Previously: Jonesy asked Ben to promise that he wouldn't do anything. Jonesy hasn't been watching the show, or he wouldn't need to ask.
Sofie carries the laundry basket into the yard of Casa de Creepy. Have you ever noticed how much laundry gets done on this show? And yet the people never get any cleaner. Sofie walks past the nearly dry clothes flapping in the early morning breeze. Hang on. She hangs the laundry out to dry overnight? I think this is our first clue that Sofie is, if not evil, mentally ill. Calliope music plays faintly in the distance, and Sofie wanders to the edge of the hill, where she gazes out at the Carnivle tents rising in the middle of a greenscreened Shantyville. Sofie turns to look back at Casa de Creepy, and sees Apollonia standing at an upstairs window. Sofie whispers, "No."
Sofie goes upstairs and sees a shadow pass the doorway of Brother Justin's bedroom. She hurries in, but instead of her mother's ghost, she just finds her father's tattoo. Justin's getting dressed in front of the mirror, and Sofie apologizes for bursting in as he quickly finishes buttoning up his cassock. Sofie turns to leave, but Justin asks her to do him a favor. He sits down with his back to her and holds up a straight razor as he explains, "There's a loose thread on the back of my collar. It's driving me mad." Sofie takes the razor, and Justin makes quite a show of pulling his collar back and angling his neck invitingly for her. Sofie finds the thread and slices it off, and then returns the razor to Justin. Once again, she's almost to the door before Justin calls her back again. Justin stands up and gets a dramatic sting on the soundtrack as he menacingly tells her, "You really should have knocked." As Sofie turns for the door a third time, it slams shut.
Management's trailer. Ben, Jonesy, and Samson are discussing Ben's aborted attack from the night. Ben insists that he could have killed Justin right there, but Jonesy says that one of Justin's guards would have killed him. So Jonesy's argument is that Ben should have waited for reinforcements, right? Someone to watch his back or maybe distract the guards? That all sounds reasonable. I just don't understand why Jonesy couldn't have done those things, since he was right there. I think Ben needs better sidekicks. Samson agrees that Ben's plan wasn't nearly complicated enough to ensure his escape. Ben snaps that he doesn't care if he dies, as long as Justin's dead. Really? Does he hate Justin as a person, because Justin killed his dad? His dad that he didn't know at all? Or is this part of his getting boonified and finally knowing what's going on? This is my problem with Ben: his motives and his feelings are even less clear than Justin's.
“ Samson suggests that when they called for Jesus to come down off the cross, he should have 'come on down and spit right in their eye.' Ben says, 'That's about the dumbest thing I ever heard.' Remember, this is set before the internet. ”
Where were we? Samson takes offense at Ben's kamikaze impulses, and huffs, "Management, you, Jesus, John the Baptist, the whole bunch of you! All fired up to throw your lives away!" Ben says, "They did what they had to do." Samson asks, "You think the Lord had to die to make his point?" Er. I had the impression it was sort of key, but then again, this is not my field of expertise. Samson suggests that when they called for Jesus to come down off the cross, he should have "come on down and spit right in their eye." Ben says, "That's about the dumbest thing I ever heard." Remember, this is set before the internet. Samson says, "The dumbest thing is dying when you ain't gotta. Dying just 'cause you're piss-poor at living." He tries to coin an aphorism: "When it comes to living, dying is the easy part." Ben doesn't answer, which is probably wise. Jonesy brings an end to the heady philosophical conversation by bringing up Sofie. He claims that if Ben had killed Justin the night, then Justin's followers would have come after Ben, and Sofie would wind up getting hurt protecting Ben. Are these arguments supposed to convince anyone? Ben thinks Sofie would have reacted a little differently: "She's all full up and goo-goo-eyed with the Lord." Hee. Jonesy and Samson insist that Sofie wouldn't betray them, and she certainly wouldn't ever turn all evil and black-eyed and shoot someone. Just as a hypothetical example. And then, having established that for us so that we'll be really surprised later, Samson and Jonesy start to head outside. Ben asks if Jonesy's going to put his leg-brace back on, but Samson says, "They already know."
Ben steps out of the trailer and finds most of the Carnivle standing around, waiting to gaze at him adoringly. Hi, Gabe! Jonesy starts to lead Ben through the crowd, and Rita Sue takes Ben's hands and looks around. She makes a little speech about how grateful everyone is to Ben for healing Jonesy. She concludes, "You're a good boy, Ben Hawkins," and kisses his cheek. Ben moves on, and pauses as Ruthie takes his arm and kisses his other cheek. The camera slides over to the chow tent, where Lila and Burley are sitting. Lila grumbles, "That look like justice to you?" Burley tells her to dry up, and stomps off. Lila slams her fan angrily against the table. And so concludes Lila's epic quest for revenge. It was certainly worth all the time they spent on it.
Casa de Creepy. Sofie backs away from Justin, who asks her if Ben is with the Carnivle. Sofie plays dumb for a while, and Justin eventually guesses that Sofie was in the Carnivle, too: "You're one of them." Sofie says, "Not anymore." Justin tells her that she's a prisoner of her past, and that he can set her free: "It is time to choose, Sofie." She doesn't answer, and a black-eyed Justin snaps, "Tell me!" and grabs her by the shoulders. Sofie nervously says, "Go to hell!" Justin replies, "'Go'? Why? I plan on bringing it here." Well, I guess that works, too.
“ I miss the days when I thought this was something more complex than another battle between dopey- but-good and powerful- yet-poorly- motivated evil. If I wanted to see that, I'd watch the movies with all the fucking elves. ”
Apparently, Samson led Ben out of the trailer so that they could go to the Cooch Tent and then continue their conversation. Why exactly they had to relocate will remain one of the many mysteries of Carnivle. Samson points out that people are following Justin just because he talks pretty, but that if they knew what Ben could do, they'd follow him instead. Samson proposes that they do the healing act from Tipton again, and "beat that black-hearted bastard at his own game." Does Samson know of anything evil that Justin's done? I guess there's killing Scudder. Who was creepy and caused trouble everywhere he went. I miss the days when I thought this was something more complex than another battle between dopey-but-good and powerful-yet-poorly-motivated evil. If I wanted to see that, I'd watch the movies with all the fucking elves. Even all of the extended editions put together would be shorter than this show. Ben asks how it'll help to do a bunch of fake healings. Oh, Ben. You seemed to be improving for a while. Samson laughs, "Who said anything about fake?" Ben doesn't like the idea, and is forced to explain that in order to give life, he has to take it from somewhere. Samson ponders that.
Jonesy swings open a car on the ferris wheel and says, "Welcome aboard, Brother Justin." Samson turns to Ben and explains the plan: "Jonesy locks him in, fires her up, and spins him around. Meanwhile, you commence to healing." So, while Justin's trapped nearby, Ben heals a mess of people using Justin's life force or whatever. Libby strolls by and says, "Poor Brother Justin. Must have had a bad ticker or something." Samson figures that Justin will seem to have died of natural causes, so no one will blame the Carnivle and cause trouble. Ben agrees to give it a whirl (get it?), and Jonesy observes, "There's still Sofie." Libby looks grumpy as Samson insists that they'll find Sofie. Ben asks, "What if the preacher don't want to ride?" Samson says he'll take care of that.
A car pulls up at Shack de Creepy. Varlyn gets out, and pulls a bound and struggling Sofie out of the back seat. He swats her once, and then carries her up to the shack.
Inside, Varlyn tosses Sofie to the floor and leaves, locking the door behind him. Sofie rolls over, and hears Apollonia laughing. Sofie looks up and gasps, "Mama?"
Jonesy strolls across camp and enters his tent, where Libby is doing some mending. Jonesy's all smiles until he notices that Libby's looking rather sulky. He asks what's wrong, but Libby doesn't want to talk about it, so then he nags her and she resists and this kills a minute or two. Suddenly, Jonesy smirks, "It's about Sofie, ain't it?" Libby huffs, "Goddammit!" Heh. Jonesy laughs giddily and declares, "That's the first time I ever guessed what was on a woman's mind and got it right." Libby figures this means she's boring, but Jonesy goes on grinning and tells that it's a good thing, because he always knows where he stands with her. He reassures her that she's not boring, and sits to her on the bed. Libby asks if Jonesy is "still sweet on [Sofie]." Jonesy says that he isn't. Libby asks if Jonesy loves her, and he says that he does. "You better," Libby whispers, and they kiss. The actors are very good. It's a cute scene. I especially like how, even though they're in a tent, you can still see the vultures circling over Jonesy's head.
Casa de Creepy. Iris feeds Balthus in the dining room. Does she know where Sofie is? Is she curious about it at all? Or is she busy with her monologue? Let's listen and find out. She asks Balthus, "What if you hadn't found us, that night on the road?" Well, that answers that question. Iris says that she thought she and Justin were children of God. She ruefully says, "I wish I had made better decisions." Hee. She mentions the orphans and Eleanor, and says that she is beyond redemption. She smiles and kisses Balthus chastely before announcing, "When I die, I'm going to hell. And if I am very, very fortunate, my brother will be waiting for me with an embrace." Excellent line. Excellent character moment. And that's what frustrates me so much. I feel like Iris has been one of the most interesting characters for a long time because everything she does is motivated by her love for her brother, and by her faith. And her problem is that those two things conflict. It's interesting, but it's simple. The only thing I know about Ben's feelings is that he likes Sofie, and I've got no idea why that is. I wouldn't mind so much if not for the fact that he's the main character. It's very weird when the secondary characters are more three-dimensional than the leads, you know?
Iris's meditations are interrupted by a knock at the door. She opens it to a delegation of carnies. Samson explains, "We come about the...'honorarium.'" Along with him are Sabina, Bert, and Rollo the Rubber Boy. So Sabina was around for Lila's rebellion last week, and just didn't feel like getting involved? Okay. Sabina is holding a leash attached to a collar around Rollo's neck, and he's walking around on all fours. Well, not all fours like you or I would; he bends his elbows backwards and I'd try to describe the rest of it but that part alone makes me dizzy. Iris smiles and invites everyone into the parlor. As they pass through the door, she smiles and greets each of them, and then closes the door, makes a "Oh my lord" face, and then puts her happy-hostess face back on. Heh.
The delegation sits in the parlor with Balthus. Glasses of lemonade sit on the table, along with a plate of cookies. Awkward silence ensues as they wait for Iris to return. Herb looks at Balthus and whispers, "Poor bastard." Iris comes into the room and hands Samson $250, which is apparently "the amount we agreed upon" in some scene that we didn't see. She starts to tell the carnies how excited everyone is about the show when Brother Justin marches in, calling for her. Upon entering the room, he halts and looks baffled. Iris introduces the carnies, and Samson says it's an honor to meet Justin. He claims that the carnies have all listened to his show and found it very inspiring: "In a way, you and me are in the same business." Justin says, "Is that a fact?" and tries to look charmed. Samson reaches out to shake Justin's hand, but then Varlyn enters with a rifle over his shoulder. Varlyn eyes the guests and chuckles, "I'll be damned." Samson grumps, "I believe we've met on the road." Justin and Iris look tense as Samson asks if Varlyn remembers Sabina, and pointedly mentions that the Daily Brothers circus is "recently defunct." Varlyn says that's a shame. Justin happily says that it's "an amazing coincidence" that Varlyn and Samson have met before. Samson agrees: "Small world." Justin says, "Getting smaller all the time." He crouches down to face Samson, and mentions that Samson might know their maid, too. He mentions Sofie's name, and Iris and Varlyn watch closely until Samson says, "It doesn't ring a bell." Samson says that they should get going. He thanks Iris again, and they all head for the door. Samson stops and gasps, "I almost forgot..." He puts some tickets into Rollo's mouth, and Rollo walks back toward Justin, still on all fours. Samson explains that he's giving them two free tickets to ride the ferris wheel. Iris immediately protests, and Justin chuckles, "It's just a child's ride." Justin explains to Samson that Iris is afraid of heights. She is? Justin adds, "Of course, I would --" but Samson is already calling Rollo back before Justin can grab the tickets. Samson takes the tickets back from Rollo and removes his hat before saying, "My apologies, Miss Iris. I did not mean to upset you." He says goodbye, and they all troop out.
“ Jonesy and Samson bicker about the situation until Ben snaps, 'Shut up, the both of you. I'm trying to think.' Hee. Tee hee hee. Also: snicker. ”
Outside, Sabina asks Samson why he took the tickets back when Justin was about to accept them. Samson smugs, "I just made sure he insist on 'em." Sabina's confused, and I doubt she's any less confused when Samson adds, "Snips and snails, m'dear."
Management's trailer. Ben, Jonesy, and Samson are having another conference. Ben's shocked to hear that Justin knows Sofie was part of the Carnivle, and confirms that there was no sign of her in Casa de Creepy. Jonesy suggests that she was out running errands, but Samson says he's had Osgood watching the road. Jonesy grumbles that they'll never be able to search all of Shantyville for her, and he and Samson bicker about the situation until Ben snaps, "Shut up, the both of you. I'm trying to think." Hee. Tee hee hee. Also: snicker. Ben figures that Justin's got Sofie hidden somewhere so that he can use her "like a hole card." He adds, "The sumbitch'll be dead before he gets to play it." Samson asks what they should do, and Ben says they'll have to forget about her: "Once the shoutin's over, then we track her down." Jonesy frets, "What if she's dead?" Then it's too late to worry about it, really. Ben says, "If she's dead, then God help them all in this valley. Every single last one of 'em." Well, you'll only have to kill one of them to bring her back, Ben.
Shack de Creepy. Sofie is screaming for help and throwing her shoulder against the door. Which is mostly funny because, judging by all the sunlight coming through the cracks in the wallboards, she'd have better luck breaking through almost anywhere besides the door. She gives up on the door and screams some more. She's pretty good at screaming. Then Sofie kneels down on the floor and cries while the music alerts us to impending spookiness. The camera swings over her and around, and the walls shift as there's a knock at the door. Sofie stands up as Justin says, "Open the door, Apollonia."
We see a door open; Apollonia peeks out and asks, "What are you doing here? I told you to leave me alone." Justin, still off-screen, yells, "Let me in!" Apollonia jumps back as Justin smashes the door open and walks into apartment, and closes the door behind him.
Sofie stares. We get a rapetastic blipvert montage of doom. First, the same rape scene that Iris saw, complete with Iris still standing in the shot. Justin bends Apollonia over the dining table. Then we get Sofie's vision of her mother getting raped by the tattooed man. Then black-eyed Justin jumps into the camera shouting, "Tell me!" Then Ben's glimpse of the Usher walking a mile in Sofie's shoes. Apollonia slaps Sofie; Sofie slaps Apollonia. A Mason tells Sofie, "Every prophet in her house." Justin and Sofie pray together. Sofie and Libby have imaginary sex. Sofie and Ben have uncomfortable sex. Justin kisses Sofie. Ruthie sees Apollonia in a field. Young Sofie says, "Every prophet in her house." Rape-o-vision. Lodz says, "It can't be her!" Apollonia tries to kill Sofie.