Those who have been listening closely will remember a brief scene at the start of episode one where a father (Nathan Smythe) and a nurse (Julia Albert) are discussing Belinda, a patient brought into the city hospital, teetering on the edge of life and death after a suicide attempt. This might have seemed just stage dressing at the time, but the fact that we now find that Belinda’s fading memories are intertwined with Blanca’s (Crissy Guerrero) is telling. Those moments when Blanca glitches out appear to coincide with Belinda’s battle to recover in the real world. Belinda Vacca…Blanca? Just a thought.
Had we already suspected that Purgatory, Missouri was, as the name suggests, that place between heaven and hell, afterlife and oblivion, sleep and consciousness, daydream and nightmare, this plane of existence and an otherworld, this new revelation regarding her connection between the real world and the Carnival from Hell, or perhaps the last Carnival before Hell, (for some) feels like a vague suspicion becoming a near certainty?
Blanca and Roger/38 (Dave Foley), whose relationship seems to be getting closer (was there already a real-world connection between them?), are found discussing the discontent that is simmering amongst the numbered, and particularly, the regular carnies; it feels as if the change is in the air, and rebellion stews amongst the minions, some of them at least.
It takes just one small fight between three of the “Down the Midway” carnies for events to cross a very important line, one which, if discovered, could drive a spike of division through the population, between the powers-that-be and the down the midway minions, between those who are there to keep order and those not content with their lot. And just as Highstriker (Alina Foley) and Tunnel of Love (Tonoccus McClain) are planning their next move, that familiar voice is ushered in, and the narrator signs things off with the usual role call of talent.
It seems the perfect time to mention the available extras, particularly the interviews with the cast that Hunter Lowry conducted. You gain a real insight into the actor’s experiences, the production process, and their thoughts on their characters, but also discuss their own paranormal experiences, the use of music in the show, and myriad other subjects. However, you might want to wait until you have finished listening to the series in case of spoilers.
So, one more to go, one more spin on the carnival rides, one more chance to find out what is going on. Will your own preferred theory prove correct? Will we get the answers we are looking for, or will more questions be raised? Will the answers satisfy us, the listeners? Will we be left on a….
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