n the last great age of magic, the final conflict between good and evil is about to begin. It's 1934 in the Dust Bowl and a young man watches his mother die. Ben Hawkins (Stahl) buries his mother just as a bulldozer is about to destroy his repossessed family farm. A traveling carnival helps him out, giving her a funeral of sorts, and takes in the strange young man.
Some members of the carnival are concerned about Ben, and not just because he may be on the run from the law. Lodz (Patrick Bauchau), a blind mystic, taps into Ben's dreams, and they terrify him. The other psychic at the carnival, a catatonic mind-reader named Appolonia, who speaks through her daughter, Sofie (Clea DuVall), also knows something is special about Ben. Regardless of how the others feel, the mysterious unseen Management decides to take the young man on and the carnival's manager, Samson (Anderson), offers Ben a job.
Surrounded by the freaks and outcasts of the carnival, Ben wants to leave, but he doesn't have anyplace to go. He has secrets involving supernatural powers he's hidden from others all his life. But while he is traveling with the carnival his powers start to awaken, and he begins to discover clues about his past through horrifying dreams.
Across the country in Mintern, Calif., a small-town Methodist pastor named Brother Justin (Brown) finds himself plagued by the same apocalyptic dreams as Ben. Believing God has spoken to him, Brother Justin begins to feel his own long-repressed power awakening. Along with his sister Iris (Amy Madigan), he determines to open a new church for migrant workers, and suddenly the people who stand in his way begin to suffer terrible misfortune.
The final conflict is about to begin
From the opening credits, you know this show is different from anything ever seen before on television. Carnivàle tells the kind of story that will not be rushed, and after watching the first episode you wouldn't want it any other way. From the strong writing to the distinctive characters to the rich, lush production that looks like a feature film, Carnivàle is packed.
The premiere episode, "Milfay," introduces the main characters, taking us back to a time when people still believed in magic and the power of forces greater than themselves. The magic that Ben and Brother Justin experience comes to them in odd, unexpected ways. While Ben would do anything to get rid of his power, Brother Justin embraces his, believing it's a way for him to do God's work.
Carnivàle is full of colorful, complex characters, from the bearded lady to the Siamese twins to the family that runs the risqué burlesque show. The series is filled with people from packed churchgoers to town folk visiting the carnival. Nearly every scene has movement in the background, giving this the look and feel of a real world.
Nick Stahl as Ben and Clancy Brown as Brother Justin are outstanding in their respective multifaceted roles. Neither character is completely good or evil, and much of the fun is watching the levels of gray the actors get a chance to explore. The rest of the large cast is top-notch, and it seems every actor gets a chance to evolve his character in curious and revealing moments that add depth to the entire series.
The story unfolds slowly in surprising ways. Each twist and turn of events gives us more clues about the involving mythology that the episodes piece together like a puzzle. And, because this is HBO, with a full hour of time to tell the story and none of those pesky commercial interruptions, there's more story per episode. The curious thing is that after a while the jump between Ben's story and Brother Justin's story flows naturally, even though their worlds are so very different. We know these two will face off at some point, but there's no rush to get there. The joy is in the ride, not the destination.
