Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Midnight Texas, Season One, Episode Six: Blinded by the Light

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From the moment Creek's father and brother started to police her sexuality, it really pissed me off. Some of it was even played for laughs. It didn't help that rather than drawing a line in the sand, Creek snuck around town with Manfred. Along with the policing of Creek, Midnight also seems to have a problem with women disappearing.  Yes, the writers have taken care to imbue the female characters with some strength but it's clear that quite a bit of misogyny has managed to seep into the show. 

Blinded by the Light starts with a group of youth running around Midnight and basically causing all the trouble that they can until they are scared away by Lemuel. I think a vampire confronting me would be enough for me to flee.  At any rate, Aaron is ditched by her so-called friends and so begins the long walk out of Midnight. Unfortunately, Aaron she is run off the road by a truck and attacked. 

The next morning, the Rev cleans up the mess created by the kids. At home, Fiji awakes to a demon sexually assaulting her. At first, Fiji believes that it was all a bad dream but when she checks her thighs, she sees scaring.  Creek and Manfred are in bed together when he sees a ghost in his window.  Manfred reaches for some medication claiming to have a headache, as he explains to Creek that seeing ghosts and spirits can make him feel sick. Later, at the diner, Manfred takes even more pills.  The reverend joins Manfred to talk about the fact that his wereself is hungry. Manfred admits to seeing more and more spirits. 

Creek meets with Connor, who claims to be tired because their father has put more work on him now that Creek has been fired for daring to hook up with Manfred.  Connor is not pleased by the new burden.  Creek notices a huge bruise on Connor's arm and is suspicious that this is their father's doing but Connor refuses to get into it. 

Manfred and the Reverend's day gets a whole lot worse when one of the vandals from the night before shows up with a photo of Aaron. When the kid leaves, the Reverend says that it's a problem that there's another missing girl.  Aaron's disappearance is enough for the Midnighters to get together to search for her. Fiji wonders if the missing young women are the result of something supernatural. Manfred admits that he's been seeing ghosts everywhere. The reverend adds that he's been seeing dead animals and bugs everywhere. Joe is desperate to keep the Midnighters from talking about what's really going on and so suggests that they fixate on finding the missing girl.  They decide to split up and search the town.

Fiji is with the Reverend and she tells him about having difficulty sleeping because she hears a voice calling her and something touching her. Fiji is worried that it won't stop until whatever it is takes her. Fiji says that either a demon is after her, or she's going "crazy". The Reverend assures Fiji that she's not going crazy but doesn't tell her the truth about the veil. 

Creek tells Manfred about seeing the bruise on Connor's arm and suggests that her father might just be taking out his anger at her on Connor.  Connor and Creek then come across Tiffany, who you might remember is the young woman who traveled with the vampires to allow them to easy access to blood. Creek and Manfred are joined by Olivia and Bobo. Bobo is certain that Tiffany is another Aubrey because he didn't kill Aubrey and neither did Lowry. They debate calling the cops but come to the conclusion that Tiffany had dropped out of society some time ago and so no one will be looking for her.  Manfred tries to reach out to Tiffany but her spirit has already crossed over to the other side. Bobo is determined to find whoever did this and for the Midnighters deal with the murderers themselves.

The Reverend is washing the graffiti from the tombstones when he is confronted by the cops.  The cops bring up the fact that they still don't know who killed Aubrey, even though they suspect Lowry. The cops then reveal that Aaron's mother is a judge and that there will be a full investigation within 24 hours if she doesn't turn up. This raises the stakes quite a bit. When the cops leave, Joe approaches the Reverend to say that thus far, he has not seen any sign of the girl. The Reverend however has bigger things on his mind and so he tells Joe that Fiji thinks that she's losing her sanity and that Manfred is self medicating. The Reverend is adamant that the citizens of Midnight deserve to know that they are not going crazy. Joe believes that the others are going to know eventually and that nothing he says is going to stop it.  Joe is adamant that he is protecting his family and that this is an impossible choice. Joe is certain that if it gets out that there's a fallen angel in Midnight, the demons will come looking for him. Joe believes that all he can do for now is to help look for the missing girl.

Olivia and Bobo are continuing their search while they talk about the fact that it seems that different supernatural creatures are descending upon Midnight daily.  At this point, neither is certain if the missing women are the result of the supernatural or human predators.  Bobo then brings up Fiji, and is told by Olivia that Fiji put him on a pedestal.  Olivia assures Bobo that Fiji knows what she does for a living and doesn't judge her, so there's hope for him.

Creek returns home with Manfred to check on Connor but of course, Connor is not home. Manfred starts to pick up some ghosts vibes inside of Creek's home and immediately reaches for some medication. This is when a drunk Shawn arrives and punches Manfred in the face for snooping in his home.  Creek is clearly displeased with her father but that doesn't stop Shawn from ordering Manfred out of his home.  Creek makes it clear that just because she's not there, doesn't mean that she isn't watching out for her brother. When they leave the house, Creek texts Connor to warn him that their father is drunk.  

Creek and Connor meet up with the Reverend and do a quick check in on their progress.  Connor starts staggering towards them and they rush to his aid.  Connor is taken to Fiji's for medical treatment. Manfred questions Connor about what he remembers but Connor only remembers being hit from behind.  Fiji wonders if Connor was attacked by a demon.

It's time for another meeting and Fiji tells everyone about the demon that they originally saw at Manfred's home.  Lemuel however is certain that the attack on Connor was so sloppy that it had to be human in origin.  As the Midnighters talk about the possibility of demons, Joe becomes increasingly upset and once again tries to steer the conversation to be solely about the missing girl. This is when the Reverend arrives and says that he is not there as a man of God but as a Midnighter and a friend.  The Reverend finally tells the rest of the Midnighters about the veil and how it is drawing evil to the town.  Fiji is not pleased that the Reverend kept this secret even though she came to him for help. The Reverend however doesn't reveal what Joe is.

Manfred and Lemuel head back to the area where Connor was attacked as they talk about what the Reverend told them.  Lemuel picks up the scent of blood and follows it until he finds Shawn looming over top of the body of the missing girl. Lemuel quickly grabs Shawn and sucks some energy out of him. Fortunately, the girl is still living.

Manfred heads to see Creek to report what happened with Shawn and their belief that Shawn is responsible for what has been happening with the young women. Shawn is being held for questioning by the Midnighters and things don't look good for him at all. Creek goes to see Connor to question whether Shawn attacked him. Connor asks about the missing girl and learns that she's alive. Creek promises Connor that she will take care of him.

It's Manfred who steps up to stop the torture of Shawn and is joined by the Reverend, who believes that Shawn needs to be locked away. Manfred wonders if the reason Shawn was so resistant to him is because he sees the dead.  When Shawn doesn't answer, Manfred decides that he is hiding something and decides to search Shawn's home. 

Manfred picks up something coming from Connor's room. Hidden in the heating vent, Manfred finds a box containing the mask the person who murdered Aubrey wore.  Manfred also gets a vision of Connor standing over Aubrey's body. Manfred takes a picture of Connor to the young woman and she identifies Connor as the one who attacked her. Fiji promises the young woman that she is safe now.  In the box, Bobo finds the ring that he gave to Aubrey. 

Connor talks Creek into leaving town with him by claiming that he doesn't feel safe in Midnight anymore.  When Bobo and Manfred arrive at Manfred's, they find that Creek and Connor are gone.  Bobo, Creek and Olivia confront Shawn about Connor but he has no idea where Connor would go.  

Connor drives out of town as Creek says that one day they are going to have to go back.  Creek feels stupid for not knowing that she was living with a murderer.

Shawn talks about Connor's little penchant for killing animals and how Connor found it fun. Shawn and his wife tried to get help for Connor but the doctors wanted to institutionalize Connor.  After Shawn became a widower, he decided that he couldn't lose Connor as well and so he moved his kids to Midnight. It's Lemuel who points out that in Shawn's desire to keep Connor safe, he endangered the rest of the town.  Shawn argues that Midnight is isolated and that the supernatural can protect themselves from Shawn.  An angry Bobo ask about the people who can't - clearly a reference to Aubrey. 

Connor and Creek continue to drive out of town. Connor says that Shawn didn't change but was wired differently.  Connor even argues that the women who were killed aren't exactly innocent victims.  Creek's phone rings and it's Manfred but Connor knows that he cannot let Creek answer, so he grabs the phone and tosses it out the window. Creek is shocked by her brother's reaction. 

Shawn continues to protest that Connor wouldn't hurt Creek.  Manfred is worried that Creek will figure out what is really going on and that Connor will attack her. The Midnighters decide to start driving and search for Creek.  At this point, Joe realises that he cannot keep his secret anymore, so he takes off his sweater and releases his wings. Joe says that he can cover more ground from above and he takes to the air. The Midnighters are stunned to find an angel in their myth. Lemuel, who can move faster on the ground than the other Midnighters takes off after Joe.

Creek realises that Shawn was protecting Connor. Connor says that he is no different than anyone else in Midnight.  Creek argues that the Midnighters don't hunt and kill for sport but do it to protect people and for justice. Creek tries to tell Connor that they can get him help but this just makes him angry and he starts driving erratically and increasing his speed. Joe drops down in the middle of the road and uses his light to stop the truck. Connor hops out and starts running. Unfortunately for Connor, it's Lemuel who catches up to him.  Connor smiles believing that he's escaped but Lemuel speeds up behind him and snaps his neck.

Creek is brought back to town by Joe and Lemuel. Creek walks into Manfred's waiting arms. 

The next morning the missing girl remarks that Fiji's treatments have left her without a scar.  Bobo tells the girl that Connor is dead. Together Fiji and Bobo ask the girl not to tell anyone about what happened there. The girl promises that she will tell people that she got hurt and that a nice group of Midnighters found her and took care of her. When the girl's mother arrives to pick her up, Fiji sends her off with a big hug. 

Creek heads into the church to confront Shawn about Connor. Creek tells Shawn that Connor is gone and he asks for a chance to explain.  Creek isn't interested in an explanation because she feels that Shawn made her complicit in what Connor did. Creek makes it clear that Shawn chose to be a father to Connor and protect him from the evil things that he did. Shawn tries to plead that they are the last two left but as far as Creek is concerned, she no longer has a father. 

Fiji presides over a ceremony to cleanse Connor's evil from Midnight.  They burn the mask that Connor wore to hide his identity from the people he attacked. 

Back at home, Manfred makes Creek a tea which Fiji promised would make her feel better. Creek cries as Manfred tries to comfort her. 

The Reverend goes to see Joe, who is working on his end of days painting. Joe isn't angry with the Reverend for revealing his secret and says that without the Reverend revealing his secret, he might not have gone after Creek.  The biggest concern right now is that Joe used his light to save Creek which means that the demons will be drawn to Midnight, because they'll know that an angel is there. Joe says that he has to call Chuy and tell him what's going on.  The Reverend promises that they will all be there for Joe should he need something. Joe is forced to leave Chuy a message and telling him that it's not safe for him in Midnight anymore. Joe says that if "they" find out who he is, "they" will exterminate Chuy and kill Joe. Joe tells Chuy to stay away because war is coming there.

I have to admit that the Lowell storyline didn't turn out exactly the way I thought. No wonder that Shawn had no problem policing his own daughter when he had no problem covering for his son who roamed around killing women.  I really liked the fact that town pushed back against both Connor and Shawn, even if the reasoning behind it was missed.  It was Bobo in particular who had a problem with Connor killing innocents whereas Lemuel seemed more concerned about the secrets of the town being revealed.

With Connor's death we finally have an answer as to what happened with Aubrey. At this point, I really need Midnight Texas to stop killing off female characters at such a regular rate. Sure none of the women were really developed but it felt as though every week some woman had to die.

At this point, I don't know about you but I am even more curious about Chuy. I don't actually think that he's an angel like Joe because if that were the case, Joe wouldn't be so worried about what the Midnighters would do to him if they found out what he really is. I think that Chuy is actually a demon and that Joe fell not because he's gay but because he fell in love with a demon.  Personally, I don't like the idea of 50% of the LGBT cast being set up to be evil though. I also hope that this isn't going to drive a wedge between Joe and Chuy or used as an excuse to keep them seperated. It's telling that the straight couples get to be together while the the sole LGBT couple cannot be.