Previously: Iris confessed, Stumpy lied, and I got fed up.
Sofie is lying awake in bed listening to a record. The camera moves up a little so that we can see past Sofie, and boo! Apollonia is lying in bed to her. Eek. Sofie rolls over, sees her mother, and scrambles out of bed, gasping. Sofie runs out of the trailer.
The Carnivàle gang has apparently spent all day packing up, and is finally ready to roll out into the night. Ben finishes securing his truck, and then sees Sofie sitting in the cab. He asks, "You riding with me?" Sofie nods shakily. Ben gets in and is about to start the engine when Sofie says, "Don't. Let's just let 'em go," as the caravan starts to pull away. Ben snickers, but then Sofie says she's serious. Ben finally says, "There's something I need to do. Somethin' out that way." He looks nice here. I think he looks better in the nighttime shots because all the shadows make his head look less Cro-Magnon. He's not ugly, exactly, but he is a little odd-looking. And, of course, darkness also hides the grime. Sofie looks sad and mutters, "We could've gone anywhere." Ben starts up the truck, and off they go.
Casa de Creepy. Brother Justin is having a good-night chat with Balthus, who's in bed. Justin grumbles about how willful Iris is: "She shows absolutely no remorse. Only arrogance and hubris. It is unseemly." He sits on the edge of Balthus's bed and sighs that Iris devoted her life to Brother Justin. He takes Balthus's hand as he says, "Late at night I lie awake, and I struggle with the path I have chosen." He repeats, "I am a man of God," and says that redemption comes through sacrifice. "She must learn," he concludes, and gets up from the bed, kisses Balthus on the cheek, and exits. Once Justin is gone, Balthus turns his head to look after Justin, and sighs silently. I wonder if this will be like Spike on Season 2 of Buffy. I hope it winds up with Balthus and Ben claiming to be in a band together.
Lila is riding with the Cooch family as they play a variation on twenty questions. Libby tries to guess what person Stumpy is pretending to be. Rita Sue quietly asks Stumpy why he hasn't gotten his gambling winnings yet. Stumpy insists that he'll get the money on Monday. Rita Sue pretends to join in the game and asks, "Are you a famous liar?" Heh. Stumpy says he can't think of any famous liars. Rita Sue sniffs, "No? I can."
Sofie asks Ben why he needs to go with the Carnivàle. Ben explains that he's trying to find his father. Exhausted from the strain of trying to talk about someone else's problems for more than ten seconds, Sofie says, "If I met my father, I'd kill him dead." Ben stares, because what is there to say to that? Sofie adds, "He raped my ma. That's why she hates me." Ben asks Sofie, "How could anybody hate you?" which seems to be widely regarded as one of the funniest things ever said on the show.
The sun rises as the caravan moves on. And on. And on. In the lead truck, Jonesy says, "What the hell?" and slows down. Samson wakes up and immediately starts to complain, but then opens his eyes. Approaching them is another caravan. And this one's got an elephant! Samson gasps, "Shit's Christmas." The captioning said "Shit Christmas," but I heard more sibilance in there, and I think my version makes marginally more sense, so I'm going with it.
The second caravan features the aforementioned elephant hauling a trailer. A black man, wearing some kind of "African savage" costume, is leading the elephant. There also people walking along with the trucks, including a half-man, half-woman (hereafter, "the he-she") who is rather improbably marching along the road in full costume. I know there was a fire, but I'm still skeptical about that. The two caravans begin to pass each other.
Jonesy pulls to a stop and asks a truckload of people what happened. Various new carnies explain that the Daily Brothers burned down their own show for the insurance. The "African Savage" dude strolls up and asks if Samson's in the truck. Samson helpfully identifies him as Charlie Lewis, and shakes his hand. Charlie explains that most of the carnies scattered after the fire, and the ones who stayed have "a few busted trucks and maybe $13 in change between us." He adds, "Damn but ain't it a lucky thing you come by." Samson and Jonesy trade looks.
At the tail end of the caravan, Ben says he's going to go see what's happening. I think he's probably just eager to get out and talk to someone friendlier than Sofie. Like maybe Hitler. Sofie says she'll wait in the truck.
Jonesy begins ordering everyone around as he has all the trucks pull off into a field and form a circle. He orders his own crew to "set up the cook tent and maybe one of the other tops." Samson strolls along past the hubbub and hears a woman say, "Hey, Stitch." He looks up and sees a blonde talking to him through the window of her trailer. She's got Scorpion-Girl hands, and terrifying collagen lips. Samson continues to be a good friend to recappers when he identifies her as Sabina. Sabina asks if Samson's going to just leave them, and Samson sniffs, "Well, what does it look like?" Then he walks on, with a slightly terrified expression. Heh. As he moves on, he runs into Ben, who complains that they were planning to be in Damascus that night. Samson snaps, "Well, what are we supposed to do, just keep going? We've got a code." Actually, it's more like a guideline.
Sofie is in the truck, staring at yet another magazine she has plucked out of the ether. Maybe that's her magic power. She's also playing with a lighter, but stops when she hears quiet sobs. In the truck's side mirror, she sees a girl standing in the road, looking back the way they came. Sofie gets out of the truck and calls, "You okay?" She gets no response, and walks over to the girl, who is holding a beat-up doll by one arm. As she gets close, the girl suddenly turns. Her hair is cut like Sofie's, and her eyes are black as she says "Every prophet in her house," in Apollonia's voice. Sofie gasps, "Mother..." and backs away in terror. Then she backs right into Ben, whirls around, and sees that the little girl is gone. Ben explains that they're camping where they are, and mentions that there was a fire. Sofie asks, "Did anybody die?" Ben says no. Sofie looks disappointed, and gets back in the truck. Ben points out, "You might be more comfortable in your trailer." Sofie says she'll stay where she is. Ben rather apologetically says that he has to go help, and asks if Sofie's okay. Sofie shakily lights a cigarette and says that she'll be fine.
Iris is in her room, praying. She appears to have smashed a mirror on the floor, and is now kneeling on the bits of broken glass. Okay. She begs for deliverance: "Let them be ashamed and confounded, those who seek to take my soul. Let them be turned backward in confusion, those that desire my hurt." Apparently, being Justin's sister is like being in high school for eternity. And isn't that a terrifying thought? She sobs and goes on that way while the camera pans down to show blood soaking the edges of her nightgown where she's kneeling.
The carnies eat. The He-She notes that the Carnivàle seems to be doing pretty well, and says that the Daily Brothers had a hard summer. Remember that later. He trails after Samson as he mentions hearing that the Carnivàle lost some acts. Samson finally asks, "You lookin' to hook up with us?" Gabe (Hi, Gabe!) and the Cooch family eavesdrop as the He-She admits, "We might be persuaded." Samson snaps, "Forget it." The He-She promptly turns and introduces himself to someone as "Bert Hagenbeck." Stumpy whispers to Samson that Bert is "the worst damn He-She I ever did see." Samson chuckles, "Did you ever see a good one?"
Ben brings Sofie some food and a soda. Sofie thanks him, and then tells Ben that he doesn't have to keep her company. Ben says that he doesn't mind hanging out with her, and I wonder if the point of all of his creepy encounters with relatives and pedophiles was to make Sofie seem like relatively pleasant company. He gripes about stopping for a day. Sofie asks what the hurry is, and adds, "It's not like you really know where your father is." Ben says he's pretty sure his dad's in Damascus. Sofie says, "You know what's in Damascus? A whole lotta pig shit and no one to shovel it." She's a charmer. After a minute, she asks what difference it will make if Ben finds his father: "People like you and me, we don't have nice little families." Ben says he knows, but that he still has to find his dad. Sofie grumbles that she's leaving the Carnivàle. She adds, "You could come with me. I don't care what you say, you don't belong here -- no more than I do." Ben says "It's just my lot." Sofie says that it doesn't have to be, but Ben says that it does.
Casa de Creepy. Dolan is jubilantly going over the plans for tonight's sermon. He tells Justin, "I've contacted the County Prosecutor. He'll be there personally." After a moment, Dolan apologizes: "I know this must be very difficult for you." Justin says that it is, but that his ministry comes first. Dolan adds that Iris will be okay: "They don't hang women in California." Justin smiles tightly and nods. I rather think Justin needs someone to hang, Dolan. Because if that line wasn't important, we'd have just had another thirty seconds of staring instead.
Night has fallen. They're really getting their money's worth out of the elephant. It strides by a tent, and then we cut inside, where the carnies are starting to party. Lila trades gossip with the Fat Lady from the Daily Brothers troupe. They also pass around a joint.
Rita Sue is at a table outside with Bert and Sabina. Rita Sue explains her plan to buy an alligator farm in Florida. They discuss the various profits to be had, and Rita Sue says, "Gator milk has twice the vitamins and minerals as cow milk." Bert hears a song playing and goes inside to dance with Sabina. Rita Sue gulps down some booze and gets up.
Libby guzzles her own drink and watches the various carnies and freaks dancing. Burley wanders up and asks Libby to dance, but she shakes her head. Burley snarls, "I forgot..." and starts throwing coins at her as he asks how much for a dance: "I mean, with your clothes on." Libby tells Burley to leave her alone, and Jonesy watches with some concern. Burley tries to haul Libby up forcibly, and Libby protests, attracting Rita Sue's attention. Jonesy tells Burley to back off. Burley says, "Fuck you," and Jonesy slugs him. He asks some carnies to haul Burley out, which they do. Jonesy makes sure Libby's okay, and then says, "I ain't much for dancing," but puts out his hand. Lila rather sympathetically hands Rita Sue a drink as Libby and Jonesy start dancing.
From the truck, Ben and Sofie stare at the lights of the big top. Ben notes that it sounds like a party's going on, and asks Sofie if she wants to go check it out. Wow, something about visions of nukes going off made him turn nice. It's peculiar, but sort of refreshing. Sofie says she feels safer where she is, sitting in a truck in the middle of nowhere surrounded by darkness. It'd make more sense if the visions of Apollonia happened when she was around other people, but since they've always happened when she's alone, you'd think she'd want to be in a crowd. But Dan Knauf himself has assured us that the characters behave logically, so I must just be confused. Sofie encourages Ben to go check out the party. Ben doesn't move.
A record plays as Rita Sue dances with Stumpy. She suggests that maybe they could use his winnings to buy a place in Florida. Stumpy agrees, "Put in a down payment, buy a new car, get you some new clothes...or a trip to Niagara Falls." Rita Sue happily asks how much money it'll be again. Stumpy says, "$1400." Rita Sue asks, "I thought you said it was $1200." Stumpy sticks to the latest figure. Rita Sue dances, looking sadder and sadder. Poor Rita Sue. I told you not to give him the money.
Ben and Sofie hear the distant strains of the music from the truck. Ben suddenly hops out and opens Sofie's door, saying, "You can't stay in this truck all night." He takes Sofie's hand and starts to lead her toward the tent, but after a few steps Sofie pulls back and says, "I can't." Ben insists that she can: "Me, I ain't no Fred Astaire, but I like this song." I think Nick Stahl is a pretty good actor, because he's quite charming here. So either up until now he's succeeded brilliantly at hiding how likable he is, or they suddenly asked him to try to be charming, and he succeeded brilliantly at faking it. Which only leaves the question of why they didn't ask him to be charming before now. Anyway, Sofie admits that she likes the song, too, and Ben takes her hand again and starts dancing with her in the road. They just sort of lean back and forth together, but it's nice in that fumbling junior-high-social way. Except that we can once again see how filthy they both are in the lights from the tent.
Casa de Creepy. Iris looks down at the Tent of Jericho, and the surrounding Shantyburg. Brother Justin walks up to her and joins in her staring. Iris suddenly says, "I'm sorry, Alexi. I can't give you what you want." Justin growls, "What is it that you think I want?" Iris says, "Remorse. Regret." Her voice lowers as she says, "And I would do it again for you." They return to their staring. Iris half-laughs, "Oh, isn't it beautiful?"
Stumpy wanders off from the big top and takes a leak. The elephant wanders up to him. Eventually Stumpy notices it, and slurs, "Hi, elephant. How you doin'?" I'm not sure that any amount of alcohol could keep you from smelling an elephant when it was still yards away. Well, unless you inhaled the alcohol. Which I don't recommend. Stumpy is distracted by Rita Sue's voice nearby, and goes to investigate.
Rita Sue has opened up a trunk (er, not the elephant's), and is giving away some of the Cooch family's clothes to the Daily Brothers refugees. Stumpy wanders up and grabs his straw hat away from Bert. Rita Sue explains, "It's only right that we give away a few of our old things." Stumpy tries to grab back some of his stuff as Rita Sue says, "These people are in need -- where's the charitarian in you?" Heh. She adds that they can by themselves new clothes when Stumpy gets his winnings. Poor, poor Rita Sue. Trying to call his bluff. Stumpy tries to shoo the carnies away, explaining that Rita Sue isn't feeling well. She goes on handing things out until Stumpy finally snaps at her, "Are you out of your gourd? Goddamn!" Rita Sue tensely says, "We're gonna be rich, ain't we? We're gonna buy ourselves an alligator farm, a new car -- a brand-new car -- and go on vacation, right? Ain't that what you said?" Stumpy glares at his wife and finally says, "Yeah. Fine." He stomps away to light a cigarette. Rita Sue packs up the scattered clothes and then stands to Stumpy silently. After a long moment, Stumpy says, "I lost it." Rita Sue asks, "All of it?" He says yes, and starts to add something, but Rita Sue asks for a cigarette. Stumpy mutters, "Oh, honey," and then Rita Sue wanders off silently.
Back inside the tent, Lila dances around a handy pole as Charlie asks if she's always had a beard. Lila simpers, "Ever since I was thirteen." Charlie says, "Me too," and starts to dance with her. Lila tells him, "You come by my tent later, dark and handsome, and I'll show you something else I've had since I was thirteen." It's either her tampon case or a collection of stuffed animals, right?
The camera moves over to catch Jonesy and Libby, staring deep into each other's eyes. Stumpy enters, sees the couple, and freezes.
Sofie and Ben are back inside the truck. They slowly, slowly lean in toward each other and kiss. Then they kiss some more. Ben starts nuzzling Sofie's neck, and then Sofie is treated to a snippet of Apollonia getting raped. And then she sees her mother grabbing her wrist and gasping, "Sofie." Sofie opens her eyes and sees her mother at the window screaming, "Nooooo!" Sofie jerks away from Ben and shrieks, "She's there!" Ben turns to look, and says that nobody's there. Sofie wails, "She's right there, how can you not see her?" Ben tries to calm Sofie down by holding her and saying, "It's the fire. It's making you crazy." Hey, Ben? Telling people that they're being driven insane isn't actually all that reassuring. Although, oddly enough, that does calm Sofie down. Sofie gasps, "She's gone," and turns to look at Ben's hand holding her head. "What did you do?" she asks. Ben and the audience say, "I don't know." Sofie goes back to crying, and slithers into Ben's arms. And then they resume kissing.
Jonesy is complimenting Libby on the dance lessons she's giving him, while Stumpy watches and does a slow burn. Libby does a little twirl into Jonesy's arms, at which point Stumpy snaps, "Get your hands off my baby!" He shoves Jonesy away from Libby and puts up his dukes. Jonesy tries to calm Stumpy down, and Stumpy promptly punches him in the jaw. Libby shrieks and tries to pull Stumpy back as he shouts, "My little girl ain't for sale!" Okay, but she is for rent. I'm just saying. Jonesy says that he doesn't want a fight, so Stumpy punches him again. After recovering, Jonesy gives up on being reasonable and we have a full-fledged brawl. Whee! The carnies helpfully toss the fighters back into each other. They wrestle a bit, and then Jonesy socks Stumpy into a table, and collapses after him. The table collapses under them, and I am heartily amused when some of the carnies point and gasp, "Look at that!"
Sofie is now curled up with her head against Ben's chest. Hey, Sofie? Since Ben can apparently drive your mom away, why not go into your trailer instead of trying to have a tender moment in a tiny cab that probably smells like dirt and cigarettes? These crazy kids don't listen to me, though. Sofie's busy reminiscing about how the first time she saw Ben, she knew he was different. Probably because he was wearing a kimono. Ben remembers seeing her on the bus. After another long silence, Ben asks if she's really going to leave the Carnivàle. Sofie, without answering, leans back for more kissing.
Stumpy and Jonesy manage to tumble out of the tent so that they can continue fighting without endangering more tables. The carnies quickly rush out and surround them. Libby pleads with them to stop.
And then we cut in between the fight out in the dirt, and the make-out session going on in the truck, while Big Band music plays loudly. Ack. Ben's already lost his shirt, and has clambered in between Sofie's legs. Look, I told you guys to go to the trailer. Don't come crying to me when your neck hurts tomorrow. More thumping in the dirt. More humping in the truck. Thumping. Libby covers her eyes. Humping. I cover mine. Thumping. Someone should go get Rita Sue. She might be able to make back a few bucks betting against Stumpy. Humping. Oh, there's Ben's spine. I like spines. Sofie gasps and gasps and...squeaks. Ben seems to be in an unlikely position to induce, um, squeaking at the moment, but maybe he learned a trick from the Rubber Boy. And then there's a flash of lightning, and Ben stops what he's doing to look at the rain that's splashing down on the windshield. I don't care how rare rain is: if you're stopping to notice the weather, somebody's doing something wrong. Ben cranks down the window and stretches his hand out, and we're treated to an overhead shot of rain falling into his hands so that we will understand that this is somehow important. Then he brings his hand back inside and caresses Sofie's cheek. For a couple who just had sex in a car, they're both looking pretty well-groomed. Maybe on this show, sex actually makes you less sweaty and grimey than you were before.
The fight has continued despite the rain, only now it's considerably muddier. And slower. Stumpy and Jonesy aren't even bothering to get to their feet before they flail at each other. An exhausted Jonesy wallops Stumpy again and then gasps, "Stay down, Stumpy. Goddammit." Stumpy tries to get back up as he gasps, "You fucked my wife. You fucked up our family." He sobs, "I'll be goddamned if you're gonna fuck my little girl!" He swings, just barely, and swats Jonesy on the shoulder before collapsing back down into the mud. Jonesy hauls Stumpy up, pauses to gather his strength, and delivers a decisive punch. Stumpy collapses onto his back, gasping as the rain pours into his mouth. The carnies lose interest and head back into the tent. None of them seems at all impressed by the rain. Rita Sue finally appears, soaking wet and very pretty. She tells Stumpy, "He didn't fuck up your family." Jonesy looks at her for a minute, and then unsteadily gets back to his feet and walks off. Rita Sue asks Stumpy what he's doing. Stumpy moans, "I'm just defending my family's honor." Rita Sue says, "That's a good one," and starts to help Stumpy up. The carnies continue to watch all this from under the tent, which is kind of weird. You'd think one of them would come out and help. Where'd Libby go? Rita Sue can barely support Stumpy, but finally she gets his arm around her neck and hauls him into the tent.
Jonesy hobbles toward the truck, shouting, "Look alive, we've gotta batten down!" He hammers a fist on the truck's hood, then peers in through the open window. Ben, in particular, looks terrified. Heh. Jonesy quickly hops back and hurries away. Ben tells Sofie, "I'm sorry -- I gotta go." Dude, I think you'll probably be excused. And honestly, does he think he's going to be fired? He can spend days at a time roaming the countryside instead of working, but suddenly he's overcome with the need to earn his keep? For that matter, why did Jonesy decide to rush across the huge field to get Ben when there are dozens of carnies inside the tent who'd probably be more help at rain-proofing the place? Not to suggest that the characters behave illogically, of course. I'm sure I'm just confused somehow. At any rate, Ben hops out of the truck carrying his shirt, and I guess he never even took off his pants. Or his shoes. Classy.
Tent of Jericho. The Shantyvillians are singing "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." Brother Justin climbs the steps onto the dais, where Dolan whispers something in his ear. Iris is leading the choir. Justin approaches the Radio KoZAK microphone and asks everyone to sit. They do, and we see some cops and, I think we can safely assume, the county prosecutor standing in the center aisle. Justin says he has an important announcement, and looks over at Iris, who nods. Justin says, "One year ago, six innocent children and their matron were murdered." Excuse me? That was a year ago? I'll get to that in a minute; hang on. Justin declares that their investigation into the fire is finally over: "The perpetrator has been identified, and a confession has been signed!" Iris looks just a tiny bit tense, for some reason. Everybody else seems pretty amped up about the whole thing. Justin tells them that this is "not cause for jubilation, but lamentation." He puts on his special serious voice as he announces that the guilty party is someone among them: "A trusted leader in our ministry, masquerading as a member of our family in Christ." The congregation is aghast as Justin asks Dolan to step up to the podium.
While Dolan introduces himself, Justin stands to Iris and holds her shoulders supportively. Dolan says he has a signed statement to read, and as he pulls it out of his jacket, the cops take a few steps closer. And if you can't see where this is going, you have never watched television before. Dolan reads, "On the evening of September 8th, 1934, I entered the Dignity Ministry, poured gasoline on the floor of the basement, and set fire to the orphanage. My motive was to get an exclusive story so that I might advance...my career?" Dolan finally notices what he's saying, and Iris frowns, puzzled. One of the Shantyvillians shouts, "He killed them kids!" Dolan mutters, "No..." and skips ahead to the second page of the statement. Then he quietly says, "No, it was Iris," and points at her. Hee. The cops approach the dais as Dolan frantically skips to the end: "I fell under a shadow. It preyed upon me. It needed to be done." The cops grab Dolan as he reaches the end of the statement and sees his own signature at the end. There's a whole lot of hubbub going on as the prosecutor takes the confession away from Dolan. Dolan looks over at Justin and Iris and insists, "It was her! She killed those kids!" As the cops drag him toward the door, Dolan calls, "You set me up!" Justin frowns, "Oh, Tommy." Tee hee. He sounds so disappointed. Somewhere, Jim Bakker is wondering, "Now, why didn't I think of that?"
Okay, let's pause for a moment to discuss timeline. Things are already a little odd because "After the Ball is Over" and "Babylon" both feature newspaper stories about events that took place in July of 1934. And in between those two episodes, Iris burns down Chin's during "Black Blizzard." But the newspaper in "Babylon" could have been a few weeks old, since I don't imagine that they were getting overnight delivery service, so I can get past that one. Here's the thing, though. The episodes from "Hot and Bothered" through "Alamogordo, NM" don't cover much time. I'd say they cover about two weeks, but let's go crazy and say it's a whole month. We know that they're set around November, 1934, because of the Day of the Dead. See my problem? If it's now autumn of 1935, then eight or nine months have passed somehow during the past three episodes. Listen, I managed to make sense of the timeline during Season 4 of Angel, and this one's beyond me. But the good news is that we can now explain away just about anything by claiming it took place during the missing months. Which is nice.
Sofie has turned the radio on, gotten out of the truck, and is dreamily turning around in the continuing downpour while music plays. The music is suddenly replaced with an announcer introducing "Brother Justin's Saturday evening Church of the Aaaair." Justin explains that "God's mind was made up long before the foundation of earth was laid." The rain stops abruptly. Sofie looks toward the truck as Justin goes on about "God's plan of salvation."
Lila is prettying herself up when a shadow appears at the entrance to her tent. She invites Charlie to come on in, but when he doesn't enter, she gets up to investigate. Upon pulling the tent flap open, she sees Ruthie shivering in the entrance. Ruthie raises her head and opens her eyes to reveal that they're clouded over like Lodz's were. Lila gasps as Ruthie asks, "Where is the boy?" And then Ruthie collapses.
The morning, Samson approaches Sabina, who is reclining under a parasol. Samson offers her 5% of the receipts if she joins the Carnivàle. They haggle a bit, settle on 10%, and then she insists that Bert has to come along. Samson looks over to where Bert is taking a piss in a field -- his back to the camera, for the record. Samson wonders why she cares about Bert, and Sabina explains, "He's my husband." Samson boggles, but agrees that Bert can tag along. Then Sabina is initiated into the cast with her first bit of awkward exposition, as she explains that she doesn't think the Daily Brothers burned down their own show: "There were a bald-headed fella nosin' around. Had a badge, but he weren't no cop."
Samson tells Ben about the Varlyn sighting. They figure Varlyn must be further up the road. Samson says, "If he gets to Scudder first, something tells me there ain't gonna be much of him left." Ben decides he'll make better time if he goes on alone, and meets up with the Carnivàle when they get to Damascus. After a moment, Samson nods and says he'll let Management know. Ben gets up, and then remembers that no one is immune from the need to occasionally ask leading questions in the service of exposition: he asks Samson why he's sure that Sabina is telling the truth. Well, because she has no motive to lie, and because the odds of her just happening to describe someone who looks just like Varlyn are pretty low? And then there's also Samson's answer: "We was married for nine years." Ooh, which episodes did that happen between?
Sofie's asleep in her trailer. Ben enters, kisses her cheek, and then stares at her a while to fill time.
Via binocular-cam, we watch Ben exit the trailer, run to his truck, and drive away. Up on a hill, Varlyn puts down the bionculars and chuckles, "Didn't I tell you boys that the best way to follow someone is to get ahead of them?" He turns back toward his car and then pauses to fan the air with his hat, sighing, "I got to get you two boys in a hole. You're stinking up the Dodge." In the back seat of the car are the corpses of the Daily brothers, naturally. Stroud gets in the car and shuts the door so that anyone who's still unclear about this can admire the sign on the door advertising the "Daily Brothers Amusementorium." I wish I were watching that show.
Casa de Creepy. Iris is chopping carrots while Justin reads the paper. Iris finally says, "How could you do that to me?" Justin calmly asks, "What, dear?" The conversation goes completely random as Iris says, "Penance." Justin says, "Only with sacrifice comes redemption." Are they talking to each other at all? As if to prove that we aren't supposed to understand this, Iris says something in what the captions identify as Russian. Justin snaps, "Mother is dead!" Is there anybody who still thinks this show is not all about relentlessly teasing the audience? I guess I could have tried to transcribe what Iris said, and then translate it, at least to get an idea. But you know what? I don't care. They don't want me to know, fine. Iris goes back to chopping.
Charlie salutes Samson as he drives off with the Fat Lady, the elephant, and a few carnies. The elephant is following the truck, not riding in it, just to be clear. Samson issues the dust-shaking order, and the rest of the caravan continues down the road.
As the trucks move on, we pan over to where Sofie is sitting in he shade under a tree. She watches the cars move on, wipes a tear from her cheek, and then gets up and starts to head back up the road. Aw, she's following the elephant.
time: Management is enigmatic, Justin insists he doesn't mean to be confrontational, and Ben enters a hotel room that just might contain Scudder.