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Carnivale
HBO original series
review
Created
by: Daniel Knauf
Review
by : Ryan
Vu
HBO's
Carnivale is a show that always seems to teeter on the edge
of being a lot more interesting. It is the kind of quasi-mythical,
supernaturally inflected series that gets cancelled regularly
on network television (remember Brimstone or Push, Nevada?).
What caused
shows like this to fail on the networks, unlike their more
successful counterparts The X-Files and Buffy, is that they
didn't offer instantly understandable situations with heroic
characters that the audience could easily relate to.
This lack
made these other, often more sophisticated shows notoriously
hard to define, and therefore hard to market. To make matters
worse, they tended to come packaged with all sorts of mature
content, limiting their audience even further. Execs, unsure
of how to sell them viewers, cancelled them instead. For Carnivale
to appear on HBO, known for its adult-themed, plot-driven
series, should have been a chance for this oft-neglected subgenre
to throw off the limits of network TV and revel in its newfound
freedom. Unfortunately, at this point in its run, it only
succeeds in fits and starts.
Carnivale,
set in a not-quite-normal American West in the year 1934 features
two concurrent storylines: the first is based around a young
man named Ben Hawkins (a morose Nick Stahl), his interactions
with the titular carnival troupe, and his strange gift of
psychic healing (which lately seems to be only one of many
powers). The carnies are, as one would expect, an odd bunch:
there is the dwarf Samson (Michael J. Anderson, who has quite
possibly the best role ever offered to a dwarf actor), the
de facto leader of the troupe, being the only one who can
communicate with the mysterious "Management." There is Sofie
(the always excellent Clea Duvall), who will probably develop
into the love interest for Ben, and her comatose, psychic
mother Appolonia (Diane Salinger).
There
is in fact a preponderance of psychics in this particular
troupe-they may be grifters at heart, but no one can say they
don't have talent. This is one of the major particulars of
the plot, as all the psychics seem drawn to Ben, who, like
all chosen ones with exceptional powers, is very reluctant
to use them. Actually, he is very reluctant to speak to anyone,
or express emotion of any kind-making a character who should
be our window into the show very difficult to relate to. There
seems to be a connection between Ben's past, the carnival,
and the First World War, but that has yet to be fully explained.
The second
storyline, set in California, revolves around preacher Justin
Crowe (Clancy Brown in ponderous speech mode) who believes
God speaks to him "the way He did to Abraham." One thing the
series does right is in showing the sometimes frightening
ways in which his powerful faith manifests, and how this affects
both his friends and his enemies. One particularly chilling
scene in the second episode involves Crowe "convincing" a
crooked local businessman to allow Crowe to turn his whorehouse
into a church by forcing him to confront his sins in an elaborate
vision sequence, which eventually leads to the man's suicide.
Afterwards we see Crowe flagellating himself with a leather
whip. Spooky, provoking stuff.
The problem
with Carnivale is not its storyline or its mythology, both
of which look to be full of potential and are doled out in
a skillful manner that always manages to keep the viewer interested.
Where Carnivale falls short is in its reluctance to take its
concept any further, to deal with the mature themes and situations
that being on HBO gives it license to explore. The odd naked
breast and curse word does not an adult program make. One
also wonders whether or not the cast would be up to such a
shift-while all the actors perform adequately enough, none
manage to stand out in the same way that their peers on HBO's
flagship series (The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, and Sex and
the City) routinely do.
So we
come to the final verdict: is it worth watching? As of right
now, my answer would have to be a resounding "maybe." It looks
like it's picking up-if it can get its writers and actors
to stop treating it so much like a fantasy show, then I'll
start believing in it. As it is, it has the production values
and it has the atmosphere; all it needs now is a bit more
weight to keep it on the ground.
A Big
Welcome to Ryan Vu. He's new. Direct your comments about this
review here.
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