Discussion of episodes (beware spoilers).

Episode 2: After the Ball is Over

"Every Prophet in His House"

This is a slow burn episode with little in the way of plot but an awful lot in the way of character development and the building up of a really eerie sense of mystery about the carnival and also around Brother Justin. The main thrust of the episode centres around Hawkins settling into carnival life (though he does not yet seem to feel a permanent part of it) and how the carnies respond to him. Jonsey can't resist playing a joke on the newbie, but this simply leads to more supernatural events. Hawkins, having been sent on a bogus job to tidy the baggage car, finds a trunk in it (even though the Carnivale has no baggage car) containing an evening suit and hat (that worn by the man in the dream, Scudder) and a photograph of a young woman standing beside a van bearing the logo 'Big Sky Farms'. I hate to say it, but there are one or two cliched moments (the foetus is one of them), but they really don't spoil anything in the long run. The acting and the dialogue are practically impecable, whilst the atmosphere of the setting and carnival life can't be faulted. The music throughout is haunting and there are some strikingly altmospheric shots of the carnival being pulled down. As a character, Hawkins is shaping up to be complex and on ocassion infuriating - which is altogether a good thing. There is nothing simplistic or hackneyed in this (or the other) characters. His interactions with the minor characters in the carnival are funny and touching by turns, but it is his relationships with Ruthie and (interestingly) Appolonia which seem to most foreshadow intrigues to come. (And on this note, Lodz's past seems to hold a few keys, especially considering his scenes with both Samson and Appolonia.) The triangle between Jonsey, Sofie and Hawkins also looks like it could lead to some tense drama further down the line.

There is also a strong focus on Brother Justin as he seeks to carry out the vision he had in episde one of turning Chin's nightclub into a house of God for the dispossed. Although he is a man of God, one can't help feeling that his mission and the impact it has on those around him isn't necessarily for the good of all. Religion is being dealt with in this series in a most interesting way and I'm hopeful it will fulfill all its promises. What springs most to mind is Clive Barker's favourite topic, that of the strange and ugly really being good, whilst evil hides in attractive packages. Carnivale could really go anyway in this, and that's one of the things I like most about the series. We do get lots of tantalising revelations as to who or what went on in the past. One probably doesn't have to think too hard to make the familial link between Hawkins and Scudder, but when it is revealed it doesn't come across as at all trite. Overall, the narrative unfolds with just the right degree of mystery and not too much (well hardly any actually) exposition. Fantastic stuff.

[Click and drag to reveal the spoiler text below.]

Images in the opening dream sequence:

 The significnce of dreams increases apace in the opening scene of episode two as Brother Justin walks into a diner, followed by Hawkins, Scudder (the man who appeared variously as a WWI soldier, dressed in a formal evening suit, and as a miner) and a German officer. Hawkins joins Brother Justin at the counter, whilst Scudder and the officer sit at a table in a booth. As Hawkins and Justin both watch Scudder in the mirror above the counter, the waitress leans into Hawkins and the preacher and offers the above enigmatic statement. We then see both Hawkins and Brother Justin wake up, proving that they do indeed share the same dreams.

 Dream/Vision Quotient:
3

  • The diner dream shared by Hawkins and Brother Justin.
  • Brother Justin takes local pillar of the community Templeton into a vision of his life and confronts Templeton with his perversion.
  • Hawkins dreams again of the First World War; this time a dancing bear appears in the trench. Hawkins later sees the bear's costume hanging on the back of a carnival trailer.
  

 Miracle/Supernatural Quotient:
2

  • Hawkins manages to find a supposedly nonexistent baggage car, unearthing Scudder's suitcase and the photograph of Hawkins mother. The trailer is gone when Hawkins returns with Samson.
  • Appolonia, Sofie's comatose mother, gets up and walks to where Hawkins is sleeping under a trailer, telling him: "You're the one" before collapsing back into a coma.

Watch out for:

The wonderful Lynchian moments when the lighting changes around Brother Justin as he takes Templeton into his vision to face his sin, and the oppressive shot focusing in on the partition in the trailer when Samson talks to Management (sure reminded me of moments in Lost Highway and Eraserhead respectively).

Voting so far: 4.76 (mean score)
5stars = 16 votes
4stars = 5 votes
Comments: "Simply the best."

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