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Carnivale, another series cut short in it's prime. This was an HBO original series, created by Daniel Knauf. Two seasons that were produced out of the original six that were planned (12 episodes in each season), follow a traveling Carinval that roams the American dust bowl in the depression stricken mid 1930s. Great care has been taken to reproduce the language, mannerisms, clothing and other styles from that time.
Where to start, where to start? Carnivale starts with a short narration, talking of a great struggle between good and evil. As the story unfolds, it shows a split story line of two distant people. One is the story of Ben Hawkins (Nick Stahl), a kid in some god-forsaken desert whose mother is dying (and apparently crazy), the other is Brother Justin Crowe (Clancy Brown), a preacher residing in California.
The show starts with Ben in a small shack in the middle of nowhere with his dying mother. Apparently Ben had broken out of a chain gang recently, and upon burying his mother, He is taken in by "Carnivale", which we later find out is passing by not by coincidence. The carnival is a mixture of rides, sideshows, freaks, along with a little prostitution and thievery. Some of the group have supernatural powers and/or links to an apparent prophecy which is not fully understood. Ben works as a "roustabout", hiding the fact that his supernatural powers enable him to "move life" from one body to another. The people of the carnival take
their orders from Samson (Michael J. Anderson), who takes his orders from "Management", a mysterious entity that is largely hidden behind a pair of curtains in a dark trailer. The band of carnies includes Sophie, a Tarot-card reader and her catatonic, mind-reading mother Appolonia, Jonsie, a former professional baseball player and leader of the "Rousties", a Bearded Lady, a Snake Charmer (played by Adrian Barbeau), a family of strip-tease performers, a pair of Siamese twins, a lizard-man, and several others. Much of the storyline is punctuated with the surreal dreams and hallucinations of the characters, often telling parts of distant or future event, and the actions of some that apparently have influence over the forces of nature. There is a very complex web of spiritual connections between characters, and some are not who they appear to be.
This is a tree Ben saw in one of his Dreams.
Click the picture for a video clip.
Brother Justin is a preacher yearning for a greater audience. He is loved by many to a point of utter blind faith. Along with his sister Iris, he parlays his popularity into a greater audience and into huge political influence. Brother Justin is an intimidating and two-sided man, along with his sister, showing both amazing good and horrible evil. He too possesses supernatural powers which are not immediately understood. Soon enough it becomes apparent that he is on a collision course with Ben for the ultimate battle between good and evil, with many others being pawns of various importance. He is cold and calculating, while his sister is brazen and driven enough to even murder for their cause. Justin manipulates those around him and leverages whatever he can in order to get those around him to do his bidding. He builds a camp that becomes home to thousands of followers, all of which speak of him as a true prophet of God.
 This is a tree Justin sees in HIS dream. Click the picture for a video clip.
 This is one of Ben's dreams involving Brother Justin. Click the picture for a video clip. |
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