CARNIVALE - "Cheyenne, WY"

The saga of Ben Hawkins and Justin Crow draws ever closer to the end of its second season, and CARNIVALE continues to prove that it's one of the best shows on TV with an epic story that never fails to surprise and archetypal characters who linger in the mind after the end credits. The battle between good and evil is constantly waged on the small screen, but rarely is it portrayed with such care and skill.

After stopping along the Lincoln Highway to revive the tarred and feathered Clayton Jones, Ben Hawkins continues his pursuit of Varyln Stroud and the captive Hack Scudder with Jones guarding his back. Meanwhile, Iris Crow and the invalid Rev. Balthus continue their plotting against Iris's demonic brother, Justin, while the target of the treachery grows ever closer to his new servant, Sofie Bojakshyia. With the avatars, their allies, and their enemies clearly defined, the series seems destined for a finale tinged with terminal finality. Ben's already claimed the power of Lucius Belyakov and Brother Justin is soon to have Hack Scudder in his clutches. What seemed like an imponderably distant event, the meeting of Ben and Justin, no longer seems so far away and only the stakes and nature of their duel are yet to be revealed.

While the avatars approach their destinies, the Dreifuss family melodrama continues its histrionics when Libby returns home without her husband. What seems like a trivial aside could become an avalanche if the young cooch dancer doesn't keep her mouth shut about Ben's gift. What will become of the carnival if its constituents learn that Belyakov, and now Samson, have been using their world as a staging ground for a crusade against the powers of darkness? Given Stumpy's desire to keep pimping his newlywed daughter, he and his ilk are unlikely to ascend to the moral high ground in order to support Ben's calling. And speaking of the other carnies, what of the late Professor Lodz and his intermittent possession of Ruthie the snake charmer? In the previous episode, he warned that Sophie was the "omega", but Ruthie failed to pass the message along to anyone in the know regarding Ben's quest. With Sofie now in the hands of Brother Justin, what does this mean for the side of light?

CARNIVALE started slowly and shared its secrets only after forcing its audience to earn them. As the first season wore on, clues to the overarching mythology of the series dripped slowly like a faucet engaged in Chinese water torture. With the second-season premiere, the drip became a trickle, and now the sink is flowing freely. With a story-twisting revelation and an unexpected climax, "Cheyenne, WY" proves that Daniel Knauf and his writing staff are craftspeople of the highest caliber. The esoteric imagery of the first season telegraphed the realities of the second with staggering honestly and detail and, like all great mysteries, the answers are clearly visible in hindsight--though the next set of questions will keep viewers on the edge of their seats.