Ma Cooch storms off in a huff, and Libby sits down beside her father. Pa Pimp proceeds to hold his daughter close in a way that manages to be simultaneously touching in a "grieving father" sort of way, and also kind of creepy in an "it wouldn't surprise me if these two had been doing it since she was six" sort of way. I've noticed that Carnivàle certainly does enjoy walking that incest tightrope. Pa repeats Ma's question from earlier, wondering if there's anything he can do to cheer Libby up. She admits that she's been thinking about leaving the carnival, although when you consider that she already announced those same intentions right in front of him last week, that's really not much of a revelation. Pa allows that "Curly and Jasper" (a.k.a. π and Avogadro's Roustie) have already snuck off to parts unknown, and then suggests that they could do the same. His dream is to go "anywhere but Texas." Hers is to go to Hollywood. "It happens all the time out there," she tells him. "People go to Hollywood with nothing but a dream. Then they just get discovered, and become big stars." And then their shows get cancelled, and they end up shaking their tits for scale on pay cable. But in an artsy, Emmy-appropriate sort of way, of course. Dad agrees, and says she'd better start packing. Aw. Hugging. Hugging. More hugging. Huggy Bear. Awkward hugging. Really, really creepy, incestual hugging.

And speaking of creepy incestual hugging, here's Iris in her brother's bedroom. She hangs up a suit he left lying on the bed, but not before she stops to sniff it a few times. Oy. I think we can now safely add "suggestive sniffing" to "religious freaks in the desert" and "sex and free meat" on my TWoP recurring theme résumé. I can't tell you how happy I am about that. With suit safely stowed, Iris thinks for a moment, and then reaches under her brother's bed to pull out the case containing his whip. Ew. Ew ew ew ew ew. I once found a Playgirl in my sister's room, and I couldn't look at her for a month. And because you know there's no way we're getting out of this scene without a money shot, Iris next kneels down beside the bed and actually sniffs the whip. That would have grossed me out too, but all I can think about now is "Smell the Glove" from Spinal Tap, so I think I'm okay on this one. I would, however, be remiss if I didn't at least mention mambotaxi's excellent "whippersniffer" nickname from the forums. Good one!