Well, I only got one email identifying Nastassja Kinski this week, so that's a good sign. On the other hand, I also received three more marriage proposals (including one with a picture, and I do have a weakness for redheads), a letter from a reverend offering to perform the actual wedding ceremony, more detail than I needed on early twentieth-century mental health treatments, two book recommendations (one of which I followed), and some truly bizarre nickname suggestions for Pa Pimperson. I also got spam promising me a "cleaner colon," which I'd have to imagine is exactly why Spam was invented in the first place. So…um, thanks everyone!
We fade up on Ben, tossing and turning on his little mattress underneath the truck. An unfortunate close-up allows us to see that the dirt particles have set up little swimming pools, complete with diving boards, lifeguards, and muddy fat guys wearing Speedos, in some of his larger and greasier facial pores. I'm pretty sure I spotted a lichen doing the backstroke, but the camera pulls back before I can be absolutely positive. And then Ben reaches up and starts rubbing his face in an effort to stay awake, and I actually had to run upstairs and grab some Clearasil pads to wipe off my screen. Ew. Eventually, he clambers to his feet and lights up a cigarette. Once again, don't mind if I do. Flick…ahh.
Also awake at this hour is Sofie, who is filling a water jug from a nearby keg. Perhaps tellingly, she walks right past Ben without saying a single word. Upon returning to her trailer, however, she suddenly hears screaming and the sounds of a nasty struggle coming from inside. Uh oh. Sounds like Mommatose needs another Ex-Lax. Sofie rushes to help, but unfortunately she's also managed to somehow lock herself out of the trailer. Instead of calling AAA, she decides to utilize the significantly more expedient solution of smashing open a window with a nearby chair. Once inside, she's horrified to discover that her dear sainted mother is being raped by Creepy Ugly Naked Tattooed Guy, who is just as ugly, creepy, naked, and tattooed as we remember him. Hi, Creepy Ugly Naked Tattooed Guy! We've missed you so much that we still haven't been able to come up with a decent nickname for you! Now, I went through this scene frame-by-frame on pause (which ranks third on the list of The Most Disgusting Things I've Ever Had To Do For You People, behind Mind of the Married Man and that time I had to freeze-frame Robson's hemi-penis on Oz), and it does appear that Creepy Ugly Naked Tattooed Guy is replaced by Brother Justin for at least five or six frames. You can tell because Clancy Brown is wearing a white shirt in the shot, and it was also clearly filmed someplace that Diane Salinger wasn't. If you're a Limpie in search of a little variety, the image of Clancy Brown thrusting repeatedly into mid-air will no doubt cleanse the jiggling from your perverted mental palate. Also of note is the fact that Mommatose's eyes seem to go black towards the end of the scene, but that could just be an artifact of the trailer's lighting scheme. It's also odd that Sofie went to all that effort to smash her way into the trailer, but once there, she ends up just standing by and watching the whole scene unfold. Mommatose would have been better off with a whistle and a can of mace.
Or perhaps not, because we immediately cut back to Sofie, standing outside the now silent trailer. She runs inside a second time, passing through the now unlocked door, and finds Mommatose alone in her bed. Sofie tries to ask about the vision she just witnessed, but Mommatose (apparently) can't stop screaming, and even sheds a little tear as Sofie tries to console her. I was going to do a "convorsation" here, but the scene doesn't really lend itself to whimsical flights of scatological fancy, so instead I'll just offer props to both Clea Duvall, who did a great job of looking horrified here, and also Diane Salinger, who actually got to emote for the first time in Carnivàle history. Nice work, ladies.
Morning in Carnieland. Rousties engage in various morning rituals, which include emptying out buckets of water, and also pissing into the wind. Literally. Ben, however, just sits there looking dirty. And speaking of "dirty," Lodz and Lila are spying on the boy from inside Lodz's trailer. Well, actually, it's just Lila who's doing the spying, because Lodz is playing up the whole "blind" thing again this week. "He's sitting right where he was last night," reports Lila. "Beat to the sock, but wide awake." Ew. "Beat to the sock"? So that's what he was doing all night. time just use a Kleenex like everyone else. Lodz explains that this means Ben is staying awake in order to hide from his dreams (would those be wet dreams, then?), which further means that he "can't be reached." Also preventing him from being reached are the force-field-strength stink waves which are emanating from every inch of his body. Lila remains convinced that the kid will have to sleep sometime, and then moves to her Blind Boy Toy and offers to do whatever she can to make him feel better. Still disgusted by the unwarranted Kleenex imagery, Lodz is forced to turn down her generous offer. Outside, meanwhile, Ben shudders against the tire he's sitting astride, but his hands are unfortunately out of frame, which just makes it look like he's beating into the sock again. Sigh.
Breakfast is served. And there's even a guy banging on a triangle to summon all the carnies. Aww. That's so cute. Samson makes his way across Carnieland, bitching at every Random Roustie he passes, and then knocks on Lodz's door to summon him to a meeting with Management. "I'll be out in a minute," smarms Lodz. That'll be mildly important in about thirty-five minutes, which is also when this episode will be ending.
Cut to Samson, leading Lodz back to Management's office. Once again, Lodz is going to great lengths to act blind, primarily so that Samson can facetiously warn his colleague to "watch [his] step" as he makes his way up and into the trailer. Samson, of course, is forced to wait outside, which actually turns out to be beneficial to our plot development, because he spots a pair of little girls pushing a plastic baby doll in a carriage while he's standing there. Um, not to rain on the logic parade or anything, but who the hell do those kids belong to? Are there female random rousties that we've just never seen? Is Roustie π a secret single dad? And furthermore, why not just use The Twins, who could easily be into dolls, and who have also been criminally under-utilized to this point?
Elsewhere, Ben is getting coffee. And then smearing the grinds all over his face. Samson sits at a nearby table, barking orders to a crew of rousties. First he tells them that they'll need a small animal skull, for reasons that go utterly unmentioned for the remainder of the episode. I guess they don't need to be explained, however, because Roustie π immediately figures out where this is going, and he's clearly not happy about it. Samson: "Burly, I hope you like the taste of pride, because that's all there's gonna be to eat around here soon." Okay, first of all, "Burly"? Hee! Secondly, what happened to the tater shucks? I love tater shucks. Or even better, would it really have killed them to say, "I hope you like the taste of dirt pie"? Because that's funny twice, and a shout-out to boot. Samson orders our old pal Osgood to fetch a turtle shell, and Osgood doesn't even know what a turtle is. He does, however, know they cost less than two dollars. Then Samson orders the cook -- who happens to be named "Possum" -- to rustle up some "fryers." Okay, you know how they say you should never eat at a restaurant called Mom's? I'm amending that to say you should never ever ever eat anything cooked by a guy named "Possum." Jonesy correctly deduces that all these orders mean that Samson is planning a "Fireball Show," and Samson confirms that by explaining that the carnival is out of money and getting desperate. "Get the word out," he orders. "We're going wide open tonight. Wide as we can go." Insert your own Ma Cooch joke here.
Moments later, Osgood is following Jonesy out of the breakfast area and begging to be told exactly what a "Fireball Show" might be. And then Ma Cooch cooches past, flaunting her ample bosom and fixing Jonesy with a saucy grin as she invites him to stop by her tent later so he can fix a troublesome lighting problem she's having. Uh huh. Bamp chicka lamp lamp. "That's no problem at all," replies Jonesy, who is already mentally screwing his bulb into Ma Cooch's socket. Once Ma sashays away, Osgood turns to his boss and cheerfully observes that the woman is "built like a brick bean oven." Heh. "What do you think Pa charges for the night?" he fails to further wonder. "It's got to be at least $3.50, right?"
Samson, on the other hand, is using this time to chat up the highly haggard Hawkins. "You look like a chewed-up piece of twine," announces Samson. "And then whoever chewed on it must have puked it back up, rubbed it in dirt for an hour or two, dragged it behind their car for at least a hundred miles, chewed on it some more, given it a mud facial, and then carefully coated it with a fine layer of horse manure." Ben can't even muster a response to this witticism, so Samson is forced to retake the conversational initiative and pull out the "In Hoc Signo Vinces" medallion we saw last week. He orders Ben to check out the initials on the back, and Ben finally clears the peat moss out of his throat for just long enough to confirm that he knows "H.S." stands for Henry Scudder. Samson offers to give the thing to Ben, and adds that it rightfully should be his because it "belonged to [his] daddy." Well, thanks for the confirmation, I guess. "Come by the ten-in-one after lunch," adds Samson. "If you want, we'll have a chat. I could probably just tell you everything right now, but we've already passed our contractually limited quota for exposition in this scene, and I don't want Management coming down on my ass again." Ben, as always, just sits there looking dirty. And stupid. And also dirty again.
California. Tommy Dolan leads Iris into his radio station while she complains that local law enforcement doesn't seem to be very interested in helping her find Brother Justin. Tommy assures that this won't be a problem, because after today's broadcast he expects to have an "entire army" looking for the man. Iris stares through a glass window at a crew of actors putting on a radio play entitled "The Romance of Erica S.," and it's hard to tell whether she's more captivated by this rare behind-the-scenes look at the production of her favorite soap opera, or merely by the idea that Erica S. is getting laid when she isn't.
Justin, meanwhile, is still firmly ensconced at Noah's Arkham Asylum. The loonies are still engaged in various loony activities, which now include dancing the two-step, genuflecting, painting watercolors, and playing Jenga. Once again, Justin is the only one who gets to wear pants. What exactly do you think that's supposed to symbolize? I'm betting it's an allusion to some obscure passage in the New Testament about how the Left Hand of God shall be anointed with Holy Water (because we all know the Right Hand hasn't been anointed in months) and attired only in the finest sacramental loincloths. Or something like that. Justin, incidentally, is doing leatherwork. Of course he is.
Back at the station, Tommy's radio show is just getting underway. He describes Iris's presence in the studio as a "wonderful treat," but fails to mention that he plans on giving her a wonderful treat of his own after the show. We cut back to the asylum in time to see the Iris look-alike nurse smoking a cigarette and listening to the show, and then we watch as Justin himself listens to his sister's voice coming over the airwaves. Doc McInkstain, by the way, is watching all this from just outside the room, and looking highly disheveled as he frantically scratches down some notes on his pad. Without ever taking his attention away from the radio show, Justin signals to the watercolor painting inmate, and then whispers something mysterious into the guy's ear. Watercolor Man immediately heads for the nearest column, and starts pounding his head against it hard enough to draw blood. That was utterly nonsensical, but cool nevertheless. I guess Justin just can't listen to the radio without having some kind of strange, rhythmic noise going on in the background. Heh. He should probably try hanging out by Ben's sleep truck, if you know what I mean and aren't busy puking because you do. The guards rush in to drag Watercolor Man away, and Dr. McInkstain continues his furious scribbling.
Carnieland. Jonesy is busily hammering a stake into the ground, and if you don't know what that's supposed to symbolize, then there's not a whole lot I can do to help you. On second thought, there actually is at least one thing I could do, and if you email me enough, I might just consider it. Pa Pimp wanders over to chat, and then hammers his own symbolic stake into the ground by saying that he can't help Jonesy because he woke up with a crick in his neck. I don't know, Pimperson. Are you sure your neck isn't just chafed from shoving your head up your ass so many times? Pa actually spends most of this scene letting a handful of dirt dribble out from between his fingers. Yeah. Like sands through the hourglass, these are the days of fucking his wife. Or something like that. After some awkward small talk, Pa springs the question he's been waiting to ask: "So how was it?" Heh. Jonesy doesn't want to touch that question with a ten-foot pole (and you Limpies in the back need to stop giggling at that one), and simply admits that it was "fine." "Did she do that extra-special thing she does?" wonders Pa. "That one with the feather?" Hmm. You'd think feathers would be Lila's specialty, but whatever. "What do you want, a blow-by-blow?" asks Jonesy. Hee! I bet he does, actually. Jonesy insists that Ma was "swell," which Pa takes as an insult without stopping to consider that getting Jonesy to swell was pretty much the entire point of this whole enterprise. Jonesy finally leaves, and Pa Pimp is left to stand there alone with his dirty hands and his own sexual inadequacy.
Ma, meanwhile, is hanging her undies up to dry. Jonesy watches from afar, and Ma watches him watching, but just as he's about to limp over to her, Sofie shows up to invite him on a little stroll. Jonesy agrees to join her, and Ma walks away looking sad. Wow. Go, Jonesy! Two weeks ago he had nothing but sorrow in his heart and a jiggle in his crotch, and now he's got two different women hot to get in his pants. It's like he's in the O.C. all of a sudden. And what kind of carnival is this, anyway? Or maybe I should have gone with "This is how we do it in Lonnigan, bitch."
Cut to Ben, hanging lights in what will eventually be Lodz's performance tent. Lodz himself enters, and informs Ben that Management is very worried about the boy's sleeping habits. And also the way he's been tearing through the carnival's sock supply. Ben doesn't really care what Management thinks, and Lodz tries YET AGAIN to become the boy's tutor. It's all the same spiel we've heard before, about how Lodz just wants to help and how Ben needs to practice "the gift" in order to control it and blah blah dead mothercakes. Lodz also informs Ben that he needs to get some sleep and listen to his dreams, no matter how terrible they may be. "They will teach you to face your own power and control it." Oops. Maybe I spoke too soon when I called him Darth Lodz on the homepage. Turns out he's actually a Bene Gesserit. He's certainly got the hats for it. "Go to hell," snarls Ben. "Yes, I suppose I will," replies Lodz.
Jonesy and Sofie go for their walk. She asks if he ever knew anyone who went crazy, and Jonesy wonders if she means crazy "wild" or crazy "full-on, basket-weaving, eye-rolling nuts." Sofie specifies the latter, and then Jonesy tells the story of one "Homer Griffin," who was a shortstop back in the day. Homer started out normal, but then slowly started staring off into space a lot, and looking "real hoogly-eyed, like Bela Lugosi." Jonesy demonstrates the "hoogly-eyed" look for us, but there's no way I'll ever be able to do it justice in print. Suffice it to say that it did look pretty damn hoogly. "He started taking real long showers," continues Jonesy, which is clearly the most obvious sign of insanity there could be in Carnivàle world. Eventually the doctors had to come and drag poor Homer away, because he was locked in the shower for hours singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and scrubbing himself bloody. Coincidentally, Sars likes to do exactly the same thing. Without the "bloody" part, of course. Sofie takes a seat on the ground and quietly admits that she thinks Mommatose might be going crazy. "Last night I saw some things," she explains. "Things I guess she used to be able to hide from me. Now she can't." Jonesy sits down beside her, and reaches out to tenderly grasp her arm. She recoils from his touch, however, and we cut to a very pretty wide shot as they both sit there looking sad.
That reminds me, incidentally, that this episode was competently directed by Jack Bender, who has written, directed, produced, or acted in at least one episode of every single television show ever made. And that's not an exaggeration, either. This guy's IMDb page reads like a card catalog at the Paley: Alias, All in the Family, Beverly Hills , The Bob Newhart Show, Boomtown, Boston Public, Carnivàle, Eight is Enough, Emergency!, Falcon Crest, Fame, Felicity, Girls Club, Ironside, Joan of Arcadia, Judging Amy, Naomi & Wynnona: Love Can Build A Bridge (And Then Get Busted For DUI On It), Northern Exposure, The Paper Chase, Presidio Med, Profiler, Mary Tyler Moore, The Sopranos, and enough TV movies to put even our very own Kim to shame. Damn. And I thought I watched a lot of TV.
Down in her own tent, Ma Cooch is lying in bed smoking a cigarette. Yeah. I'll say. Flick…ahh. Pa enters, and then immediately tries to turn around and leave as soon as he sees her. Oops. A predictable fight ensues, where she tries to figure out what's wrong, and he tries desperately not to talk about it. She ends up begging him to sit down and chat for even just a few short minutes, and then the scene ends without us getting to see the real meat of the argument.
But that's okay, because it's finally time for Samson to explain everything to us. Or maybe it's just time for Samson to recap all the things we already know without actually adding anything new. This is Carnivàle, after all. I'd also like to take a moment here to curse whoever decided to put that damn accent grave in the title, because typing out the HTML code every time is beginning to get really fucking annoying. Ben joins Samson in the ten-in-one tent, and immediately demands to know where Samson got the medallion. Samson, however, wants to know why the symbol means so much to Ben. He's also, by the way, painting the inside of a turtle shell with glue. Then he sticks that plastic baby doll we saw earlier to the interior of the shell, and holds it up for Ben to see. "From the deepest, darkest bayou of Louisiana," Samson intones, "it's Turtle Boy!" Heh. Turtle Boy's got nothing on Lobster Gal, though. Anyway, the "exposition" we get in this scene basically boils down to the fact that Samson knew Ben's parents, and that Scudder was heartbroken after he left Ben's mother. Given what we've seen of Ma Hawkins, however, I kind of find that hard to believe. He also warns Ben to be careful around Lodz, because Samson "wouldn't trust that eel with his own mother." He does, however, add that "even eels have certain talents." Hmm. Eels, turtles, lobsters, and a pond full of dead fish. Sounds like Dan Knauf needs to get himself a good seafood dinner. Who wants sushi?
Sofie and Jonesy are slowly making their way back to Carnieland, both looking thoughtful and sad. "It'll be okay," he assures her, and Sofie leans over to give him a peck on the cheek. This gets Jonesy percolated enough to go looking for Ma Cooch, and he tracks her down just outside of her own tent. "We need to talk," he announces, but she shushes him and whispers that Pa is just inside. "Come by tonight," she adds. "Before the cooch. I'd show you my titties now, but we've already passed our contractually limited quota for inappropriate sexual behavior in this scene."
Inside the tent, Pa Pimp smokes a cigarette of his own. Flick…ahh. Cough. Sputter. Hack. This show is gonna be the death of me. He's still fully clothed, by the way, so it doesn't appear to be a post-coital smoke. That's probably for the best, because nothing dampens my enjoyment of refreshing nicotine quite like genital chafing. Ma enters, and hands him a cup of coffee, which is apparently what she went to fetch so the writers would have an excuse for her and Jonesy to meet up outside. Things between these two are significantly more tender than when last we saw them, and Pa is wistfully admitting that it's been a long time since he had a good woman waiting on him like this. You and me both, Pa. Damn that pesky women's lib. He also apologizes for the whole Jonesy thing, which is of course the last thing Ma wanted to hear. She stretches out beside him on the bed, and says the words that every husband longs to hear from his adulterous wife: "It was just another trick." He reaches out to put his arm around her, and Ma snuggles up and rests her head on his chest. "What should I do if he wants to come back?" he asks. "You know what to do," she answers. "Yeah," he replies. "Um, what is that again?"
California. And speaking of people who aren't getting any, here come Tommy and Iris. He's driving her home after the radio broadcast, and she's gushing about how much fun she had. "Thank you," she continues. "For all you've done for Justin." "We're in this together," he replies, before doing the whole fake-yawn thing as an excuse to put his arm around her. Oy. Very smooth, Tommy. "He's a hero to me, too," he adds, by way of a pick-up line. And then he leans over and plants a kiss right on her lips. Iris, of course, freaks out and runs straight into the house, leaving Tommy alone with his hair gel and his own sexual frustration.
Carnieland. It's night, and the Fireball Show is just getting underway. A roustie we've never seen before (and who I think is being played by Maury from The Gilmore Girls) greets patrons at the gate, and points out the likeliest marks to another roustie who applies the requisite chalk stain. We get a montage featuring all the usual suspects, including the sword swallower, the fire breather, and Roustie π picking people's pockets as they board the Ferris wheel. In another tent, a pair of little girls are transfixed by the story of Turtle Boy, who was apparently conceived when his mother was scared by a giant tortoise just as she was about to give birth. And judging by the size of that shell, I'm betting Mom would have made one hell of a cooch dancer. The Twins do a juggling act, and Pa Pimperson has been demoted from his normal Cooch bally job to serve as the barker for the "Man-Eating Chicken." It's worth noting that the sign for this act actually does feature a hyphen between "Man" and "Eating." That'll be important in a minute. "When this vicious predator is finished with his victim," shouts Pa, "nothing will be left but bones." The audience gasps in fright, and then the curtain is pulled away to reveal…Osgood, eating a chicken. Okay, fine. Heh. The crowd boos like every Steelers fan I know this season, but Pa points out that they "paid to see a man eating chicken," and they got a man eating chicken. Then he turns the tide by asking them to imagine what would happen if they convinced all their friends to come see the "Man Eating Chicken," and everyone laughs an evil laugh and goes off to do just that. Man, that Pa Pimp is smooth. And not just because of the chafing.
And then, after nine episodes, we finally get to see Lodz doing his act. Basically he just touches objects, and gets a psychic reading off them. He's pretty good, too. First he does a watch that he got from some woman in the audience, and determines that it was purchased outside Waco as a wedding present. The owner freaks out when she hears this, especially when Lodz further manages to quote the husband's exact words from when he presented the watch to his wife. The best part, however, comes when Lodz asks everyone in the audience to concentrate along with him, and they all look like they're suffering from a severe case of constipation. Heh. Ben and Samson, meanwhile, just stand in the back and watch. "How'd he do that?" asks Ben. "It's what he does," replies Samson. Then the little guy decides to get tricky, and hands Ben the "In Hoc Signo Vinces" medallion to pass up to Lodz as the item. The instant it touches Lodz's hand, however, Blindy Boy goes into a seizure, and starts having the same Knights of Templar visions that Ben had last week. Included in these visions, by the way, is a shot of a basket filled with bloody, dismembered feet. I mention that only because Clancy himself has revealed that that will be important later. The visions are so intense that Lodz goes flying out of his chair, and ends up lying in his back, shuddering like a madman and chanting "In Hoc Signo Vinces" over and over again. Ben repeats the same phrase in English, and this time it's Samson who just stands there looking stupid.
Ben ducks out of the tent, with Samson in hot pursuit. "How'd you know what he was saying?" asks Samson. "Where the hell did you learn Latin?" "Latin?!" wonders an obviously confused Ben. Heh. My God, he's stupid. "You better hurry up and get born," snarls Samson, which is totally a line that I'm stealing to use on stupid people at work. Then Samson tells Ben that he's going to have to start trusting someone eventually, and his only two choices at the moment are Samson and Lodz. To further ensure that Ben chooses him and not Lodz, Samson ends the scene by ordering Dirt Boy to go help Adrienne Barbeau.
And now for our final jaunt out to California for the evening, where Brother Justin is finally getting released from the asylum. He's gotten himself a spiffy new suit to wear, which is in direct contrast to Dr. McInkstain, who now looks like he hasn't slept since Ben last caught a few winks. The Doc shakes Justin's hand and wishes him good luck, and then hands over the giant folder of notes he's been taking throughout the episode. Justin opens the folder to reveal a handwritten manuscript, with a title page that reads "Acts of Redemption, by Brother Justin Crowe." Oh, man. I've so got to get that power for myself. I could totally goof off all day while psychically transmitting these recaps so all the annoying people I hate could type them up for me. Forget flying, forget being invisible, that is absolutely the one power I would want. Although being invisible would be pretty cool. As he begins reading the first page, Justin is disturbed by the sounds of screaming from the asylum behind him. "Be still," he whispers, and the screaming stops. Damn. Imagine using that power on the forums! Justin isn't a Creature of Darkness, he's the Messiah of Recappers! He's the Kwizatz Recapperach! Our savior has come at last! All hail Brother Justin, our newest Head of Programming! ["Oy. Look who else needs to get some sleep." -- Sars]
Back at the carnival, Ben watches Adrienne Barbeau dance with a snake. It's kinda hot, but Adrienne isn't much of a dancer. The crowd (as well as Ben) definitely seems to be enjoying it, however. I think it's a safe bet that all of their grandkids will be purchasing that Nastassja Kisnki poster in a few decades. Over in the Cooch tent, Jonesy has arrived for his "chat" with Ma. They do the whole "we have to stop doing this" routine, and anyone who's ever watched television before already knows this is going to end with them getting naked. Which is, of course, exactly what happens. And I can now confirm for all you that Dora Mae's mismatched breasts do appear to be a genetic defect. Ma is a lot bigger on the left than she is on the right. Their passionate interlude is intercut with scenes of Adrienne dancing with the snake while a slack-jawed Ben continues to watch, and then both scenes come to a climax at the same time. Surprisingly, Adrienne is the one who gets money thrown at her, and not Ma Cooch. And now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to rewind that scene and go find a sock.
Fade to later, with the carnival shutting down for the night. Ben is now in Ms. Barbeau's trailer (Gabriel is conveniently missing in action this week), and Adrienne tries some awkward flirting before she realizes that Ben is either too tired or too stupid to notice. She moves to sit beside him, and gently asks when he last got some sleep. "I'm okay," he insists, and she responds by stroking his cheek a few times. Then she goes searching for some handi-wipes to clean off the gunk she now has all over her hands. Okay, not really. She actually just leans in for a kiss, which prompts Ben to jump up and run out of the trailer. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: My God, that boy is stupid.
Elsewhere, Sofie is sitting outside her trailer, smoking a cigarette. My lungs have actually fully carbonized at this point, and are starting to look a bit like Han Solo at the end of Empire Strikes Back, so I'm going to take a pass on joining her. Samson, however, doesn't share my problems. He sits down beside her, and wonders aloud if it's not past her bedtime. "I can't go in there," she sighs. He asks why not, and she pauses for a moment before delivering the big confession: "My mother always told me that my father left her, but he didn't. He raped her." Samson doesn't exactly seem surprised by this news, although he is surprised that Mommatose would choose to share it with her daughter. "She told you that?" he inquires. "No, I saw it," Sofie answers. "I saw it in my head like I hear her voice." She further adds that Mommatose sees things that no one else does, and that the present and the past are all the same to her. Samson doesn't know what to say to this, especially when Sofie reveals that she's starting to see things herself. She takes one last drag on the cigarette, and then the scene comes to a close.
Oh, all right. Fine. Flick…ahh.
In Samson's trailer, meanwhile, Lodz is chatting with Management. "At least now we know why we've had so much trouble with young Hawkins," he announces, as he shows off the "In Hoc Signo Vinces" medallion. "I see," replies Management. "We should have known that from Babylon." And yet again Management is proven to be a lousy manager. What kind of carnival is this, anyway?
Outside, Samson is now busily counting the proceeds from the Fireball Show. It looks like they did pretty well, too. Lodz finally emerges, and Samson pointedly asks if they'll be moving on. "Fireball shows," replies Lodz. "They leave us with no other choice." There's some mildly out-of-place discussion of everyone getting a good night's sleep so as to further hammer home the episode's theme, and then Lodz slyly hands over the medallion, claps Samson on the shoulder, and whispers, "Well played, little man." Then he tells him not to keep Management waiting, which is, of course, exactly what Lodz did in their first scene together earlier in the day. Samson looks pissed, and then he looks nervous as he finally heads back inside his own trailer.
And finally, we pan around to see Ben back in his bed, still trying to stay awake. I feel your pain, Ben, my friend. I feel your pain. Lila watches from her window, and wonders if the boy is ever going to get to the "Land of Nod." I don't know. Ben doesn't really seem like the "Command & Conquer" type to me. "He will," Lodz assures us. "He will." We return to that same unfortunate close-up from the opening scene, and now the dirt particles have a spirited game of Marco/Polo in play. And then one particularly large chunk of dried mud does a cannonball off Ben's left nostril, and the dirt and grease splash up onto the lens, fading us straight to black for good.
week: Shower sex!