Although “New Canaan” is the final episode of Carnivàle, it was merely intended to be the end of Season 2. Even so, the episode fails on several levels – most notably on its inability to make any practical use of the immensely compelling, and complicate, mythology which was the foundation of the series. I realize that series creator Daniel Knauf didn’t want to divulge all of his mythology within the first two series, but there were two critical mistakes that he made. First, he chose to emphasize the rather pedestrian storylines of Rita Sue and Stumpy, instead of utilizing a story to convey that mythology. Secondly, and more to the point, if Knauf wanted to leave the mythology open to interpretation, he ought to have provided enough to go on. As it is, there is very, very little included within the context of the show that allows viewers access to the mythology. Rather, if you want to know what “the Omega” means within the context of Carnivàle, you have to go to a Wikipedia article to find out. And that’s an example of bad storytelling.

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“Outside New Canaan” is Carnivàle’s penultimate episode, charged with setting the stage for the final episode … of Season 2. It is true that the series ended prematurely. And it is true that this wasn’t intended to be the beginning of the final act of the entire show. But even if you take into account that this was merely supposed to be the prelude to a season finale, “Outside New Canaan” barely treads water. The truth is, an episode such as this one does a very good job of explaining why the series was canceled so early.

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“Cheyenne, WY” is an example of how far Carnivàle has fallen as a series. As events rush toward their inevitable conclusion, the feeling that permeates the episode is terribly anticlimactic. After such a long, drawn out buildup, not even the faster pace and rapidly unfolding storylines can generate any authentic drama or suspense. Sure it’s interesting enough to sit through the episode – and after investing this much time in the series, why stop with only three episodes left? But it’s almost as if the series itself has decided to stop trying to be purposeful, careful and artistic. All that’s left is an endless stream of poor attempts at shocking the audience or throwing in poorly contrived plot twists.

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“Lincoln Highway” benefits greatly from a shift in focus in storytelling. And in a way, we get our first truly “heroic” episode in the sense that Ben finally chooses to use his power to save the life of another – without having been coerced or manipulated into it. It’s a significant development for his character and the series. Otherwise, however, the series continues to maintain the same approach, in terms of production, as the rest of Season 2. The result is a clear, but not significant improvement.

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“Outskirts, Damascus, NE” finally represents a rapid increase in the narrative of Carnivàle. Events, as related to Ben Hawkins and Brother Justin, are beginning to flow swiftly. And, for this particular episode at least, there is a legitimate “beginning, middle, end” storyline that takes a character (Samson) on a specific story arc. Unfortunately, the episode (much like the series now) is burdened by the soap opera antics of Rita Sue, Stumpy, Jonesy and Libby.

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“Damascus, NE” is an exceptionally fast-paced episode – for Carnivàle, at least. Put simply, a lot of narrative work is done in this episode. And if the stylistic changes continue to be an issue, at the very least the series feels like it is building to a major payoff. To that end, the episode concludes a minor payoff of its own, making it one of the few Carnivàle episodes to end with a measure of narrative satisfaction (even though the final scene is a bit gruesome).

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“The Road To Damascus” takes a great deal of effort to endure. I suppose I can safely say that the episode doesn’t make any glaring mistakes. Instead, it is an endless parade of boredom, mediocrity, and awkwardness. There is one moment that was noteworthy, that was interesting, that was surprising. But considering that this happens near the very end of the episode, that means the entire experience is an exercise in tedium.

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“Creed, OK” is another slight improvement for Carnivàle. I can’t say that the series is back on track – indeed, the stylistic issues will probably ensure that it never returns to form. And a good part of the story is simply filler. But at least for this episode there was an improvement.

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“Old Cherry Blossom Road” isn’t quite as preposterous as its predecessor. But that doesn’t mean that it’s a good episode. The fact is, all of the underlying faults remain with the series. There is a developing “Stephen King” feel to some of visuals and story threads. But imitations are just that – counterfeits to the real thing. Carnivàle is no Stephen King. And now a full one-third of the way through the final season, I think it’s safe to assume that things won’t be improving greatly any time soon. There are noteworthy revelations. But they are few and far between, spread across nearly an hour of screen time. I get that this is an entirely different approach than making feature films. But if any movie moved this slowly for half its length, it wouldn’t get nearly as much credit as this particular episode.

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“Ingram, TX” is, simply, a bad episode. The stylistic changes that were made for Season 2 are on full display in this episode. And the result is not pretty. The episode tried to go for shock value – and all it ended up with was schlock. The episode tried the horror angle – and the end result was simply horrible. It literally feels as though the show hired a consultant after Season 1 and episodes like “Ingram, TX” are the result: what was once authentic, gritty, and palpable is now flashy, campy, and preposterous.

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“Alamogordo, NM” continues, and fully cements, the stylistic changes between Seasons 1 and 2 of Carnivàle. And the result is simply too jarring, too inauthentic to be a benefit to the show. It must have been a conscious decision on the part of the show’s creators to head in this new direction. But with the increase in camera motion, decrease in scene time, and increase in narrative pace, the result is a show that merely a shadow of what used to be its biggest week-to-week strength: the style and craft of its visuals. As for the story, though the pace has quickened, there is still the usual “get some answers and create new questions” approach, meaning that the net result is a downward trend in the quality of each episode and, therefore, the series.

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“Los Moscos” is a frantic opening to the second, and final, season of Carnivàle. It greatly furthers the narrative that began in the first season. And the second season opens, much like the first season did, with a brief monologue from Samson.

And that’s where the similarities end.

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“The Day That Was The Day” is a horribly titled, slightly clumsy, and yet fitting end to season one. As expected there are a great number of revelations and prominent character evolutions. And, as expected, a great many questions are both left unanswered and asked anew. The every-day issues with the character – the surface level story, in other words – feels a bit forced and contrived. But without a doubt, the episode is at its strongest whenever it veers closest to the show’s overall mythology.

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“The Day of the Dead” is Season one’s penultimate episode. As such, the episode is charged with bringing the overall story to the point where a riveting season finale can be shown. In that sense, there’s a lot of buildup in the episode. But it also manages to move the story forward on its own merits. And like most Carnivàle episodes, “The Day of the Dead” isn’t a self-contained narrative – rather it serves to both offer some new answers and also provide a few new questions. The result is about the same as you might expect – worth watching, but not exactly satisfying, either.

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“Hot and Bothered” gives us a little more “meat” to the story. Things are finally starting to fall a bit more into place. And, too, the pace seems to be quickening slightly. It all adds up to an episode that, finally, actually feels satisfying. There’s plenty happening in this episode and, in many ways, it’s a culmination of a LOT of groundwork from the first nine episodes. As such, it’s quite fascinating to see things coalescing around a more focused narrative.

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