CARNIVÀLE

part two:

Ben is now sitting on Management's throne - that is, sitting in his trailer, behind the red curtain. He is busy reading book after book. He closes his eyes and concentrates. He sees through the eyes of Stroud, who is now driving down the road. Stroud looks down at his hurt hand, massaging it, and when he looks back up to the road, he narrowly misses hitting an oncoming car. This snaps Ben back to reality. "Jeepers!" he says.

BJ is visited by Wilford Talbot Smith - the one who gave him the Book of Matthias back at the radio station a few episodes ago. BJ shows him his new tat. Only now, the tattoo is a deep red and is embedded into BJ's skin. "Your enemy has received his boone" Smith tells him, (what the heck is a boone?!). He shows BJ a picture in a book, saying if his enemy has The Annointed Knife, that BJ is vulnerable and can be killed. And that it's important for BJ to become The Usher before this can happen. BJ assures him that Scudder is on the way. Outside the room, Iris is watching this meeting taking place. Not sure if she saw the tattoo, though!

It's dinnertime at the Stumpy trailer. The four of them make awkward conversation, before Rita Sue finally lowers the boom, asking Jonesy why he doesn't want Libby to dance. She tells them both about Stumpy's $800 debt. They all argue, until Libby declares that she'll what she wants to do, and that she'll dance the cootchy dance until Stumpy's debt is paid off, then she's through. She then storms out of the trailer. As the three of them sit in awkward silence, Stumpy announces, "We got pie!"

The ferris wheel breaks, and one of the seats crashes to the ground. The crowd goes crazy with lots of screaming, as another seat loosens, ready to fall. The Christian lady snitches on Jonesy for being drunk and causing this.

Ben approaches the fallen seat, where a young boy lies dead. Next to him is his mother, who is still alive and mumbling, "Please God, take me, not my son" over and over again. Ben hears her prayer and obliges. The woman dies and the boy comes back to life. Samson sees this from a few feet away.

After the accident, Samson tells Jonesy to 'stop standing there with your face hanging out' and to pack up the carnival.

As Samson rounds the corner, he sees a particular trailer that stands alone from the others. He approaches it, and cautiously enters it. It's the same trailer that Ben found way back in episode one from the first season - the one with the fetus in a jar. Samson slowly inspects everything in the trailer, and finally sees the Shroud of Lucius, hanging from the wall. As he leaves the trailer, the fetus is gone from the jar.

Ben stands outside the trailer, telling Samson that was the best he could do. Samson turns to look back at the trailer...but it's gone. Samson realizes that Ben has the power, I guess, because he agrees to help him. They spit-shake on it. Samson also tells Ben what Ruthie told him about Scudder being loaded up in the car with Stroud.

The carnival packs up in a hurry to avoid the law. Samson rides with Jonesy, telling them to head West as fast as they can go.

BJ is holding the broken plastercast mask of Ben. He puts the two pieces together and holds it up to his face. This time, he doesn't receive any kind of vision. He looks tired and decides to head up the stairs to bed. As he heads up the stairs, he notices another one of his maids, with her back towards him, busy scrubbing the floor. BJ gives her a good looking over, starting with her bare feet, then checking out her ass. He thinks for a moment, then continues up the stairs, leaving this cleaning lady to live for another day.

The cleaning lady slowly gets up and turns around. And you guessed it! It's Sofie.

She sure made good time hitching from Nebraska!

 

El Bastardo!!!
El Bastardo!!!

Where are you!!!

What does the bearded lady want with Ruthie?

 

Lila wants to use Ruthie to get with Lodz, since he is periodically possessing dear Ruthie.

The tar and feather bit was nasty. Looks like Ben has some new converts.

 

I saw when she was possessed by the blind man.
She wrote that Sophie was the Omega L. What's that?

Yea Ben's the dawg now.

 

Not sure about Omega but it represents the last or end. Somehow, Sophie is going to bring about the End.

 

Brother Justin is clutching his throat and running through the cornfield. The same cornfield as in Ben's dream. Only this time it's Justin's dream. He is being chased by something spooky, and he trips and falls. He looks up and sees a spiderweb, which transforms itself into the carnival ferris wheel. BJ wakes up on the porch of his country home and realizes it was all just another scary dream.

The carnival troupe is stopped just inside the Wyoming state line. Ben asks Samson why they're stopped. Samson tells Ben "to give the junkheaps a rest". I think he was referring to the trucks.

Jonesy hobbles over to the truck that carries the broken ferris wheel seat. He inspects it and finds a wooden dowel where there should've been a metal pin holding the seat together. He approaches Osgood, one of the carny flunkies, who is busy hammering spikes into the ground. I guess nobody told him this was just a pit stop. Anyway, Jonesy accuses him of using wood instead of iron, but Osgood said Samson pulled him off of sabotage duty and somebody else did it. Jonesy then approaches Burly and accuses him. Burly accuses Jonesy right back. They start fighting until Samson has Gabe break it up. That Gabe is one big fella!

Iris is eavesdropping on Justin, who is holding a confessional with Father Norman in Norman's bedroom. BJ is confessing his misery about his nightmares since childhood about the evil spinning wheel - which he now knows is a carnival ferris wheel. "The carnival holds my enemy...even as it draws closer" he tells Norman. BJ asks Norman to pray for him. He takes Norman's hands and puts them together. "Pray with me, Norman. Pray with me!" Norman does his best to ignore BJ, but being paralyzed, he's kind of limited.

Libby is sunbathing in her underwear. Jonesy approaches her, still pissed off from having Burly call his wife a whore, and he throws her clothes on her lap. He tells her it's not a good thing, since she's now married, to be exposing herself like this. Libby is upset by this, and tell Jonesy that he's not her father. Jonesy agrees, then hobbles away.

The camera floats toward a motel sign that reads 'Cheyenne Motor Court', then we enter a motel room where Stroud is busy treating his wounded hand. He then takes out his hypodermic needle and crosses the room to where Scudder is tied up and struggling. Stroud gives him another injection, which makes Scudder go all fuzzy again. Stroud looks in the mirror, sees his own reflection....then he sees Ben's reflection! He grabs his gun and spins around toward the door. But there's nobody there. He relaxes and goes over to lie down on the bed. Ben is actually there....in spirit. He stands looking at Stroud, but Stroud doesn't see Ben.

Ben snaps out of his vision - he's sitting in Management's compartment - and he notices his nose is bleeding. And it's bleeding blue blood. Ben seems confused as he wipes his nose.

Ruthie wakes up. She sits upright on her bed and opens her eyes. Her eyes are glazed over....just like Lodz' eyes. She gets up and walks like a zombie over to her dressing table. She opens a lipstick and starts writing on the mirror.

Jonesy and Libby are asleep in their bed. Sort of. Jonesy is asleep, but Libby is just lying there staring at Jonesy. She hears a noise outside and sits upright. She sees the shadow of someone walking outside their tent. She gets up to see who it is, and someone already in the tent grabs her and covers her mouth. Another guy crosses over to Jonesy and slugs him, just as Jonesy is waking up. They grab his arms and tie them behind his back.

It turns out one of these guys is the husband of the woman who died from the ferris wheel fall in the last town. They blame Jonesy for her death. They take Jonesy and Libby out into the country, where they tar and feather Jonesy - and force Libby to watch. The tar was boiling hot as it was applied to Jonesy. Ouch! Not an easy scene to watch!

Sofie is preparing to serve Justin his morning breakfast. Iris stops her as she carries the breakfast tray. Iris asks Sofie if she's seen Eleanor. Sofie says no. Iris takes off the flower vase, telling Sofie that Justin prefers nothing fancy, and he prefers his coffee black. After Iris leaves, Sofie takes the flower vase and puts it back on the breakfast tray.

BJ sits outside with Father Norman. He is mocking the Beatitudes. "Blessed are the meek....come on!" he says with a creepy smirk. Norman grits his teeth. Sofie approaches BJ with his breakfast. BJ comments about the pretty flowers. He asks Sofie her name. Then he takes her hand. Then he starts to look hot and bothered. Only Sofie doesn't seem to be susceptible to his creepy charm. Then BJ just looks bothered. Sofie asks if there will be anything else. BJ says no and Sofie leaves. Father Norman stifles a laugh, obviously amused that BJ's mojo didn't work on Sofie. This bothers BJ even more. His eyes go black. Norman stops laughing when he sees this. Norman begins to writhe in pain. His mouth moves, but nothing comes out. Until another minute later, he opens his mouth, and along with a trickle of blood, one of his molars falls out into his shirt. Justin goes back to reading his bible.

Lila knocks on Ruthie's trailer. She has brought Ruthie some biscuits for breakfast. She seems confused. Ruthie is now awake, but groggy. Lila tells her that these biscuits were Lodz' favorites. Ruthie seems even more confused and closes the door on her. Ruthie walks over to her dressing table and sees the words written in lipstick across the mirror:

Sofie is the Omega - L

Ruthie seems confused. She looks at her hand and sees lipstick smeared on it. She seems even more confused as she begins wiping the secret message away.

 

Part 2:

Back at Justin's big tent, it's voter registration day. All of his followers file in one by one and register, as well as are given buttons for 'Templeton For Congress' - as well as a couple of coins to 'buy their vote'. Not even necessary with this dumb bunch!

Rita Sue is concered about her missing daughter and Jonesy. Stumpy assures her that they probably went off somewhere in the country, 'maybe having a picnic', like they used to do when they were newlyweds. Rita Sue is not comforted by this - not even when Stumpy mentions Jonesy will be coming back with a 'sunburned ass'.

The vultures are now surrounding Jonesy, as Libby sits by his side. He is a mess! His entire left side is covered with tar and feathers, and pretty much the rest of his body is covered with blisters. Libby tries to peel off some feathers, but basically the skin comes off with it. She stops peeling. She cries as she tells Jonesy that she'll stop dancing the cootch. Something tells me Jonesy is not caring that much about that right now. His one good eye just stares ahead as he struggles to keep breathing.

I forgot to mention that Ben had told Samson that he saw a motel in Cheyenne in his vision. Samson had given him a map, and Ben is now heading the 53 miles to Cheyenne, when he sees vultures circling up ahead.

Iris is still looking for Eleanor. She leaves the big registration tent and heads over to Eleanor's tent. Eleanor is in bed, but Iris enters the tent anyway. Eleanor tells Iris that she's still upset about seeing the devil in Justin. Iris tries to convince her that she's been working too hard. "I know what I saw" Eleanor stubbornly maintains. "I've got a great idea" Iris tells her, "Let's go on a picnic!" Eleanor stupidly agrees to go.

Libby tries to shoo off the vultures, who are now landing near Jonesy. Jonesy is fading fast, just as Ben shows up. Libby runs out to meet him and gives him a hug, then takes him over to see Jonesy, still tied to a post and looking pretty darn bad. Ben cuts him loose from the post and they load him onto the back of the truck and head the 17 miles to Cheyenne. Libby, who is riding with Jonesy in the truck bed, stops Ben, telling him that Jonesy is getting worse and won't make it that far. Ben takes a look overhead and sees the vultures. He then maneuvers the truck off the main highway and heads down a dirt road.

Iris and Eleanor sit by a river, finishing their picnic. Eleanor comes to the conclusion that she really was really, really tired and really did not see the devil in Justin. Iris breathes a sigh of relief and they pack up their picnic and head back to the canoe. Eleanor is almost giddy about thinking that Justin was possessed and she mentions that she can't wait to tell him. Iris is bothered by this. She suggests that this might not be such a good idea. Eleanor says she knows Justin won't mind, since he has such a good sense of humor. As Eleanor starts to get into the canoe, Iris raises her oar and clubs her on the head. Then clubs her again. Then clubs her one more for time just for the heck of it.

Ben and Libby take Jonesy out of the truck. Ben tells Libby to get back in the truck, roll up the windows, and drive back to the main road. Libby is confused, but obeys. Ben leans down next to Jonesy and waits. The vultures continue to gather.

Iris is late for Templeton's speech where the crowd is eating up his evey word. Everyone in the crowd except for Father Norman. After Templeton finishes his speech, Brother Justin takes the pulpit. He begins his own version of the Sermon on the Mount: "Blessed are the poor in wallet, Blessed are the migrants and Okies, Blessed are the righteous men, for they shall be rewarded...in Washington". Suddenly a gunshot rings out, hitting the radio microphone. The shot was fired by Norman, who somehow managed to grab a gun from a policeman. Before Norman can fire another shot, the crowd descends on him and starts pounding on him.

Justin raises his arms and demands the crowd to stop. They do, of course, and Justin jumps down from the stage and bends down to cradle the pummeled Norman in his arms. "Blessed are those that forgive" he declares, as the reporter's cameras flash. The crowd begins to clap and cheer. Standing behind BJ and Norman is Sofie. She slowly raises her hands and also begins clapping energetically.

The vultures are now landing near Ben and Jonesy. Jonesy has a vision of himself of years ago when he was still playing baseball.

Back at Justin's house, BJ enters Norman's bedroom. Norman is now back in bed, and BJ is pissed. "I am very disappointed in you, Norman. Do you really hate me that much?" We don't see it from his face, but Norman is no doubt nodding vehemently. "You had your chance to kill me, and you failed" BJ tells him.

Ben finally decides the time is right to lay hands on Jonesy.

As Justin starts to leave Norman's bedroom, he is instantly racked with pain. He falls to his knees, falls onto Norman's nightstand, and then back onto Norman's bed. Norman watches and smiles.

Jonesy opens his eyes. "Hawkins?!" he says to Ben. The blisters are gone, as well as most of the tar and feathers. (nice touch!). He slowly gets up and begins peeling the tar off of his face. "You did this?!" he asks Ben. Ben sheepishly nods. "This is impossible" Jonesy says. "Everything's impossible ....'til it ain't" Ben replies.

Jonesy walks around in circles, then realizes something else. He no longer has a gamey leg! He asks Ben for his pocket knife and takes off his leg brace and cuts open his pant leg. He is deliriously happy. He begins to jump and shout for joy.

Father Norman gets another visitor - this time from Iris. She enters his bedroom and closes the door. She sits down on his bed and tells him that they are the only two that knows Justin's true nature. "No one will know our little secret. We will chose our time and then we will expose him". Father Norman stares at the ceiling, no doubt wishing he had never joined the priesthood.

Libby is patiently waiting in Ben's truck, when she sees two people walking towards the truck from the dirt road. She jumps out of the truck (I had thought for sure that she would end up crippled, due to Jonesy's healing, but I was wrong) and she runs and leaps into Jonesy's arms. They share a passionate kiss, then look back at Ben like he was some kind of a carnival freak.

Back in BJ's place, Sofie quietly approaches BJ as he enjoys his evening glass of milk. (Yikes!) "You took him in your arms, after he tried to kill you. How could you?!" she asks him. Justin gives her a quick sermon on forgiveness. "You're a great man" she says to him. "No, I'm just a man" he replies, "Just a horny man".

He takes her over to the couch where they sit together. "I want you to forgive anyone who's ever hurt you in the past" he tells her. She says she can't. "I will help you" he tells her. Together they both get on their knees. Justin takes her hands and puts them together....

 

they missed a great opportunity for an interesting visual. with all the birds flying around, i think it would have been cool to watch them drop from the sky as jonesy was healed instead of just cutting away and then seeing dead birds. now, maybe they wanted to do that but just couldn't get it done for time/money constraints...

ben seems a lot more comfortable with is power.

the omega thing certianly implies that either sophie will end the thing (perhaps by killing both justin and hawkins) or will be the last in the line (perhaps by bringing the two lines together). i can very easily see where she might be pregnant in a few episodes and then the question will be -- justin's or ben's?

she had sex with ben for a reason (in the story telling sense). their relationship wasn't so strong that it made sense for them to have sex for any other reason that as a plot device. and we've seen justin likes to sleep with his maids, tho sofie is certainly a bit different (stronger personality, if nothing else). but she's also taken by him... maybe that'll be how the season ends.

 

holy shit. was that vision legit? is sofie really justin's daughter? that would be the easiest way to bring the two lines together. i was hoping the scholar guy (winfred?) would last long enough to explain some of this boon shit. i like his reference to rennes-le-chateau and some special manuscript he was looking for. nothing like a little templar conspiracy theory. if it's not just a passing reference, i wonder if the end result is that the blood line is that of jesus (which is what the rennes-le-chateau thing is all about).

is iris really plotting against her brother? before last night's episode i thought not, but now i'm not certain. it could be a ruse to get norman to talk to see what he knows, but i dunno. but she's had opportunities in the past to expose justin -- particularly when she's been backed into a corner -- but she never did. why now? and didn't she turn bad before justin? didn't she sort of lead him to certain things?

 

I gotta see this episode. I missed it Sunday and it came on late last night. Dang!!