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This article contains character information for the American television series Carnivàle, which tells the story of a farm boy named Ben Hawkins who joins a traveling carnival, and a California preacher named Brother Justin Crowe.

Ben Hawkins

See also: List of Carnivàle episodes, Genealogy, and Season 2 finale and character fates

Ben Hawkins is introduced in the pilot episode as an Oklahoma farm boy who was raised there by his single mother Flora. Ben's father left him and his religious and mentally unstable mother when Ben was still young. Since childhood, Ben displayed inexplicable healing powers, which disturbed his mother so much that she rejected him physically and emotionally, troubling him into adulthood. The day his mother dies of dust pneumonia, a carnival happens to be passing through. They bury his mother and take him along when his home is demolished. Still fleeing from the law for Murder, Ben decides that he's better off working for the carnival than breaking rocks in a chain gang. Among the things he learns living with a carnival is that his powers come with a price; to give life, he must also take life in return (mostly from small animals and crops). To raise the dead, he has to deliberately kill someone else.

Management eventually reveals himself as Lucius Belyakov and tells Ben that in order to prevent the Apocalypse, he must track down and destroy his opposite, a preacher, whose name he will learn when he finds his father, Henry Scudder. After a number of near-misses and harrowing encounters, Ben finally came face to face with his father and brings him before Management, Scudder's old nemesis. A fight ensued in which Ben was forced to kill Management, fatally stabbing him with a knife that he acquired from his grandmother. The knife gets infused with Mangement's avataric blood and transforms it into a weapon powerful enough to kill his own adversary. Now understanding his powers more fully (having received his 'Boon,' the sum of his predecessor's knowledge, after killing Belyakov), Ben set out to confront Brother Justin on the grounds of his new ministry in New Canaan, California. They finally meet in battle in a cornfield outside New Canaan, a battle in which he slew the minister, after which he passed out from his own grievous wounds on top of the fallen Justin's body, only to be found the next morning. As the carnival leaves New Canaan, however, Sofie, a former lover of Ben's (and, unbeknownst to Ben, the daughter of his mortal enemy), comes to her father and laid her hands upon him. Immediately the cornfield around them began to wither and die, highly reminiscent of what happened when Ben healed a crippled little girl's legs in the show's first episode.

Character creation

The writers had always intended Ben to be the leading man and hero of the series, yet they desired him to display a youthful, innocent and anti-hero quality; Nick Stahl had the strongest consensus among the producers. The writers spent a long time discussing what supernatural powers and talents Ben should have. Daniel Knauf talked about Ben's chain gangs background: Ben was imprisoned for attacking the bank manager who foreclosed on his mother's land. When Ben escaped, he accidentally killed a guard.

Reception

After having seen the first three episodes, the New York Times commented that "Ben is a taciturn hero, and Mr. Stahl does a remarkable job of wordlessly conveying his character's moods and yearnings, as well as his ungainly grace." Boston.com regarded "Stahl, with his watchful eyes, one of the show's strengths. He has a boyish face, but the grim expression of a worn-out elder." In a Season 1 DVD review, DVD Talk said that "as the two leads, Nick Stahl and Clancy Brown are nothing short of brilliant. Ben Hawkins is a very isolated and quiet character, and yet he carries a significant part of the series on his shoulders. Without the right actor it could be disastrous, but Stahl brings a level of thoughtful emotion to the character such that a glance or a stare speaks volumes." In reviewing Season 2, DVDverdict felt that "both Nick Stahl and Clancy Brown deliver perfect performances. Stahl's gradual acceptance of his own power, and his subsequent struggle, are fascinating."

For his portrayal of Ben Hawkins, Nick Stahl was nominated for a Saturn Award in the category "Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series" in 2004. He was also nominated for a 2004 Golden Satellite Award in the category "Best Performance by an Actor in a Series, Drama".

Brother Justin Crowe

See also: List of Carnivàle episodes, Genealogy, and Season 2 finale and character fates

Brother Justin is introduced in the pilot episode as a caring Methodist minister, who resides with his sister Iris in the small town of Mintern, California. He interprets his first strange visions and supernatural abilities as the word of God, and he wants to erect a new church in his name. When a fire destroys this church, taking the lives of several innocent children (a crime, unbeknown to him at the time, committed by his sister), Crowe attemps suicide and is defered to a sanitarium. While hospitalized, he discovers he has the ability to manipulate and control those around him through sheer force of will. He uses his powers to secure his release and returns to Mintern. Shortly thereafter, during a service, Reverend Balthus attempts to baptize Crowe, who wants to be "reborn" in the eyes of God, and is shocked to see the water from the baptismal font turn to blood as it touched Crowe's forehead. Suspecting that Crowe might be possessed by a demon, Balthus confronts his surrogate son, but Crowe becomes enraged and tries to make him relive his worst sin. To Crowe's horror, Balthus' "greatest evil" turns out to be saving his life as a little boy who lost his mother in a train accident after he and his siter had immigrated from Russia. Devastated, Crowe begs the priest to kill him, but Balthus cannot bring himself to do it.

After discovering his true nature, Crowe embraces the evil within him, reasoning that "perhaps God has a different plan for some of us." He gathers a huge flock of worshippers of mostly migrants and Okies outside Mintern via his nightly radio sermons and newfound abilities of persuasion. He is soon approached by a scholar named Wilfred Talbot-Smith, who identifies him as "the Usher" and tells him that, in order for him to gain his full measure of power and fulfill his destiny, he must find and kill a man named Henry Scudder (who is secretly the father of his counterpart, Ben Hawkins, and the previous Avatar of Darkness). With the help of escaped convict Varlyn Stroud, whom he influences telepathically via radio transmissions, Crowe eventually kills Scudder. Meanwhile, Sofie comes to work at Crowe's house in New Canaan (the site of his growing ministry) as a chambermaid; neither knows their true relationship as father and daughter. Shortly thereafter, in a cornfield outside New Canaan, Crowe at long last meets his adversary in a battle, which leaves Ben badly injured and Crowe killed. Sofie as the Omega however quickly arrives and places her hands on Brother Justin's chest, causing the corn stalks around them to wither and fall away highly reminiscent of what happened when Ben healed a crippled girl's legs in the show's first episode.

Character creation

When show creator Daniel Knauf wrote the first draft of Carnivàle, the only person he thought about was Justin, and saw him as Christopher Walken. He had also originally designed Brother Justin as a preacher far along in his career as well as a recurring instead of a regular character. But after seeing the preliminary pilot episode, Knauf and the producers realized that there was no room for him to grow in a television series. Hence it was decided to make Brother Justin an ordinary Christian minister in a little town, setting him back in his career for about one or two years. When deciding a specific affiliation for Brother Justin, Knauf contested plans to make him a Catholic priest and rather settled on the Methodist denomination, which he perceived as significantly less suspicious and controversial. Although was an actual historical figure named Father Coughlin, who was an Irish Catholic priest, the writers did not intend to retell his story with the Brother Justin character. The writers did spend a long time discussing Brother Justin's supernatural powers.

Reception

After having seen the first three episodes, the New York Times commented that "prim, righteous Brother Justin is more of a caricature, but Clancy Brown finds ways to bring some subtle glints of personality to the role." Time thought that "Brother Justin comes across as a typical whited sepulcher – if there's one thing more trite than a dwarf in a surreal drama, it's a preacher with a dark side – and Brown's campy performance largely involves shouting 'Enough!' and 'No-o-o-o!' with horror-flick pathos." Entertainment Weekly replied that "Brown's Brother Justin is delightfully unsettling as the creepy evangelist taking his orders from the wrong superpower," and Variety said that "Brown does a superb job straddling the line between stoic and menacing, and there are hints about his weaknesses, conveyed quickly with subtlety." In a Season 1 DVD review, DVD Talk saw Clancy Brown's performance as "nothing short of brilliant. Brown also has a difficult task capturing the duality of Brother Justin, a man who presents a physically intimidating presence but who wants little more than to be a subdued and loyal servant of his Lord, and he succeeds on every level." In reviewing Season 2, DVDverdict stated that "Brown's presence and charisma is dazzling; he is both likable and frightening. He is an actor with a great deal of range, and he uses all of it in this series."

Characters affiliated with Ben Hawkins

Samson

• Played by: Michael J. Anderson
• Also known as: Edgar "Samson" Leonhardt
• Appears in: Seasons 1–2 (main cast)
• Further information: Emergence of the Carnivàle

Samson, a dwarf, is the head of the carnival. He is the right-hand man of Management.

According to the character biography at the HBO website, Samson was born as Edgar Leonhardt and began his career as a dwarf strongman in 1904. Eight years later, Samson began working with traveling shows, including the then Hyde-&-Teller-Company-owned Carnivàle. Samson's wit soon elevated him from performer to general manager, but he lost his position for a brief period when the carnival was purchased by Management.

Michael J. Anderson was one of the only actors who never had any real competition in the casting process. Daniel Knauf had wanted him as early as the initial meeting. Samson was also Daniel Knauf's favorite character. For his Season 1 opening, Anderson filmed four versions of his monologue, including one where Samson was about 75 years old.

Jonesy

• Played by: Tim DeKay
• Also known as: Clayton Jones
• Appears in: Seasons 1–2 (main cast)
• Further information: Season 2 finale and character fates

Jonesy is an ex-baseball player who suffers from a crippling knee injury. As the first season begins, he is the right-hand man of Samson and the leader of the roustabouts. It is his job to operate the Ferris wheel "Colossus". Jonesy has been romantically interested in Sofie for a while, but she continuously rebuffs his low-key advances and obvious protection moves. While Sofie retreats into a friendship with cootch dancer Libby Dreifuss, Jonesy shares his frustrations with Libby's father Felix who just lost a daughter. In turn, Felix offers him sexual intercourse with his wife Rita Sue. Jonesy accepts, not knowing that Sofie will found out and take revenge. · Jonesy saves Sofie's life in a fire but remains cold towards her. Meanwhile, Jonesy slowly grows closer to Libby, much to the dismay of Felix. Sofie's departure from the carnival saddens Jonesy, but he starts a new life chapter with Libby. They elope, but they get into a fight over her former job as cootch dancer. One night, an accident at the "Colossus" kills a woman, whose husband kidnaps Jonesy and Libby, tarring and feathering him in revenge. Ben happens to stop by and fully heals Jonesy, and the two men leave for California; Libby is left at the carnival to tell a cover-up story. Jonesy and Libby are shortly joined, but when Jonesy goes to "save" Sofie, his former love interest shoots him.

According to the character biography at the HBO website, Jonesy was once a star pitcher in the major leagues. When he refused to throw a game for the mob, his knee was injured in revenge. Jonesy slipped to the edge of society until he joined the Carnivàle and found redemption in the eyes of young Sofie. The two became inseparable, as tomboy Sofie mimicked his every move, but when Sofie grew into a woman, their relationship became awkward.

Tim DeKay was cast as Jonesy because the producers felt he best portrayed a "very American" looking baseball player of that period.

Sofie

• Played by: Clea DuVall, Lilli Babb (Sofie as child)
• Also known as: Sofie Agnesh Bojakshiya
• Appears in: Seasons 1–2 (main cast)
• Further information: Genealogy · Season 2 finale and character fates

Sofie is the daughter of Apollonia. Sofie can communicate telepathically with her mother. They work as fortune tellers at the carnival.

The writers originally wrote Sofie as more of an exotic gypsy girl, but Clea Duvall got the part after four auditions. Although most of her work was in the movie business like Stahl, she had sought to become involved in regular television when the opportunity for Carnivàle came up.

Apollonia

• Played by: Diane Salinger, Elizabeth Kate (Apollonia as young woman)
• Also known as: Apollonia "Appy" Bojakshiya
• Appears in: Season 1 (main cast), Season 2 (recurring)
• Further information: Genealogy

Apollonia is the mother of Sofie. She is catatonic, but she can communicate telepathically with Sofie. She and Sofie work as fortune tellers at the carnival.

According to her character biography at the HBO website, Apollonia was a once renowned fortuneteller who read cards for the rich and famous, and she was the only psychic whom Houdini was unable to debunk. During childbirth in 1913 or soon thereafter, Apollonia suffered a series of seizures that left her paralyzed and catatonic. Her sister Anash was the first to care for her, and Apollonia's Sofie overtook later and began working the travelling circuits as a mother-daughter act. As the reason for Apollonia's catatonic state was never established in the series, Daniel Knauf explained that her state was caused by giving birth to Sofie as the Omega.

Lodz

• Played by: Patrick Bauchau
• Also known as: Professor Ernst Lodz
• Appears in: Season 1 (main cast), Season 2 (recurring)
• Further information: Emergence of the Carnivàle

Lodz is a blind mentalist. He has a relationship with Lila.

Patrick Bauchau had two or three different contact lenses pairs of different opaqueness: While one pair enabled him to see shapes, another pair made him basically blind and he had to be led around the set. Show creator Daniel Knauf said that Lodz' eyes are a condition of his body and are distinct from Justin's black eyes. The character's demise was planned from the beginning and served a purpose to the story. It was also to indicate that all bets are off for the other characters. What Lodz meant when he (possessing Ruthie) tells Lila that "you'll be seeing me soon in the flesh" remains an open plot point, but Clancy Brown said in a chat that the writers had originally planned Lodz to return as a mummy after a man sold his desiccated body to the carnies.

Lila

• Played by: Debra Christofferson
• Also known as: Lila Villanueva
• Appears in: Seasons 1–2 (main cast)

Lila, also known as The Bearded Lady, is the carnival dressmaker. She is the lover of Lodz.

The fake beard of the early episodes was so heavy that the chemicals caused Debra Christofferson's chin to be raw at the end of the shooting day. Although the beard was later split into three pieces, Christofferson still had to be careful with the way she moved her mouth when talking. According to the actress, "the beard actually determined Lila's voice." When the pilot was shot, show creator Daniel Knauf gave the actors a show bible with character background information. The initial biography stated that Lila was born into the Villanueva circus family in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana in 1890. Lila also had two older brothers, and her family traveled the international circuit as the "Flying Villalobos". Lila's older brother Oscar died in Copenhagen in 1905, and her father committed suicide in 1908. In 1906, Lila already sported a beard and married for the first time. The marriage did not last long, and Lila married over nineteen more times, leaving Lodz as the only true love of her life. The biographies were later rewritten, and Lila's surname was never mentioned on the show.

The Dreifuss family

• Felix "Stumpy" Dreifuss played by Toby Huss – Seasons 1–2 (main cast)
• Rita Sue Dreifuss played by Cynthia Ettinger – Seasons 1–2 (main cast)
• Libby Dreifuss played by Carla Gallo – Seasons 1–2 (main cast) – Further information: Season 2 finale and character fates
• Dora Mae Dreifuss played by Amanda Aday – Season 1 (recurring)

Stumpy is the manager of the "cootch show" (strip show). He is married to Rita Sue, and has two daughters, Libby and Dora Mae.

The writers created the Dreifuss family after a show consultant called attention to his research about families managing cootch (striptease) shows in the 1930s. According to Clancy Brown, the writers had a subplot in mind where the Dreifuss girls save Stumpy by killing Bud, the man whom Stumpy owned money.

Before Cynthia Ettinger joined the Carnivàle cast, she was fired from her role as Martha Kent in the pilot episode of Smallville and had turned to theater jobs. She chose Carnivàle because the show felt closer to a theater job.

Amanda Aday knew she joined the cast only for a few episodes when she was hired, but she was not told the story reasons at that point.

According to the Dreifuss biographies at the HBO website, Rita Sue was born in Michigan in 1895 as the only child of Thomas and Emma Menninger. Her parents paid much for her education at the finest Eastern boarding schools, but the family's financial fortunes declined with Thomas's death in 1903. Rita Sue left home in 1908 and started vaudeville work. She joined several traveling companies and strip-shows, where she met Felix, who had begun his career as a talker in 1910. They married in 1914, and two months later, Libby was born as their first child. In 1916, their second daughter, Dora Mae, was born. When their company's owner died, Stumpy and Rita Sue began traveling with various carnival companies as The Gay Paree Show, and were eventually joined by their two daughters in the last 1920s. Their fortunes steadily declined in the 1930s when more cootch family acts spawned in the difficult times.

Ruthie

• Played by: Adrienne Barbeau
• Appears in: Seasons 1–2 (main cast)

Ruthie is the mother of Gabriel, whom she sometimes supports in his strongman acts, although her main job at the carnival is as a snake chamer. She is an ex-lover of Henry Scudder.

Adrienne Barbeau knew Carnivàle producer Howard Klein, who informed here that they were looking for a comatose woman In Barbeau's in the casting process. She got the role of Ruthie without having to go to another audition again.

Barbeau was not bothered by the snakes (a Bolivian milk snake and a six-foot diamond boa), but she trained with a snake dancer.

For her portrayal of Ruthie, Adrienne Barbeau was nominated for a Golden Satellite Award in the category "Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Drama" in 2004. She won a WIN Award in the category "Best Actress in a Dramatic Series" in 2004.

Gabriel

• Played by: Brian Turk
• Also known as: "Gabe"
• Appears in: Seasons 1–2 (main cast)

Gabriel is the son of Ruthie. He works as a strong man at the carnival.

The writers originally intended the character of Garbiel to be mute and therefore gave Brian Turk Samson's opening monolog at the audition. Brian Turk said the description for the character was similar to "big, larger than life, with the face of an angel, and slightly mentally challenged" then. Turk attributes the producers' final decision to making Gabriel not mute to the amount of characters (Management, Apollonia) who did not have speaking parts in the first season.

Gecko

• Played by: John Fleck
• Appears in: Season 1 (main cast)

Gecko works as a lizard man at the carnival. To transform into his character, John Fleck spend more than 10 hours of makeup each day. The skin needs to look like alligator hide, and seven or eight separate pieces were glued to his face.

Alexandria and Caladonia

• Played by: Karyn Steben and Sarah Steben
• Appears in: Season 1 (main cast)

Alexandria and Caladonia are twins conjoined at the hip. They usually accompany their carnival act with singing.

Adrienne Barbeau mentioned that "right toward the end , one of starts being enamored of one man," but this was never part of an episode.

Minor characters

• Burley played by Scott MacDonald (Season 1–2, recurring) – Burley is a roustabout at the carnival.
• Osgood played by Blake Shields (Season 1–2, recurring) – Osgood is a roustabout at the carnival.
• Possum played by Bill Moseley (Season 1–2, recurring) – Possum is the cook of the carnival.
• Giant played by Matthew McGrory (Season 1–2, recurring) – Suffering from hyperpituitarism, he usually demonstrates his size in comparison to kids.
• Sabina Engstrom played by Bree Walker (Season 2, recurring) – Sabina, also known as "The Scorpion Lady", suffers from ectrodactyly. She used to work at the Daily Brothers Carnival until it has to close. She was also married to Samson for nine years.
• Bert/Bertha Hagenbeck played by Paul Hipp (Season 2, recurring) – Bert/Bertha is the current husband of Sabina. He dresses as half a man, half a woman.
• Rollo played by Daniel Browning Smith (Season 2, recurring) – Rollo the Rubberboy, also known as Boneless Billy Benson, can bend his body in the weirdest fashion.

Characters affiliated with Brother Justin

Iris Crowe

• Played by: Amy Madigan, Erin Sanders (Iris as child)
• Also known as: Irina Belyakov, renamed to "Iris Crowe" after rescued by Reverend Norman Balthus
• Appears in: Seasons 1–2 (main cast)
• Further information: Genealogy

Iris is the older sister of Brother Justin. She is devoted to supporting her brother and his ministry duties in California.

The writers created the character of Iris as a supporting character once the role of Brother Justin was expanded and opened new possibilities.

For their portrayal of Iris, Amy Madigan was nominated for a Golden Satellite Award in the category "Best Performance by an Actress in a Series, Drama" in 2004. Erin Sanders was nominated for a Young Artist Award in the category "Best Performance in a TV Series – Recurring Young Actress" in 2004.

Reverend Norman Balthus

• Played by: Ralph Waite
• Appears in: Season 1 (recurring), Season 2 (main cast)
• Further information: Genealogy

Norman is Brother Justin's righteous Methodist mentor. He took both Justin and Iris in after he found them alone in the wilderness, and raised them as his own.

Tommy Dolan

• Played by: Robert Knepper
• Appears in: Seasons 1–2 (recurring)

Tommy Dolan is a successful radio show host from Los Angeles, who regularly travels incognito into the wild nature to collect strangers' stories for his show Tommy Dolan on the Road. On a particular night, he meets Justin who just lost his faith in God after his ministry burned down. After retelling Justin's story in his radio show, Dolan approaches Justin's sister Iris and helps her with receiving funds for a new church. Dolan is seemingly attracted to Iris, but his advances are interrupted when Justin returns home. Justin asks for Dolan's help to become a radio preacher. · Dolan gets suspicious when police reports and eye witnesses first hint at Justin's, then Iris's guilt in the ministry fire. When Dolan sees Iris burning her clothes, Brother Justin accepts the evidence and lets Dolan arrange a special confession announcement. But Brother Justin lets the confession backfire on Dolan, who is then arrested for the arson, with Iris's guilt never proven.

According to Robert Knepper, his character was originally only planned for a couple of episodes. But the writers liked both the character and Knepper's portrayal so much to continue the character's arch as a "very earnest, very Midwestern, wide-eyed guy" and "ambitious man Brother Justin to further his career." The writers planned the sexual innuendo between Dolan and Iris despite the character's wish to find Brother Justin. Knepper feels that, looking back on the story, his character was just a pawn between Justin and Iris as siblings, and that a relationship between Dolan and Iris would have side-tracked the connection between Dolan and Justin.

Varlyn Stroud

• Played by: John Carroll Lynch
• Also known as: Varlyn "Bird Dog" Stroud
• Appears in: Season 2 (recurring)
• Further information: Carnivàle episodes

Varlyn Stroud is convict who escapes after hearing Brother Justin on the radio. Justin telepathically chooses him as his apostle.

According to Stroud's biography on the HBO website, his first murder was his younger sister Clara when he was nine years old; he had deliberately upset a Ferris-wheel car, and Clara fell to her death. Stroud has been able to cover the murder of his grandfather three years later as a hunting accident and has possibly committed over a dozen contract-killings. Although he has never been convicted of murder, he still spent most of his life in prison on a variety of charges.

Wilfred Talbot Smith

• Played by: Time Winters
• Appears in: Season 2 (recurring)

Wilfred Talbot Smith is a man knowing much about the Gospel of Matthias and the related "Usher". He advises Brother Justin in occult matters.

Eleanor McGill

• Played by: K Callan
• Appears in: Seasons 1–2 (recurring)

Eleanor McGill is an Okie who is brought back on the righteous path by Brother Justin. She quickly becomes a devoted follower of his.

Minor characters

• Val Templeton played by Glenn Shadix (Season 1–2, recurring) – Val Templeton is a councilman in Mintern. His nephew Carroll Templeton, the former owner of Chin's, committed suicide after an encounter with Brother Justin.
• Ned Munson played by Matt McCoy (Season 1–2, recurring) – Ned Munson is councilman in Mintern California. He is the assistant to Val Templeton.
• Bishop McNaughton played by John Aylward (Season 2, recurring) – McNaughton is the Bishop who oversees the church of Reverand Norman Balthus and Brother Justin.

Characters affiliated with the past

Henry Scudder

• Played by: John Savage
• Also known as: Henry "Hack" Scudder
• Appears in: Seasons 1–2 (recurring)

Henry "Hank" Scudder is a mysterious man who appears in Ben's and Brother Justin's dreams with apparent connections to Ben.

Lucius Belyakov

• Played by: Michael Massee and Vladislav Kozlov (Russian soldier), Cameron Clapp (body), Linda Hunt (voice of Management)
• Also known as: Russian soldier, Management
• Appears in: Seasons 1–2 (recurring)

Lucius Belyakov is a mysterious man who appears in Ben's and Brother Justin's dreams as a Russian soldier.

Emergence of the Carnivàle

Due to the untimely cancellation of Carnivàle, some plot points were left unanswered, like the background of the trench war and the "Hyde and Teller Company". Show creator Daniel Knauf gave some clues online during the show's run. Character biographies at the HBO website and a so-called Pitch Document (a summary of Carnivàle's first season that was originally written to give the writers and the studio an idea about the series' intended plot) added more detail, but since they deviate in parts from the established canon story, their stories may not have played out this way in future seasons.

Scudder, whose psychokinetic powers reach back to childhood, joined the 1st Canadian Depot Battalion in 1914. He was stationed in Lemberg (now Lviv, Ukraine) as an observer for the Austro-Hungarian army. When Russian officer Lucius Belyakov attempted to assassinate him on the battlefield, a bear attacked und injured Belyakov badly. The bear, Bruno, was an escaped dancing bear from Lodz's circus. The bear was hungry, and the war noises panicked him, so he attacked Belyakov as an accident. Belyakov did not hold Lodz responsible. As Lodz became aware of Scudder's powers, they traveled together for several months, performing as a sideshow attraction in European salons from Belgrade to Paris. One night in Arles, France, as both man were drunk, Scudder decided to leave the act and Lodz tried to stop him, envying his powers. Scudder grabbed Lodz and attempted to pass his Avataric mantle onto Lodz, thereby robbing Lodz of his sight while granting him "inner sight". This resulted in an unintended permanent psychic bond between the two men, including bestowing Lodz the ability to track Scudder. Unable to defy his destiny as the Creature of Darkness of his generation and aware that Belyakov was still pursuing him, Scudder fled to the United States in 1915 and went into hiding. He met and married Flora Hawkins, with whom he had a son, Ben Hawkins. When he sensed Belyakov's pursuit again, Scudder left his family and took a job as "The Gentleman Geek" with the Hyde & Teller Company. In the meantime, Belyakov embraced Lodz' tracking skills and purchased the Hyde and Teller Company, scantily missing Scudder. Belyakov fired the carnival's manager, Samson, and replaced him with Lodz. But when Lodz betrayed Management by approaching Scudder directly in St. Louis to cut a side deal, Samson regained his old job and bore witness to many strange and inexplicable incidents as Management continued tracking Scudder.

Genealogy

See also: Mythology of Carnivàle: Who is an Avatar?

Since the first episodes of Carnivàle, Ben's parentage is one of the big puzzles. As a man named Henry Scudder seems connected to everything and everyone, it is Ben's job to piece together the mystery of his own past. The progressing series indicates that more characters have unresolved family ties of which neither they nor the audience are aware. Although these links rarely receive plot attention and are often only explained as parts of the characters' missions, the immediate genealogy of the main characters is cleared up by the end of the second season. Knauf, the HBO website and the Pitch Document provided further detail.

Scudder

As the audience learns in the pilot episode "Milfay", Ben Hawkins was raised on an isolated Oklahoma farm by a religious and mentally unstable mother, Flora; his father had left them when Ben was very young. The first three episodes already suggest a relationship between Ben Hawkins and Henry Scudder, but its truth is only disclosed late in the first season. Ben's paternal grandparents, Emma and Hilton, are introduced in the Season 2 episode "Old Cherry Blossom Road", and Ben learns that Henry Scudder was not their only offspring. The night in 1889 Ben's father Henry was born, however, Emma killed her three older sons, Owen, Gilbert, and Alvin (also known as Alvin Sr.), along with Hilton. Emma still has people living with her, whom she introduces as her grandchildren and Ben's cousins.

As Emma being the mother of several sons seemed to conflict with established in-universe rules, show creator Daniel Knauf enlightened viewers that Emma's other sons were by her first husband, Clarke "C.W." Powell, who had died by natural causes. Afterwards, Emma married Hilton Scudder, who in turn adopted her sons. Scudder's biography at the HBO website added that Hilton was a notorious Grand Dragon in the Texas Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. As this information was never made canon in Carnivàle, it is unclear whether future seasons of the series would have addressed this.

Belyakov

The pilot episode introduces Apollonia and Sofie as mother and daughter working as fortune tellers at the Carnivàle. Sofie grew up not knowing her father, but receives first hints of her bastardy when she hears screaming and banging coming out of her mother's trailer. Upon entering, she finds her mother being raped by a man with a tattoo of a tree on his back. Moments later, Sofie's experience turns out to be a vision, and she only finds her catatonic mother weeping without any sign of an attack.

Brother Justin Crowe is introduced as a caring Methodist minister, supported by his sister Iris. He interprets his first peculiar visions as God's words, but when painful events make him lose his faith, he leaves his ministry and heads into the wilderness. After injuring his leg, he hopes to find help in two reluctant Russian immigrant children, Irina and her younger brother Alexi. When Irina continues to talk about her evil father and doubts Justin as "a man of God", Justin starts to choke her but is stopped by Alexi applying his mental powers to snap Justin's neck. At this moment, Brother Justin realizes the significance of this vision as his repressed memories of his past: the children were in fact him and his sister Iris, who emigrated from Russia with their mother and who were the only survivors of a train accident. (According to the Pitch Document and the HBO website, their mother's name was Plemina.) Irina and Alexi were later saved by Reverend Norman Balthus, who with his wife served as the children's surrogate family. The name of Balthus's wife is been mentioned as Clare in "Los Moscos" and the Pitch Document, but the HBO website states her name as Rose.

In the Season 2 opening episode, Management, the mysterious leader of the carnival, reveals himself as Lucius Belyakov, the Russian soldier of Ben's and Brother Justin's visions. Moments before his death several episodes later, Belyakov learns that his son Alexi did not die in a train accident, as Belyakov had believed all these years.

The last link in the Belyakov genealogy is disclosed late in Season 2, after Sofie has left the carnival and has become the Crowes' maid. Sofie chats with Iris about her childhood as a carnival fortune teller. This short conversation is interrupted by Iris having a vision of Justin as a young man raping Apollonia. (As Knauf later explained in a forum post, Justin attended seminary in St. Paul and became obsessed with Apollonia. When she sensed his true nature and rejected his love, he first stalked then raped her.) Although Iris only informs Norman of her suspicions, Sofie sees Justin's tattooed chest and has implicit visions in the final episode of Season 2, insinuating Justin as her father.

Reception of supporting characters

As early reviews focused on Ben Hawkins, Brother Justin Crowe and the meaning of Carnivàle, the show's supporting characters received little to no attention other than having their freak appearances mentioned, namingly because "they don't play significant parts in the first few episodes." Critics who reviewed full seasons gave more credit to the supporting cast and characters. Australian The Age stated that show creator Daniel Knauf "sprinkled enough magical gifts over the carnival's cast of mind readers, fortune tellers, snake charmers, catatonic psychics, conjoined twins, bearded ladies and lizard men to make the bizarre and the macabre appear just about routine." Matt Casamassina of IGN added that "from the opening sequence to the fade out on episode 12, Carnivàle successfully draws you into the Depression-engulfed world of its many oddly likeable characters. And sure enough, odd best describes these people The show prominently features all manners of freaks, but each is well-crafted, layered, and believable, rather than comical, as easily could have been the case under amateur direction." DVD Talk lauded Amy Madigan (Iris), Tim DeKay (Jonesy), and Clea Duvall (Sofie) as "fantastic choices" with particularly convincing 1930's looks. Also highlighted was Carnivàle's status as an ensemble show, with "the performances of all the supporting characters essential to the show's success. Particularly inspired is the voice of Linda Hunt as the decidedly creepy 'Management' and John Savage as Henry Scudder, a presence from the past who seems connected to everything and everyone." A DVDTown review further praised the supporting performances of Patrick Bauchau (Lodz) and Michael J. Anderson (Samson), pointing out that "in fact, every single character on the show, no matter how small, quirky or sinister they are, produce noteworthy performances all round. It is through the efforts of this outstanding cast that makes the entire premise of the show and the period setting so realistic and believable that the audience can't help but get immersed in it."

Season 2 finale and character fates

It was reported that HBO president Chris Albrecht originally wanted to conclude the second season of Carnivàle with a satisfying and close-ended confrontation between Brother Justin and Ben (showing that Brother Justin was more definitively dead), but the producers decided to add a cliffhanger instead. HBO entertainment prexy Carolyn Strauss felt Carnivàle had come to a natural end and gave this as the network's explanation for not renewing Carnivàle. Daniel Knauf replied that Albrecht might have been misquoted. Albrecht had wished in preproduction discussions to have a fight between Brother Justin and Ben in the Season 2 finale, which Knauf had planned anyway. Knauf also stated that HBO had agreed with the open ending because they had greenlit the final scene in the writing phase, budgeted to filming including the final shot, and had the final cut of all episodes. According to Knauf, there was never a plan to cancel Carnivàle prematurely, and HBO had only decided the cancellation shortly before their announcement. However, Clancy Brown (Brother Justin) remembers the original last shot of the series as Iris watching the corn die, not of Ben in Management's trailer.

Following the cancellation, the writers did not immediately respond to fans asking about the character future, arguing that the story ideas should not be revealed just for instant fan gratification and should wait to be told until the opportunity arises. They later provided clues in DVD special features and at conventions, more rarely also in forums and online chats. Daniel Knauf said that Jonesy would have recovered from his gunshot wound, but did not address how exactly he would survive. Producer Howard Klein however pointed out that Jonesy "wasn't shot in a specific place – he collapsed," and Knauf added that "Sofie's intent in shooting Jonesy was to stop him from taking her back to the Carnival," not to kill him. Season 3 would have opened with him pitching in a Major League Baseball game and being married to Libby.

Writer and co-executive producer William Schmidt described Sofie's last seen action as "raising her father at the end, bringing him back to life." This was "to indicate that she was truly evil," although "she is the Omega so there's good in her too." Season three "would have been pretty much centered on Sofie and the internal struggle of her good versus evil." The nature of the Omega would have taken two seasons to unfold.

If a third season had taken place, both Ben and Brother Justin would have been alive. Daniel Knauf would have written Brother Justin as a man "with an inoperable chunk of shrapnel near his heart" which the anointed blade had caused. Brother Justin would have been "severely weakened and prone to exhaustion, serving as a hollow figurehead in his burgeoning ministry. Sofie and Iris would be vying for the power behind the throne, with Sofie by far the more dangerous of the two, although Iris is a force to be reckoned with." Knauf had the intention of marrying Brother Justin to Sofie at some point in the future, and Season 3 would have shown a three-year old boy amidst Sofie and the Crowes. Knauf left the question about the child's parents open. As for Ben, Knauf said that his wounds would require repeated suturing, causing him to lose his Vitae Divina and draining him of strength. Ben would be a different man than he was before, with a personality closer to Management.

References

1. ^ ""Beyond the Standard Fare" – John Papsidera". hbo.com. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
2. ^ ""Character References" – Dawn Prestwich & Nicole Yorkin". hbo.com. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
3. ^ "Highlights from the Dan Knauf Chat – Episode 1 – Milfay". savecarnivale.org. July 17, 2005. Retrieved 2007-07-28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
4. ^ Stanley, Alessandra (September 12, 2003). "TV WEEKEND; Carnies, Dust Bowl, Apocalypse". nytimes.com. Retrieved 2007-07-31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
5. ^ Gilbert, Matthew (September 12, 2003). "'Carnivale' atmosphere gets lost in pretentious new HBO series". boston.com. Retrieved 2007-08-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
6. ^ "Carnivàle: Complete First Season". dvdtalk.com. Retrieved 2007-07-29.
7. ^ Pearce, Judge Joel (January 12, 2005). "Carnivale: The Complete First Season". Retrieved 2007-10-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
8. ^ "Awards for "Carnivàle"". imdb.com. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
9. ^ "Interview with Daniel Knauf – Part 1". Beth Blighton at carnivaleinterviews.blogspot.com. January 12, 2004. Retrieved 2007-07-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
10. ^ Knauf, Daniel (fboffo) (July 14, 2006). "Re: Stray thoughts on HBO's meddling, etc". Yahoo Carnivale HBO (registration required). Retrieved 2007-07-28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
11. DVD audio commentary for the episode "Milfay".
12. Summer 2003 Cable TCA Press Tour (July 10, 2003). Transcript at centimes.demon.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-08-11.
13. Poniewozik, James (September 7, 2003). "HBO's Cirque du So-So". time.com. Retrieved 2007-07-31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
14. ^ Chocano, Carina (September 12, 2003). "TV Review – Carnivale (2003)". ew.com. Retrieved 2007-09-08. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
15. ^ Gallo, Phil (September 11, 2003). "Recently Reviewed – Carnivàle". variety.com. Retrieved 2007-07-31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
16. ^ "Samson – Played by Michael J. Anderson". hbo.com. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
17. ^ "Dan Knauf Interview". carnycon.com. February 15, 2005. Retrieved 2007-08-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
18. "Highlights from the Chat with Michael J. Anderson (Samson) and Amanda". July 24, 2005. Retrieved 2007-10-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
19. "Clayton Jones – Played by Tim DeKay". hbo.com. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
20. ^ "Apollonia – Played by Diane Salinger". hbo.com. Retrieved 2007-10-28. Cite error: The named reference "hbo_cast_ab" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
21. Clea Duvall. Carnivàle: Complete Season 2 – The Museum of Television & Radio's William S. Paley Television Festival CARNIVALE (DVD). HBO Home Video. {{cite AV media}}: Unknown parameter |date2= ignored (help)
22. ^ Chat with Daniel Knauf (April 18, 2005). Summarized and archived in parts at Yahoo Carnivale HBO (registration required). Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
23. ^ "Lodz – Played by Patrick Bauchau". hbo.com. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
24. ^ "Debra Christofferson Interview". carnycon.com. February 12, 2005. Retrieved 2007-10-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
25. ^ "Cheyenne, WY". Carnivàle. Season 2. Episode 10. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
26. ^ "Highlights from the Clancy Brown Chat". savecarnivale.org. September 18, 2005. Retrieved 2007-10-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
27. "Give Up and Get "Carnivále"". variety.com. October 31, 2003. Retrieved 2007-10-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
28. "Highlights from the Chat with Michael J. Anderson (Samson) and Amanda". July 24, 2005. Retrieved 2007-09-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |pulisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help)
29. Stumpy Dreifuss – Played by Toby Huss. Rita Sue Dreifuss – Played by Cynthia Ettinger. Libby Dreifuss – Played by Carla Gallo. hbo.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-28.
30. "Adrienne Barbeau Interview Part 1". carnivaleinterviews.blogspot.com. February 9, 2004. Retrieved 2007-09-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
31. ^ "Adrienne Barbeau Goes All the Way for HBO's 'Carnivale'". zap2it.com. October 10, 2003. Retrieved 2007-10-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
32. "The 2004 WIN AWARD". winfemme.com. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
33. "Brian Turk Interview". carnycon.com. February 17, 2005. Retrieved 2007-08-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
34. "Fleck Romances Carnivale". August 12, 2003. Retrieved 2007-10-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
35. "Outskirts Damascus, NE". Carnivàle. Season 2. Episode 8. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
36. "Alamogordo, NM". Carnivàle. Season 2. Episode 2. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
37. "Rob Knepper Interview". carnycon.com. February 2, 2005. Retrieved 2007-10-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
38. "Varolyn Stroud – Played by John Carroll Lynch". hbo.com. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
39. "HBO Cast and Crew". hbo.com. Retrieved 2007-08-30.
40. ^ Complete "Pitch Document" (CARNIVALE Backstory and Mythology.doc) at Yahoo Carnivale HBO Files (registration required) (July 1, 2007). Character biographies previously auctioned at the Clancy Brown Fan Club Charity Auction (May 16–30, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
41. ^ "Henry Scudder – Played by John Savage". hbo.com. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
42. "Daniel Knauf Interview, Part 2". Beth Blighton at carnivaleinterviews.blogspot.com. January 12, 2004. Retrieved 2007-07-31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
43. Knauf, Daniel (fboffo) (Apr 15, 2005). "Is Lodz an Avatar?". Yahoo Carnivale HBO (registration required). Retrieved 2007-10-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
44. "Hot and Bothered". Carnivàle. Season 1. Episode 10. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help) Samson: "Scudder never give nobody nothing but grief. Ben: "You didn't like him?" Samson: "It wasn't like that. I just never had much to do with him." Ben: "What about Management?" Samson: "That was before Management." Ben: "He wasn't always the boss?" Samson: (headshaking): "Company back East, named the hide and Teller company. Management bought them out. Just after Scudder took a powder. He's been looking for him ever since."
45. ^ Teh, Hock Guan (December 1, 2004). "Carnivale: The Complete 1st Season". dvdtown.com. Retrieved 2007-09-08. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
46. "Carnivale: Second Season Premiere". movies.ign.com. January 7, 2005. Retrieved 2007-09-11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
47. ^ "Milfay". Carnivàle. Season 1. Episode 1. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
48. ^ "Damascus, NE". Carnivàle. Season 1. Episode 7. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
49. ^ "Insomnia". Carnivàle. Season 1. Episode 9. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
50. Episode "Old Cherry Blossom Road" – Emma: "Those your cousins down there?" Ben: "Cousins... Yeah, I guess they are." Emma: "You know, Ben, those boys are jealous of you. They'd like to see you dead." Cousins: "Grammy, that ain't true."
    Cousin: "The night your daddy was born, she got herself a boning knife and killed every last one of them. Grandpa Hilton, Uncle Owen, Gilbert, Alvin Sr."
51. Knauf, Daniel (fboffo) (March 23, 2005). "Re: Prophet, Prince, Usher". Yahoo Carnivale HBO (registration required). Retrieved 2007-10-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
52. ^ "The River". Carnivàle. Season 1. Episode 7. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
53. "Pick a Number". Carnivàle. Season 1. Episode 6. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
54. "Brother Justin Crowe – Played By Clancy Brown". hbo.com. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
55. "The Day that Was The Day". Carnivàle. Season 1. Episode 12. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
56. ^ "Los Moscos". Carnivàle. Season 2. Episode 1. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
57. "Reverand Norman Balthus – Played By Ralph Waite". hbo.com. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
58. ^ "Outside New Canaan". Carnivàle. Season 2. Episode 11. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help) Cite error: The named reference "new_canaan" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
59. "Freaking hell". theage.com.au. December 16, 2004. Retrieved 2007-08-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
60. Casamassina, Matt (December 10, 2004). "Carnivale – The Complete First Season". dvd.ign.com. Retrieved 2007-09-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
61. "'Carnivàle' Fans Besiege HBO with E-mails". zap2it.com. July 18, 2005. Retrieved 2007-07-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
62. "Funny business". toledoblade.com. July 20, 2005. Retrieved 2007-08-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
63. "Carnivàle packing up". variety.com. May 11, 2005. Retrieved 2007-07-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
64. Knauf, Daniel (fboffo) (July 20, 2005). "Re: S2 Finale: Might-have-beens/Implications?". Yahoo Carnivale HBO (registration required). Retrieved 2007-09-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
65. "Highlights from the Clancy Brown Chat". September 18, 2005]]. Retrieved 2007-10-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
66. ^ Knauf, Daniel (fboffo) (May 12, 2005). "Re: in response to dan's letter". Yahoo Carnivale HBO (registration required). Retrieved 2007-10-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
67. ^ Daniel Knauf. Carnivàle: Complete Season 2 – "Lincoln Highway" audio commentary (DVD). HBO Home Video. {{cite AV media}}: Unknown parameter |year2= ignored (help)
68. ^ Howard Klein, William Schmidt. Carnivàle: Complete Season 2 – Magic and Myth (DVD). HBO Home Video. {{cite AV media}}: Unknown parameter |year2= ignored (help)
69. ^ Daniel Knauf at Carny Con 2006. Available on a Convention DVD via carnycon.com. Event summarized at Yahoo Carnivale HBO (registration required) (April 25, 2006). Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
70. ^ Knauf, Daniel (fboffo) (June 10, 2007). "Re: even more Carnivale Questions". Yahoo Carnivale HBO (registration required). Retrieved 2007-10-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

External links

• Full cast and crew of Carnivàle at IMDb
• Cast and crew at hbo.com
• Character descriptions at themovienetwork.ca
• Character descriptions at cnn.com

• Lists of fictional characters by work
• Carnivàle