Carnivale: Season 1 Episode 5 - Babylon

Babylon is finally upon us. Will it swallow us whole as Lodz warned or will we just have a nice time with the creepy bartender? Only time will tell. (No it won't, leave immediately).

Produced by Kristen Riley and Daive Reed Edited by Daive Reed

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Content Warnings: Death, adult themes

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“...And on her forehead, a name was written, a mystery. ‘Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth…”

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 car in town, while Sofie and Libby take in a film. Finally, a group of restless miners arrives just in time for the evening cooch show - and the latest tragedy to befall Carnivale. 

 

We open with Justin squatting and praying in the wreckage of the ministry/orphanage. In his prayer, he mentions Babylon as we fade to a man walking down the road as the carnival approaches. Jonesy and Samson stop to talk to the guy and it’s apparent something is amiss. 

The roadman has an Irish accent and Samson asks if he’s from Babylon. He looks taken aback but reconsiders and says yes. Jonesy tells him there’s nothing behind them but 50 miles of sand and sidewinders, which is the way the man is headed. He asks if they’re a carnival and when they confirm he says they’ve been waiting for them for a long time. Samson asks “how’s that?” but he just smiles and walks off. 

Welcome to Babylon. We should not stop here even for a moment. 

Rita Sue being Rita Sue hollers “hey handsome” at him as they pass. 

The carnival arrives in Babylon and it's clear that no one is happy about being there. Dora Mae says Rita Sue says Babylon is cursed. Ruthie says it’s just a place. Gecko counters with “just a place no other carnival will play.”

Samson tells them to set up, but Rita Sue rightly points out there’s no one around for them to play to. He counters that if that were true they wouldn’t be here, would they? 

Immediately Samson goes to confront Management about why they’re there. He demands management tell him something he can share with the crew, but management is silent. 

Jonesy and his crew are setting up. Gecko is begging to stop by El Paso, which isn’t going to happen apparently. The crew is telling Jonesy they’re going to wire to another show for work and Jonesy calls them some 1930s name that showcases how little he cares. Ben’s working, but sees Lodz’s trailer and beelines it past Jonesy to the trailer. It’s like he was pulled to it. Lodz is shaking in his bed. They call it “the clangs”. 

“You have an infallible, if irritating, gift for stating the obvious.”

Ruthie breaks it up by telling Ben to go back to work. She calls Lodz on his bullshit and threatens him if he keeps messing with Ben. “I will tear your pecker off like a piece of French bread.”

Sofie argues with Apollonia over her recent sexual encounter during the dust storm. Sofie says she liked it, liked the way he held her. Which, I saw that scene, did not occur. Apollonia warns or threatens or suggests she might be pregnant. Sofie says he didn’t knock her up because that only happens in dime novels. Wouldn’t that be great if true?

But, of course, now she’s worried that she may be pregnant. 

Fortunately, when Sofie leaves the trailer she sees the Dreyfuss women practicing. They’re also bickering because everyone is on edge and that’s what you do with families. Also fortunate, as Sofie approaches Dora Mea storms off and Rita Sue is distracted by Stumpy hanging a torn banner. 

It’s obvious these two don’t spend much time together when Sofie decides to sit and stay for a cigarette. Sofie asks Libby how you can tell if you’re pregnant which leads to the discovery that no one knows but at least Libby tells Sofie to require a rubber next time. I don’t think Sofie knows what that looks like or where to get them, but maybe she and Libby will be best friends and Sofie can learn. 

Dora Mea shocks the hell out of Ben while he’s shaving, even going so far as to lean in for a kiss. It’s obvious he’s the most fun to play with since he’s the new guy and a prude. 

1. a person who is or claims to be easily shocked by matters relating to sex or nudity.: "the sex was so ambiguous and romantic that none but a prude could find it objectionable". synonyms: puri