| Justin Crowe / Alexei Belyakov | |
|---|---|
| |
| Biography | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Minister |
| Relations | |
| Additional info | |
| Portrayed by | Clancy Brown |
| First appearance | Milfay |
| Final appearance | Outside New Canaan |
"You always knew what was inside of me." -Brother Justin
Justin Crowe or Alexei Belyakov was a Methodist minister. He was revealed to be an Avatar of Darkness throughout the series.
At the end of series two, it was revealed that Sophie is his daughter, and 'Management' aka 'The Russian', Lucius Belyakov is his father.
Early Life[]
"Raised in a church orphanage, Justin demonstrated an uncanny talent for memorizing and interpreting scripture. At 17, with the encouragement and financial support of his surrogate parents, Rev. Norman Balthus and his wife, Clara, he left to attend seminary in Kansas City, MO, accompanied by his sister, Iris, who took a job in a the typing pool at H.K. Sloan & Co, a local manufacturing concern.
In his first year, Clara Balthus was diagnosed with stomach cancer and Iris returned to assist Norman in caring for her during her protracted illness. Separated from his sister for the first (and only) time in his life, depressed by his foster-mother's illness and stressed by academic demands, Justin began skipping classes, spending ever more time exploring the tenderloin district. There, he was vicariously excited by the tawdry pleasures available to "sporting men" — liquor, gambling and rampant prostitution.
Upon word of Clara Balthus' death, Justin began sampling these pleasures himself, his brief, manic fall from grace culminating in a month-long binge. One night, drunk, seething with anger and lonely for company, he was drawn to a sign outside a row of tenements advertising "Palmistry and Fortunes Told." He entered the brownstone and there met Apollonia, a young Gypsy. Enchanted by her beauty, he agreed to a sitting, hoping the stories he'd heard of loose Gypsy trollops was true.
For her part, Apollonia found the seminarian attractive, flirting with him as she drew his Tarot cards, ultimately seducing him into her bed. [This experience was changed in the actual show to an act of rape from Brother Justin.] An inebriated Justin later staggered out into the night, continuing his binge until a week later — sleeping in a gutter, battered and stripped of his valuables — he was found by his sister, Iris. Together, they returned to California where Justin resumed his studies at the Woolson Seminary in Oakland."
Source: Knauf, Daniel. (Circa 2000), "Series Concept & Background; The Carnivále Pitch Document." Retrieved from http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.harvardwood.org/resource/resmgr/hwp-pdfs/carnivale_pitch_document.pdf
Season 1[]
What is known:
- Ben has seen Brother Justin and would know him by sight.
- Ben is confronted by a pivotal incident from his long-repressed past: the resurrection of the kitten. This is followed by a frightening image of Brother Justin roaring “Tell me!” He flees the trailer.
What is suspected:
- Ben suspects that the mysterious preacher in his dreams (Justin) may be a false prophet.
Source: Knauf, Daniel. (Circa 2000), "Series Concept & Background; The Carnivále Pitch Document." Retrieved from http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.harvardwood.org/resource/resmgr/hwp-pdfs/carnivale_pitch_document.pdf
Season 2[]
"Brother Justin has begun to gather a huge flock of worshippers of mostly migrants and Okies outside Mintern via his nightly radio sermons and newfound abilities of persuasion. A scholar named Wilfred Talbot Smith identifies him as the Usher and tells him that, in order to gain his full measure of power and fulfill his destiny, he must find and kill a man named Henry Scudder. While escaped convict Varlyn Stroud helps Brother Justin, the Crowes find a new chambermaid in ex-carny Sofie, not knowing that she is Brother Justin's daughter. Brother Justin at long last meets his adversary, Ben, in the final episode of the series. Brother Justin is killed in a battle in a cornfield near his home, but Sofie as the Omega arrives and places her hands on his chest, causing the corn stalks around them to wither and fall away."
Sources:
Carnivàle. Seasons 1 and 2 (2003–2005). HBO. SeeEpisode guide on hbo.com and List of Carnivàle episodes.
Wikipedia contributors. "Characters of Carnivàle ." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 28 Mar. 2013. Web. 29 Jul. 2013.
Powers & Abilities[]
Justin has strange visions and supernatural abilities...
Photo Gallery[]
You can see photos of Brother Justin here!