Midnight, Texas – Lemuel, Unchained

By starrymag | August 14, 2017

By: Nicole Dintelman

 

 

This week on “Midnight Texas” Creek (Sarah Ramos) is getting dressed after an afternoon at Manfred’s (Francois Arnaud) place. She tells him she’s late for dinner so she’s got to go. Creek says that her dad can’t find out about them. Manfred asks Creek if they’re going to hang out and have no strings and Creek tells him that it’s a pretty perfect situation. Manfred offers to walk Creek home since the last time she was out at night it didn’t go so well. Creek tells him it’s not a full moon and there are no weretigers lurking about. Weretigers – now there’s a new term for our supernatural dictionary. Creek tells Manfred that one overprotective man in her life is plenty.

Creek encounters a nest of vampires on the street while walking home. She tells the man that approaches her she’s not scared of him. He bares his fangs and asks her how about now. Creek screams and out of nowhere Lemuel (Peter Mensah) appears and shoves the man off of her. Lem starts to attack the man, but then he recognizes him. His name is Zachariah (Zahn McClarnon). Manfred, The Rev (Yul Vazquez), Fiji (Parisa Fitz-Henley) and Bobo (Dylan Bruce) all come rushing out to see what happened to Creek. She tells them all that she’s fine. Manfred tells her that she doesn’t seem fine. Zach tells her that he’s sorry, he didn’t mean to scare anyone. If he’d known she was a friend of Lem’s…Lem interrupts Zach and tells him that everyone in Midnight is a friend.

Zach tells Lem he’s not looking for trouble. Lem asks Zach why he’s there then. Zach tells Lem that they’re there looking for him. Midnight brings back memories from when they were all together. The townspeople do not look pleased. Lem takes Zach to the pawn shop and proceeds to tell him that this is where he lives and works. Olivia (Arielle Kebbel) comes downstairs and Lem introduces her to Zach. She shakes his hand and says: “Vampire.” Zach tells her that he’s just like Lem. Olivia tells him that no one is like Lem. Zach says that Olivia is feisty and Lem tells Zach that she’s also off limits.

Lem tells Zach that they are not to feed on anyone in the county and locals are off limits. Zach tells them that they bring their meals to go and they don’t kill humans to feed anymore. Lem welcomes Zach back with open arms. Olivia is a bit more skeptical. This is why we love her. Lem tells Zach they will meet him over at the restaurant in a bit. Lem tells Olivia that he owes Zach his life and that’s why he’s giving him the benefit of the doubt. We get a glimpse into Lem’s past. We see him chained to a pole being whipped. He was a slave. Later he breaks himself free and escapes.

Lem found Zach in the middle of nowhere by a fire. He pleaded with him to turn him into a vampire to save his life. Zach bit him then Lem drank his blood and thus the story of Lem’s supernatural creation. Manfred, Fiji, Bobo, Creek and The Rev are at the church talking about the predicament they find themselves currently in. Manfred asks if they’ve ever had vampires in Midnight before. Creek says that Lem is the only vampire she’s ever met. The Rev says that Lem is an energy leaching vampire. Bobo says that things are getting really weird in Midnight. Bobo says that even though Lem vouched for them they can’t let their guard down.

Olivia and Lemuel head over to the restaurant. A woman walks up to Lem and kisses him much to Olivia’s disdain. Lem introduces her to Pia (Odelya Halevi). We’re a little surprised Liv didn’t just stake her right there. Olivia tells Lem that she feels a migraine coming on, when really she just doesn’t care for his “friends,” and decides to make her exit. Manfred sees her walking back to the pawn shop and decides it’s time to talk. Manfred tells Olivia that he thinks they’re up to something. If there are dead people in their bus he can talk to them.

Manfred and Olivia head over to the vampires bus to do a little snooping. Manfred doesn’t sense any spirits but he does find a girl hooked up to a blood bag. Liv thinks she’s been bled to death but she’s still alive. Olivia tells her that they need to get her out of there, she’s lost a lot of blood. The human blood bag tells her that she didn’t lose it, she gave it. She hitched a ride back in Tulsa and she’s having a blast. At the restaurant, hoe vamp Pia is trying to get Lem to dance with her. He finally gives in then Olivia and Manfred come in and tell him that they’re keeping a girl in the back of the bus. Draining her of her blood.

Pia immediately goes on the attack because they were snooping in their bus. Olivia tells her that they’re in her town. Zach tells Pia it’s okay, they can’t blame them for being suspicious. Lem tells them that Zach and Pia can’t drain energy like he can so groupies are the most humane way for them to get blood. Pia tells Olivia it’s hard for her to understand because she’s not one of them. Ouch! Manfred tells them to enjoy their reunion and makes his exit. Lem tells Zach and Pia that he needs a minute with Olivia. Lem tells her that she hates them and Liv says she guesses that she doesn’t see what he sees. Then she adds: “Since I’m not one of you.”

Lemuel tells Olivia that he’s been a vampire a long while and most of that time Zach was by his side. Lem went back to the man (Anthony De Longis) who used to own him when he was a slave and he and Zach killed him and everyone at his dinner party. Manfred’s grandmother (Joanne Camp), Xylda, tells him that all vampires are killers. Lem is the exception, he always has been. She tells him that this nest is dangerous and they’re fools if they think any different. Manfred tells her to remind him why she told him he’d be safe there. Xylda tells him that Midnight is safe, he might just have to fight to keep it that way.

Fiji is looking in her spell book to try and find something to protect the town. Bobo comes over with weapons to protect them. He brings her a bow that will shoot stakes. Creek is whittling stakes and her brother, Connor (John-Paul Howard), asks her what she’s doing. He wants to know what’s going on. She tells him that there’s a nest of vampires in Midnight. He asks her if they’re like Uncle Lem. Creek tells her that they’re nothing like Lem. Connor asks if they should be worried and she says no they should be prepared and shows him the stakes. Creek tells Connor to go get a knife. Good bonding activity right?

Joe (Jason Lewis) is seeking solace at the church when The Rev comes in. He tells him he doesn’t think he’s ever seen him in church before. Joe tells him there is a first time for everything. Joe tells him that Chuy (Bernardo Saracino) is at Nail Con in El Paso. Nail Con? That sounds fantastic! Where do we get tickets? Oh, sorry, back to the show. Joe tells The Rev the reason he hasn’t seen him in church before is he’s a fallen angel. Fallen? Does that mean he did something bad? He seems so nice. He tells The Rev that he’s living a grounded life that he wants to protect.

Joe tells The Rev that the veil that Midnight sits upon is frayed and evil is being drawn to it. He asks The Rev if he’s felt it. The Rev tells him he felt it the last time he turned. His hunger was insatiable. The Rev asks Joe what they need to do about it. Joe tells him there is no we. He says that he and Chuy may not be there much longer. After they’re gone someone needs to know the truth. Joe, you can’t just leave when the town needs you! Joe tells The Rev there will come a time when Midnighters will have to make a choice. To leave or to fight.

Manfred is at the hardware store getting supplies when the lights go out. He goes to investigate when he slips in blood. He finds the owner dead on the floor and then is attacked by a vampire. He grabs a pencil and stabs the vampire. The vampire tells him he has to pierce the heart so Manfred kicks the pencil and the vampire turns to ash. Manfred goes to the church to tell them the vampires killed the hardware store guy. The Rev tells Manfred his name was Henry (Michael Neal Powell) and he was a good man. The Rev says the vampires lied and anyone in town could be next.

The Rev says it’s time for mass and Joe says they need to warn everyone. Fiji gets a call and says at least her house is safe. Bobo looks at her funny so she follows it up with telling him her house is inhospitable to the dead. Bobo tells Fiji that she’s a witch and they need to get creative. Manfred tries to call Creek, but her dad sees the call and ignores it. Pia asks Lem if he’s ever going to turn Olivia. Olivia tells them she’s not interested. Zach asks for a minute alone with Lem.

Zach tells Lem that it must be nice being there. Lem asks Zach why he’s there in the first place. Zach asks Lem to let them stay. Manfred asks his grandma why they would lie to Lem. He tells her that Lem said they were friends. Xylda tells him they were once but there is something he needs to know. When Xylda met Lem she was young. Zach and Pia brought her to him as food. He decided not to kill her and she told him that she could help him. Young Xylda (Mia Stallard) gave him the power to leach energy and not depend on human blood. Something Zach was not happy with – at all.

Lem tells Zach that they can’t stay in Midnight. Zach tells Lem that the gypsy girl made him turn his back on them and he’s doing it again now. They’re his family. Lem tells Zach that his family is in Midnight now. Zach says that it was good to see him after all this time and wants to have a goodbye drink. Not a normal drink, a drink of blood. Only Zach doesn’t drink his. There’s a reason for that. Zach poisoned Lem’s bloodshot with silver. Olivia asks Pia what he did and when she tells her Olivia is understandably pissed.

Pia tells Olivia she has something for her too, but she underestimates Olivia. Olivia knocks Pia down and stabs her in the heart with her heel. Zach shouts at Olivia: “You’re taking her place, bitch.” I wouldn’t bet the bus on that Zach. Olivia shoots him and gets away, but Zach goes outside and instructs his vamps to kill everyone in town. Creek is at home armed with a stake when Manfred shows up. He tells them that the vampires are on the attack and they need to come with him. Creek’s dad (Bob Jesser) gets up and tells him to get out. Manfred punches him and knocks him out.

They get in Manfred’s RV to head to the church. They don’t quite make it there because the vampires are lining the street. They make it to Manfred’s house where Fiji protected the house. Thankfully they get in the house. Fiji and Bobo are still trying to find a weapon that will defeat the vampires on a larger scale. Fiji has found a sunrise crystal. She tells him that with light behind it might emulate sunlight. When it works she hugs him and they have a moment. They hear glass break and think it’s a vampire but it’s Olivia.

Olivia tells Bobo and Fiji that Lem has been taken by the vampires. Fiji tells Liv that they have sunlight. Olivia tells them that the vamps are all over town. Bobo says that they can lure them all to one spot and blast them with the crystal. Liv says that they’re going to need a bigger light. Lem wakes up chained to the floor. Zach tells him he’s sorry it came to this but he took everything from him. Lem tells Zach that he chose the life he’s living and he should have killed him when he had the chance. Zach takes the curtain off the window and tells Lem that the sun will be up soon enough and those in town that he calls family will be dead soon enough.

After Xylda helped Lemuel, he told Zach and Pia that she could help them too. They refused and when they did he told them to leave Midnight. Lem told them he would not let them stay. Olivia sneaks back into the pawn shop to get a bigger light but she’s not alone. She fights him off and blasts him with the light but she hurts her leg in the process. Liv calls Fiji and Bobo calls Manfred. Manfred gets an idea but they’ll need divine intervention. The Rev tells Joe that Manfred is willing to risk his life for them but they need the light. Manfred goes to his closet and gets a box then takes it into the street calling for Zach.

Manfred calls Zach telling him that he’s Xylda’s grandson and he can help him the way that she did Lem. Zach asks Manfred what he wants in return. Manfred tells him he has to leave Midnight. Zach tells him that’s not going to happen. Manfred says fine. Let him and the rest of the town, Lem included, walk out of there unharmed. Zach says fine, fair enough. The Rev is inside praying as this whole thing is taking place. Joe is flying up above everyone but no one sees, thankfully.

Zach opens the box after Manfred hands it over to find it empty. He tells Manfred he’s a dead man. At that moment, Joe turns on the light and all of the vampires turn to ash. Olivia tries to rescue Lem. She can’t break the chains. He’ll have to help her, but he’s still too weak from the silver. Olivia breaks a window and cuts her wrist so that he can drink from her. Lem is able to get underground before the sun comes up and the townspeople of Midnight are safe.

Manfred asks Joe how he got the light up to the tower and he says that he snuck in. Joe tells Manfred that he really risked his life stepping up like that. He also thanks him for saving everyone. Joe, it was a team effort! Lem tells Olivia that he never intended to taste her blood. Liv tells him that she wasn’t going to let him die. Lem worries that his past would have scared her but she tells him that she has one too. These two are really amazing together.

Fiji is cleaning up a broken pot when her cat tells her that she might want to clean up. We still love this talking cat! She asks him for what and all of the sudden Bobo walks into the yard. Bobo says about that hug – Fiji tells him it was embarrassing. Bobo tells her that she’s his closest friend and he knows that he can always count on her. Fiji tells him, yeah, then they punch each other in the arm. We all know that Fiji wants more but will Bobo ever figure it out? Guys are so clueless sometimes!

Creek is cooking breakfast when her dad comes in and asks her if she’s sleeping with Manfred. She of course lies and tells him no. Her dad tells her that Manfred is the definition of trouble and she needs to keep away from him. The blood bag groupie is hitchhiking out of Midnight when a truck picks her up. Whoever is inside immediately leans over and violently attacks her. This is why you don’t hitchhike kids! There must have been a vampire hiding out when the light was blasted in the town square. It’s now clear this is not the last we’ve seen of evil vampires in Midnight.