Back
at the carnival, it's meal time.
Rita Sue comments on the amount
of food on her daughter Dora Mae's
plate, suggesting that if she eats
like a lumberjack, she'll look like
one too, and "nobody wants
to see a lumberjack dance the Cootch."
Samson sits with Jonesy at a table.
As they discuss Babe Ruth, Jonesy
indicates to Sofie, who is standing
with her plate, looking for a place
to sit, that she's welcome to join
them. When Sofie opts to sit with
Ben, Jonesy yells to Samson how
overrated Babe Ruth is and storms
off. Sofie asks Ben if he's been
fixed up with a job yet, and he
tells her that he's "totin'
junk of trunks" and helping
set things up. She informs Ben that
he's officially a "roustie,"
or "roustabout." While
she proceeds to offer to approach
Samson about finding Ben a better
job, Ben's attention again drifts
toward Ruthie, who is finding a
table for herself and her son, Gabriel.
Meanwhile, Lodz and Lila eavesdrop
on Sofie and Ben's conversation.
LODZ:
"Do you sense any attraction
between them?"
LILA: "Maybe on her part.
Boy doesn't know what to do with
a woman. Needs someone to show
him the ropes. Someone... with
experience."
LODZ: "That would be unwise."
LILA: "What's wrong with
teaching a puppy dog a few tricks,
hmm?"
LODZ: "For one, it might
very well kill you."
 Sofie
invites Ben to visit her later that
night. She tells him that her mother
wants to see him. Ben tactfully
tells Sofie that Apollonia gives
him the "creepin' willies"
and that her mother's "a turnip."
With that, Sofie fumes and leaves
the table.
Back in Mintern,
Justin and Iris walk toward the
Red Bird Restaurant. Justin freezes
when he steps inside. It's the very
same diner from his dream. "Love
Me or Leave Me" is even playing
on the radio. Iris senses that something's
wrong, but Justin denies it. They
join the gray-haired Reverend Norman
Balthus at a booth and the reverend
proceeds to boast about his car:
a silver and black Buick Phaeton.
A convertible, no less. Iris comments
that Norman should stop acting like
such a "rake" and more
like a man of his age, and Norman
jokingly tells Justin to snap his
sister back in line. But Justin
has his mind on other matters.
JUSTIN:
"Tea, please."
WAITRESS: "Every prophet
in his house."
JUSTIN: "Excuse me?"
WAITRESS: "I said, 'Coming
right up.'"
Norman tries
to get Justin's attention by showing
him the headline of the day's paper:
"Babe Ruth Swinging for 700!"
Iris complains that Babe Ruth is
all anybody talks about, and Norman
compares the slugger to David, for
"mighty endeavors are inspiring."
Iris doesn't like the comparison,
but Norman explains that in desperate
times, the Lord chooses certain
men to offer hope to the masses,
and gifts them with talents, which
should not go unused. Justin listens,
enraptured.
Things are
in full swing at the carnival. Sofie
is in her trailer, giving a tarot
card reading. She listens for her
mother's advice, but Apollonia refuses
to speak. She explains to the woman
that the "cards are unclear"
and returns the woman's money. After
the woman leaves, Sofie tells her
mother to quit pouting and that
there will be no further discussion
on the matter of Ben Hawkins. The
crowd outside Sofie's trailer groans
when she breaks the news: no more
readings for the day. Elsewhere,
Ruthie tells Ben that Gabriel won't
wrestle without his gauntlets, and
asks Ben to go get them from her
trailer. He complies. Inside Ruthie's
trailer, Ben examines Ruthie's fineries
and sniffs a bottle of her perfume...
Ruthie gives Ben a kiss on the cheek
when he returns, gauntlets in hand.
 Carroll
Templeton arrives at the Crowe household.
Justin tells Carroll that he's got
a project in the works, but that
he needs help. Justin asks Carroll
to donate a building that he owns,
Mr. Chin's, a gambling and prostitution
joint, to the church so that the
migrants will have a place of their
own to worship. Carroll breaks out
laughing and offers Justin $50 so
the Oakies can get themselves a
tent. Justin refuses. He explains
to Carroll that the Lord has spoken
to him and that he must have Chin's.
Carroll says it's not for sale,
and tells the reverend he's out
of his "goddamn mind."
Justin angrily grabs Carroll's arm
and the room goes pitch black. Out
of the darkness, a Chinese prostitute
approaches. She rubs her hands over
Carroll and whispers sensually in
his ear: "Hello, Mr. Templeton.
Back so soon?" A wall of flames
erupt in front of Justin and Carroll.
Suddenly, Justin and Carroll are
standing in the street outside of
Chin's. Inside, Carroll watches
himself across the room. Carroll
#2 asks Mr. Chin if there's "anything
new on the menu" and Chin hands
him a key. Room four. Justin forces
Carroll to go upstairs and face
his sin. Carroll watches Carroll
#2 sit on the bed... next to a very
young Chinese boy. Suddenly, they're
back in the Crowe's living room.
Iris enters. She's brought them
lemonade.
It's around
midnight and the carnival's shutting
down. Jonesy spots Sofie carrying
a jug on her way to the water pump.
He tells her it's been a "dog's
age" since they played catch.
Sofie tells him she has to wash
her mother's hair and Jonesy denies
that he meant right then. Dora Mae
peers through the Gecko's tent,
watching Jonesy walk away disappointed.
DORA
MAE: "Poor Jonesy. Sniffin'
around little Miss Prissy-pants
like a dog lost his bone."
GECKO: "Oh, I'd wager he
knows where his bone is all right."
DORA MAE: "Bet you wouldn't
mind helpin' him find it neither."
GECKO: "Jonesy? Nah, not
my type..."
While Dora
Mae helps Gecko peel off the loose
skin from his back, Samson joins
Lodz for a drink. Lodz pours himself
a glass of absinthe and tells Samson
that he saw Scudder in Ben's dreams.
Samson says he doesn't care because
Scudder has been dead for years.
Lodz informs Samson that Scudder's
very much alive, and to tell Management
for him, because Management no longer
listens to him -- not since St.
Louis. Lodz tells Samson that the
circuit's just an excuse and they
should head south. Samson insists:
they're heading north. As Samson
walks back to his trailer, he spots
Ben Hawkins walk past. The boy deeply
troubles him.
Lodz is sitting
at Apollonia's bedside. The two
are having a conversation, although
neither is speaking. Lodz finally
says aloud that they were always
"stronger together." He
strokes her hair and Apollonia makes
the trailer shake. Sofie enters
and screams at Lodz to leave. Apollonia
causes a tea cup to fly off a table
and shatter against a wall. Sofie
tells her mother that's she fed
up with her tantrums and runs out.
Ben dusts
off his blanket and slides underneath
a trailer. He pulls out the "Big
Sky Farms" photograph and studies
it awhile before falling asleep...
A fast and frightening series of
images. A WWI soldier (the same
man who appeared in the earlier
dream -- the man wearing the tuxedo)
walking through a bunker filled
with dead soldiers. Another WWI
soldier (the second man from the
earlier dream) above the bunker,
aiming a rifle. Growling within
the bunker. The first soldier rounds
the bunker and sees a soldier, minus
several limbs, writhing. A giant
bear appears, wearing chains, a
vest and a red cap with Cyrillic
writing on it. The first soldier
looks up into the bear's blood-stained
mouth-- |
