Carnivàle: Black Blizzard on AllMovie

The troupe is heading south, towards Babylon, and rumors about the town's deadly reputation are flying. Everyone is getting antsy, and it doesn't help matters when Samson (Michael J. Anderson), on Management's orders, has them set up shop in the middle of nowhere. Jonesy (Tim DeKay) expresses his reservations, and offers to talk to Management himself, but Samson says no. While the crew sets up, Samson has Osgood (Blake Shields) drive him into town so he can see Miss Jolene (Judith Hoag), a prostitute with whom he has a special relationship. Sofie (Clea Duvall) goes into town herself, despite Apollonia's (Diane Salinger) protestations, and puts on an act, pretending to be a young widow, which earns her the sympathetic ear of Harlan (Gabriel Mann), the handsome proprietor of a local diner. Lodz (Patrick Bauchau) convinces Ben (Nick Stahl) to drive him out into the desert, claiming he wants to show him something that has to do with Scudder. All of them are caught in a deadly dust storm. In the ensuing chaos, Apollonia nearly chokes to death, Samson learns that his relationship with Jolene isn't all he thinks it is, and Sofie gets far more intimate with Harlan than she had intended. Lodz wanders from the safety of the car and into the desert, and when Ben follows him, Lodz demonstrates that Ben is even more powerful than he suspected and offers to help him learn how to use his power, but Ben isn't interested in using it. Meanwhile, Justin (Clancy Brown) gets a visit from Norman (Ralph Waite) who warns him that the church is upset about his continuing to build his ministry for the migrants. Justin passionately explains that he's following direct orders from God, but a deadly tragedy soon ends Justin's dreams.