Alleluia! The Devil’s Carnival

Lucifer oversees a train packed with condemned souls, including Ms. Merrywood, as it ferries them toward Heaven. The scene carries a ceremonial air but feels ominous, hinting at the power at play with phrases like 'Shovel and Bone.' The journey sets the tone for a saga about surveillance, judgment, and rebellion.

In Heaven, God consults with his top enforcer The Agent while Merrywood is separated for questioning by translators. The encounter establishes the tense power dynamics between Heaven's rulers and the condemned. The seeds of conflict are sown as loyalties are tested.

Across the divide in Hell, The Ticket Keeper warns that the carnies are unprepared for war with Heaven. Lucifer brushes off the warning and welcomes a cloaked figure, then opens the Book of Aesop's Fables and reads 'The Filly and The Lapdog,' a motif that threads through the narrative. Tension mounts as preparations for a possible conflict begin to cohere.

A fresh batch of Applicants arrives in Heaven, including best friends June and Cora. They tour the celestial premises with curiosity and awe, absorbing the vast, orderly world above. Their wonder foreshadows how curiosity can pierce rigid order.

June steals a Number 1 armband from The Designer, triggering tension among the premiere ranks. The act reveals the fragility of Heaven's hierarchy and hints at the power players behind the curtain. The friends press deeper into Heaven despite looming warnings.

June and Cora are restrained and interrogated by The Translators, under watchful eyes. The Agent intervenes, and a spark of attraction forms between him and June, complicating the celestial order. The Watchword's disapproval adds to the mounting tension.

God orders The Agent to seduce June to reveal heresy, setting in motion a dangerous ruse. The Agent escorts June to a bar where he lends his voice to a haunting performance. God arrives moments later and serenades one of his girlfriends, blending power with personal longing.

June dares to steal the forbidden Book of the Knowledge of Life and Death. Alarms sound as she is beaten by The Translators and hurled down an elevator shaft toward Hell. The Agent watches, troubled but passive, unable to stop the fall.

The Librarian orders Cora and the other Applicants to denounce June and spend the night re-shelving Heaven's vast library. The punishment underscores obedience and conformity within Heaven's order. The mood tightens as fear quiets dissent.

June escapes The Fool and enters the Carnival, where The Twin challenges her to a surreal, shapeshifting game. The forms of Cora, The Agent, and June appear in a single turn, bending reality. The loss of the game pushes June toward Lucifer, who inspires her to reshape the Carnival and transforms her into The Painted Doll.

The Painted Doll becomes central to Lucifer's plan to challenge Heaven, while the Ticket Keeper resists the carnies' scheme. A sacrifice is offered to strengthen their cause, but Lucifer declines. The looming war sets the stage for a broader conflict between Heaven and Hell.

God sends The Agent to confront Lucifer's uprising and hands him a book containing The Filly and the Lapdog as prophecy. God stages the public 'Bells of the Black Sunday' show to rally Heaven's crowd. The Agent's presence in Hell and Painted Doll's taunt intensify the escalating confrontation.

The Twin is revealed to have been Merrywood in disguise, and she later impersonates The Agent to serenade God. In a post-credits sting, The Twin, still in the Agent's skin, leaves the audience with an unsettled sense of what's to come.