Carnivale (Season 2)... (1 Viewer)

[todd s]

I don't event think the writers know who is who.

Seriously, do you think we will get some answers this season? Or will we have to wait to see if the show is renewed, thus prolonging the story?

ps-On a side note. The most unsettling scene from this entire show comes from the 1st season. When they were leaving the town full of ghosts. And Sampson sees the stripper who was killed in the window about to be used by all of the ghosts.

 

[Jean D]

Isnt the Tattoo guy Scutter? I think I need to rewatch the first season again.

 

[Everlasting Gobstopper]

Well, it appears from Ben's dreams that the tree guy is chasing Scutter through a corn/wheat/whatever field. I remember reading somewhere that several different actors played tree guy, including Justin, Scutter, Ben, and the Russian. It might have been from a Clancy Brown interview, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[Mike Tripicco]

If you read the character bios on HBO's site you'll find what seems to be solid confirmation that this is correct. So we've got Management/Lucius Belyakov with a son and daughter (Justin and Iris) and then we have Scudder with a son (Ben) and, if you believe (as I do) that the tattooed man is in fact the Usher/Prophet (for whom Scudder is an avatar), then Sophie is his daughter. Very symmetrical. But I'm still not 100% sure I understand who is good and who is evil!

Or maybe I'm just reaching here...in any case I thoroughly enjoyed the first ep of the new season.

 

[Chris]

Woof! One hell of a second episode..

Justin moves closer to becoming the Usher.. apparently we were wrong on the take that he was going to the Chinese girl as a prostitute, but for old school tattoo work... getting the tree put on his body.. wild.

The scene in which Sophie was walking down the road, and the shadow of her mother trailed behind her on the ground.. or her finding the tarot card in her bed..

Management turning away Ben's offer to revive himself.. is he really the pseudo good guy? Was Scudder the man who raped Appolonia?

"There is not enough time.." seems to be a theme..

I'll have a lot to think about on this ep.. are Ben & Sophie step brother/sister?

 

[Jean D]

I was thinking about that tattoo, it was huge, and done in such a traditional way. I watched a National Geographic show this past summer about tribal tattoo's on the faces of African women. It took a week at 8 hours a day to complete their face using the same basic method as the Asian woman used on Justin. That tattoo Justin got would have taken a really really long time to complete.

Because of the pace of the second season so far (and only into the 2nd episode) I was wondering if HBO was planning or had already given a green-light for Carnivale's 3rd season or if they are just going to end it this season. It just seems really fast paced compared to the first season.

 

[Chris]

It would take multiple sessions. My wife is all into traditional tattoo work, etc. (though hers are all done the new way) and she pointed out you'd do it over a period of several days because otherwise you wouldn't heal correctly.. so the idea of seeing him go to her before was good.. he probably went every night for a series of days.

 

[Adrian P]

One of the last episodes of Season 1 shows Sophie having a vision of the tattoo guy raping Appolina, not Scudder.

Also, this latest episode shows Ben apparently seeing a quick flash of the tattoo guy in place of Sophie when she is walking down the road.

 

[Chris]

I think we're saying the same thing.. realize, Justin put the Tree tattoo on his body.. if he and Scudder are of same Ilk, then my assumption is Scudder did the same thing.. which would be why the minister went crazy over the tree thing and painting.. so, was the man with the tree tattoo who raped Appolonia Scudder?

 

[Adrian P]

I believe the guy that raped Appolina was not Scudder - he looked very different IIRC (had long hair, different face)

We don't know if Scudder has the tattoo yet...

 

[Matt Stone]

Have we even seen the Tattooed Man's face yet? I'm definitely not ruling out Scudder since Sophie is tied into all of this.

 

[SarahG]

I like the pace and am not frustrated that it's a bit faster this season. Natural, I think. But also, it's only been two episodes so who knows -- the pace might slow down again. I think there is so much more to happen -- I can't wait for the rest of the season. I certainly have a plethora of questions~

-what is Iris' role in Justin's "fate" and his "role" ?
-Ben-Sophie relationship?
-Is Management good or bad?
-Who was the tattoo man who raped Appy?
-What does Sophie's future hold?
-Why won't Management let Ben heal him?

Oh there are more I think (questions) but those are top of mind.

Hey who was the person who Ben visited? The somewhat crazy old minister?


(editted to fix quote format)

 

[MikeyWeitz]

At the end of last season Iris told Justin that she was the one that started the fire and burned the place down. He fully knows it was her.
The dynamics of that relationship are changing drastically.

 

[todd s]

I forgot about that. Did they ever explain why she did it?

 

[TravisR]

I think Iris said that she started the fire to, like Paul said, push Justin towards his destiny.

 

[Chris]

Yep, Iris told him she burned the place down because it was the only way to put him on the path to greatness, she said.

Anyway, we watched it again on TiVO earlier.. some things that I'm wondering about..

The snake charmer seeing dead people.. was she dead too long?

Here's one my wife thought of: when Sophie is walking down the road and the shadow of her mother trails behind her.. and then the tarrot card appears in her bed.. is Sophie's dead mother "inside her head" so much she'll drive her crazy?

At the end, Lila is going through all of Lodz' clothes and finds stacks and stacks of money.. this after Stumpy hits up everyone for money earlier saying the til is running short because he thinks people were skimming.. Lodz was apparently always skimming.. and in big volumes..

The person freed from Prison.. now on his way to Babylon, the first place Ben saw Scudder.. what will he find there? Are the ghosts still waiting for him? And how will they react to an emissary of evil?


Tons of questions The more I watch the episode, the more brilliant the writing seems.. so well crafted with so many outlets and options..

 

[AlexSchwarz]

I hear somewhere that the ratings so far were disastrous, mainly due to "24" and, I think, "Desperate Housewives"....is it true? If yes, we will probably have to fear that this season will be the show's last, right?

Then again, how dependent IS HBO on the ratings, anyway? Do they care or might they decide to keep a jewel like "Carnivàle" on the air despite low ratings?

 

[Jean D]

Thats what I was wondering cause this season is moving really fast paced compared to the first season. Lets hope they dont do something stupid like Showtime did with Dead Like Me.

 

[Adrian P]

I know the ratings were not great for the 1st episode of the new season but HBO played that episode everyday of the week. How can we really tell if it is doing poorly without adding up the total viewers for the week?

You have to also take into account that they will make a lot of $$$ off their DVD sales, especially with the price they are charging . That could sway them to go another season.

 

[MikeyWeitz]

Since HBO doesn't receieve advertising revenue, they do not place total emphasis on shows survival just by ratings alone.