Carnivale

Debuting on HBO this September, CARNIVÀLE follows a traveling carnival as it wends its way across the Dust Bowl, focusing on a mysterious young fugitive with hidden talents who is taken in by the carnival, and on the charismatic, shadowy evangelist who will ultimately cross his path. The 12-episode dramatic series takes place at a time of worldwide unrest, with evil on the rise around the globe and the Great Depression wreaking economic and social havoc here at home.
As they become aware of their abilities, Ben and Brother Justin find themselves wrenched from their lives to realize that the world they thought the knew -- this tenuous, prosaic reality shared by humankind -- is actually a chessboard upon which is played the ancient conflict between Light and Darkness, and they are key players in the battle.

Main Index

| Subcategories: Season 1 | Season 2 |

Season 1

TV caps (hdtv)

[add all]

Carnivale - 101 - Milfay

submitted 2003-10-06 21:39:36
Airdate: 2003-09-14

On a bankrupt family farm in the middle of dustbowl Oklahoma, a traveling carnival encounters Ben Hawkins, a young man desperately trying to hold off a bulldozer from the bank-at least long enough for him to finish burying his mother. Seeing that Ben is on his last legs, members of the Carnivale wearily grab shovels and give the woman a half-decent burial.

But just as the hymns are sung and the bulldozer plows into the Hawkins home, sirens are heard, and the chain around Ben's ankle suggests he is what they're after. Samson, the diminutive boss of the troupe, orders the crew to grab Ben, who has passed out with exhaustion, and make some dust.

Carnivale - 102 - After the Ball is Over

submitted 2003-10-06 21:45:55
Airdate: 2003-09-21

First Brother Justin and then Ben enter a nighttime diner and sit at the counter, silent and staring straight ahead. Then the two men from Ben's previous dreams enter and share a table, one decked out in evening clothes and the other dressed in his WWI uniform. Ben and Justin watch the men start into their steak dinners, and as they clink their glasses in a toast, all the windows of the diner shatter and Ben and Justin both wake with a start from their shared nightmare.

Carnivale - 103 - Tipton

submitted 2003-10-07 19:29:03
Airdate: 2003-09-28

The town of Tipton refuses to let the carnival set up; Brother Justin's promise to the migrants upsets his regular congregation; Ben and Sofie search for clues about his history.

Carnivale - 104 - Black Blizzard

submitted 2003-10-07 19:30:52
Airdate: 2003-10-05

Lodz tests Ben's powers; Sofie socializes with a handsome cafe owner; Samson visits an old flame; Brother Justin struggles with an ultimatum.

Carnivale - 105 - Babylon

submitted 2003-10-13 20:23:44
Airdate: 2003-10-12

As Brother Justin tries to make sense of a major catastrophe, the carnival rolls into Babylon, a tapped-out silver-mining town with a luckless history - and few visible inhabitants. Samson looks to raise morale by treating the troupe to a night at a local bar in town, while Sofie and her new friend Libby (one of the cooch dancers) take in a film. Finally, a group of restless miners arrive just in time for the evening cooch show - and the latest tragedy to befall Carnivàle.

Carnivale - 106 - Pick a Number

submitted 2003-10-22 03:07:27
Airdate: 2003-10-19

Thirsty for payback, the carnies get caught up in an obscure yet fascinating phenomenon known as "Carnival Justice." Ben's dark adventure ends, and Lodz is there to welcome him back into the fold. Meanwhile, Brother Justin decides to take a trip - destination anywhere - and ends up wandering in the wilderness. Later, he swaps campfire stories with a group of hobos, one of whom is about to change Justin's life.

Carnivale - 107 - The River

submitted 2003-10-27 21:35:44
Airdate: 2003-10-26

While Brother Justin rediscovers his "birthright" on the banks of a river, his sister Iris gets some unexpected support from an attentive radio reporter. At the carnival, Rita Sue and Stumpy argue over their family's future; Ben and Ruthie go hunting for snakes to use in her act; Samson goes to work on the bally; and Libby and Sofie see stars on the western horizon.

Carnivale - 108 - Lonnigan, Texas

submitted 2003-11-05 15:08:13
Airdate: 2003-11-02

Samson sends Ben on a road trip to enlist a new attraction, where he encounters a longtime carney rival named Phineas Boffo. Sofie debates whether to defy her mother and join Libby on the bally; Stumpy tells Jones he needs to get his "candle waxed"; and Lodz and Samson have a falling out over Ben's errand. Meanwhile, while Brother Justin is receiving treatments for "religious excitation," Tommy Dolan is posing a rallying cry for his radio listeners: "Where are you, Brother Justin?"

Carnivale - 109 - Insomnia

submitted 2003-11-12 08:56:55
Airdate: 2003-11-09

Ben tries to stave off the torments of his dreams by staying awake, but the lack of sleep is taking its toll. Samson looks to drum up new business by resurrecting several tried-and-true scams, including "turtle boy" and "man eating chicken"; Lodz warns Ben about the dangers of not practicing his "gift"; Sofie worries that her mother is losing touch with reality; Ben marvels at Ruthie's snake-charming routine; and Lodz's psychic act gets a jolt from a mysterious source. In Mintern, Iris reaches out to Brother Justin over the radio airwaves, and Tommy gets a surprise reaction when he reaches out to Iris.

Carnivale - 110 - Hot and Bothered

submitted 2003-11-18 19:53:13
Airdate: 2003-11-16

Brother Justin returns and confronts his sister with his past, while Samson has to move out of Managements trailer and a new dancer for the cootch show is found.
Ben can't fight his sleep anymore and Lodz takes that chance to read his dreams.
In Management's trailer, Lodz reports to his unseen master, "He spoke to me directly. He knows we've got the boy." "Of course he knows," the guttural voice responds from behind the curtain. "But we'll find him. And then. the blood will flow."

Carnivale - 111 - The Day of the Dead

submitted 2003-11-25 14:10:41
Airdate: 2003-11-23

With Management's blessing, Lodz hatches a devious plan to "reach" Ben, who is vulnerable after letting his guard down with Ruthie. Rita Sue upstages Catalina in the Gay Paree tent; Sofie reads Stumpy's cards and doesn't like what she learns; and Ben learns that some wounds aren't easy to heal. In Mintern, Balthus is concerned about the influences surrounding Brother Justin, as well as some fiery allegations that Tommy Dolan threatens to make public. For her part, Iris proves she'll do anything to advance her brother's career.

Carnivale - 112 - The Day that was the Day

submitted 2003-12-01 17:40:41
Airdate: 2003-11-30

Faced with a crisis of life-and-death proportions, Ben turns to Lodz for advice, and ends up meeting with Management for the first time. Stumpy and Rita Sue strike a deal with each other, and Jones, to save their marriage; Samson covers for Ben when the law comes knocking; and Sofie settles a score with Libby and Jones, only to find herself in the grips of Apollonia's fury. Meanwhile, Balthus and Brother Justin contemplate the former's "greatest evil," with the latter pondering the prospect of salvation versus damnation among his congregation: "The clock is ticking, brothers and sisters...counting down to Armageddon."

Season 2

TV caps (hdtv)

[add all]

Carnivale - 201 - Los Moscos

submitted 2005-01-10 10:21:07
Airdate: 2005-01-09

As the spiritual powers of Ben Hawkins evolve, Management exposes him to the cataclysmic disasters that await the world if he doesn't identify and conquer his nemesis, Brother Justin. In order to do this, Ben must find his father, the elusive Henry Scudder, who holds a crucial link not only for Ben, but for Justin as well. Continuing to function as Ben's cover from the law, the Carnivàle troupe follows his lead further west. Meanwhile Justin has employed a new "Apostle" to aid in his search for Scudder: a prison inmate named Varlyn Stroud. Justin and sister Iris spread the word drawing throngs of weak and impoverished masses into their spiritual web. With time running out, Ben and Justin are thrust into high gear - and onto a collision course that will ultimately determine the fate of mankind.

Carnivale - 202 - Alamogordo, N.M.

submitted 2005-01-17 09:17:43
Airdate: 2005-01-16

Stroud hits the road on his mission, making rapid progress. Ben seeks out a former associate of Scudder's named Father Kerrigan, a disturbed artist whose "vision" Ben has seen before. Justin and Iris welcome a beautiful new "servant" into their home. Meanwhile, Samson threatens to replace Stumpy, who works Rita Sue and Libby harder than ever; Sofie seeks comfort in manual labor, to the men's chagrin; Lila challenges Samson's easy dismissal of Lodz; Management confides in Ben about a secret fear; and Justin makes late-night visits to Chinatown, where a mysterious woman helps manifest his destiny--in the flesh.