Hot and Bothered

Jonesy (Tim DeKay) and Rita Sue (Cynthia Ettinger) continue their affair. Libby (Carla Gallo) spies them together, and several other carnies are growing suspicious. Samson (Michael J. Anderson) takes Ben (Nick Stahl) into town, where they visit the Benevolent Order of Templars, a lodge with the same insignia as that of Scudder's (John Savage) watch fob. They don't learn much there, but Samson tells Ben that Management bought out the carnival after Scudder left, and has been looking for Scudder ever since. Something terrible happened between Scudder and Management back in "the old country." Sophie (Clea Duvall), increasingly distraught over Apollonia's (Diane Salinger) mental state, turns to Jonesy for support again. Stumpy (Toby Huss), despondent over the state of his relationship with Rita Sue, goes into town, gets drunk, fights, and finds new talent for the cootch show in the form of Catalina (Valeria Hernandez), a pretty Mexican woman. Ruthie (Adrienne Barbeau) offers comfort, and more, to the sleep-deprived Ben, but when she's lured away from their bed, Lodz (Patrick Bauchau) sneaks in and gets a glimpse of Ben's terrifying dream. Lodz is surprised to find himself addressed directly by Scudder, who warns him, referring to Ben, "He's mine." Back in California, Justin (Clancy Brown) returns home to Iris (Amy Madigan), who tells him, "You have a destiny, and now is the time to fulfill it." Justin doesn't seem interested in appearing on Dolan's (Robert Knepper) radio show, despite Iris' encouragement. Iris invites Dolan along to church, where Justin interrupts Reverend Balthus' (Ralph Waite) sermon to preach his own, psychically enumerating the congregants' sins, and offering them an eerily bloody baptism. "Evil exists," he tells them. "We cannot hide from it. It is part of who we are.", Roll up, roll up as Carnivàle stops off on the small screen once again.