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FoCC Review: Midnight, Texas Season 2 – Resting Witch Face

By Miclpea
***SPOILER ALERT*** Do not read if you have not seen Episode 207 of Midnight, Texas
Directed by Neema Burnette, Written for Television by Kelli Breslin

This is the episode that viewers have been waiting for the entire season. The big bad is finally revealed and what a surprise she is. Patience is the big bad and she is truly evil! She is the twin sister of Theophilus, the original dark witch. Patience has fooled everyone in Midnight including Kai. This amazing episode had comedy, a major reveal, and tragedy as viewers watched the death of another major character, Chuy. Remember, I warned you that you would need a tissue. Here is a quick recap of the episode.

MIDNIGHT, TEXAS — “Resting Witch Face” Episode 207 — Pictured: (l-r) Nestor Carbonell as Kai, François Arnaud as Manfred — (Photo by: Lewis Jacobs/NBC)
  • Joe goes hunting for Chuy, who leaves a trail of death. Walker follows Joe.
  • Manfred initially believes that Kai killed Creek.
  • Fiji is able to hide her dark side until she is caught by Bobo having a night out at the bar.
  • The bodiless head belongs to Theophilus, the original dark witch.
  • Kai has been harvesting the supernatural powers to bring back Theophilus.
  • Joe kills Chuy to save Walker but is so overcome with anguish and remorse that he cuts off his wings.
  • Bobo, Lem, and Olivia capture Fiji who had earlier captured the final two supernaturals for Kai.
  • Patience is the twin of Theophilus, they are the original dark witches. She killed Creek!
  • The search for Chuy and the search for truth lead the Midnighters to places they do not want to go.

One of the best aspects of this episode is that the actors are given the chance to show their acting abilities as they portray the loss of loved ones as well as the darkness overwhelming them.

As Joe searches for Chuy, he finds a trail of bloody bodies. Walker follows Joe because he believes that Chuy cannot be redeemed and that Joe is unwilling to do what is necessary to stop Chuy. It is a classic triangle, Walker truly loves Joe but Joe loves Chuy who loves him. The fling with Walker was a moment of weakness for Joe that has horrible consequences. When they finally find Chuy it all comes to a head.

MIDNIGHT, TEXAS — “Resting Witch Face” Episode 207 — Pictured: Jason Lewis as Joe — (Photo by: NBC)

Joe would normally be able to bring Chuy back, but the sight of Walker with Joe sends Chuy into a killing frenzy. In order to stop Chuy from killing Walker, Joe kills Chuy. The incredible anguish he feels is one of those moments which separates the good actors from the bad. Jason Lewis masterfully displays the anguish of being forced to kill someone that he has loved for more than a thousand years. His cry in the night sends chills up and down the spine of viewers. And for loyal viewers of the series, Chuy’s death is a great loss. Poor Walker thought with Chuy out to the way, he and Joe could be together. It is not to be as the loss of someone that you have loved for a thousand years leaves a gaping hole. Lewis does a great job of portraying this loss especially as he cuts off his wings. His penance is a horrible price to pay. Meanwhile, back in Midnight, Manfred searches for answers while Fiji lets her dark witch loose.

Fiji has successfully fooled everyone into believing that the darkness does not control her. However, she is discovered when she opens Bobo’s bar to supernaturals without his knowledge. As Fiji lets her “freak flag fly,” Parisa Fitz-Henley is wonderfully delicious as dark Fiji. She is no longer the Earth mother figure who wants to save everyone in Midnight; instead, she is the sensual, amoral tigress hunting in the night. Bobo confronts Fiji but he is helpless to stop her as she leaves the bar with two vampires. The vampires believe that they are in for a night of fun and games but they are the last two supernaturals that Kai needs to bring back Theophilus.

MIDNIGHT, TEXAS — “Resting Witch Face” Episode 207 — Pictured: Mindy Sterling as Kiva Goldwater — (Photo by: NBC)

Manfred’s search for the meaning of the writing on the disembodied head leads to one of the funniest moments in the episode. Manfred uses the eyeball of a rival of his grandmother to summon an aged female ghost, Kiva Goldwater (Mindy Sterling). She takes over Manfred’s body and demands a truly despicable act that Lem must perform on Manfred. The ghost wants Lem to massage her feet in Manfred’s body. Manfred makes almost orgasmic sounds in a middle European accent as Lem massages his feet. It is a laugh out loud moment as viewers watch Lem’s obvious discomfort and Olivia’s rage.

But the ghost does give them the information they need. She identifies the head as Theophilus and she also reveals that he has a twin. Manfred, of course, assumes that twin is Kai. From Manfred’s viewpoint, this is a reasonable assumption since Kai is collecting the supernatural powers and he is keeping the disembodied head. With the final piece of the puzzle from Bobo about Fiji, they plan an assault against Kai and Fiji.

MIDNIGHT, TEXAS — “Resting Witch Face” Episode 207 — Pictured: Parisa Fitz Henley as Fiji — (Photo by: Lewis Jacobs/NBC)

Fiji being captured and the assault against Kai goes well until it doesn’t. Manfred, Bobo, Lem, and Olivia made a mistake; they assumed that Kai is Theophilus’s twin. Which is reasonable but all twins are not identical, some twins are fraternal. Patience has played Manfred and the entire town from the beginning. Instead of being a suffering neglected wife, she is one of the original dark witches. Patience fooled Kai as well. He thought he was reuniting Patience with her brother, a good witch. There is no greater evil than that the evil which successfully masquerades as good as corrupts those in its sphere of influence.

The episode delivers it all. It has the incredible pathos and loss of Chuy and somehow, a loss of innocence for Joe. Fiji gets to let her “freak flag fly,” while Manfred and the Midnighters learn too late who is the real villain. This episode shines for the exceptional acting, writing, and directing. The visual effects only add to the story without overwhelming it. Charmelo and Snyder promised more for this season and they are delivering it. I did warn you might need tissues. This episode was a tour de force and there are still two episodes left in the season. Viewers should hang onto their seats and probably get new tissues because the Midnight, Texas train has not made its final stop.

Miclpea

I love going to conventions around the US and Canada. I'm an ardent fan of all things science fiction and especially The Expanse. I'm a senior writer for Friends of CC and I have co-written a science-fiction script called Punctuated Equilibrium.