Links, news, and Carnivale 2.7
Feb. 22nd, 2005 01:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakFirstly, DS9 fans, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
deborah_judge has started a work-in-progress about Winn, and the first two installments, one about her as a child and one set post-show, are excellent. Have a look and admire.
Secondly, as searose wrote yesterday, Joss Whedon will stay for another year with Astonishing X-Men. Which makes this fangirl very happy. Fondness for the movies and trying to catch up somewhat on comic lore not withstanding, I started to read the title because of Joss, and wasn’t sure I was going to continue without him. Of course now that he knows he’ll have another twelve issues he’ll probably leave us with some cliffhanger in the current storyline, the old sadist.
Thirdly, watched the latest Carnivale episode thanks tosmashsc.
Now this was unexpected. The actual, real, Henry Scudder turning up, that is. I was pretty sure they were going to tease us with him until the season finale. However, there he was, and Ben healing him provided another great and creepy demonstration of the cost of his power. It’s probably significant that this time, he didn’t even consider this, being utterly and completely focused on Scudder.
(I wonder why Justin was affected, though? Must be via his link to Stroud the investigating serial killer, as he wasn’t affected by Ben’s earlier healings. More about Justin in a moment.)
Scudder meeting Management/The Russian at last, and the fallout: pretty much settles, imo, that Scudder was the supposed champion of Darkness (but refused this) and the Russian was the champion of light. Which makes all kind of sense, since the first episode of the season told us Management knew about Ben but not about Justin, while Scudder is supposed to know about Justin but not where Ben was, and gave us the gospel-handover with the disciple saying that Justin would become the Prophet only after the current Usher, Scudder, had died. Which ties with Management transferring his powers to Ben in the very last moments through the handclasp, highlighted, literally, by the lights of the Carnivale returning.
What did surprise is that Management didn’t know a) Alexsej was alive, and b) the destined champion of darkness. Based on Justin’s flashbacks in season 1 where little Iris/Irina says their father is an evil man I had assumed the Russian had known b) and had tried to kill his son because of it. Anyway. The Russian being bereft of all limbs safe one arm also tied, not just with the carnivale theme – if you’ve watched Tod Browning’s Freaks which used genuine carnivale people from the 30s, one of them was a similarly crippled man – but with the WWI imagery. Loss of limbs as the result of a real war, not a metaphysical one. Ben killing management with his grandmother’s knife almost justified the over-the-top-ness of the Scudder clan three episodes back. The sacrificial aspect is there, but it also points to Ben’s increasing hardening, as did the way he healed Scudder. A knife is an unambivalent lethal weapon, and there were dozens of other ways he could have gotten the Russian (especially given the later’s state) away from Scudder.
It also ties with Justin’s vision of Ben knifing him. Speaking of Justin, his visions about himself have gotten progressively darker. From the mirror vision (Ben’s face emerging under his) to Ben killing him to Iris killing him. With the later vision being about the best mixture of the creepy and the black humour that Carnivale has come up with yet. Early on, when Iris takes over the measuring from the Chinese tailor, you can’t be sure this isn’t real, because she would, she so would. But the second, err, measuring, definitely makes it clear that this is a Justin fantasy, even before Iris’ face turns into Justin’s-as-a-corpse and she stabs him. It’s a sexual nightmare as much as a vision, and as I said, great black humour.
Though it does make me worry for Iris. I mean, I know Justin is for the chops in the finale. Evil must get defeated and all that. But I was hoping for the survival of at least one of my Siblings of Doom.
I also wonder whether this means Iris will indeed turn against Justin; assuming the Ben dream is prophetic like the rest of the visions, the Iris one almost has to be, too. Though as an experienced genre girl I know dreams can come true in unexpected ways. So far the only ways I can see Iris turn against Justin is if she either thinks she saves him this way (see also: killing children), or if she thinks he’s betraying her (though what constitutes betrayal for Iris, given that she was willing to go to prison if he wanted her to, I don’t know).
But she’s not a flee. Loved her scene with Norman. Who is on the way of recovering his mobility and will probably denounce Justin (and Iris, given he knows what she did for Justin?) at a crucial and heartbreaking moment in the future in front of the congregation. Last season, Justin asked Norman to kill him. This season, I’m guessing Norman will do it metaphorically. Especially since now Justin has cut ties with the established Methodist church and made the step to cult leader, with Norman being the sole preacher still on the inside.
I’m not sure whether I believe Libby/Jonesy as a genuine romance, as opposed to her acting on her issues with her mother and Sofie, but I did like the twin shot of the two of them when Rita Sue was talking about Sofie’s departure, because what Rita Sue said to Libby was of course true for both of them.
Otoh, Samson reading talking about poor innocent Sofie to Jonesy? Doesn’t exactly tie with the Sofie we know who is no damsel in distress and screwed up several relationships on her own, and gives me the unfortunate suspicion that she will become said damsel in distress for the showdown after all. Especially since the crazy maid subplot is back in the California scenes. This all looks suspiciously like Sofie becoming the next maid, and that tiring “saving her from a fate worse than death” cliché. Or maybe not. Sofie did vow to kill her father when she sees him. About the only thing she thinks she knows about her father is that he has the tree tattoo on his back. So does Justin (who isn’t her father and only aquired it very recently) now. There could be the irony of Sofie seeing Justin naked and reacting not by going mad, like the maids, but by making the attempt to kill him for the one thing he actually didn’t do.
Come to think of it… that whole insanity producing sex with maids subplot which annoyed me because it doesn’t tie with Justin’s first season characterisation at all started only after he got that tattoo. Which makes me wonder whether we’re supposed to assume the bearer of the tattoo/the Usher is always doing that, in which case Apollonia’s state would fit in with the maids. Ah well. Still not fond of that sub plot. Though I admit the scene with the ambulance departing as the bishop (?) was arriving was blackly humorous as well.
All in all, “Damascus” is a tightly written, good episode. The turning point for several people indeed – Ben kills his predecessor (and becomes the new Management, I wonder, in addition to the champion?), Justin cuts his ties to the established church, Management dies, and Scudder returns to his old identity. So who of them is the Saulus having become Paulus?
deborah_judge has started a work-in-progress about Winn, and the first two installments, one about her as a child and one set post-show, are excellent. Have a look and admire. Secondly, as searose wrote yesterday, Joss Whedon will stay for another year with Astonishing X-Men. Which makes this fangirl very happy. Fondness for the movies and trying to catch up somewhat on comic lore not withstanding, I started to read the title because of Joss, and wasn’t sure I was going to continue without him. Of course now that he knows he’ll have another twelve issues he’ll probably leave us with some cliffhanger in the current storyline, the old sadist.
Thirdly, watched the latest Carnivale episode thanks to
smashsc. Now this was unexpected. The actual, real, Henry Scudder turning up, that is. I was pretty sure they were going to tease us with him until the season finale. However, there he was, and Ben healing him provided another great and creepy demonstration of the cost of his power. It’s probably significant that this time, he didn’t even consider this, being utterly and completely focused on Scudder.
(I wonder why Justin was affected, though? Must be via his link to Stroud the investigating serial killer, as he wasn’t affected by Ben’s earlier healings. More about Justin in a moment.)
Scudder meeting Management/The Russian at last, and the fallout: pretty much settles, imo, that Scudder was the supposed champion of Darkness (but refused this) and the Russian was the champion of light. Which makes all kind of sense, since the first episode of the season told us Management knew about Ben but not about Justin, while Scudder is supposed to know about Justin but not where Ben was, and gave us the gospel-handover with the disciple saying that Justin would become the Prophet only after the current Usher, Scudder, had died. Which ties with Management transferring his powers to Ben in the very last moments through the handclasp, highlighted, literally, by the lights of the Carnivale returning.
What did surprise is that Management didn’t know a) Alexsej was alive, and b) the destined champion of darkness. Based on Justin’s flashbacks in season 1 where little Iris/Irina says their father is an evil man I had assumed the Russian had known b) and had tried to kill his son because of it. Anyway. The Russian being bereft of all limbs safe one arm also tied, not just with the carnivale theme – if you’ve watched Tod Browning’s Freaks which used genuine carnivale people from the 30s, one of them was a similarly crippled man – but with the WWI imagery. Loss of limbs as the result of a real war, not a metaphysical one. Ben killing management with his grandmother’s knife almost justified the over-the-top-ness of the Scudder clan three episodes back. The sacrificial aspect is there, but it also points to Ben’s increasing hardening, as did the way he healed Scudder. A knife is an unambivalent lethal weapon, and there were dozens of other ways he could have gotten the Russian (especially given the later’s state) away from Scudder.
It also ties with Justin’s vision of Ben knifing him. Speaking of Justin, his visions about himself have gotten progressively darker. From the mirror vision (Ben’s face emerging under his) to Ben killing him to Iris killing him. With the later vision being about the best mixture of the creepy and the black humour that Carnivale has come up with yet. Early on, when Iris takes over the measuring from the Chinese tailor, you can’t be sure this isn’t real, because she would, she so would. But the second, err, measuring, definitely makes it clear that this is a Justin fantasy, even before Iris’ face turns into Justin’s-as-a-corpse and she stabs him. It’s a sexual nightmare as much as a vision, and as I said, great black humour.
Though it does make me worry for Iris. I mean, I know Justin is for the chops in the finale. Evil must get defeated and all that. But I was hoping for the survival of at least one of my Siblings of Doom.
I also wonder whether this means Iris will indeed turn against Justin; assuming the Ben dream is prophetic like the rest of the visions, the Iris one almost has to be, too. Though as an experienced genre girl I know dreams can come true in unexpected ways. So far the only ways I can see Iris turn against Justin is if she either thinks she saves him this way (see also: killing children), or if she thinks he’s betraying her (though what constitutes betrayal for Iris, given that she was willing to go to prison if he wanted her to, I don’t know).
But she’s not a flee. Loved her scene with Norman. Who is on the way of recovering his mobility and will probably denounce Justin (and Iris, given he knows what she did for Justin?) at a crucial and heartbreaking moment in the future in front of the congregation. Last season, Justin asked Norman to kill him. This season, I’m guessing Norman will do it metaphorically. Especially since now Justin has cut ties with the established Methodist church and made the step to cult leader, with Norman being the sole preacher still on the inside.
I’m not sure whether I believe Libby/Jonesy as a genuine romance, as opposed to her acting on her issues with her mother and Sofie, but I did like the twin shot of the two of them when Rita Sue was talking about Sofie’s departure, because what Rita Sue said to Libby was of course true for both of them.
Otoh, Samson reading talking about poor innocent Sofie to Jonesy? Doesn’t exactly tie with the Sofie we know who is no damsel in distress and screwed up several relationships on her own, and gives me the unfortunate suspicion that she will become said damsel in distress for the showdown after all. Especially since the crazy maid subplot is back in the California scenes. This all looks suspiciously like Sofie becoming the next maid, and that tiring “saving her from a fate worse than death” cliché. Or maybe not. Sofie did vow to kill her father when she sees him. About the only thing she thinks she knows about her father is that he has the tree tattoo on his back. So does Justin (who isn’t her father and only aquired it very recently) now. There could be the irony of Sofie seeing Justin naked and reacting not by going mad, like the maids, but by making the attempt to kill him for the one thing he actually didn’t do.
Come to think of it… that whole insanity producing sex with maids subplot which annoyed me because it doesn’t tie with Justin’s first season characterisation at all started only after he got that tattoo. Which makes me wonder whether we’re supposed to assume the bearer of the tattoo/the Usher is always doing that, in which case Apollonia’s state would fit in with the maids. Ah well. Still not fond of that sub plot. Though I admit the scene with the ambulance departing as the bishop (?) was arriving was blackly humorous as well.
All in all, “Damascus” is a tightly written, good episode. The turning point for several people indeed – Ben kills his predecessor (and becomes the new Management, I wonder, in addition to the champion?), Justin cuts his ties to the established church, Management dies, and Scudder returns to his old identity. So who of them is the Saulus having become Paulus?
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no subject
Date: 2005-02-22 03:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-23 07:01 am (UTC)Finally saw the episode...
Date: 2005-02-23 05:34 am (UTC)It did occur to me watching, as a slightly random but potentially connected thought, that it would be a wonderful irony if Ben were to be the one to heal Balthus.
Re: Finally saw the episode...
Date: 2005-02-23 07:00 am (UTC)