‘Midnight, Texas’ Season 2 Episode 2 Recap: “The Monster of the Week is Patriarchy”

Midnight, Texas Season 2 Episode 2
François Arnaud as Manfred and Jaime Ray Newman as Patience in ‘Midnight, Texas’ season 2 episode 2 (Photo by: John Golden Britt / NBC)

NBC’s Midnight, Texas season two episode two jumps right into the action at the Crystal Desert Hotel and Spa. Kai (Nestor Carbonell) continues to use his powers which have confounded the Midnight, Texas residents. He heals a young man who’s incredibly grateful his arm is no longer in pain.

Meanwhile, #TeamMidnight’s gathered to rehash the “Manfred being possessed by a demon” event. Olivia (Arielle Kebbel) remains skeptical of Kai, even though she admits he was helpful. Manfred (François Arnaud) isn’t in a great mood since Creek left and just isn’t into this discussion.

He grabs a beer and stands outside by his van. Glancing up at the hotel, Manfred spots a ghost and rushes in to help. By the time he arrives in the room, the dude with the healed arm is dead in the bathtub. Kai’s wife and co-owner of the hotel, Patience (Jaime Ray Newman), seems genuinely shocked that a ghost could kill someone.

As the dead body’s being taken away, Kai, Patience, and Manfred discuss what really happened to the deceased man. Kai also claims ghosts can’t kill people and Manfred explains the older, angrier ones can. Patience wants to shut down the hotel, but Kai’s worried about their business. Manfred suggests keeping that room off limits. He’ll look into getting the ghost (a female) to move on.

Over at Fiji’s place, she and Bobo (Dylan Bruce) try and figure out why all of her plants have suddenly died. He blames it on a malfunctioning fan. Fiji (Parisa Fitz-Henley) remembers Colconnar was responsible for things dying last time, and maybe this time it’s also demonic. As Bobo reaches for the fan, it turns on, barely missing slicing his fingers. Still, ever the optimist, Bobo thinks the plants’ deaths are natural and easily explainable.

Joe (Jason Lewis) pitches in on the ghost hunt, and he believes he’s figured out the identity of the hotel’s ghost. Joe shows Manfred a photo from the newspaper and Manfred recognizes the woman as the hotel’s ghost. She’s Carolyn Baker, and she and her husband, Bruce, bought the hotel in the 1950s. She also drowned in the bathtub, just like the hotel’s dead guest.

Lemuel (Peter Mensah) watches Olivia show off her line-dancing skills at the bar. Drunks attempt to hit on her and Olivia replies, “Guys, I love this top. Don’t make me get your blood on it.” (Oh, go ahead guys, we love to see Olivia kick ass!)

They don’t quit and Olivia’s about to fulfill her promise when Lemuel hisses and flashes his teeth at the idiots. Olivia reminds him she’s used to taking care of herself and it’ll take a while for her to get used to Lemuel standing up for her.

Back at the hotel, Manfred warns Patience not to come into the room no matter what she hears. He makes a circle of salt and calls out for Carolyn. She arrives and warns him to leave the room, but he tells her not to take her death out on innocent people.

Carolyn’s confused at first and then realizes Manfred thinks she killed the hotel guest. As they talk, the window flies open and the salt blows across the floor. Carolyn doesn’t have time to explain that her husband killed her before he arrives and tosses Manfred across the room toward the bathtub. He dunks Manfred’s head underwater (the tub is apparently always full in this particular room) and Manfred struggles to free himself. He finally manages to and Patience opens the door just in time for Manfred to escape Bruce’s clutches.

Everyone thought Bruce moved away but he actually shot himself after drowning Carolyn.

Meanwhile, Lemuel and Olivia have made it home and while making out, Lemuel realizes Olivia isn’t into it. Olivia’s had enough of this psychic connection, but, as Lemuel explains, unfortunately, the only way to break it is for her to become a vampire. Neither wants to engage in that particular fight again.

Joe visits the pawn shop to retrieve something he left there decades ago. Bobo hands him the box and then reveals he gave Walker Joe’s number. Walker called the bar and knew Joe was an angel, so Bobo assumed they were friends.

Fiji ticked three causes of plant death off her list: Colconnar, pixie infestation, and over-watering. Bobo tries to get her not to obsess about dead plants by instigating a make-out session. As they kiss, they fail to notice screws coming out of a wall. Antlers swing down and only Fiji’s quick reaction saves them from slamming into Bobo.

Fiji is convinced someone/something is trying to hurt Bobo.

At the hotel, Manfred wants to do a spell to keep all the guests safe from spirits. Patience agrees, but Kai doesn’t because his work needs energy and life can’t exist without death. Manfred suggests they call in the big guns…Fiji. Patience is skeptical, but Manfred warns her Fiji’s strong and not to piss her off.

Bobo shows up for bartending duty and Fiji’s not far away, keeping him safe. Lemuel’s also at the bar and he orders Whiskey, something he never does on normal nights. He blames the need for alcohol on marriage.

A woman (Marissa Cuevas) who noticed his fangs when he defended Olivia during her encounter with the drunks takes a seat next to Lemuel. Her name’s Dawnette and she really wants him to turn her, but he claims his teeth were simply a trick of the light. She hates her job and was in town applying for a position at the Crystal Desert Hotel. The owner wouldn’t even consider her. While Lemuel’s distracted, the woman pours something into his drink. He takes a sip and passes out.

When he comes to, he’s lying on top of the pool table. She explains she had to knock him out and then she shows off her new vampire teeth. “Hey, daddy,” says Dawnette with a huge smile.

Midnight, Texas Season 2 Episode 2
Peter Mensah as Lemuel and Arielle Kebbel as Olivia in ‘Midnight, Texas’ season 2 episode 2 (Photo by John Golden Britt / NBC)

Fully awake, Lemuel returns home with the girl and tries to explain the situation to Olivia. He leeched Dawnette after she turned and now Olivia wants to stake her. Lemuel stops her, saying the girl’s had a hard life and to make matters worse, she has a 40-year-old DJ boyfriend.

Olivia finally gives in and doesn’t kill her. But, Dawnette can’t sleep on her couch.

The next morning, Manfred and Patience tell Fiji they need a spell to banish ghosts that won’t make the hotel inhospitable to the dead. As she looks for the spell, Fiji asks how Manfred’s handling the breakup. He pretends everything’s fine and Fiji reminds him he almost buried Creek alive and she reacted by moving across the state. He claims he and Creek have been through worse.

Fiji locates a spell that should do the trick, but she’ll need the bones of Carolyn and Bruce to make it work. Unfortunately, Patience isn’t aware of where either set of bones is located.

Manfred returns to the hotel room to find out what happened when Carolyn died. He allows her to enter him to determine the events of her death. When Carolyn claims Bruce thought she was having an affair, Bruce disagrees. He’s next to enter Manfred to unveil his version of events, and he confesses he was desperate to save their marriage. The dead married couple use Manfred to argue about their relationship. Bruce says he didn’t want to hurt Carolyn, and finally Manfred yells at them both to stop arguing.

Manfred tries to get Bruce to say what he did with Carolyn’s bones. He also sides with Carolyn in this argument, agreeing Bruce is evil.

Manfred leaves the hotel room and explains to Patience that he saw everything he needed to see. Bruce killed himself while cradling Carolyn’s dead body. They’re entombed in the hotel in something that looks like a coal room – or at least used to look like a coal room.

Patience and Manfred search for blueprints of the hotel in the office. The painting Olivia saw Kai talking to in episode one is on the wall, and Patience reveals it’s been in her family for years. Olivia admits she doesn’t know who the woman is.

Blueprints found, Manfred recalls the direction Bruce went with Carolyn’s body. He figures out the coal room’s most likely location.

Manfred and Patience discuss Creek while Manfred uses a sledgehammer to smash the coal room’s wall. He’s sure he and Creek aren’t finished as a couple. Manfred opens up a large hole in the wall and the bodies of Bruce and Carolyn, now just skeletons in fancy clothing, are revealed.

Now that they have the bones, Fiji can conduct the spell. The guests have all been sent away on a meditation retreat so the hotel’s clear, and there’s a salt line on the floor so Bruce can’t attack. Bruce’s angry and frustrated and as Fiji prepares to burn the bones, all the lights go out.

Patience sends Kai off to find the breaker box. Fiji continues the spell as Bruce screams about wanting to remain with Carolyn. Manfred tries to speed things up, but Fiji says ancient spells cannot be rushed.

Bruce launches a vase that shatters, causing Patience to step over the salt line. Before Bruce can attack, Carolyn appears to defend Patience, Fiji, and Manfred. Manfred’s with Patience in the danger zone and Carolyn’s unable to hold off Bruce. Fiji finally lights the bones on fire and as she does Bruce’s ghost goes up in flames. Carolyn’s also on fire but unlike her dead husband, she’s smiling. She thanks Manfred and then says, cryptically, “There’s secrets behind the woods.”

Over at the bar, Joe’s avoiding someone’s call. Bobo wonders if he’s okay, and Joe says he feels like he doesn’t have a purpose anymore. Bobo confesses he felt the same way and then opened this bar. He tells Joe he just needs to find his “bar.”

After Bobo walks away, Joe pulls out the box he retrieved from the pawn shop. Inside is a large and very lethal-looking butcher knife. Joe touches the blade and smiles.

Hours later, Olivia returns home wearing a wig and hospital scrubs. She snagged bags of blood for Lemuel’s new daughter who apparently is sleeping in. When they check on Dawnette, she’s disappeared.

They head out on the road, looking for the girl and stopping at any likely destinations. They can’t find her and Olivia asks Lemuel to describe what he knows about her. He knows she hates the strip club, hates how men treat her there, and wants to be a nurse. Olivia figures out the strip club would definitely be the best place to check next. Dawnette’s getting revenge. Olivia knows this because it’s what she would do.

Olivia was right and Dawnette’s at the club. She sees her boyfriend flirting with another girl. Taking the stage, she grabs the pole, bends over backward, and says, “Hello, boys,” as she flashes her teeth.

Lemuel and Olivia arrive too late for a lot of the male patrons of the club. One of the female survivors explains that Dawnette bit two strippers and then the three of them took off.

The newly turned vamps head over to Crystal Desert Hotel.

Fortunately, Lemuel and Olivia aren’t far behind when the stripper vampires arrive at the hotel. They take on the new vampires, although Olivia admits she doesn’t really want to kill a stripper. “Isn’t patriarchy the real enemy here?” Olivia asks just as Dawnette launches an attack.

They hear a scream and find one of the vampires has just killed someone. Olivia stakes the vampire and then she and Lemuel search for Dawnette.

Kai’s made it down to the breaker box to find the wires have been cut. Dawnette surprises him in the dark, reminding Kai he wouldn’t even give her a chance and didn’t interview her for the front desk job.

Manfred and Patience talk as they make their way downstairs. He confesses he’s learned his lesson and isn’t going to chase after Creek. They stop when they spot the dead body now floating in the lobby’s pool. Manfred recognizes it as the work of a vampire and Patience is immediately worried about Kai.

Kai tries to convince Dawnette he made a mistake, but she doesn’t care. She’s about to attack when Lemuel, Olivia, Manfred, and Patience arrive. Lemuel informs Dawnette that her two friends had to be put down and that every life she takes will always weigh on her. Dawnette insists she just didn’t want to be used or groped or looked down on any longer. Lemuel understands her situation and can help her find a way to use her powers for good, but Olivia’s done giving her chances.

Kai stops everyone, insisting he can cure Dawnette. He’s sure he can remove the vampire from Dawnette. He asks if she wants to be human again and says he can give her back her future. Dawnette agrees that’s what she wants, and Kai touches her chest before kissing her and withdrawing the vampire. She’s cured.

Lemuel is incredulous as is Manfred. “You can make supernaturals human again,” says an awestruck Manfred.

The next day Manfred tells Joe what he witnessed, and they both agree that’s a game-changer. They also realize this means Kai would be able to take Manfred’s powers away and give him a normal life. However, Manfred has figured out this is who he is. (Joe’s angel energy is entirely different so he can’t change.) Joe wonders if Manfred’s questioning Kai’s intentions, like Olivia. “Olivia doesn’t trust the sun to shine, but that doesn’t mean she’s wrong,” admits Manfred.

Bobo uses a hammer at Fiji’s and nothing unusual happens. Fiji credits a protection potion she used, and she admits she’s worried she’ll lose him right after they found each other. Another make-out session occurs, and Bobo tosses his shirt onto the workbench. A shelf falls and a knife flies toward him. Fiji stops it in midair and then sends it crashing to the floor. Fiji realizes that it’s their sex life that’s causing the random accidents. She doesn’t think it’s even safe for them to touch until she figures things out.

Season two episode two ends with Manfred sneaking into the office at the hotel, following a hunch. Carolyn’s final words sparked an idea and he touches the woods in the painting of the veiled woman. He realizes there’s something behind it and then slides the painting to the side. He sees the severed demon’s head and has a flash of an arm with a gold band cutting the demon’s head off. Manfred falls to the floor, unconscious.