Actuakers
One of my all time favorites.
JinRoz
For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!
Philippa
All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
robertemerald
This is a perfect show. I think this show may be one of the reasons why Boardwalk Empire was such a huge and deserved success. This is the show that paved the way there. Between these two HBO shows one can get a very real sense of the times. Carnivale is slightly noir as well, and artistically flawless. I challenge anyone with an artistic eye not to stop the scene at any point and not realize they are looking at a form of perfection, tone, color, light and dark, juxtaposition, detail and appropriate detail. The characters are as authentic and moving as if they popped out of a Steinbeck novel.
Kirpianuscus
to write about Carnivale is more than difficult. because it is a perfect show. because, after more a decade, the trace of each episode is fresh. because the mixture of fascination and fear, tension and revelations has the gift to survive in memory and define more than a great series but a kind of experience. the voice of Clancy Brown, the amazing performance of Nick Stahl, the stories, Michael J. Anderson who propose a real special character, the dust of Great Depression and the mysteries as magic chain are bricks of a phenomenon. because you feel about it be more than a series. but one of stories, not many, growing in yourself. and this does Carnivale special.
Red_Identity
Well then... Season 1 managed to be moodier, have a more distinct atmosphere, was overall probably more unconventional than Season 2. I thought the first 5 episodes of Season 2 were somewhat lacking in the magic of Season 1, as well as making everything over-the-top and perhaps spelling stuff out to audiences a little too much. From "The Road to Damascus" and onwards though, the show hit a stride that not even Season 1 hit. Sure, the show wasn't as atmospheric as Season 1 any more, but it really plotted the story lines brilliantly. Whereas before the show had shown its slower-paced tendencies, it began to up the tension and pace in a way that didn't betray what the show was about. It was never full- out crazy, but everything really came together amazingly. I would usually mind all of the chasing shenanigans in the finale, but by that I didn't want Justin to die. I don't know, there's something so beautiful about endings that are left unresolved, even with shows that actually planed series finales. There's shows where you need to have everything resolved, but other times I feel like you don't need it. In a way, leaving stuff open-ended provides a better story up for imagination and speculation. The final shot really should've been Iris looking at the cornfields dying. Amazing. I also want to say that the Jonesey/Libby stuff ended up being perfect. Some amazing development there. GRADE A for Season TwoAnd I just read about what the characters' fates were supposed to be. So Sofie didn't want to kill Jonesy, and Season 3 would be about a power struggle between Iris and Sofie, with a kid in the household and the parents being unknown? Amazing.Season 1, I preferred the carnival stuff. Season 2 I preferred the Justin/Iris stuff. Both Brown and Madigan are the easy MVPs of the show, and their work in Season 2 was just outstanding. As for the show overall, it's flawed, incredibly so at times. Season 1 has a lot of spots where it drags, where it seems as if it's unsure of where to go, and the first few episodes of Season 2 are a bit too cartoonish and the more OTT tone gets some getting used to. Saying that however, I think this is an amazing show. The contrast between the styles of both seasons compliment each other incredibly well. Season 1 most closely resembles the sort of off-kilter vibe Twin Peaks gave off, while Season 2 moves away from that and really delivers on the story lines on all cylinders. While I cherish both, I think the second half of Season 2 is pretty masterful and I prefer the season overall. This really deserves a better reputation, and it deserves the kind of rabid cult following
yanika101583
I do not understand why this show is not brought back. Just look at arrested development. they are making new episodes now I think. I think HBO made a huge mistake by cutting Carnivale and Deadwood short.It is strange how some horrible TV shows can go on forever while masterpieces like this one get canned by some corporate executive who knows nothing about brilliant productions and only the bottom line.So sad, but I will always cherish this show.I would say that the entire cast of this show was great, but more important than anything else was the writing and the production (most specifically the imagery used to tell the tale) that made it so special.
