzed legs trailing behind her, to join her brother looking out. That will be important later.

In another trailer in the convoy, Sydney is playing cards with The Bearded Lady. It's a good thing he's blind, by the way, because otherwise the pink and orange feather boas she's wearing could do some serious retinal damage. He also seems to be winning quite handily, although whether that's due to his ability to read minds or the fact that she's been hitting a nearby bong pretty hard is yet to be determined. She casts a quick glance over at Nick, who's sleeping in the corner. "Fine-looking boy," she rather lewdly observes. Sydney chides her for being so unrepentantly horny, and also suggests that she discard the jack of clubs because "it will only come back to haunt [her]." Surprisingly, she accepts his advice, and he promptly snatches it up and calls gin. Heh. But what kind of person is stupid enough to not only play cards with a mind reader, but also to take his suggestions? Probably someone stupid enough to wear that outfit, I suppose. In any case, she begs Sydney (whom she calls "Lodz") to read Nick's dreams, and he reluctantly agrees. He steps over to Nick's bed, and performs the time-honored Mr. Miyagi hand-warming motion before clasping Nick's forehead in an almost Vulcan fashion.

We flash immediately into the same dream images we saw before, but with some minor expansions. The corn field chase continues as expected, but we see quite a bit more of the World War I scenario, with John Savage wandering through a corpse-strewn battlefield holding his weapon at the ready. He also comes to the same trench we saw before, only now the mangled bodies within are much more visible. There are additional quick flashes of him in the black tuxedo and what looks like one of the miners from the photo, impaled on some sort of a hook. Creepy Ugly Naked Tattooed Guy, of course, remains creepy, ugly, naked, and tattooed. Sydney, however, has an almost epileptic seizure as he views the dreams, and Lila the Bearded Lady is forced to yank him away as if he were being electrocuted. Young Nick, meanwhile, sleeps soundly through it all.

The next morning we see that the "Carnivàle" sign has already been erected at the perimeter of the, er, carnival. The bright sunlight streaming through a window finally manages to awaken Nick, and he sits up in bed looking more than a little confused. He's also shocked to see that his leg irons are gone. Viewers at home, however, are shocked to see him wrap a sheet around his waist, rather than opting for the de rigueur "It's not TV, it's HBO" butt-shot. Sorry, kids. You'll just have to stick with those Oz DVDs for now.

Elsewhere, Clea DuVall is brushing a dead woman's hair. And also talking to her. Except it turns out that the woman isn't dead, but merely in some bizarre form of an open-eyed coma. She's also doing what all mothers everywhere do, regardless of whether they're dead, alive, comatose, or telekinetic. That is, she's hounding Clea to find a nice boy and settle down. Specifically Nick, in this case, although Clea doesn't seem to think that's a very good idea. Or perhaps more accurately, Clea just doesn't want her not-dead, telekinetic mother to know that she actually does think it's a pretty good idea. Methinks Clea would have wanted to see the butt-shot, too. And she almost gets her chance, because after Ma causes some tarot cards on the other side of the room to flip up into the air, Clea peeks out a window just in time to Nick emerging from his own trailer, wearing nothing more than a tasteful flowered kimono. She glances down at the card she's picked up off the floor, and notices with a bit of trepidation that it's the magician reversed. We'll be seeing a lot of that card this week.

All Nick wants to see, however, is some pants. He finds a pair on a clothesline, but ends up seeing a lot more than he bargained for, because there's a guy with a tail standing right on the other side. "What are you, some kind of freak?" asks the guy as he turns around and reveals himself to be rather surly-looking, dreadlocked Lizard Man. Nick recoils a bit, and ends up bumping into an extremely tall guy who appears to suffer from sort of an unexplained physical or mental defect. That impact spins him right around into the passing Siamese twins, who push him away and send him sprawling into a puddle of mud. Everyone gathers around to laugh, including Jonesy, who does a little nipple-tweaking dance and sings a vaguely bawdy sounding song about kimonos. Hee! Nick, however, is not amused.

In yet another trailer, Sydney (heretofore known as Professor Lodz) is enjoying a nice refreshing glass of absinthe. I'm not normally a fan of the idea of putting something neon green into my body, but in this particular case I might be willing to make an exception. And Lodz certainly looks as though he could use a good stiff drink. Samson enters, and Lodz immediately asks if "the stranger" is still with them. "He was," answers Samson, "but then he muttered something about 'movin' out' and 'only the weird dying young' and he took off." Or maybe he just said yes. I'm not really sure. "He's dangerous," warns Lodz. "Aw, hell," replies Samson, looking pointedly at the absinthe. "He's a rube." Lodz relates the story about trying to read Nick's dreams, and adds that the experience almost killed him. Samson doesn't believe him at first, and further points out that Management wants him to take the kid on full-time. "If he really were a threat," Samson adds, "Management would know about it." "Would he?" wonders Lodz. Dun-dun-DUH!

Cut to a dirt road, with Nick wandering along the edge. Clea pulls up beside him in a pickup truck and offers him a ride, which Nick refuses, mainly because he doesn't appreciate "getting shanghaied by a pack of freaks who steal [his] duds." Predictably, Clea is a bit insulted by this, and she accelerates away from him and continues down the road. Smooth, Nicky. Very smooth.

Sometime later, Nick has moved from a dirt road to a set of railroad tracks, where he comes across a small squatter's camp alongside an engine watering tower. Apropos of nothing, a nearby Okie who looks exactly like the Steinbeck version of Larry's other brother Darryl pipes up to say that his wife won't let him bury their dead son. Because that's exactly the sort of thing you'd want to discuss with random strangers who still have bruises on their legs from the chains they were wearing. Despite the fact that everything we've seen of Nick so far indicates that he's the least sociable person on the entire planet, our hero still decides to head over to the guy's wife for a nice little chat. "Ain't that a pretty baby you got," he observes to the woman, who looks exactly like the Steinbeck version of a poor man's Allison Janney. Now I could have sworn I'd seen her somewhere before, but according to the IMDb, her only notable role was as Niles's wife on Frasier, which is a show I tend to avoid like the plague. Steinbeck Janney reveals that the kid's name is Michael, and Nick immediately notes that it's just like "the archangel." This prompts her to be silent for a few beats, and then she looks sadly up at Nick to mutter, "He's dead…wrapped in sackcloth." Nick confirms this fact as compassionately as possible, and then reaches out to take the child's body from her arms. Spoiler whores are obviously supposed to think he's planning to heal the child at this point, but instead he just hands it over to Steinbeck Darryl, and continues on his merry way without a single word. Hmm. That scene was just…weird, and not in a good way, either.

Over in downtown Milfay, which appears to consist of a single gas station, Clea has pulled in to pick up a couple gallons of unleaded. The station attendant and his Ron Howard look-alike buddy pretend to work on the truck, but really just take a few minutes to ogle her as slooooooooooowly as they can. Eventually, the attendant interrupts the ogling to confirm that she's "with them carnies." Opie, however, just keeps staring at her tits.

A bit later, Nick finds his way to the same station, and he's miraculously just in time to hear Clea shouting from inside. Of course he is. He dashes to her rescue, stopping briefly to pick up a two-by-four before finding Opie and the attendant trying to rape poor Clea on the hood of a Model T. Despite Samson's earlier Deliverance-related prophecy, there doesn't seem to be any pig-like squealing going on. In fact, Clea actually seems to be putting up a pretty good fight, which is all the more impressive considering her torn shirt and highly flimsy-looking period costume bra. Nick, however, jumps right into the fray and quickly decks the attendant. Opie tries to put up a fight with his screwdriver, but while he's occupied with Nick, Clea bashes him over the head with an oil can. Wow. She's still no Lauren Ambrose, but I dig chicks with a mean right hook.

Cut to Nick, driving them back to the carnival as Clea sits silently beside him. Apparently over the "shanghaiing" of his "duds," Nick suddenly gets all gentlemanly and offers up his coat for her to wear over the torn shirt. And thus, my friends, a future romantic subplot is born. Aww. Sniff.

Back at the carnival, we're treated to a quick bit of tool-related humor, and then Jonesy spies Clea pulling up with a torn shirt and the new guy in tow. He follows her into her trailer, and immediately blames Nick for whatever might have happened. Clea explains that Nick was the one who saved her, and Jonesy weirdly decides to go all Cro-Magnon on her ass. "How many times you been told?" he asks. "The one thing you cannot do is prance into these towns without asking for trouble." After confirming that he's actually blaming her for "asking for it," Clea responds with a slap across the face that serves notice that her left is just as mean as her right. "The only thing I asked for was a tank of gas and a Nehi soda and maybe ten minutes to myself," she shouts. "The rest of it was them!" There's a Rape-ar O'Reilly joke hanging somewhere around that Nehi line, but I just can't seem to find it. Which is probably for the best. She shoves Jonesy out of the trailer, and sits back down in a huff. After a completely silent beat, she suddenly turns to shout, "Would you please shut up!" at her not-dead mother. Heh.

On the other side of the camp, Samson is desperately trying to convince Nick to stay. He doesn't seem to be having much success, though, because Nick just keeps right on walking. "The point is, kid," Samson pleads, "I'm about to make you the offer of a lifetime." "Stop calling me 'kid,'" replies Nick. "My name is Ben Hawkins." Well it's about fucking time. There ought to be a law that all characters must be named within the first five minutes of a pilot. "Well, Ben Hawkins," Samson says in a perfectly framed shot, "how would you like a career in show business?" Heh. That's exactly what Sars said to me. Ben asks about wages, and Samson is forced to admit that there won't be any. That's also exactly what Sars said to me. Ben laughs in his face and walks away, causing Samson to yell out that he should ask what the wages will be for breaking rocks once the cops find him and throw his ass in jail. Ben must not be the spooning type, because this is finally enough to change his mind.

Interlude: Just for the record, and for the benefit of people who are reading this without actually having seen the show, I'll point out here for the first and only time that Samson is a midget. Or a dwarf. Or a little person, or whatever the currently preferred PC term might be. And before I get thousands of angry letters accusing me of being size-ist for not discussing the height of everyone else in the cast, I'll also point out that everyone else in the cast appears to be of roughly normal height for their age. Except for the really tall retarded guy, that is. I'd also like to take a moment here to praise Michael J. Anderson for appearing in the second-best episode of The X-Files of all time. In the immortal words of David Duchovny, "You'd be surprised how many men [find his size to be intriguingly alluring]."

Cut to Samson and Ben, eating lunch at a picnic table. "You know, I remember when I was a whelp," Samson pontificates. "My daddy worked in the stockyards. Big hands. Spoke German at home." Wait a second. "Big hands"? Was than an Austin Powers joke? Hee! You know, if there's one thing I like about this show, it's the fact that Daniel Knauf clearly has a highly anachronistic sense of humor. Well, that and the strippers. But we'll get to that later. Despite repeated questioning, Nick remains stingy with the details of his own backstory. He basically claims to have never left the farm, causing Samson to ask if Nick thinks he looks stupid. "I been to New York City," brags Samson. "I been to Chi-town and The Big Easy. I met Caruso and Dempsey. I made eyes at Theda Bara. On a bad day, I cracked tougher nuts than you." I suppose all that's a pretty big deal for 1934, but I've been to all three of those cities, and I once made eyes at Linda Fiorentino (although it's possible she was just looking at the waiter standing behind me), so I'm not really all that impressed. Neither is Nick, who pushes his lunch away and gets up from the table. "You don't like steak?" asks Samson. "Oh, the meat's fine," replies Ben. "It don't ask questions."

Later that night, the carnival is in full swing. Various barkers shout the praises of their acts, including Lila the Bearded Lady and Adrienne Barbeau shilling for Gabriel the strong-man. Ben wanders from tent to tent, soaking in the sights right along with those of us viewing at home. There are sword-swallowers, fire-breathers, and even the Siamese twins singing in French. We also spy Jonesy showing some sympathy for the little paralyzed girl we saw earlier, as he hoists her onto the Ferris wheel and refuses to take her money. Ben watches this scene approvingly, and then moves over to the strippers' tent, where the barker is describing their act as "an informative, educational display of European muscle dancing." Ben heads inside, where we soon learn that European muscle dancing seems to focus primarily on whatever muscles are used to jiggle the breasts. It's probably not much of a workout, but the one girl does look as though she'd be right at home in the Bada Bing. Our hero is apparently not much of a fan of the breast-jiggling, because he quickly gets a disgusted look on his face and storms out of the tent.

Performing on a stool, we've a sight to make you drool. Meatloaf's daughter shows her jewels, keep your cool, keep your cool.

And then that look only gets worse when he sneaks behind the tent to smoke a cigarette, and ends up overhearing the barker pimping out one of the strippers for twenty-five dollars. "Hey, she's a whore!" he exclaims to a passing Samson. "Rita Sue didn't do nothing to that chump that the First Merchant's Trust didn't do to you," comes the reply, and I'm afraid the insanely bad dubbing on that line is about as close as you Twin Peaks fans are going to get to seeing Michael J. Anderson talking backwards.

Ben adjourns to the parking lot to finish his cigarette in peace, and this time it's a passing Clea DuVall who catches his attention. He's certainly a lot happier to see her than he was to see Samson. She haltingly thanks him for saving her earlier, and points out that she must be "some fortune teller" if she couldn't have seen the attack coming. She also asks if he'll be joining them permanently, but Ben insists that he's "no carnie." Ah. No wonder she likes him. He's got big hands. "The people in these towns are asleep," she explains, for no other apparent purpose than to provide a good line for the promos. "We wake them up." This doesn't impress Ben much, but then again, he's the guy who can sleep through dreams that would send most men straight to the loony bin. Clea offers to read his cards, but Ben declines, mostly because he's broke. He does, however, ask her name. "Sofie," she replies. "Hawkins," he starts, making for an almost clever "Sadie Hawkins" joke about her suspiciously modern feminist attitudes. "Ben Hawkins," she finishes. "I know." Okay, so I guess she is a good fortune teller. Fade to black.

And now we return once again to the dream sequences. We still get the cornfield chase and the World War I stuff, but there are a number of new shots here, including a fetus in a jar of formaldehyde, Amy Madigan looking scared, two little kids holding hands, a burnt skull, and a neon sign reading "Mr. Chin's" that explodes in a shower of sparks. The kicker here is that it's Clancy having the dream, and he jerks awake in his living room to find Amy knitting in the corner and "The Shadow" playing on the radio. It's neat to hear the distinctive voice of Orson Welles playing Lamont Cranston, but unfortunately Orson didn't start that role until three years after this scene takes place. Was that an intentional mistake, or not? You be the judge.

Without so much as a single word to his sister, Clancy heads out for a quick walk around town. Mintern is obviously quite prosperous, especially compared to Milfay. It's also a lot creepier than Milfay, which is really saying something when you consider just how creepy a town full of Ron Howard look-alike rapists must be. After an interminably long stroll, Clancy suddenly finds himself in front of a house of ill repute, and he looks upward to see the same Mr. Chin's sign that appeared in his dream. He's solicited by an Asian prostitute as he stares at the sign, but when he grabs her arm to push her away she snarls at him in Chinese ("Can you believe they're actually making a Firefly movie?") and runs off. And then as Clancy stands there, bathed in the red neon light, it suddenly begins to snow. Within seconds, the street is covered (if by "covered" you mean "rendered in CGI"), and he finds himself standing alone in the center of the storm. The snow is then replaced by a rain of blood, and Clancy raises his arms and does a passable imitation of Tim Robbins at the end of Shawshank Redemption. With his face coated in blood, he looks up to see the "Mr. Chin's" sign explode just like it did in the dream, only this time the only two tubes of neon left intact form a glowing sign of the cross. Hmm. In hoc signo vinces, anyone? Clancy clasps his hands in prayer, and falls to his knees. And just like that, the vision ends, and we see that he's kneeling in the middle of a busy and completely snow- and blood-free street, and the neon sign remains intact. Fade to black. Hmm. Freaky. And am I the only one who ever wonders where the writers come up with this stuff?

There behind the glass lies an eighth of Alan Ball's grass. The bong, it has been passed. Bring it on, bring it on.

It should probably be noted that, unlike Ben, Clancy has yet to demonstrate that his powers are anything more than the ability to create a shared hallucination. And some of them, in fact, don't even seem to be shared. That could mean something, or it could just be the way things worked out this week. I guess we'll have to stay tuned to find out.

Back in Milfay, Ben is helping the carnies strike the tents. Oddly enough, I happened to visit the Ringling Brothers museum in Tampa, Florida a few months ago, where I learned that a team of sixty-five workers can erect the circus's entire big tent in less than one hour. That's pretty impressive. What's really weird about the Ringling Museum, and also tangentially related to this show, is that it's also the home of the world's largest collection of Christian-themed artwork. That place has enough Madonnas to give Britney a sprained tongue.

Eventually Ben takes a break to sip some water from a bucket, and Clea emerges from her trailer and actually asks if he's now "one of us?" Oy. I guess you had to know it was coming, but even so, that's a little much. She then adds that it's his last chance for a tarot reading, and this time he accepts. I guess he was impressed by her ability to quote movies from forty years in the future.

Inside Clea's trailer she asks if he's interested in his past, present, or future. Ben doesn't have an opinion either way, so she selects "past" for him. He then cuts the cards, and she deals three of them facedown. She turns over the first to reveal The Moon, which she explains signifies "confusion and exposure." We get a quick flashback to Ben's childhood, where Mommie Dustiest is berating him for digging up a kitten that's been dead for three days. Okay, that's just disgusting. And it's even worse if we're supposed to believe that he didn't know about his powers at this point. She angrily rips the kitten corpse away from him, and it suddenly comes to life in her hands. It's really nothing more than a well-timed edit, but the effect is impressive nonetheless. Ma jumps back in horror, and young Ben immediately scoops up his kitty Lazarus and starts petting it.

Present-day Ben is lost in the haze of memory, and Clea asks if he's all right before continuing on to the second card. This one is Death, which is "not a harbinger of bad fortune, but of transformation." The flashback continues, with Ma insisting that "The Lord takes what's His, and man don't take it back." She stuffs the kitten in a sack, and as young Ben struggles to stop her, she submerges it in a tub of water. Oy. There's a happy childhood memory for you. "You're marked by the beast, boy," she snarls, as she holds the bag beneath the waves. Yeah. I got no jokes for that.

Sofie's Mom has a few choice but silent words for her daughter before we continue, and even though we don't hear what's said, it obviously gives Sofie some reason for concern. She slowly flips the third card, which is the same "magician reversed" that's come up so many times before. "You have a great talent or ability," she explains, before adding that the "reversed" part means that the gift has been wasted. This time the flashback is of Ma on her deathbed, refusing to allow Ben to heal her. She feebly holds up a wooden cross at him, as if he were a vampire, and calls him "filth" and any number of other nasty names. "What are you hiding?" asks Sofie. Ben doesn't answer, so she reaches out to take his hand. "Tell me," she says, only Ben gets a flash of a black-eyed Clancy angrily demanding the same thing. He jumps out of his chair and bolts from the trailer, leaving Sofie alone to ponder the fact that between the attempted rape and this little scene, the two of them have now been on the two worst dates in history.

Ben runs and runs and runs until he finally finds himself amongst the rows of plants at a nearby farm. He sits down beside a tractor that's been overgrown with weeds, and starts sobbing to himself. Suddenly, however, he hears a voice, and looks over to see the little paralyzed girl, sitting in a red wagon and asking why he's crying. He clambers to his feet, and steps over to stand beside her. "Gremmie says y'all are marked," she says. "They ain't marked," replies Ben. "They're just people, that's all." He asks about her legs, and she reveals that she's been that way "forever." He thinks for a minute, and then kneels down beside her. Before he can do anything, however, Samson calls out from across the field to ask if he'll be staying or leaving with the carnies. Ben doesn't answer, causing Samson to give up and order everyone to move out. Gee, I wonder if they'll leave without him? That should make the next eleven episodes pretty interesting.

Back in the field, Ben reaches out to grab the little girl's shins. She looks worried by this. He looks constipated. A wide shot suddenly reveals that the crops immediately around them are beginning to shrivel and die, and the wilting even expands to the weeds that have covered the tractor. The CGI is actually not very good up close, but the overall effect definitely works. We cut to Ben, running through the field, and he manages to catch up with the convoy of trucks just in time to swing himself onto the cargo bed of the very last one. He climbs in amongst the sacks of whatever, and almost instantly falls asleep as they drive off into the sunset.

But before we fade to black and end the show, we see that same little girl running for the very first time on her newly healed legs. And as she passes each row of the crops, they die and turn a nasty shade of brown across the whole length of the farm. Heh. Let's see how much she enjoys walking when the entire family is starving to death.

And that's it, folks. But before we go, I just want to add that Rodrigo Garcia is one hell of a director. He's done the last two Six Feet Under season premieres, both of which rocked, and now he's hit a home run with this installment of Carnivàle. It's almost enough to make me forgive him for having Body Shots on his résumé. Almost.

Daniel Knauf: So you're saying this guy is just going to make up conversations, and, like, totally put words in my mouth?
David Chase: Yep.
Daniel Knauf: Well, can't we, like, sue him or something?
Tom Fontana: Relax, Danny Boy. It's all part of the job.
Alan Ball: Yeah. You're one of us now.
All: One of us…one of us…one of us…

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