Air Date: Monday, August 28, 2017 at 10/9c on NBC
Rating
“I used my light to save her, which means they will be coming for me.” – Joe
Sometimes, you just don’t know people like you thought you did. And that rings very true for one of the “Midnighters” in this week’s episode, “Blinded by the Light.” While the plot twist isn’t really a surprise, especially if you’ve paid attention to the previous episodes, it presents a complex dynamic among the characters when Aubrey’s (Shannon Lorance) killer is revealed.
Midnight, Texas is getting darker with each episode with “Blinded by the Light” being one of the more complex episodes to date. With bugs and animals lying dead in the streets of Midnight, and our “Midnighters” feeling something wicked in the air, there is a definite ominous tone looming over town. Manny (François Arnaud) sees and hears more and more ghosts every day. He explains his headaches to Creek (Sarah Ramos), “When I see ghosts, spirits, they can make me feel like…sick, like a hangover; and the more I see, the worse the hangover. Lately, I’ve been seeing a lot.” And Fiji (Parisa Fitz-Henley) confides to Reverend Emilio Sheehan (Yul Vazquez) about her demon problem. Poor Fiji, she’s not safe in her own house, on her own couch without a demon “clawing” at her. Even the Rev is having his own issues as he tells Manny, “My were-self, it’s hungry.”
On top of all the extra crazy going on, Aerin (Barbie Robertson), who lives in Davy, is not just a lonely blood donor without family like Tiffany (Eve Kozikowski). She’s the daughter of a judge so the new deputy (Mark Siversten) decides to go to Midnight and ask questions. Not a good time for the law to be snooping around, especially given the massacre at the “Sons of Lucifer” hideout that happened in last week’s episode, “Unearthed.” I wonder what Lem (Peter Mensah) and Bobo (Dylan Bruce) did with all those bodies.
The Rev, without revealing his source, decides to tell the core group of “Midnighters” the real reason behind the recent uptick in strange occurrences. “You need to know that the veil between Hell and Midnight is fraying. Evil energy is seeping out of the veil, affecting all of us and bringing out the darkness in us, as well as drawing evil to Midnight.” While I understand Joe (Jason Lewis) wants to protect Chuy (Bernardo Saracino) and himself, he should have come clean about the veil instead of letting the Rev take the heat. But what happens in the final scene of “Blinded by the Light,” Joe puts himself in harm’s way to save another Midnighter.
Aside from the depths of Hell making their way to Midnight, the other major storyline in “Blinded by the Light” is the identity of Aubrey and Tiffany’s killer. The same person also took Aerin, and there are numerous other girls who are no longer alive. While I had my suspicions about Creek’s father, Shawn Lovell (Bob Jesser), a few hints are dropped that someone else is responsible for the heinous activities. The look on Connor’s (John-Paul Howard) face when he’s in the car with Creek says it all. When Creek realizes her father isn’t the killer, the look in her eyes speaks volumes. That gut wrenching, pit of your stomach sick feeling that overwhelms you is written all over her face. Ramos gives a truly convincing performance. First, when Creek thinks her father is a killer, it’s nothing compared to when she finds out about her brother. The waves of disbelief and nausea of discovering an unfathomable truth is perfectly executed in Ramos’ facial expressions and tears.
Interesting Things
Now I understand what the cast was referring to in the Wonder Con 2017 press room when they mentioned Lewis’ “diamond-hard nipples.” Joe reveals himself as an angel when he flies to Midnight to search for Creek. The phrase, “it’s quite nipple-y outside” is spot on.
It seems Joe being a winged angel comes as quite the shock to everyone but the quote about Joe using his “light” isn’t the only eyebrow raiser. Joe’s voicemail to Chuy gives me pause. “Chuy, it’s me. You need to know it’s not safe for you in Midnight anymore. If they find out who you are, they’ll kill me and exterminate you. So please, stay away. War is coming here and I need to stay and fight it.” This isn’t the first time Chuy has been absent from Midnight this season. Where exactly does he go? And the word “exterminate” makes me wonder even more about Chuy and who he truly is. I have a wild-hair theory that he’s a demon (hopefully, not the one after Fiji) that fell in love with a fallen angel. The plot thickens.
I wonder whether counseling could have helped Connor at all. The diabolical smirk on his face when he thinks he’s getting away leads me to think psychiatric help would have been wasted on Connor; he’s too far gone. Does that mean he didn’t deserve a trial? I don’t know. What would a long prison sentence have done for an already twisted and fragile state of mind? Connor may not have shown any remorse — maybe he didn’t have any at all — but all the lying and sneaking around eventually takes a toll on even the most dastardly of villains, even the ones who “like” killing.
Overall
“Blinded by the Light” pulls your emotions in many directions. Concern, fear, confusion, anger, repulsion, and sadness – I need a fluffy pillow and cup of chamomile tea now. But the plot continues to move forward and I’m more interested in what Joe said to the Rev. Who is he referring to when he says, “…they will be coming for me.” Who are “they?” Angel bounty hunters? I can’t wait to find out.
Let me know what you thought of “Blinded by the Light.” Leave a comment below or tweet me at @judybopp.
Tune in to Midnight, Texas, Mondays at 10/9c, only on NBC.
For more on the show, go to http://www.nbc.com/midnight-texas?nbc=1
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Photos: ©2017 NBC Universal. All Rights Reserved.
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