I’ve watched the first season on DVD and I’ve read the synopses for this season’s episodes, but unfortunately I don’t have HBO to see them live. A few questions:
Is Management the father of Justin/Alexei and Iris/Irina? Since when he was corporeal (assuming he isn’t still- he was definitely smoking in one episode but then can’t be seen by others) he was Russian it seems a natural, but this could b e a red herring.
Do you think it is a fact that Justin is the evil one? Do you think it could still switch and be learned that Ben really is the Darkness?
Was the site of Dora Mae in the window in Babylon being pulled back by an arm a scene anybody else felt was the creepiest thing they’d seen on TV since the ‘HOME’ episode of X-Files?
Has the new season done anything with Gecko or the conjoined twins? Both seemed underused last season.
Is Lodz (Patrick Bauchau) still in the opening credits (and are the opening credits the same this season as last)?
Most importantly: has Ben (Nick Stahl) done a nude scene this season?
Unboxed spoiler answers follow. These are based on my interpretations of both the first season and the second season episodes shown so far.
I believe this to be quite likely. There is more discussion on the relationships in this thread.
Justin is evil. He has committed rape directly and murder through his minions so far this season. This isn’t to say that Ben is necessarily good or that Justin still doesn’t try to do good things with his ministry.
I don’t know the X-Files episode, but yes, the scene with Dora Mae was oogy.
They aren’t around this year. There was no explanation as to why they are gone. The side show acts this season seem to be a really bendy guy and a sword swallower. Rita Sue and Libby are still working the Cootch Show and… ummm… also swallowing swords so to speak. The bearded lady is still around as are Ruthie and her son.
I haven’t paid enough attention to the opening credits to answer this. Lodz has appeared, but only to Ruthie who is seeing dead people.
Yes. He was being whipped and then buried alive at the time.
They did rather straightforwardly (by Carnivale standards) answer the question of “Who is Management?” early in Season 2. He is the legless Russian soldier that Ben saw in his nightmares. His relationship to Justin & Iris remains unanswered, but father/child certainly would make sense given their common ethnic background and their places in the story.
They also topped the Babylon oogy-ness factor this season with a family of apparently inbred rednecks. They are the ones who attempt to bury Ben alive.
Unfortunately, I don’t think we’ll see much more of Lodz other than flashes of him. He still comes up as a topic of conversation as only Ben & Samson know what happened to him. It was a nice surprise to see Patrick Bauchau (who played Lodz) pop up in an episode of CSI: NY this season.
(It’s also funny to hear Brother Justin doing car commercials…)
Yep, but just voice work. I think its a Honda SUV ad. I saw it last night, but I can’t remember if it was a Super Bowl ad or it was played during Simpsons/American Dad.
Patrick Bauchau is no longer in the opening credits. He was listed as a “special guest” in the end credits for the episode where he appeared to Ruthie.
I’ve enjoyed this season so far, but I wasn’t thrilled with the revelations regarding Management. I liked it a lot better when he didn’t talk at all–it was creepier.
Management is the Russian soldier. His name is Lucius Belyakov. The HBO site lists Alexei and Irina’s mother’s name as Plemina Belyakov, so it seems almost certain that Management is their father.
Justin is evil, definitely, but is he the Creature of Darkness of legend? Because he’s in opposition to Ben, who is particularly Christ-like this season, perhaps.
OK, OK, he seems to be the Usher mentioned by the Scrabble guy who gave Justin the Gospel of Matthias, whom Justin seems to think he will become. Which is why he got the tattoo from the half-nekkid Japanese woman. The Usher seems designed to bring the Creature of Light and Dark together; that said, it seems to be a lot of different people rather than one guy. Ben keeps seeing visions of him and then he turns into somebody else.
Has it been established that Libby is a prostitute? There’ve been a couple of scenes in S1 where she implied it but my overall impression is that Rita Sue is the only one actually turning tricks. If Libby were hooking it’s doubtful that Stumpy would have had any qualms about having her do that…thing with the tongues whose carny slang name I can’t remember.
Last ep also answered one of my unanswered questions, which was what happened to the Mexican cooch dancer they picked up last season. She apparently ran off.
Does anyone think Justin is going to give Iris up next week, for the arson? I think he needs her too much, and that he’ll pick a scapegoat. Maybe the woman who spit coins – she was around when the orphanage burned.
Although some have said on this board that this is Justin, I believe that Justin is the next tattoed man or his minion. This man’s identity seems to be one of the big unanswered questions. At this point, he could be anyone from a character not yet identified to Satan. Considering that Justin is trying to become “the Usher”, one must ask what exactly he is supposed to usher?
I would be money that Tommy Dolan is going to hang for that fire. He wrote Iris’s confession–it’s all in his hand. We know that Justin can make people do things…Dolan signs it without even realizing it and bob’s your uncle. I think that’s why in the previews Iris says she can’t give Justin regret–he may not be so evil that he doesn’t feel bad for killing the man who helped put him in the spotlight. He might have even considered Tommy a friend…
Ruthie’s visions of dead people have been seriously creeping me out.
Libby is definitely turning tricks. She said as much in Babylon. Her first trick was when she was…12, I think. I can’t seem to find a transcript to verify it though.
Lunch counter.
About the Usher does anybody remember the name of the card that Ben found that Sophie didn’t recognize? I suspect that is a pretty strong clue as to the purpose of the Usher and the other figures bearing the tattoo. I suspect the symbolism has to do with the tree of knowledge and the fall from grace.
Also did scrabble man refer to Justin as the Usher of Destruction? I vaguely recall that. Given the testing of the atomic bomb is the point where the power of these individuals and their kind is ended Justin might have something to do with the bomb. That would tie into the tree of knowledge symbolism. Man is once again taking something not meant for him.
