Hey there, During the course of the auction last month, Dan Knauf sent me a document that he said I could share with all of you -- an original "Pitch Document" or Summary for Carnivale's first season. This one was written AFTER the Pilot Summary we sold in the auction, and therefore includes some of the changes made AFTER the pilot was re-written and includes first season episode summaries, as well. Unfortunately, this document also contained the same Carnivale biographies that we were selling in the auction, and it seemed unfair to publish those, knowing that one of the fans was in the process of paying a lot of money to a charity to purchase those. So, instead of publishing everything, including the character bios, I'm going to go ahead and post the individual pieces parts of the Pitch Summary itself (WITHOUT the bios), and we can all take our time to discuss the revelations contained within. PLEASE NOTE: There are some rather interesting changes that were made to the story between this pitch being given over to the powers- that-be at the network and the actual finished First Season episodes making it on the air. Some of these changes we've been told about both in public posts and panels, and in private conversations at CarnyCon and elsewhere. Apparently, some things just couldn't be made to work, while other things metamorphasized as the story went along or grew in new directions from where they originally started out. As Dan has said, sometimes he doesn't know that he's going to do something until he writes it -- for example, having Sophie shoot Jonesy at the end of the New Canaan episode. Even HE didn't see that one coming. In other words, how or why some of these changes came about is anyone's guess. There are probably a myriad of reasons, and only DK would know for sure. But there are some changes here for everyone to enjoy, so don't be too surprised! At any rate, here is Part I in a series from Dan's Pitch Document Summary. Enjoy! -- Beth *************************************** CARNIVALE'S BACKSTORY & MYTHOLOGY I. BELYAKOV Lucius Belyakov, an Avatar of Light, remained unaware of his abilities until the birth of his son, Justin (Alexei). A Russian aristocrat and officer in the Czar's army, he was plagued by dreams and premonitions of Alexei's true nature and destiny as an Avatar of Darkness. When Alexei was two, Belykov attempted to kill him, stopped by his wife, Plemina, and daughter, Iris. After his wife and children fled Russia in terror, Belyakov suffered a complete nervous breakdown and was isolated by his family to their ancestral estate outside Minsk, tended by private nurses and a psychiatrist. As is common with mothers of Avatara, the final trimester of Plemina's pregnancy saw the onset of mental illness that plagued her for the rest of her life—in her case, chronic paranoid schizophrenia. Her condition was exacerbated by the attack on her son and their subsequent escape. She indoctrinated Iris to believe that her father had an army of assassins tracking them down with the sole intent of killing Justin. It would fall to Iris to protect her brother and nurture him to fulfill his destiny as a great warrior and leader of men. Plemina brought her children to America, never staying in one place longer than a few months, living off the proceeds from the sale of jewelry she secreted away when they fled. When Justin was four, the family was en-route to California when, during a storm, a trestle was washed away and their train plunged into a river, killing all aboard except for Justin and Iris. Convinced the tragedy was a deliberate act by her father's "assassins," Iris led Justin downstream through the wilderness, careful to hide by day, hoping they would be rescued by the "Man of God" her mother predicted would protect them. There, they stumbled across an injured man, the only other survivor of the train-crash. Thinking him to be one of their father's agents (her erroneous assumption bolstered by the man's fluency in Russian), they held him captive, questioning him to assess the threat and proximity of his "confederates." When the man overpowered Iris and threatened her, Justin used his incipient power to snap the man's neck, the first and only time he asserted his will as an Avatar until the beginning of our story in 1934. Subsequently, this traumatic event was sublimated and forgotten by Justin, but not by Iris. The children were later rescued by a young Methodist minister, Rev. Norman Balthus, and raised under his care in a church orphanage. ******************************* PART II. SCUDDER Meanwhile, their father, Lucius Belyakov, slowly recovered from his breakdown, piecing his former life together and returning to his post in the army. Eventually, he received word that Plemina and his two children had perished in a train-crash in faraway America. Never remarrying, he devoted himself to his duties as an officer. Popular among his men, he was one of the few commanders who weathered the revolution, retaining a post under the Red Star of Leninist Russia, albeit with a reduction in rank and the loss of his family's lands and possessions. At the commencement of WWI, while entrenched in the battlefields of Eastern Europe, Lucius again began suffering from visions and dark hallucinations manifested by the proximity of his spiritual nemesis, a young American expatriate, Henry (Hack) Scudder. A habitual petty criminal, Scudder had joined the French Foreign Legion to escape prosecution in the United States. Expecting a post in North Africa during a period of relative peace and prosperity, Scudder found himself, to his horror, assigned to a unit in the trenches of the Eastern Front. There he focused his energy on shirking his duty, avoiding the front lines, plundering casualties (enemy and friendly alike) and evading detection by his superiors. Prompted by obsession, Lucius deserted his post to seek out his enemy and kill him. As others fought the temporal war, so Lucius took it upon himself to stalk and destroy the Dark Avatar who haunted his dreams and visions, the man named Henry Scudder. He finally found him cowering in a trench outside Lemsberg. As he raised his rifle, he heard a roar and was surprised by an escaped circus-bear feeding on the dead nearby. He was savagely attacked while Scudder made his escape. Stumbling through no-man's land, Scudder ran into Ernst Lodz, a carnival-performer, searching for his bear, Bruno. The troupe had inadvertently wandered afield and found itself flanked between opposing armies. They made their way back to the caravan, where Scudder stripped off his uniform and finally made good his desertion from the Legion. As an Avatar (even one as errant and cowardly as himself), Scudder demonstrated a number of undeveloped supernatural abilities, among which was the capacity to peer into other's minds and pluck their darkest secrets. He was also able on occasion to bend others to his will. Lodz recognized and cultivated Scudder's talent, and they left the troupe to travel together as a team, performing in the decadent salons of war-torn Europe, soaking their prized marks through chicanery and blackmail. PART III. THE AVATARA Meanwhile, Lucius Belyakov slowly recovered. His wounds were terrible—the loss of both legs and an arm as well as severe disfigurement as a result of the attack. If he had been a mere mortal, he would've died from his injuries, but as an Avatar, he was able to direct his formidable will and abilities toward sustaining himself on this plane, obsessed with the righting of his failure. He devoted himself to the study of arcane and forbidden manuscripts, bent on learning everything he could about his true nature and destiny. His studies taught him that, to each generation, there was born two Avatars (literal translation: "God made flesh"), one whose nature was evil, the other, good. This base nature was informed—and sometimes mitigated—by human free will. If an Avatar was dedicated to developing and mastering his power, he could direct it with the precision of a scalpel. Such was the case with many of the Prophets, with Buddha, Jesus and Mohammed, with Caligula and Vlad Dracul. However, it was far more common for the Avatar to live in ignorance and fear of his abilities, to never realize his potential. Such a man would move through life, the unwitting instrument of evil or good, depending on his nature. Great fortune or misfortune would follow him and those he loved or touched. Undirected, aimless, their powers would grow fallow and atrophy. Such men often led lives of desperation and madness, haunted by dreams and vision of a destiny denied. Blood plays a role in the creation of an Avatar. The infamous Borgias are but one example. The mantle usually passes from father to first-born son. The psychic trauma of carrying such a creature to term always resulted in severe physical or mental damage to the mother, sometimes both, often death. Finally, though Avatara beget Avatara, the base nature of each is determined at random. A creature of Darkness may father a creature of Light and vice-versa. Whether their power is realized or unrealized, the lives of most Avatars are short and brutal, usually ending in violence at the hands of their fellow men. Because of their true nature, they are recognized as "other," and this xenophobic fear often results in their destruction. Therefore, it is not uncommon for Avatara bloodlines to see abrupt annihilation. When this occurs, the mantle is passed on in what appears to be random selection. A child is born with the mark, good or evil, and a new bloodline is begun. Like talent, the powers of an Avatar vary. Some may be able to transmute matter, some manipulate life-force, some can see into the souls of other men and bend them to his will, some may be able break free of their prisons of flesh, their spirits traveling great distances. Some manifest more than one of these abilities. And, again like talent, the strength of an Avatar's power can be extensive or limited. In other words, each Avatar is an individual, some strong, some weak, some focused, some scattered. Though their powers vary, there is one point they have in common: all Avatars have visions of the past, present and future, sometimes literal, sometimes symbolic. This is a plane of pure truth, accessible by birthright to the Avatara, and, on a limited and imperfect basis, to a few enlightened mortals through rigorous study and practice. A fully developed Avatar can read the entirety of man's existence, from beginning to end, as easily as a mortal man would read a novel. He can transmit these visions to others through dreams. Though he has access to the whole truth, he can selectively choose, edit and twist the content to manipulate mortals to do his bidding. Though Avatara have access to great wisdom, all share a common blindness: unless in close physical proximity, an Avatar cannot detect or identify his opposite beyond sensing his existence. The Avatar reveals himself to his opposite when he draws upon his power. This is evidenced by physical weakening or pain and a powerful feeling of dread, and may be accompanied by visions or dreams of the opposing Avatar. He can, however, detect the existence of an Avatar of like kind, and is capable of locating him over great distances with an astonishing degree of accuracy. When an Avatar exercises his power his opposite can sense it, often manifesting itself as physical or psychological distress. The duty of the Avatar is to acknowledge and submit to his nature, to develop his power(s) to the best of his ability and to use it to realize his destiny as a link in the chain to mankind's Nirvana or Armageddon. This may involve the detection and destruction of his opposite, as in the case of Lucius Belyakov. More often, however, it entails inspiring others to rise up and embrace or repel the evil that is man's true nature. PART IV. PURSUIT Belyakov's studies led him to realize not only what he was, but also how thoroughly fate had compromised him. Only through an iron will and every fiber of his Avataric powers had he survived the bear attack. His body was a frail, misshapen cage. He was subject to the ceaseless pull of the light beyond the veil of mortal existence. As a man fights the inexorable current of the tide, so had he battled death's relentless pull. And like that man, he knew that his efforts would eventually be vain, that he would inevitably weaken and die. Consequently, over the next decade, Belyakov was able to do little more than track Scudder's movements. To destroy him or—more importantly—to use him to identify any other living Avatars of Darkness, would necessitate the assistance of another Avatar. His predecessor (the mad monk, Rasputin), had been murdered years prior, and Belyakov's own son was long dead. Therefore, the ascendant Avatar would not be born by sanguinity, but by random, and his presence had thus far not been revealed. So it was that Belyakov, using private investigators and his contacts in the Russian émigré community, tracked Lodz and Scudder as they made their larcenous tour of Europe, fleecing and extorting the rich, the famous and the well-born. Well acquainted with the arcane arts, Lodz had trained Scudder, helping him develop his abilities as a mentalist and healer. It didn't take him long to realize that he and Scudder had only begun to scratch the surface. Why, after all, play to Kings when they could be the Kings. Meanwhile, Scudder gradually became aware of his adversary's pursuit, suffering dreams and disturbing visions whenever Lodz drew close. He insisted on remaining in hiding, fleeing cities just as they were beginning to establish themselves. To quell his paranoia, he turned to chemicals, cloaking his fearsome visions behind a thick blanket of alcohol and morphine. Soon, Lodz became impatient with Scudder, angry at his "eccentricities." When Scudder finally decided to end their partnership and flee to America, Lodz exploded. "You fool," he roared, shaking his drunken partner like a rag-doll, "What I wouldn't give for only a small measure of the power you possess!" In that one heated moment, Scudder gifted Lodz with his mind- reading ability, taking in exchange his sense of sight. Several months later, in a dank Venetian alley, Belyakov located the once proud, handsome Professor Lodz: blind, broken-down and acutely absinthe-addicted. The exchange of sight for inner-sight had forged a bond between Lodz and Scudder, a bond that gave Lodz a unique ability: to intuitively track Scudder from afar. Lucius, in desperate need of such a human bloodhound, promised to restore Lodz's sight if he helped find Scudder. And so the two formed an uneasy alliance to track down and destroy the devil who was, even at that moment, settling into contented domestic bliss on a small Oklahoma farm. ***************************************** PART V. JUSTIN AND IRIS Raised in a church orphanage, Justin demonstrated an uncanny talent for memorizing and interpreting scripture. At 17, with the encouragement and financial support of his surrogate parents, Rev. Norman Balthus and his wife, Clara, he left to attend seminary in Kansas City, MO, accompanied by his sister, Iris, who took a job in a the typing pool at H.K. Sloan & Co, a local manufacturing concern. In his first year, Clara Balthus was diagnosed with stomach cancer and Iris returned to assist Norman in caring for her during her protracted illness. Separated from his sister for the first (and only) time in his life, depressed by his foster-mother's illness and stressed by academic demands, Justin began skipping classes, spending ever more time exploring the tenderloin district. There, he was vicariously excited by the tawdry pleasures available to "sporting men"—liquor, gambling and rampant prostitution. Upon word of Clara Balthus' death, Justin began sampling these pleasures himself, his brief, manic fall from grace culminating in a month-long binge. One night, drunk, seething with anger and lonely for company, he was drawn to a sign outside a row of tenements advertising "Palmistry and Fortunes Told." He entered the brownstone and there met Apollonia, a young Gypsy. Enchanted by her beauty, he agreed to a sitting, hoping the stories he'd heard of loose Gypsy trollops was true. ****************************** PART VI. APOLLONIA AND SOFIE For her part, Apollonia found the seminarian attractive, flirting with him as she drew his Tarot cards, ultimately seducing him into her bed. An inebriated Justin later staggered out into the night, continuing his binge until a week later—sleeping in a gutter, battered and stripped of his valuables—he was found by his sister, Iris. Together, they returned to California where Justin resumed his studies at the Woolson Seminary in Oakland. Apollonia, meanwhile, is pregnant with Justin's child. In the final trimester, she begins suffering from hallucinations and visions. Her health fails, and the trauma of the birth renders her catatonic. The baby is a girl—the first female Avatar, the prophesied Omega, the Destroyer, sometimes called the antichrist. Apollonia names her Sofie. She commits herself to avert her daughter's destiny. A psychic bond was forged between mother and child during the pregnancy, and Apollonia will use it to shield her daughter from self-knowledge. She will build a psychic fortress around her precious child, impenetrable by evil, keeping the demons at bay with every ounce of her power. PART VII. SCUDDER AND FLORA HAWKINS Upon his arrival in America, Scudder had set out West, intent on escaping the nightmare existence he left behind in Europe. He found himself in Milfay, Oklahoma, where he met a local girl, Flora Hawkins. The two fell in love and married, Scudder using the last of his ill-gotten fortune to purchase a small piece of land the young couple christened "Big Sky Farms." For an all-too-brief period, Scudder experienced the joy of simple love and the fruits of honest labor. Flora soon became pregnant with their first child, a boy to be called Ben. As is common in women who carry an Avatar to term, Flora began to slowly lose her mind, her delusions manifesting in a twisted obsession with Christian theology. She became convinced that her husband was in league with Satan, and that the child she bore would, without fervent prayer and discipline, grow up to become the antichrist. Scudder watched helplessly as the bright, healthy, clever woman he married slowly shriveled into a fearful, ranting hag. Again, he turned to drink, letting their fields go untended, the crops withering under a relentless sun. Bad turned to worse when he began again feeling the cold shadow of pursuit, the sickening presence of the unnamed nemesis he'd evaded in Europe. One night, without as much as leaving a note, he fled his mad wife and their infant son, abandoned his rotting fields to escape his pursuer. For, indeed, Belyakov and Lodz had arrived in America, and were even then scouring the cities and towns for a man named Scudder. For his part, Scudder traveled aimlessly throughout the country, misfortune hard on his heels. As he descended into chronic alcoholism, he lost the small measure of control over his power he'd attained under Lodz's tutelage. Tragedies, small and large, seemed to dog anyone he came in contact with, culminating in the cave-in at the Esmeralda Lode in Babylon, Texas, and the strange curse that lay upon the land and those who died there. As noted before, the Avatar in control of his power can wield it with surgical precision while the one who lacks discipline is doomed to discharge it with the random fury of a bomb. Such was the case with Scudder. PART VIII. CARNIVÁLE Seeking the familiar anonymity afforded by the life of an itinerant carny, Scudder joined the Hyde & Teller Company, a small carnival working the southeastern circuit. There he came in brief contact with Samson and a handful of our regulars, including Clayton Jones and Possum, Lila, Ruthie and Gabriel. After traveling under their banner as a sideshow geek for just under a year, he sensed danger and once more fled, again for good reason, for even then Lucius Belyakov had located him through Lodz and was negotiating the purchase of the Hyde & Teller Company from their owners back east. Scudder was long-gone by the time Lodz and Belyakov arrived to assume control of the show. Lucius assumed the title of "Management," shuttered inside a trailer away from prying eyes, using Lodz as a go- between to deliver his orders to the troupe. It was an odd arrangement to be sure, but carnies are used to such eccentricities. Changing the name of the troupe to "Carnivále," they prospered even as they provided a cover for Lucius to travel and pursue Scudder in anonymity. By now, Lucius sensed the arrival of his Ascendant with the birth of Ben Hawkins. Never having learned to fully trust Lodz, Lucius kept this knowledge a secret, biding his time until the boy attained adulthood. In the meantime, they continued their pursuit of Scudder, who they finally located in St. Louis. Lucius dispatched Lodz and a handful of hired thugs to apprehend him, but Lodz failed, allowing Scudder to be spirited away by agents of the Order Templar. IX. THE ORDER TEMPLAR The Templars, a fraternity of fellow travelers, are a contemporary offshoot of an ancient order of warriormonks originally charged by the Roman Catholic Church with locating and aiding the Avatara. At the end of the 14th century, the order was unjustly accused en masse of heresy, most of its members arrested, tortured and burned at the stake. The few survivors of the inquisition went into hiding, bonding together as a secret society, their safety assured by blood-oaths, cemented by arcane rituals. Over the centuries the Order Templar gradually evolved into a Fraternal Lodge, its holy mission forgotten by all but a select few. By the time of our story, the organization was largely a social club devoted to "community service," its "Temples" providing its members— mostly middle-class merchants and businessmen—with an open bar, companionship, card-games and a welcome respite from their wives and children. However, there still existed in its membership an inner-circle— powerful industrialists, politicians and intellectuals—that covertly carried on the original mission of the Order, seeking out and identifying latterday Avatara, ascertaining their base nature, aiding those of Light and opposing those of Darkness. But no matter how rich, how powerful, how enlightened, the inner circle of the Order Templar is made up of mere men, each subject to his own ignorance and prejudices. Over the years, more often than not, they have failed to arrive at a consensus, quarreling among themselves over who is and who is not an Avatar, which is Dark and which is Light. As often as not, they have thrown the full weight of their support behind charlatans and pretenders and, on the rare occasions they have actually succeeded in identifying a true Avatar, they were as likely to lend aid to those of Darkness as those of Light. These mistakes have haunted them over the years and, as a result, by the beginning of the 20th Century, the inner-circle has become over-cautious and slow to act, seriously compromising their mandate, rendering themselves impotent and irrelevant. It was only by the virtue of a handful of enlightened members that they located Scudder in St. Louis. Since then, he has been imprisoned in isolation until The Order can arrive at a consensus as to his true nature. PART X. SAMSON Furious that Lodz had failed, Lucius banished him from his trailer, choosing Samson as his confidant and right hand. The partnership is far from ideal—for his own and Samson's safety, Lucius keeps him on a need- to-know basis, sharing precious few secrets. Despite this, over the years, "Management" (as Samson knows him) has consistently helped the troupe find prosperity and avoid disaster, earning Samson's absolute dedication, discretion and loyalty. Over the years, the Carnivále plied its trade, taking on new acts such as Sofie and her mother, Apollonia, the Potter Twins, Gecko the Lizard Man, The Dreifus Family, assorted sword-swallowers, fire-eaters and giants. Samson ran the show, counseled by Management, assisted by Jones. And embittered Lodz, the prodigal son, patiently awaited the day when Lucius would once again recognize him as an invaluable ally and restore him to his former position. So it was as a score of years passed, and the day came when Management decided the time was ripe to collect Ben Hawkins, the Ascendant Avatar of Light. PART XI. BEN HAWKINS As a child, Ben grew up under the care of his mentally unstable mother, Flora, the two eking out a meager living at Big Sky Farms. At four years of age, Ben became attached to a stray kitten. When it died, he was inconsolable. His mother buried it in the yard and put the boy to work. Three days later, Flora found him on the kitchen floor, cradling the kitten's carcass. Horrified, she took it away from him, only to find the animal had been miraculously revived. Convinced her son was a tool of the devil, she drowned the kitten, and from that day forward refused to touch the boy or allow him to touch her. Resurrecting the kitten resulted in the withering of their meager crops. The land became dry and barren. Flora was reduced to taking in laundry for neighbors. Mother and son lived in abject poverty, their home little more than a shack, broiling hot in the summer, freezing cold in the winter. Ben grew up loathed by his mother, subjected to hateful rants from his mother punctuated by scripture-readings that would sometimes last for days at a time. At 16, Ben left his home in Milfay, moving to Houston, Texas, where he fell into a life of petty theft and burglary. While there, he befriended another young transient, Robert "Bobo" Chinaski. An inept attempt at a bank robbery resulted in their capture and conviction to 20 years in the state prison-farm, serving on a chain- gang. Ben received a visit from a former neighbor, who informed him of his mother's plight. She had fallen into destitution and was dying from dust-pneumonia. Unable to secure a release, he grew uncooperative and combative toward the guards and fellow convicts. His belligerence only served to earn him a long stretch in solitary confinement. Focused on escape at any cost, Ben changed tactics and toed the line, passively following the rules until he was accepted as a "trusty" on the chain-gang, ladling water to his fellow inmates and acting as the guards' gofer. Ben accompanied a prison-guard, Emmett Johansson, on a run into town to secure gravel. While on the road, Ben attacked him, forcing him to veer the truck into a ditch. Dazed, Johansson managed to draw his service revolver, but before he could subdue his prisoner, Ben turned the gun on him, killing him with three shots to the abdomen. He then made good his escape, determined to return to his family farm to help his mother. *********************************** FIRST SEASON STORYARCS WILL BE POSTED SOON Hey there, Here is the Season 1 Storyarc Recaps for Ben Hawkins. These tell the progress of the Ben Harkins character throughout the first season, the events, what is known about them, what is suspected, what is learned and what is confirmed. And boy, would I love to see the corresponding Season 1 Storyarcs for Justin. Or for that matter, the ones for Season 2! Alas... They aren't included in this pitch document. But there is a lot here that may help to clear up certain questions. Again, big props to Dan Knauf for sharing these! Enjoy! -- Beth *********************************** YEAR 1—STORY ARC 1.01 Ben arrives at his family farm to find Flora in the final stages of dust pneumonia. As she draws her last breath, he attempts to touch her but she recoils, cursing him until she finally dies. While burying her, he’s interrupted by a work-crew. The bank has repossessed the farm and they’re there to demolish it, ordering him off the property. A stand-off ensues which is interrupted by the arrival of Carnivále. The carnies help him bury Flora. He passes out from hunger. Noting the imminent arrival of the police, Samson pities the boy and allows the others to load him into Lila’s trailer, and he’s spirited away. That night, at Lila’s urging, Lodz “reads” the young stranger’s dreams—a nightmare of running from a tattooed man interspersed with images of trench warfare. Lodz recognizes a soldier as Scudder. Shocked and drained, he breaks away and collapses. He later confronts Samson, telling him “the boy’s dangerous.” Samson tells him that Management wants to take Ben on full-time. Lodz is troubled. Ben, meanwhile, has no intention of staying with the odd group of freaks and leaves. On the road, he passes a migrant camp. A mourning father urges him to help him retrieve his dead son from his griefstricken wife. She refuses to believe her baby is dead. Ben approaches and a brief exchange ensues, less said than unsaid, which results in the mother’s epiphany that her child is dead. Ben gives the baby to its father, moving on toward town. In town, two men attempt to rape Sofie. Ben rescues her and the two drive back to the carnival, where Samson offers him a job. That night, Ben wanders through the midway, amazed and curious. Later, he’s approached by Sofie, who offers to read his cards. He declines. The next day, after helping the others break down the carnival, Sofie repeats her offer. This time, Ben accepts. In the card reading, Ben is confronted by a pivotal incident from his long-repressed past: the resurrection of the kitten. This is followed by a frightening image of Brother Justin roaring “Tell me!” He flees the trailer. As the carnies get ready to set off, a crippled little girl confronts Ben. More in defiance of his mother’s judgement that “he’s marked” than any sense of pity, he lays hands on her, healing her legs. As he does, the crops begin to wither and die. Exhausted, he runs across the field, catching up with the convoy and climbing up on the truck. • The carnies know Ben is a fugitive from the law • Samson and Jones know Ben “was expected.” • Lodz knows Ben is connected to Scudder. • Samson knows that Lodz feels Ben is “dangerous.” • Apollonia knows that Ben is an Avatar of Light. • Ben knows he can heal with the laying-on of hands. 1.02 Ben shares a cryptic dream with Brother Justin. He finds a photograph of his mother in “the trailer that ain’t there.” The watchful fetus hints at Management’s presence in the trailer. When Ben shows the photo to Samson, Samson tells him he’s never seen her before. Likewise, Ben feigns ignorance as to the woman’s identity. Later, Samson reveals an identical photograph in Management’s trailer, wonders what his boss is “up to.” Sofie begs Ben to visit Apollonia. Troubled by the last reading, he refuses, offending Sofie. Later that night, Apollonia wills herself to walk, approaching Ben and telling him he’s “the one” before collapsing unconscious. Ben is roughed up by the others until Samson stops them. Ruthie checks Ben’s injuries. He shows her the photo. Ruthie identifies it as “Scudder’s sweetie.” She tells him Scudder loved Flora. Ben reveals that the woman in the photo was his mother. Ruthie tells him that Scudder was a drunk and a carny-geek with Carnivále long ago. She gives him a photo of Scudder, attired in the tuxedo he was wearing in Ben’s dream. • Ben has seen Brother Justin and would know him by sight. • Ben knows his mother was involved with Scudder, the soldier in his dreams. • Ben suspects Scudder may be his father. • Ben knows Scudder worked for Carnivále as a geek. • Ben knows Scudder was a “rummy.” • Ruthie knows there’s something odd going on involving Ben. • Ben knows that his past and his destiny are somehow entangled with Carnivále. • Management lives unseen behind a curtain in a locked trailer. • Only Samson speaks to Management. • Apollonia believes that Ben is “the one.” • Ben knows his dreams are rooted in real events, evidenced by the photo of Scudder and the bear’s cap and vest. 1.03 Ben sees the Big Sky truck pictured in the background of the photograph of Flora. He is recognized as the man who healed the crippled girl in episode 1.1 and mobbed. When Samson learns of this, he writes the towns reaction to Ben off to superstition and ignorance. Forbidden from opening a “carnivalshow” by a local sheriff, Samson decides to exploit the gullible townies by putting on a tent-revival, featuring Ben as a “healer.” Members of the troupe are used as shills in false “healings” to fool the crowd. Lodz arranges for Ben to be costumed in Scudder’s tuxedo. Ruthie and Samson subsequently remark upon his uncanny resemblance to Hack Scudder. The venture is very successful. Ben goes into town to investigate who owns the Big Sky truck and finds out it belongs to Becca Donavan, an old woman whose wealthy family has fallen into poverty and is now dying of dust pneumonia. On his way back, Ben is violently accosted by townies desperate for his healing touch, giving him a clear idea of what life would hold for him should his secret get out. After the show, Sofie agrees to give him a ride out to Becca Donavan’s house. She recognizes him, tells him he has “his eyes.” Sofie is then dismissed, and Becca tells him that she and Scudder were close, that he loved Flora, and that Ben has “the gift.” She also indicates that he speaks to her in dreams, and that he has likewise been communicating with Ben. Becca warns him that there are rules to his power. If he gives life, he must take it from something else. Her son, the town sheriff, arrives and throws Ben out of the house before she can tell him more. On the ride back, Sofie questions Ben about his relationship to Becca and her reference “You got his eyes, boy.” Ben refuses to answer her and they have a brief stand-off. Meanwhile, in the absence of Ben, Samson recruits another carny to pose as the healer. The sheriff, who insists that they heal his mother, Becca, interrupts the service. Ben arrives. Desperate for answers, he moves to heal Becca, but she refuses his touch. He asks her where Scudder went. She tells him “Babylon.” After the show, Samson is furious that Ben would be stupid enough to risk exposing their scam. He assigns him to latrine duty. “No more shows for you.” Samson joins Jones in the lead truck and tells him that their destination is Babylon. • Ben knows Scudder was his father. • Samson and Ruthie suspect Scudder was Ben’s father. • Lodz verifies that Scudder was Ben’s father. • Ben briefly experiences admiration and acceptance from the carnies. • Ben realizes that exposure of his power will turn him into a freak in the public eye. • Ben finds out the destructive cost of his power. • Ben’s move to heal Becca confirms Lodz’s suspicions that Ben has a measure of Scudder’s power. • Ben finds out his father went to Babylon. • The Carnivále seems to be following Scudder’s footsteps. 1.04 Ben accompanies Lodz to a shack where they are trapped by a dust-storm. Lodz manipulates Ben into a powerful demonstration of his powers. Ben briefly stops the storm, which resumes as soon as he expresses disbelief in his own hand in the miracle. Lodz then burns him with a fireplace poker. Ben instinctively heals himself. Lodz tells him about Scudder, that he was a coward and tried to deny his destiny. Lodz reveals that he sacrificed his sight for a small measure of that power. He urges Ben to use his power in order to master it. Meanwhile, Jones enters Management’s trailer, only to find that the alcove behind the curtain is empty, raising the possibility that Management doesn’t exist, and that Samson is actually the one calling the shots. Ben ultimately spurns Lodz, refusing to trust him and suspicious of the blind man’s motives. Lodz tells Lila they “have much work to do.” • Ben learns his powers are even more extensive than he’d thought. • Lodz conclusively proves that Ben is endowed with supernatural powers. • Ben learns he can heal himself. • Ben learns his father was likewise endowed with supernatural abilities. • Ben learns that Lodz knew of Scudder’s powers. • Ben suspects Lodz had a hand in helping Scudder develop his abilities. • Ben learns that Scudder was a coward, that he ran from his destiny. • Ben learns that to control it, he must use it. • Ben is told that if he refuses to follow his destiny, people he loves will die (like Flora). 1.05 – 1.06 Ben gets drunk with the rest of the Carnies in Babylon. He awakes to find himself trapped deep in a mineshaft. He runs into Scudder, who simply walks past him. When Ben indicates he recognizes him, Scudder responds, “Yes, but do you know what that means?” He follows Scudder down the shaft and stumbles across the body of a man murdered with a pick-axe. Written on the beams of the shaft is the word AVATARAVATARAVATARA… He writes it down on his arm. Ben continues through the shaft until he hears explosions. He’s suddenly transported to the trenches of Lemberg, where he becomes a proxy for Scudder. His assassin, Lucius, takes aim and is attacked by a bear. Ben flees, only to run into a younger Lodz (eyes intact), who doesn’t seem to recognize him. An explosion propels him back to the present, where Lodz is patiently waiting for him outside the mine. He questions Ben, who refuses to answer his questions. Samson later learns that Scudder had killed the man Ben found in the mine and had somehow been responsible for a cave-in that took the lives of the entire company. A curse was subsequently laid on the land leaving the town a prison for the souls of all who die there. • Ben learns that Lodz knew Scudder long before Scudder met Flora. • Ben suspects Scudder was somehow involved in a tragedy in the mine, or at least one murder. • Ben suspects that Scudder may have something to do with the unlucky reputation Babylon has among the carnies. • Ben is exposed to the word AVATARA, an important clue to the source of his power and ultimate destiny. Ben suspects that something is leading him in his father’s footsteps. • Samson finds out that Scudder was instrumental in the curse on Babylon that claimed the life of Dora Mae Dreifus. • Samson realizes for the first time that Management’s mysterious agenda supercedes the welfare of the troupe. 1.07 Ben and Ruthie hunt snakes. Ben learns that Scudder once saved Ruthie’s life from a venomous snake-bite. Ben reveals that physical contact was rare in his household (read non-existent) and that his mother used to read scripture aloud constantly. He then allows Ruthie to caress his cheek, dropping his guard and deciding to trust her. Lodz subsequently tells Ben that Ruthie rewarded Scudder’s help with sex. Angry, Ben confronts Ruthie. An argument ensues, culminating in a short scuffle in which Ben breaks Gabriel’s arm. Ben later apologizes to Ruthie for his jealousy and for Gabe’s injury. Ruthie is still cold. Contrite, desperate to make things “right,” Ben leads Gabriel away from the carnival into the middle of a pond. Swearing Gabe to secrecy, Ben heals his broken arm, consequently killing all the fish in the pond. Lila witnesses Gabriel’s miraculous recovery and informs Lodz, gloating that the boy doesn’t seem to need Lodz’s help. Furious, Lodz beats Lila with his cane. • Ben takes a small step toward learning to trust his new “family.” • Ben learns that Ruthie and Scudder were lovers. • Ben takes the first deliberate step in controlling the consequences of his power. • Ben learns that, no matter what kinds of precautions he takes to exercise his healing powers, the loss of life is inevitable. • Ben risks exposure to help Gabriel. • Lodz is enraged that Ben has decided to proceed without his help. 1.08 Ben’s nightmares become more frightening. He sees the fate of the soldier who was stalking Scudder, awakes to find his limbs torn off. Lodz patiently informs him of the inevitable truth: the dreams will continue to worsen if he doesn’t seek Lodz’s help. Ben is sent away by Samson to locate and recruit a “scorpion boy.” Ben is led astray by a competing freak-finder, Phineas Boffo. From a local gas-station attendant, he finds out that the fabled “scorpion boy” is actually a “lobster gal.” Ben finally arrives to find that Boffo has beaten him to the punch, placing the lobster-girl under contract with a competing show. Meanwhile, Lodz is shocked to find out that Samson entrusted Ben, an escaped convict, with a car and fifty dollars cash. It becomes apparent that the errand was devised by Samson primarily to confirm Lodz’s interest in the boy. Lodz tells Samson he’s “made a huge mistake.” Rather than facing Samson, Ben briefly contemplates stealing the money and the truck. His reverie is broken by Boffo, who tells him he and Samson are old friends. Boffo insists on shaking Ben’s hand to show “no hard feelings.” When they shake hands, Ben experiences a powerful series of visions of Medieval knights practicing rituals, fighting, burning at the stake. The source of the visions is Boffo’s lodge-ring. Ben pulls it from his finger and, still dazed, drives off, leaving behind a furious Boffo. Later, Ben helps out a desperate migrant at the gas-station over the objections of the attendant. After he leaves, the migrant spies a wanted-poster offering a reward for Ben’s capture. His crime: murder. Ben tells Samson he failed, that he was fooled by “some weasel.” Boffo approaches, asks for his ring back. Samson is curious. Boffo told him about the incident. Why would Ben have a fit over a ring. He examines it, recognizes the symbol on it. When Samson inquires, Boffo tells him he’s a member of the Order Templar. He takes the ring and stalks off. When Samson returns to Management’s trailer, he finds Lodz inside, talking to Management. Management tells him to “get out.” Samson realizes Lodz was right. He had made a huge miscalculation in sending the boy off. Lodz is reassuming the position of Management’s main confidante. As he stands outside, Samson pulls a watch-fob from his pocket. The symbol on it is identical to the one on Boffo’s ring. He flips it over, revealing the initials H.S. • Ben’s dreams are getting worse. • Ben again sees Brother Justin. • Lodz tips his hand to Samson over Ben’s importance. • Ben realizes that he has some connection to a medieval order of knights. • Introduction of the Order Templar. • Ben is wanted for murder. • Samson’s curiosity is piqued by the incident with Boffo’s ring. • Samson is in possession of a Templar watch-fob that bears Henry Scudder’s initials. 1.09 Ben attempts to elude his dreams by forcing himself to stay awake. He’s watched closely by Lodz and Lila. Samson shows Ben the watch-fob. Ben is afraid to touch it, doesn’t want a repeat of the frightening visions he experienced with Boffo’s ring. Samson tells him the fob belonged to Ben's “daddy,” and is now rightfully his. Ben doesn’t want it. Samson asks Ben to meet him later, implying that he will finally level with him. Lodz urges Ben to sleep, indicating that Management is “worried.” Ben still wants no part of Lodz and Management’s “education.” Samson tells Ben that the Carnivale picking him up was “no accident.” He shows him the duplicate photo of Flora in Management’s album, indicates that he’s figured out Ben’s parentage. He informs him that Management has been searching for Scudder over the years. He goes on to indicate that while Lodz is not to be trusted, Management is a “good man.” Ben asks him about the significance of the watch-fob. Samson doesn’t know, but suggests they find out. Later that night, Ben and Samson attend Lodz’s mentalist act. They anonymously pass the fob up to him, and his reaction is similar to Ben’s when he came in contact with Boffo’s ring, albeit more intense. In Lodz’s vision, the knights chant “In hoc signo vinces.” Ben translates: “By this sign we conquer.” Samson pulls him outside. Ben is as shocked as Samson that he was able to translate the Latin. Samson urges him to choose someone to confide in. Lines are drawn for Ben, Lodz on one side, Samson on the other. Lodz suggests to Management that the reason they are having trouble reaching him due to the influence and interference of Scudder. He later returns the fob to Samson. It’s clear Management does not appreciate Samson’s meddling. • Ben is refusing to sleep, thereby avoiding the influence of Management’s dreams. • Ben confirms that the arrival of Carnivále on his mother’s farm was not happenstance, but engineered by Management. • Ben knows that Samson is aware of his parentage. • Ben knows that Samson suspects he may have special powers and abilities. • Ben understands the Latin phrase, but has no idea of its meaning or context. • Ben realizes that Samson and Lodz are at odds, that he has become a pawn in a power struggle between the two. • Lodz and Management realize that Ben has come under the influence of Scudder. 1.10 Ben is still refusing to sleep, but is having waking visions of the Tattooed Man from his nightmares (a symbol of the Dark Avatar). He tells Sofie what happened the night Apollonia walked, that she told him “You’re the one.” Samson is ousted from Management’s trailer. It’s clear Lodz has replaced him as Management’s right-hand. In a misguided attempt to curry favor with Management Samson asks Ben to accompany him to town. There they find a Templar Lodge. Samson interrogates “The Commander,” only to find that the Templars are exactly what they appear to be, “a bunch of fat buckwheats playing cards.” However, as they leave, they pass a mural which includes an image of the Tattooed Man, and are observed by a mysterious stranger from an upstairs window. Samson informs Ben that Management and Lodz bought Carnivále some time after Scudder left. He doesn’t know why Management is searching for Scudder, but believes it has to do with something terrible that happened in “the old country.” Gabriel later finds Ben in a bathtub. The lack of sleep is killing him. Ruthie urges him to sleep. Ben tells her about his nightmares, breaks down. Ruthie comforts him and they make love. Ben falls asleep. Lodz steals into the trailer and reads his dream—the chase through the cornfield and the tattooed man, only this time the prey is Ben, then transformed into Scudder, who tells Lodz “The Boy is Mine” and expels him from Ben’s mind. • Ben is having waking visions of the mysterious Tattooed Man. • Sofie learns what happened between Apollonia and Ben. • Ben fails to determine what the Order Templar has to do with his destiny. • The Order Templar has something to do with the Tattooed Man. • Ben learns that Management took over after Scudder fled. • Ben learns that Management is searching for Scudder because of something terrible that happened in their past (perhaps Management is the Russian soldier in his nightmares). • Ben makes love with Ruthie. • Lodz sees Scudder in Ben’s dream, and Scudder is aware of his intrusion, claiming that he is in control of Ben. 1.11 Ben is furious at Ruthie for seducing him. Guilty, he goes into town for a drink. There he witnesses a strange procession involving a child painted with the markings of the Tattooed Man. A strange old woman prophesies loss for Ben. He enters a Catholic Church and gives his confession to a priest that reveals himself to be Scudder, then disappears. The night seems loaded with bad portents. When Ben returns to the carnival, he finds Ruthie dying of a snake-bite. He takes her far into the desert and attempts to heal her. His powers fail. • Ben receives “absolution” from Scudder. • The Tattooed Man appears to be a symbol for something dangerous to Ben. • Ben’s healing power has limits, though he has no idea what they are. 1.12 Ben returns to Carnivále. Ruthie is dead. He puts her body in her trailer, posts Gabriel outside to guard it. He seeks advice from Lodz, who takes him to Management. Management tells Ben they are of “like kind.” The only way to save Ruthie is to sacrifice another, to take a human life. But he must do so before midnight, or Ruthie will be lost to him. A Texas Ranger arrives, searching for Ben on a tip. The carnies warn him and he hides. Samson’s still stinging from Management’s betrayal, is resentful toward Ben. He advises him to leave, to stay away from the other carnies. Ben goes into Mexico to elude the Ranger and find someone “expendable” whose life he can trade for Ruthie’s. He attempts to kill a drunk, but can’t bring himself to do it. He retreats to a cemetery, where he attempts to exchange his own life, but is stopped. Ben returns to Management’s trailer with a decision: He will not kill to save Ruthie. Her death was God’s will. Management informs him that the snake-bite was engineered by Lodz. Ben flies into a rage and strangles the life out of Lodz. Ruthie is resurrected. • Ben speaks directly to Management. • Ben learns that, to save a human life, he must take one (the assassin/healer). • Ben learns that his power carries grave responsibility. • Ben realizes the authorities are still actively tracking him. • Ben’s rage and sense of justice overwhelms any moral qualms he may have against murder. • For the first time, Ben consciously directs life-force from one source (Lodz) into another (Ruthie). CARNIVÁLE YEAR 1: BEN HAWKINS SUMMARY AND RECAP What is KNOWN: • The carnies know Ben is a fugitive from the law • Samson and Jones know Ben “was expected.” • Lodz knows Ben is connected to Scudder. • Samson knows that Lodz feels Ben is “dangerous.” • Apollonia knows that Ben is an Avatar of Light. • Ben knows he can heal with the laying-on of hands. • Ben has seen Brother Justin and would know him by sight. • Ben knows his mother was involved with Scudder, the soldier in his dreams. • Ben knows Scudder worked for Carnivále as a geek. • Ben knows Scudder was a “rummy.” • Ruthie knows there’s something odd going on involving Ben. • Ben knows that his past and his destiny are somehow entangled with Carnivále. • Management lives unseen behind a curtain in a locked trailer. • Only Samson speaks to Management. • Ben knows his dreams are rooted in real events, evidenced by the photo of Scudder and the bear’s cap and vest. • Ben knows that exposure of his power will turn him into a freak in the public eye. • Samson knows that Scudder was instrumental in the curse on Babylon that claimed the life of Dora Mae Dreifus. • Ben’s dreams are getting worse. • Ben is wanted for murder. • Lodz regains direct access to Management. • Management exists. • Samson is in possession of a Templar watch-fob that bears Henry Scudder’s initials. • Ben knows that Samson is aware of his parentage. • Ben knows that Samson suspects he may have special powers and abilities. • Ben understands the Latin phrase, but has no idea of its meaning or context. • Ben is having waking visions of the mysterious Tattooed Man. • The Order Templar has something to do with the Tattooed Man. What is SUSPECTED: • Ben suspects he is linked with an unknown preacher • Apollonia suspects that Ben is “the one.” • Samson and Ruthie suspect Scudder was Ben’s father. • Ben is told by Lodz that if he refuses to follow his destiny, people he loves will die (like Flora). • Ben suspects Carnivále seems to be following Scudder’s footsteps. • Ben suspects Lodz had a hand in helping Scudder develop his abilities. • Ben suspects Scudder was somehow involved in a tragedy in the mine, or at least one murder. • Ben suspects that Scudder may have something to do with the unlucky reputation Babylon has among the carnies. • Samson’s curiosity is piqued by the incident with Boffo’s ring. • Ben’s dreams are influenced by Management. • The Tattooed Man appears to be a symbol for something dangerous to Ben. • Ben suspects that the mysterious preacher in his dreams (Justin) may be a false prophet. What is CONFIRMED: • Ben confirms Scudder was his father. • Lodz confirms that Scudder was Ben’s father. • Ben confirms the destructive cost of his power. • Ben’s move to heal Becca confirms Lodz’s suspicions that Ben has a measure of Scudder’s power. • Lodz conclusively proves that Ben is endowed with supernatural powers. • Ben confirms that the arrival of Carnivále on his mother’s farm was not happenstance, but engineered by Management. • Lodz sees Scudder in Ben’s dream, and Scudder is aware of his intrusion, claiming that he is in control of Ben. • Ben’s rage and sense of justice overwhelms any moral qualms he may have against murder. What is LEARNED: • Ben learns his powers are even more extensive than he’d thought. • Ben learns his father was likewise endowed with supernatural abilities. • Ben learns that Lodz knew of Scudder’s powers. • Ben learns that Scudder was a coward, that he ran from his destiny. • Ben learns that to control it, he must use it. • Ben learns that Lodz knew Scudder long before Scudder met Flora. • Ben is exposed to the word AVATARA, an important clue to the source of his power and ultimate destiny. • Samson learns that Management’s mysterious agenda supercedes the welfare of the troupe. • Ben learns that Ruthie and Scudder were lovers. • Ben learns that, no matter what kinds of precautions he takes to exercise his healing powers, the loss of life is inevitable. • Lodz tips his hand to Samson over Ben’s importance. • Ben realizes that he has some connection to a medieval order of knights. • Ben realizes that Samson and Lodz are at odds, that he has become a pawn in a power struggle between the two. • Lodz and Management realize that Ben has come under the influence of Scudder. • Sofie learns what happened between Apollonia and Ben. • Ben learns that Management took over after Scudder fled. . • Ben learns that Management is searching for Scudder because of something terrible that happened in their past (perhaps Management is the Russian soldier in his nightmares). • Ben’s healing power has limits, though he has no idea what they are. • Ben learns that, to save a human life, he must take one (the assassin/healer). • Ben learns that his power carries grave responsibility. • Ben realizes the authorities are still actively tracking him. • For the first time, Ben consciously directs life-force from one source (Lodz) into another (Ruthie).