Hiya kids. Thanks to HBO for the preview tapes, which allowed me to ease back into things after my own private hiatus. But time, could you maybe include some closed captioning? Or ask people to enunciate a little? Just a suggestion. Also, thanks to whoever invented this totally cool wireless keyboard for my Palm, so that now I can work on the recaps in the living room and use a better TV set. Whee!
Previously, the economy was a mess, the population embraced ignorance, a religious loon gained power, and those considered "freaks" were permitted to entertain the population, as long as they didn’t demand to be treated like human beings. Those in need of escapism tuned in to Carnivàle, where there were lots of vague allusions and mysterious omens and blurry foreshadowing. And then, just when you least expected it, some stuff actually happened.
Credits. "Moscos" seems to be a generic term for flies, gnats, mosquitos, and other creepy pests. See if you can spot them in tonight's episode! It's fun for the whole family!
As in the Season 1 premiere, we open with Michael J. Anderson pontificating. He tells us that, after WWI, "the dark one sought to elude his destiny, live as a mortal." So even the devil hates his job? I guess there's some comfort in that. Anyway, the dark one hid out in the States, where he "corrupted the spirit of the land," which had been so peaceful and holy until then. Just ask Geronimo. "Into this dark heartland, the prophet stalked his enemy 'til, diminished by his wounds, he turned to the in the ancient line of light. So it was that the fate of mankind came to rest on the trembling shoulders of the most reluctant of saviors." Ain't that always the way?
With that, things pick things up right where they left off. Or slightly before they left off, judging by the way Ruthie is lying there, not breathing. After holding on her for a second, we cut to Brother Justin's radio broadcast. He talks about Job and how we're all being strengthened by our trials. Although Job himself wasn't so much strengthened as embittered by his trials, so this all sounds more like something from Zachariah. Cut to Lodz being judged. Cut to Ruthie's resurrection. But this time, as she gasps for breath, we cut to Justin, who is also gasping and almost collapses. Iris starts toward him, but he recovers and compares the population to a phoenix. Ol' Justin sure does like metaphors, doesn't he?
A car pulls up outside the church Justin is preaching at. Which happens to be the United Methodist Church in Salinas, according to a prominent sign. Convenient signage appears to be a trend for the new season, and one I'm firmly in favor of. Steinbeck shout-outs seem a little obvious, though. While we listen to Justin natter on about building a temple of flesh and blood, Rev. Balthus gets out of the car, looking distinctly unwell. He stumbles as far as the stairs to the church before he collapses, and some ministers run out to assist him.
Lest all the signs be taken as...uh, signs that the show's going to be completely lucid from now on, we cut to a mysterious guy in an unidentified location. The room is decorated with artifacts, pentagrams, and drawings. At a light table, a nebbishy-looking guy -- who will eventually be identified as Wilford -- is putting together torn fragments of parchment. Hey, he's inventing Scrabble! On the radio, Justin says that the greatest commandment is written in our blood. "Written in our blood," Wilford echoes. He looks over his parchment-bits and reads "For that you know he is true by his words, the Usher will declare 'Thou shalt be strong.'" At the same moment, Justin says those very words. Wilford stares at the radio.
Cut to Appollonia's flaming bus. The carnies throw water at the fire in slow motion. Well no wonder they can't put it out; try moving in real time, guys. And then suddenly they do, but it's still not doing much good. Sofie is flung out through the doors, Jonesy stumbling out behind her. Jonesy gasps that Appollonia is still inside, and weakly starts back toward the bus, but is grabbed by a couple of the carnies. Some more men restrain Sofie as she starts screaming for her mother. Samson shouts that Appollonia is gone, but Sofie wails, "No, she's not! She's screaming!" Ooh, creepy. Samson looks appropriately horrified as he stares at the blaze. Sofie finally wails, "Stop it! Just die! Die!" The carnies immediately let go of her and stroll away, which looks pretty goofy. I think they're returning to firefighting duty, but in one particular shot they seem so casual that you get the impression they're thinking, "Oh, she wants her mom to die. Guess we're done here." Then the soundtrack gets all moody, and Sofie stares at the flames pouring through the bus window, and I wonder if something magical is going to happen. Instead, Sofie just faints, and Jonesy strokes her head.
Management's trailer. Ben stares at his hands, then turns to Parcae's Puppet Theater and asks why Management restored Lodz's sight. Management says that Lodz was rewarded for doing what was asked of him: "His eyes to force your hand." Ben seems pretty calm about that. I mean, considering he was mad enough at Lodz to kill him, you'd think he'd be a little pissed off to discover that all of this was Managment's plan. Eventually, Ben does work up a little steam about it, so maybe he's just really, really slow. You think? Management says that Ben has to face what he is. Ben pants, "You killed him with my hands!," and adds that Samson was right about Management being a big ol' jerk. He approaches the puppet theater and says that he'll turn himself in: "They'll make me pay, and give me more of a choice than I got with you." Management gasps, "No!" and reaches through the curtain to grab Ben's arm with his right hand.
Whoosh. A white screen fades into Ben standing in a desert as an irritating beep fills the soundtrack. Then a klaxon sounds as Ben stares at a structure in the distance. And then...well, there's a nuclear explosion. Miles away, Ted Taylor lights his cigarette while a dustcloud swooshes over Ben. The dust clears a bit, and we see Brother Justin crouching near Ben. Justin's eyes are black as he turns to Ben and says, "Ye offspring of serpents, who ordered ye to flee from the wrath to come?" Hm. You know, I spent most of the first season hoping that Justin would turn out to be the good guy. But I will accept the consolation prize of Justin's genuinely doing God's work, if that's what's going on.
The vision is interrupted when Samson enters to inform Management of the fire. Management jerks his hand back into the puppet theater while Samson takes in the tableau and asks, "What have you done?" Management orders Samson out and, as soon as he's gone, tells Ben, "Now you see why I cannot allow you to throw your life away." Ben asks what the heck he just saw, and Management explains that it's a weapon: "A false sun wrought by the hands of men. It is the last link in he chain of events unfolding even as we speak. You must break that chain." Ben asks how, and Management says that he has to destroy Brother Justin and find Scudder. Ben asks what the big deal about Scudder is, and Management explains, "He is to me what the preacher is to you: an enemy. You saw my failure in the war." Ben gasps, "You're the Russian?" I gasp too, because we may have actually learned something. I was kind of hoping he'd be the bear. Mostly because I wanted to work in a "Was it a bear or a Russian or what?" riff, granted.
Funboy-flashback. Bear. Limbless twitching. You know the drill.
Management answers (!) "Yes." Just like that! Is this still Carnivàle? Management isn't done with the revelations (har) yet, though, since he adds, "My name is Lucius Belyakov." I guess Lucius lost his accent in his travels. See what they did there with his first name, though? And if you've read the character biographies on HBO's site, we just learned something else. I think I see a trend. And if I'm right, it's probably good news for Sofie. Look, if the show's going to dance around vaguely, so can I. Ben thinks about asking why Management's voice sounds like a girl's, then considers what we know about his wounds and winces. Management says, "Scudder knows the true name of the creature as I know yours, Ben Hawkins." Or something like that. If they aren't going to give me closed captioning, I wish they'd turn down the dramatic music during these quiet chats. Ben sniffs that he's not going to get any more blood on his hands, and tries to leave, but the door slams shut, the trailer shakes, and Management growls, "Millions will die!" Ben is unmoved, and finally the doors open as Management snaps, "Then run! Run as your father did before you!" As Ben skedaddles, Management adds, "If you try to escape your destiny, the world will not escape its terrible fate!" Well, maybe the world should take a little more responsibility for itself and put some effort into not blowing up, instead of being all passive-aggressive about it. Management's totally being an enabler here. I'm just saying.
Ben runs away from the trailer and ducks behind a truck, where he immediately lights up a cigarette, triggering vision-o-rama.
That spooky tree (I'm guessing boxthorn, just for giggles) stands on a hilltop, silhouetted against a cloudy orange sky. Brother Justin walks to the tree in an artsy blur. Lightning flashes as he touches the tree's trunk, and I sing, "Hey, wait, I've got a new complaint." Justin looks over the hill and into the valley, where we glimpse what I'm guessing is the Trinity site. Justin turns, and Creepy Ugly Naked Tatooed guy stands behind him. Creepy Ugly Naked Tattooed guy raises his right hand, fingers spread, and then slashes his palm with his left pinky. Apparently he could use an emory board, because he slices his palm open and out pours...blue goo. All righty. Justin murmurs, "He is the Usher." That's just ludicrous! Heh, because he's...with the...sorry. But thank goodness we can stop calling him Creepy Ugly Naked Tatooed Guy. Except on special occasions.
Justin wakes up in his living room. Iris is sleeping on the couch, her skirt pulled up over her knees. She stirs and flashes her underwear "accidentally," and Justin stares, and then Iris is awake and staring back, and then Justin leaves the room.
Chinatown. Wearing a hat pulled low over his head, Justin knocks on a door and a Chinese girl nods and lets him in without making him say "I know kung fu." Ooo, intrigue!
Some carnies are tidying up the remains of Appollonia's bus. And Appollonia. Nearby, Jonesy assures Lila that Lodz wasn't in the van. A carnie pulls a sooty thigh bone out of the rubble. Okay, is that bone a plot point? I have trouble believing the fire was powerful enough to clean off the skeleton that perfectly. Unless the trailer was full of jet fuel. Anyway, Jonesy insists that Lodz will turn up.
Ironic cut to Samson tying blankets around Lodz's corpse. Management instructs Samson that the time the cop comes looking for Ben, he should say that Ben died in the fire and give him the bones as proof. The hell? What a dumb plan. Management gripes that Ben isn't ready, and orders Samson to look out for him: "You will be my voice when I wish to speak to him, my ears when he chooses to speak to me." Samson says that scheme didn't work out so well before, but Management insists that Ben must not come into the trailer again: "He...tempts me." Aw, he wants his limbs back. Tough. Management's a jerk.
Ben and Samson drive along silently. Someone forgot to bring travel bingo. Ben hauls Lodz out of the back of the truck and sets him on the edge of a ravine. He also pulls off his bloodstained shirt and tosses it away. Samson says, "If someone picks a number for this, it's gonna be me." Ben doesn't think that's right, but Samson sneers, "It just is," and pokes Lodz's body with his walking stick, propelling the mentalist (in both senses) down into the ravine.
Rev. Balthus is lying in a hospital bed, Bishop McNaughton attending him. Brother Justin and Iris enter the room. McNaughton expositions that Balthus had a stroke, and that they're not sure if he can hear what they say to him. Then McNaughton asks Iris to leave so that he can talk to Justin, and Iris goes off to plot his fiery, agonizing death for being rude. Good on her. McNaughton explains that Balthus sent him a letter claiming that Justin was possessed. He hands the letter to Justin, and we hear a tiny, quiet moan from Balthus. Should have candelabra-ed him when you had the chance, dude. Justin and McNaugton trade guilty platitudes about poor crazy Balthus, and with that, McNaughton exits. Justin closes the door and looks down at the bed. "Can you hear me? Yes. Yes you can. I can see it in your eyes. " He holds Batlhus's hand and apologizes, saying, "It never should have come to this."
Samson presents Appollonia's sooty bones to the cop. The cop thinks, "Gee, they're dirty enough to be Hawkins, but I just don't know..." Samson unconvincingly claims that Ben reappeared last night, and that when Samson sent some carnies to catch him, Ben hid out in the trailer. Jonesy looks a little nonplussed, but he backs up Samson's story and spits for good measure. Does Jonesy always spit when he's lying? He must be fun to play poker with. Once the cop is out of sight, Jonesy berates Samson for pulling such a dirty trick. "I done worse," Samson notes. Jonesy argues that Appollonia deserves more than "some unmarked hole in a potter's field." Were you going to take her remains to the secret gypsy graveyard, Jonesy? Because if not, it seems like that was where she was going to end up no matter what. He asks what Samson plans to tell Sofie. Samson turns and snaps, "Well, probably a big goddamn lie!" Heh.
Ben hides behind some laundry on clotheslines as he watches the cop drive away. Ben, you might want to rethink your strategy of hiding among things that are clean. Man, if that's it for the cop, I'm going to have to assume there was a change in plans during the hiatus, because that was pretty lame subplot. Then Ruthie approaches to say howdy. Ben asks how she is, and Ruthie thanks him for saving her life. Ben nervously asks what Gabriel told her, and Ruthie says that Ben tended her until the poison "broke." Ben chills a little, and Ruthie blissfully adds that she heard him calling her back as she was dying. Ben holds her hands a minute and then walks away, insisting that she doesn't owe him anything.
Rita Sue sits down with Stumpy and Libby, and grouses that it "ain't decent" to go on with the show. I guess that cliché hadn't been invented yet. Pa figures they all need the money. This conversation takes a while, but that's about it. Sometimes this show is so easy to recap.
In the Cooch tent, Sofie stirs in her sleep, and we see Jonesy watching her. Perhaps he's hoping she'll imitate Iris's display from earlier, but when he sees that she's got the covers pulled up, he turns to leave. Sofie calls him back. He offers curt condolences for Appollonia's death, and starts off again. Sofie tearfully says, "I'm sorry." Jonesy chuckles and says, "I guess that makes it all better, don't it?" Sofie begs him to believe her, and Jonesy says that he does: "That's what makes it so awful. I'm sorry, you're sorry, the whole world's sorry as shit, but you know what? It don't mean a goddamn thing." Eh. It was a really nasty prank, but that's basically what it was; Libby should be way more pissed than Jonesy. And I don't think the will-they-won't-they thing needs to be dragged out for the rest of eternity. In conclusion: whatever. Jonesy says, "You see me around, you just walk the other way." Exit Jonesy.
Brother Justin and Iris are driving back from the hospital. Iris is nattering that Balthus just hasn't been the same since his wife died. Justin stares ahead, and we see the reflection of the spooky tree reflected in the windshield. Nice. Justin orders Iris to pull over, and hops out of the car and heads up the hill to the tree, just as he did in his dream, while Iris looks bewildered.
At the top of the hill, Justin puts his hand on the tree trunk, and then calls Iris. He looks down into the valley, which does not contain any nuclear test sites. Yet. He tells Iris, "This will be my new Canaan. Here I will build a temple." The camera sweeps up so that they and the tree are silhouetted against the horizon all Gone With the Wind, and Iris adds, "We will build it together. Unless you narc me out for killing those kids. You might want to build this one out of asbestos, frankly."
Carnival. As the crowds enter, Samson lugs his suitcases back into Management's trailer. The way they always do reaction shots of the curtains never stops being funny to me.
Lila runs into Samson as he's coming out of the trailer. She asks if Lodz is inside, and he advises her to try searching for him in the ten-in-one. Instead, she trails after Samson, whining that she's got a bad feeling about Lodz's disappearance. Samson claims that Lodz is just drunk in a gutter somewhere, and finally agrees to ask Management.
Sofie stares at the husk of her mother's trailer. In the rubble, she finds the singed tarot cards, and picks them up, and then lets them flutter away in the wind. It's all very poignant. And sooty.
Casa de Creepy. The house is full of worker bees, and also Dolan. Dolan says that Brother Justin has a radio slot that night, adding that Hearst wants to broadcast Justin's show. Iris unnecessarily asks, "William Randolph Heart?" and Dolan duhs that it is Hearst he speaks of, and if you're going to trust people to get references to Alamogordo, I think you can assume that they've either heard of Hearst or they'll cope. Iris hustles off, and Dolan asks for a word with Justin.
The carnies...carn. As they stroll along, Samson advises Ben to do whatever Management wants. Ben says he wants to have a chat with Management, but Samson nixes that and tells Ben, "Listen to your blood." Ah, helpful. Samson strolls off, and Ben pulls out Scudder's watch-fob.
Casa de Creepy. In Justin's room, Dolan tells Brother Justin that a car an awful lot like Justin's was seen near his church just before it went foom. Dolan's worried that someone might think Justin was responsible for the tragedy: "Folks hold their prophets to pretty high standards. Even in California." Justin orders Dolan to investigate, but Dolan asks what he should do if the culprit turns out to be someone associated with the ministry. Justin answers, "Then it is all the more important that we be the ones to bring them to the police." On cue, Iris appears in the doorway and asks if Dolan will stay for dinner. Dolan says that they've got to catch a train, and exits, while Iris asks Justin what they were discussing. Justin looks in the mirror and asks if Iris has seen his coat. Iris testily says, "You know exactly where your coat is." Justin smirks and starts to leave, and when Iris catches his arm, he stares at her coolly before continuing on his way out on another mysterious errand.
Libby's drinking. The worm in the bottle fails to amuse her. She sets the bottle down and heads into the Cooch family's tent, only to discover that Sofie is gone.
Stumpy is in his car, listening to a boxing match on the radio. It's probably some sort of historically interesting fight, except I don't think the words "interesting" and "boxing" ever really go together, so feel free to figure it out yourself if you care. I'm busy with all the eschatology. Rita Sue approaches, asking if Stumpy's seen Sofie. He turns the radio down and says that he hasn't. She wonders if she should tell Samson that Sofie's gone missing. Stumpy quickly agrees, anxious for her to leave so that he can go back to the radio. This goes on a while. Eventually Rita Sue goes. Stumpy turns the radio on and finds he missed the important part. Hilarity ensues, I guess.
Ben's in town, looking at the Templar hall. The lights in the building go out, and the Commodore exits.
Cut inside, where glass breaks noisily as Ben makes his non-stealthy entrance. I think we can safely assume that whatever his crimes were, burglary was not among them. He approaches a rolltop desk and uses his crowbar to snap it open.
Radio station KZAK, your choice for apocalyptic hits. I think I was right about Zachariah. Okay, they're real call letters. Still. Wilford -- the Scrabble guy from way back -- sits in the deco-ish lobby, looking sweaty. Which makes a change from looking dirty or sooty. He stands up as Brother Justin and Dolan enter, discussing the possibility of serializing Justin's memoirs. Wilford asks if he can have a word with Justin, and gets the brushoff until he announces, "I'm here for the Usher." Instead of telling him that the urban contemporary station is down the hall, Justin turns and stares. Dolan isn't interested in showing anyone to his seat, but Justin tells him to wait for him in the room. Dolan has a nice "eek" moment and retreats. Dolan gone, Justin menacingly asks what Wilford wants. Wilford introduces himself, and as he moves to shake hands, we see a wee penknife concealed (sort of) in his hand. When Justin reaches his hand out, Wilford grabs it and slices Justin's palm. No blue goo; just the usual red stuff. Justin yells and pulls away. Wilford manages a frightened "I must have been mistak--" before Justin grabs him by the lapels and hurls him into...
...Spooky-tree-land, complete with orange sky and Nirvana lighting. Wilford looks understandably surprised as a black-eyed Justin hisses, "No, you're not." Heh. Wilford burbles, "You bleed like a man -- he's still alive!" Justin asks who's still alive, and Wilford recites, "By the hand of the prince the prophet dies. Upon his death the prince shall rise." Prince of Swords, I assume. Justin -- who probably prefers ribald limericks to rhyming couplets -- does an exasperated head-shake and roars, "Stop babbling and tell me who!" But Wilford just annotates himself, citing the Gospel of Matthias. (Chapter 3, verses 26-28, if you want to read along in your nonexistent home copy.) Wilford tells Justin, "You have to kill him with your own hands." Who? Guess. "Scudder." Justin asks what happens then, and Wilford says, "You'll be the prophet. The Usher." Justin smiles briefly at the idea of getting a boutonniere and showing everyone to their seats, and then hurls Wilford back into...
...KZAK's lobby. Justin repeats, "Henry Scudder," and Wilford scrambles across the floor, reaches into his bag, and pulls out a copy of the Gospel of Matthias. Still kneeling, he presents it to Justin, who takes it and. Inside the front cover is a bookplate identifying it as belonging to the Benevolent Order of Templar, Chapter 106. Of Loving, New Mexico. What a coincidence! Below the bookplate are the names of owners, crossed through. The names start with Robert Morgan, and get progressively messier and harder to read until we get to the last one. Guess who? Henry Scudder. Scudder's name isn't crossed through, of course. Yet. Wilford repeats that if Justin kills Scudder, he will receive "the divine blood" of mystic blue goo. Justin closes the book and advises Wilford, "Run." Wilford skedaddles.
Ben searches through the desk the same way he does everything else: badly. He mostly just tosses stuff around without really looking at it, and then moves on to the file cabinet. At least he knows to work from the bottom drawer up. Oh, I suppose he's looking for the "S" files. Fine.
Outside, the Commodore sits in his car with a cigarette in his mouth. He pats down his pockets and realizes that he left his lighter inside. Dude. Ben didn't even wait for the guy to drive away before he broke in? Idiot.
Ben pulls open a file and lets stuff fall out of it, and then tosses it aside. Is he actually looking for something, or is he just vandalizing the place?
The Commodore finds his lighter on the hall floor, lights his cigarette, and then hears the sounds of Ben abusing paper products nearby. The Commodore quietly steps into the room and picks up a pool cue as he moves toward Ben, who's sitting on the floor with his back to the door. Because he's not very bright at all, honestly. Just as the Commodore is about to break the cue over his head, Ben pops up and kabongs the Commodore with his crowbar. Then he grabs the pool cue, shoves it under the Commodore's throat, and demands to know where Scudder is. The Commodore snaps that he still doesn't know anyone named Scudder, and follows that up by asking why Ben wants to find said Scudder. The Commodore's as good a liar as Ben is a burglar. Ben explains, "He's my father." Then we hear a tinny voice say, "Operator speaking. Do you wish to make a call?" Because apparently Ben's swing knocked the phone onto the floor, and off the hook. Okay. The Commodore shouts for the operator to send the cops to the Templar hall as Ben hurries over and...rolls the phone a bit further away. No, seriously, how dumb is Ben supposed to be? Ben threatens to spear the Commodore with the pool cue and repeats his question. The Commodore whines, "He'll kill me!" but eventually gives in. It seems that Scudder and another man (Lodz, one assumes) showed up twelve years ago. Scudder became pals with their chaplain, Father Kerrigan, and then stole some gospels from their library and vanished. The Commodore begs Ben not to let Scudder know where he got this information and wails, "He ain't human!" Ben sniffs, "I ain't either." And then he vamps out. Oh, sorry, old habit. Ben starts for the door, but then notices the Usher (née Creepy Ugly Naked Tatooed guy) in the mural. We also get a look at the artist's signature: Fr. D. Kerrigan. Oh, and the painting is dated 1923, if you're playing along at home. Ben turns and asks what happened to Kerrigan. The Commodore rolls his eyes a little and answers, "He went mad," like, duh. Then he adds, "He lost his mind." In case you didn't get it the first time. He goes on to say that Kerrigan is locked up "inside a squirrel pen outside Alamogordo." I know that treatment of the mentally ill has improved a great deal in the past few decades, but wow, they used to lock crazy people in squirrel pens? That can't possibly have helped.
Carnival. Samson is sending the carnies out on a search for Sofie. As he directs the search parties, Lila growls, "What about Lodz?" She, Ruthie, and Gabe are forming a little tableau to one side. Samson unconvincingly says that he was just getting to that, and advises the carnies to be on the lookout for Lodz as well. He does not add, "But don't get worked up about it. He's certainly not in any ravines or anything, so don't bother looking in them" The carnies move out before someone else can notice that Ben has been gone a while too, and adds him to the list of MIAs.
Radio KRZY. Brother Justin welcomes his listeners to "The Church of the Air." As he starts in on these kids today with their clothes and their hair, the tech in the booth is started by one of his dials. The tech tells Dolan that the transmitter is rated for 5,000 watts, but is putting out 10,000.
Folsom. Or thereabouts. Actually, we don't get any helpful signage, but judging by the guards and the cells, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that we're looking at a prison. A warden sits at his desk, and a radio behind him is broadcasting Justin's show. One con trundles a book cart nearby, and stops as he hears something unexpected coming from the radio. In addition to the broadcast, we hear Justin rasp, "Stroud. You will be my apostle." The warden testily orders Stroud to get behind the line, in this case a square marked on the floor around his desk. Stroud moves his foot back from where it has barely inched over the line, and the warden relaxes. Is that a Blues Brothers shout-out? Justin continues, "My archangel." Wow, Stroud's been on the job for just a few seconds and he already got promoted.
Casa de Creepy. Brother Justin returns home, walks down the hall to his bedroom, and notices that Iris's door is shut. And, he quietly determines, locked. Ew. All forlorn, he goes into his room and starts to comb his hair, but the comb gets stuck until he yanks out a patch of hair, and skin. He examines the bloody wound, and yeah, I totally thought was going to sprout horns here. Instead, he yanks out another patch of skin, then starts peeling his face off, pulls his scalp back, and reveals Ben's slightly scabbed face under his own. That was effective. Justin stares at Ben's face and asks, "Who are you?" And then he gets his face back but goes on staring into the mirror, confused. Welcome to our world, dude.
Ben drives along, and another helpful sign tells us that this road leads to Las Cruces and Alamogordo. Fade out.