CARNIVALE - Outside New Canaan

By Jason Davis     March 21, 2005

After the cataclysmic revelations of "Cheyenne, WY," viewers are in for a tension-filled respite as Daniel Knauf and his writers set up all the pieces for a season finale that will make year one's conclusion look like a cakewalk by comparison. Brother Justin's sister plots with the invalid Reverend Balthus to overthrow her demonic sibling, but Justin considers them insignificant. Sofie, having abandoned the carnival, is in the service of Justin, drawn like a moth to the flame but ignorant that he is the man that raped her mother--her father. Ben, having cured Jones and resurrected a dead child before Samson's eyes, now has a small but dedicated band of followers in his quest to defeat evil. Avatars Lucius Belyakov and Henry Scudder have both been killed, passing their mystical powers onto the next generation of their opponent's lineage. Lastly, the spirit of the murdered Professor Lodz, in possession of Ruthie, has decreed that Sofie is "the omega."

With all this baggage brought forward from the three foregoing weeks, this episode could be tension filled if the carnies just sat on the side of the highway and watched the cars go by. Instead, Ben and Jonesy move into Brother Justin's lair, while Samson struggles to maintain control of the carnival despite Lila's accusations that he covered up Lodz's murder and that Ben perpetrated the crime. While the story is clearly biding its time before what the trailer suggests will be an episode of biblical proportions next week, "Outside New Canaan" definitely serves up its own brand of suspense and drama in a barrage of scenes that both excite and tease the viewer without ever dispelling the dramatic anxiety that's been amassing since Ben Hawkins headed west. There's an overriding sense that it's not yet time for the final battle, and both parties, though eager with anticipation, are content to rest until the moment is right.

Like the tide, CARNIVALE's narrative ebbs and flows, and the events of this installment clearly allow the audience to take stock of what it's learned while presenting a few stings of action just to keep folks on their toes. There are a number of excellent set pieces focusing on the newly empowered Brother Justin. A baptism in the river has all the righteous magnificence of an old-time revival until an unexpected guest arrives to remind the audience of sins past. Similarly, a meditation on an errant hatchet reinforces the fact that Brother Justin is, without doubt, one of the finest villainous performances ever issued by Clancy Brown--a man who's made a memorable career as no end of vivid heavies. Likewise, Tim DeKay's Jonesy manages to change the whole nature of the series in a scene that betrays DeKay's innate talent for shedding light on a scenario with a subtle expression and a paucity of verbiage. Consider this episode a rest stop on a ride that's going to get quite wonderfully unpleasant for the intrepid cast of this most unusual series. Savor these moments with characters who will be forever changed when next week's plot unfolds and hope that they all make it out alive--but don't count on it.