CS Daily Archive > DVD of the Day > 12/10/04

Something Wicked This Way Comes

by jason davis

HBO's admonishment that "It's not TV, it's HBO" couldn't be more accurate in assessing a series that takes place in a unique setting, at an eccentric pace, with a remarkable sense of foreboding and a penchant for unanswered questions. Take a ride on the merry-go- round and hang on for your life as this Biblical battle between good and evil slowly engages its sinister story.

Carnivàle: The Complete First Season

Daniel Knauf, Ronald D. Moore, Henry Bromell, William Schmidt, Dawn Prestwich & Nicole Yorkin, and Toni Graphia
Created by Daniel Knauf

Ben Hawkins (Nick Stahl) escaped from the chain gang in time to watch his mother die cursing him. As the bank prepares to demolish his house while he buries his ma, a traveling carnival comes out of the Dust Bowl to offer him a strange new life on the road. Meanwhile, in California, Brother Justin Crowe (Clancy Brown), a Methodist minister, begins to experience supernatural power over members of his congregation -- a thief vomits money and a pederast sees images of his evil acts. Vanishing into the wilderness in an effort to hear God's voice, Brother Justin is unaware that his unsettling dreams are shared by Hawkins half a continent away as he learns, under the tutelage of the sinister seer Professor Lodz (Patrick Bauchau), that he has the power to resurrect -- and to kill.

In a television universe where doctors, lawyers, and cops are de rigueur, anything that steps outside these well-walked genres is something to get excited about. A series that takes the added step of stepping out of contemporary settings and exploring an interesting and little explored (unless Steinbeck is involved) era of American history through the eyes of sideshow freaks and an evangelical minister is to be applauded for tilling new soil. That these characters are archetypal cannot be denied, but when Knauf's writing staff plays against the archetypes, the audience gets a real surprise or two. In considering characters, it should be noted that, thus far, the series has offered two casts: the carnies and Brother Justin's flock. Neither side has crossed paths with the other save for the shared dreams of Hawkins and Crowe (birds of a feather?), themselves avatars of the forces of good and evil (respectively?). The writers tell the audience that both men are of a kind, but their nature is only obtusely examined through scenes where others discuss them. This third-hand exposition makes the show's characters the veil through which the audience experiences the events and thus clouds the reality of the series with half-truths and lies.

While the depiction of character is a foremost accomplishment, the show's slow, deliberate, and deeply moody pace is another departure form the norm. Unlike network television, which must get the action going and build to forced climaxes for every ad break, the pay cable medium affords much more latitude in structure. There's no particular need to toy with false suspense since each episode is more like a chapter in a book than an installment of an ongoing story. In this way, the break between episodes seems almost arbitrary in some cases, and one feels that the whole 12-hour run could be seamlessly edited together. This disregard for traditional televisual values even extends to a flat refusal to tidy up the unanswered questions posed by the end of the year. There is a confidence in the writing that assures the viewer that all matters will be attended to, but it will happen in the show's time, not the audience's.

- Commentary on "Milfay" by writer Daniel Knauf, director Rodrigo Garcia, and executive producer Howard Klein
- Commentary on "After the Ball is Over" by co-writer Daniel Knauf, director Jeremy Podeswa, and executive producer Howard Klein
- Commentary on "Hot and Bothered" by director Jeremy Podeswa and executive producers Howard Klein and Daniel Knauf
- The Making of "Carnivàle"
- Museum of Television Carnivàle seminar

Creator Daniel Knauf and his collaborators offer informative looks at the evolution of the Carnivàle concept from a spec feature by Knauf to an HBO series following in the wake of the network's success with innovative dramas like The Sopranos and Six Feet Under. Much is discussed of the show's carnival advisors and their input and influence in the creation of stories for the show. Aside from the obvious chat over the pilot, the other two episodes seem peculiar choices for commentary since the mid-season stunner "Babylon" and the climactic "The Day that Was the Day" both feature more meaty material. Still, the nearly one-hour Museum of Television seminar featuring almost the entire cast, creator Daniel Knauf, executive producer Howard Klein, and the HBO programming executive responsible for commissioning the series is worth the investment in time as the creators of the series discuss in detail the style and content of the show and how it differs from everything else in the market.

With its utter apathy toward the standard "rules" of the television, some might suggest that Carnivàle is an exercise in rebellion, but the bottom line is that this irreverent take on the medium is wrapped around a cracking good story of good versus evil in a time when the world was more innocent and even more strange.

Carnivàle: The Complete First Season
Warner Home Video
Not rated; 720 min.
$99.98

Buy it now

At the age of 21, Jason Davis was hit in the face with a car. He has since devoted his life to writing. His words have appeared on TBS, MSN.com, and CS Daily, where he serves as DVD Coordinator. He lives in Burbank.

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