Unearthed

**Unearthed** is the fifth episode of the first season of NBC's *Midnight, Texas* and the fifth episode of the series overall.

## Synopsis

**RELATIONSHIPS ARE THREATENED AS SECRETS ARE UNEARTHED** — Manfred's growing relationship with Creek is threatened when his con-artist past finally catches up with him and the mysterious Hightower finds him. Olivia agrees to help Manfred, but when she and Creek learn the surprising truth about what Manfred is running from, they realize Manfred is not the man Creek thought he was. Meanwhile, Bobo's budding romance with Fiji takes a surprising turn that puts her in danger.

## Plot

While brewing himself a cup of coffee, Manfred hears a knock at the door. He looks outside to find a Jack-in-the-Box sitting on his front porch. He winds the toy up until it pops open. Inside, was a note, telling him to be at the old train station by 10 a.m. Manfred's past had finally caught up to him as the message was from Hightower. In the RV, Manfred informs Xylda of Hightower's arrival in Midnight. It would have been easy enough for him to shoot Manfred as soon as he opened the door, but Hightower wanted to make him suffer first. Xylda regrets ever getting Manfred involved in the grift. He jokes that she didn't even have the decency to stay alive in order to help get him out his predicament. But the truth is that he wanted the money just as much as Xylda, who tells him that meeting with Hightower is a bad idea. He should seek help from the Midnighters.
At the Inquiring Mind, Mr. Snuggly's disruptive hissing brings an end to Bobo and Fiji's passionate kissing. Fiji offers to make pancakes for the two of them but their breakfast would have to be put on hold when Bobo hears the motors of the Sons of Lucifer's motorcycles just outside. He tells Fiji to stay inside just before heading out.

He stands in the road, helpless as the bikers drive past just after bombing Midnight Pawn. Having noticed the fire, Creek and Manfred join Bobo outside the shop. With Olivia and Lemuel still, inside, Manfred and Bobo grab the water hose and put out the fire. Bobo goes running into the shop as the flames subside, calling out to Lemuel and Olivia. Fortunately, Olivia was fine, as was Lemuel, who slept through the fire. Much to Bobo's surprise, Mr. Snuggly talks to him. He tells Bobo that the fire was just a distraction, so that the bikers could take Fiji. While he may have taken the time to inform Bobo of this news, Mr. Snuggly appears to be more concerned with the fact that Fiji feeds him more than he is with her safety. Bobo then receives a call from Peter Lowry, who was expecting an apology from Bobo for killing Aubrey. Bobo didn't respond, he was only interested Fiji's well-being. She was fine for the moment, but that would only remain to be true so long as he brought Peter the money and weapons. Bobo unhesitatingly agrees to Lowry's terms, even offering to bring the goods in that moment, but Lowry had other plans in mind as he hangs up on Bobo.
As Fiji sits unconscious and tied to a chair inside a storage unit, Peter lifts her head in order to check for the patch on her neck. He wipes his hands on his pants, almost as if to clean himself of the filth from having touched her.

Manfred heads over to Home Cookin', where he is greeted by Creek. She jokes that pipe bombs generally scare of customers, making it was a slow morning. Manfred asks her if she ever thought about leaving Midnight, which she did, all the time. He suggests that they leave right then and there for Vegas or the Grand Canyon. He had a house on wheels, making it very easy to leave in a moment's notice. She asks him why is he running. Manfred explains that he was running because the guy that shot him in the past had finally caught up to him. In spite of this, Creek refuses to take off with Manfred because she couldn't leave Connor alone with their father, something she had told Manfred before. Creek tells him that he doesn't have to run, he could ask the Midnighters for help, which is the same advice his grandmother gave him. Manfred didn't believe the timing was right since the pawn shop was just bombed. But she insists that people would still help him, unless running is what he preferred. Manfred admits that running is what he does best. It's what he has always done, except that for the first time ever, he felt like he had a reason to stay put, looking to Creek and wondering if this feeling was correct, which it is, as Creek tells him to stay put. Manfred then asks to borrow her car.
As Bobo loads the money into a duffel bag, getting prepared for the exchange with the bikers, Manfred enters the shop, looking to pawn his family's ancient treasures for $20,000, but Bobo can only offer him $15,000, and a pistol. He could tell that Manfred would require protection given the circumstances of his sudden need for cash.

Fiji awakens in a shipping container, weak and disoriented, with her hands bound behind her back, to a chair. She calls out for help, but the only person within hearing distance is Peter Lowry. Through a camera and microphone that he had set up in the container, Lowry is able to watch, hear, and communicate with Fiji from outside. Fiji tells him that he didn't know what she is capable of. On the contrary, he had heard all about that trick she pulled with the pool stick, down at the Cartoon Saloon, acknowledging just how impressive it was. The drowsiness that Fiji was experiencing was the result of the fentanyl patch they had placed on her neck, which in return would prevent her from performing any magic, or as he put it, "Voodoo". It was one hundred times stronger than morphine. In her semi-unconscious state, Fiji mutters that he won't stop her before falling unconscious.
By nightfall, Lemuel had awakened, demanding answers as to who was responsible for torching the shop. Bobo explains that they were after him, so he was going to take care of it. However, it stopped being only about Bobo when they bombed Olivia's home. Lem was now personally involved. Peter calls the shop to inform Bobo to meet him at Service Road off Ranchville Drive, and to come alone, Fiji's life depended on it. Lemuel remembers when Bobo first moved to midnight. He offered to buy the shop in cash. He knew Bobo was running from something bad back then, but he didn't ask questions then. He’s asking now; what did they want from Bobo.

In preparation for the Sons of Lucifer's possible return, Olivia has a high powered gun strapped around her shoulder as she answers the knock at her door. On the other side was Creek, who is in need her assistance. She recalls having once asked Olivia what she did for a living, and in response, Olivia told her that when people have problems, they hire her to deal with those problems. Creek tells her that Manfred has problems own his own that needed dealing with, and considering Olivia's line of work, she seemed like the best person for the job.
Bobo reveals to Lemuel the underground bunker that he keeps hidden under an old truck. Inside the bunker were money and military-grade weaponry. Bobo confesses that he's been running from his family, who were wealthy and well-connected white supremacists, a secret that he had been keeping to himself since moving to Midnight.
Manfred enters the abandoned train station, calling out to Hightower, and telling him that he has the money. He then pulls a gun out before proceeding any further.

Bobo's family had big plans for the weapons and riches, but once he found out about what they were hoping to accomplish, he wanted no part of it, so he left with the stolen goods. Eventually, the story spread, and the stash became the Holy Grail for the white supremacist. Bobo assumes that one of the bikers must have discovered his true identity, which is why they sent in Aubrey. He remembers Manfred telling him that Aubrey's feelings for him were real, which was probably the reason Lowry had her murdered, Bobo surmises. To make matters worse, the bikers had Fiji, but not for long, Lem says. Bobo insists that he go alone because it was what Lowry had specifically requested. If he failed to meet these demands, they would kill Fiji. Bobo wasn't willing to take that risk. However, sitting back and doing nothing was not an option for Lemuel.
While cautiously proceeding through the train station, Manfred senses a presence creeping behind him. He swiftly turns around, pointing his gun at the individual tailing him, only to discover that it was Olivia. She informs him that the safety is still on his gun, before explaining her reason for being there. Creek asked her to assist him in settling his debt. She was able to track him down to the train station after finding the note left by Hightower in the "Manfred-in-the-box". While he appreciated the concern, he didn't condone her breaking into his RV. Either way, he had the everything under his control. Considering that she was the professional, and he wasn't, Olivia had her doubts that the situation was as in his hands as he was leading on. She also still owed Manfred for saving Lem from the nest of vampires, which is a debt that she'd like to settle as well due to the fact that she didn't like owing people. Manfred didn't want her to get hurt because of him. Olivia assures him she won't. She learns that Xylda conned Hightower out of $100,000. Of that, Manfred had $78,000 with him. Fortunately for Manfred, Olivia agrees to front him the rest before taking the safety off his gun and proceeding further into the station.

From behind, they slowly encroach on who they initially believe to be Hightower, but they soon discover that it's Violet, Hightower's deceased daughter and Manfred ex-fiance, who he left at the altar. Despite the despicable act that Manfred had committed, it was not the reason why Olivia was there. She offers to pay Hightower the $100,000, plus interest, though he was quite dissatisfied with this offer, telekinetically stripping Olivia and Manfred of their guns and using their own weapons against them. The two of them manage to take cover behind a roll of steel barrels, thus protecting them from the gunfire. Olivia comments that it would have been helpful had she been alerted ahead of time of Hightower's abilities. He possessed black magic, which was incredibly dangerous. Having emptied both clips, Olivia and Manfred take advantage of this opportunity by running out the station, narrowly avoiding being stabbed by several shards of glass that Hightower was levitating and hurling in their direction.
Manfred and Olivia return to Home Cookin', where they find Creek awaiting their arrival. She asks if the debt has been settled, but they aren't even in the vicinity of settled. The three of them head to the RV, where Manfred confesses that it wasn't just his grandmother that stole from Hightower. They ran a grift on him together. Hightower's vendetta was personal. Psychics and mediums run in Manfred's family. Power passed on through blood. Hightower was a gypsy with no abilities, except for that glass trick that nearly shredded them, Olivia mentions. He gave an eye to acquire that power. Hightower was old world and he wanted to be the patriarch of a powerful and magical family. Xylda made him an offer; Manfred would marry his daughter in order to reintroduce magic in Hightower's bloodline. Olivia informs Creek that Violet is dead, and that he was carting her corpse around. She looks to Manfred, asking if he killed Violet, which he didn't. Hightower paid Xylda right before the wedding, giving him and Xylda just enough time to take off, which resulted in Violet being left at the altar and her subsequent suicide a few weeks later. It was the worst thing Manfred had ever done. He wishes he could take it back. Creek abruptly exits the trailer. Her father had been telling her that Manfred was bad news and nothing but trouble, so the fact that he was right only worsens the situation.

Just as planned, Bobo meets the bikers at Service Road off Ranchville Drive. He brings the goods in the back of a delivery truck. Upon his exit of the vehicle, he recognizes one of the bikers from the time that they attacked him in the cell at the sheriff station. Bobo hands over the keys to the truck, allowing them to check for the weapons and money. He asks for Fiji's location. They agree to take Bobo to her, but only after a little retribution for the altercation at the station. Neck tat hits Bobo with a baton and knees him in the gut, knocking Bobo to the ground as the bikers collectively stomped on him. All the while, they were unaware that Lemuel was hiding under the truck.
After stopping by the Inquiring Mind, and failing to make contact with both Fiji and Lemuel, Olivia heads back to Home Cookin', where she is ambushed by Hightower. He grabs her gun, placing it to her back. He was sure that Olivia knew of Manfred's whereabouts considering that he was neither at the RV nor his house. Olivia claims to have no idea where he was hiding but with Hightower threatening to kill the locals, she caves. Olivia takes him up to one of the old and abandoned hotel rooms, leading Hightower in before disarming him and delivering a roundhouse kick, which knocked him to the ground long enough for her and Manfred to chain him up and confine him to the room. Manfred agrees to talk with him after he calms down.

At the Sons of Lucifer base of operations, Peter awaits Bobo's arrival, unbeknownst to any of the bikers that Lemuel is still hanging on to the bottom of the truck, waiting for the right time to act. Peter and a beaten and battered Bobo meet face-to-face for the first time. Peter thought he would be taller. Bobo had done everything he asked, now he only wanted Fiji, who was still alive, but this was more than what could be said for Aubrey. Peter admits that in a way, Bobo was right about Aubrey's death being on his hands. He should have never gotten her involved. Aubrey was so sweet; he assumed that she would wrap Bobo around her finger and get the information right out of him. Now, Peter has what he wants, that being the weapons and wealth, but he didn't have his wife to share it with. Regardless, it was time to see what Bobo had brought them. If he finds out that Bobo held out on him, Fiji would be buried alive.
Back at the hotel, Olivia offers to execute Hightower since it would be simpler and less time-consuming, though Manfred was against such action. He and Xylda were wrong to do what they did, and Violet died because of it. He had been running from Hightower for far too long. It was finally time to face it head-on. Olivia quickly realizes that Manfred's sudden interest in doing what's right had more to do with Creek. But he also wanted to avoid any further bloodshed. Before entering the room, he asks Olivia to standby in case things go south.

Having been chained to the floor, Hightower looks up to Manfred, asking him if he was happy about the outcome. Manfred was upset with the ordeal in its entirety. Just outside the door, Creek joins Olivia as Manfred attempts to level with Hightower. Manfred couldn't defend what he and Xylda did but he wanted to at least inform Hightower that he was a changed man, and he was willing to do anything to settle the debt because of this. Hightower totaled up all that he's owed; the money Manfred stole, the suffering he endured, and finally Violet's life. Manfred reiterates the suffering aspect of their unfortunate situation. Hightower wanted a life for a life. If that's what he wanted, they were already even, Manfred says. A day after he bailed on the wedding, Xylda got sick and was diagnosed with cancer. Chemotherapy was expensive, so they blew through the money rather fast. While she was dying, they joked that Hightower must have finally got that power he always sought after because he likely cursed them, which would explain Xylda's sudden illness. Hightower disagrees with the notion of both of them having lost a loved one since Manfred could still talk with Xylda. Realizing that this may be his one and only chance, Manfred offers Hightower the opportunity to talk with Violet one last time. Torturing Manfred had gotten him nowhere, and killing him won't bring her back nor will it give him closure. Maybe talking to Violet will offer him that piece in mind that he so desperately seeks.
With Bobo holding up his end of the bargain, and the bikers being satisfied with their new-found fortune, Peter agrees to take him to Fiji.

Hightower and Manfred return to the train station in order to make contact with Violet. He takes Manfred to the new location where he's hidden Violet's corpse. He pushes Manfred down the steps, telling him that it's his insurance policy. Should Manfred come through on his end of the deal by offering peace and closure, Hightower would release him. If he failed to deliver on his promise, then Hightower would kill him, demonstrating his telekinetic abilities by rattling and cracking the surrounding windows.
Peter takes Bobo to the storage unit where Fiji has been left tied up and barely conscious. Bobo rushes over to check on her, removing the patch from her neck as he does so. Bobo and Peter proceed to throw accusations regarding Aubrey's murder at one another. You've been lying so long, you're starting to believe them yourself, Peter says. But Fiji comes to Bobo's defense because he doesn't lie. Peter chuckles after realizing that Fiji had no idea about Bobo's family and his past. He used to be one of them, a white supremacist. Bobo denies any affiliation to the group, claiming that he will explain it all to Fiji later. Peter asks if he was also going to explain that church outside of Atlanta that got bombed, which Bobo was at Ground zero for. Through talking, Bobo slowly inches towards Peter, demanding that both he and Fiji be released. However, it would seem that Peter isn't upholding his end of the deal. He tells Bobo not to worry about the weapons, they will be sure to make his father proud. This enrages Bobo but with bikers pointing loaded guns in his face, he was helpless to do anything.
With the bikers testing out their newly acquired weapons, this provided the perfect distraction for Lemuel. He comes out from under the truck and almost immediately begins attacking the Sons of Lucifer members, leaving a trail of bodies in his path.
From inside the storage unit, Bobo and Fiji could feel the ground shaking. He correctly assumes that this is the result of Lemuel taking action to save them In that moment, the air began to thin, meaning they would soon be dead if they didn't find the way out. Bobo began aggressively banging the camera tripod against the steel doors but to no avail.

Back at the train station, Manfred calls out to Violet while holding her hand. They didn't know each other all that well, but she seemed like a nice person. She couldn't possibly be okay with the fact that her father was hunting Manfred to his death. Admittedly, he didn't do right by her, but he needed her. His life depended on it. Thankfully, Violet appears right before him. He wastes no time apologizing for his role in her death. He never meant to hurt her but he knew he would be doing just that by leaving her. Violet informs him that her suicide wasn't the result of Manfred leaving her at the altar. She then asks for her father, who could neither see nor hear her.
After failing to break through the steel door with a wooden chair, Bobo looks over to Fiji who appears to be praying, but in actuality, she was gathering all the oxygen they had into a large transparent bubble, providing them with as much oxygen as they had, for as long as she could. Once again, Fiji was saving his life. While a show of gratitude was surely in order, Fiji advises Bobo to stop talking because they needed to conserve the air.

A Sons of Lucifer member known by his biker brethren as Cyrus, fires a rocket launcher at Lemuel during the attack, laughing while under the impression that he was victorious. Surprisingly, Lemuel emerges from the smoke intact, and moving closer towards the bikers with every passing second. He takes on a barrage of gunfire in the process but they are ineffective in stopping him. With Cyrus frozen with fear as the other bikers run in the opposite direction, Lemuel feeds on him, presumably killing Cyrus.
Manfred looks up to the balcony above to tell Hightower that Violet had joined them. For obvious reasons, Hightower demands that Manfred bring forth proof of Violet's presence. She recounts the night before Manfred ran off. Her father gave her a christening dress for his future grandchildren. Hightower told Violet about their ancestors, and how they were once powerful psychics. He thanked Violet for bringing that power back to the bloodline. Realizing that Manfred is being truthful, Hightower rushes down the steps to join them. Shockingly, Violet tells Manfred to tell her father to rot in hell.

Fiji maintains the bubble surrounding her and Bobo, which was offering them their only source of oxygen. Bobo repeatedly tells her that he's sorry while the deprivation of oxygen was clearly wearing down on the two of them. As luck would have it, Lemuel shows up just in time, forcefully ripping the steel doors open. As the three of them head back to the truck, Lem informs Bobo that they needed to be quick because the sun was almost up. Bobo grabs a grenade from a weaponry container, prepared to use it in order to blow up the entire stash. However, he is blindsided by Peter, though Bobo does manage to disarm him and subsequently kill Peter with his own knife. Bobo looks up to see Fiji watching over him. She tells him that they needed to go, and so they do. After struggling to get back to his feet, Bobo throws the grenade into what's left of the weapons and fortune, resulting in a huge explosion as he, Fiji, and Lem drive off.
The sun has risen but the conflict between Manfred, Violet, and Hightower continues. She only agreed to marry Manfred because of her father. She wanted to please him. Manfred intentionally relays the wrong message, claiming that Violet said that she respected her father's opinion. She demands that Manfred tell the truth, while he attempts to explain that the past they shared was a long time ago. They all did things they wish they could take back. Her father held her back, and he still does. Because of her refusal to let go, she was still tethered to their world. Letting go was the only way either of them would gain closure.

Tired of being told what to do, Violet possesses Manfred, allowing her to confront her father on her own accord. Her entire life, her father controlled her. He forced her to do what he wanted. He tried to marry her off like chattel. She never meant anything to him. Violet was always a means to an end. Hightower apologizes as this was never his intention. If he could do it again he would change it. Violent states that she killed the wrong person that night before turning her aggression towards her father, strangling him with all her strength. Manfred manages to regain control and expel Violet from his body. He tells Hightower that Violet's Spirit had moved on. She had gotten everything she needed to offer chest. Manfred asks Hightower if he's okay, but he's far from it considering he was promised peace but didn't receive it. Hightower raises his hands once more, shattering the glass window in front of him. Manfred covers his head in fear that the shards will be directed at him, however, he is brought no harm. Grieving and unable to gain peace from his daughter's troubling final words and actions, Hightower impales himself with the shards of glass, ending his own life.
Lemuel had made it home before the sun rose. After Olivia finished patching him up, she lectures him on his careless behavior and his reluctance to tell her about Fiji's kidnapping. It was Bobo's call to keep Olivia uninformed, Lem tells her to talk to him. As he lays in bed, Olivia gets on top of Lem, threatening to stab him with a wooden stake. Lemuel sees this for what it truly is; a display of her love for him. He tells Olivia that he loves her too as she lays her head on his chest. She wishes that he could stop almost dying. He jokes that he's already dead.

Later that morning, Fiji's turns her attention towards the shop door as it opens. Bobo enters the store just to see how she's holding up. She claims that she's better, but she was clearly under direst and that could be seen through her appearance. Bobo explains that he didn't know they were going to bomb that church. He was seventeen when his father offered to teach him something. He stayed in the car the entire time, but by the time he realized what was happening, it was too late for him to do anything. By then, he saw who they were and that he wanted nothing to do with them. That night when they were celebrating, he left and he hasn't seen his family since. Fiji always assumed that his parents were dead because he never talked about them. Bobo says that it isn't about them. It was about him and her. He should've told her the truth, but he was ashamed, as well as afraid of how she would react. Fiji thought she knew Bobo deeply. The sad thing is, she does know Bobo, but he understood why she thought otherwise. With pain and sadness filling her eyes, she tells Bobo that she needs time. He grants her this request, but not without telling her that he would always be there for her.

That night, Creek knocks on Manfred's door, commenting that he made it out alive, though the same could not be said for Hightower. Manfred wasn't sure he would see her again after the fiasco with his dead ex-fiance. As far as Creek was concerned, none of the recent events were deal breaking. She was impressed with how determined Manfred was to fix what he had done. Before sharing a kiss, Creek says that she was sorry about what happened with his grandmother. He asks Creek if she could stay for a while, but she offers to stay the night. She already told her dad the truth. She was an adult, he couldn't tell her how to live, and she and Manfred were in a relationship. With him no longer running, and Creek no longer hiding the truth from her father, Manfred wonders if their romance will lose its spark. Creek says "let's find out". The road just outside Manfred's home begins to crack open, exposing a fiery dwelling, just beneath the surface. However, the fraying road immediately seals back up.

## Cast

* Dylan Bruce -as- Bobo Winthrop
* Parisa Fitz-Henley -as- Fiji Cavanaugh
* Arielle Kebbel -as- Olivia Charity
* Jason Lewis -as- Joe Strong (credit only)
* Peter Mensah -as- Lemuel Bridger
* Sarah Ramos -as- Creek Lovell
* Yul Vazquez -as- Rev. Emilio Sheehan (credit only)

Recurring Cast* Joanne Camp -as- Xylda
* Joe Smith -as- Mr. Snuggly (voice only)
* Evan Jones -as- Peter Lowry
* Sarah Minnich -as- Violet

Co-Starring* Matthew Page -as- Cyrus
* Matthew Van Wettering -as- Neck Tat

## Production Crew

	+ Milan Cheylov
* **Writer:**
	+ Brynn Malone
* **Executive Producers:**
	+ Monica Owusu-Breen
	+ David Janollari
* **Consulting Producer:**
	+ Charlaine Harris
	+ Eric Charmelo
	+ Nicole Snyder
* **Supervising Producer:**
	+ Brynn Malone
	+ Turi Meyer
	+ Al Septien
	+ Liz Sagal
	+ Mark H. Kruger
	+ Bill Johnson
	+ David Solomon
* **Producers:**
	+ Anne-Marie McGintee
	+ Christopher Markey
* **Co-Producers:**
	+ Tony Roman
	+ Timothy A. Good
	+ Brendan Finnigan
* **Director of Photography:**
	+ Mike Spragg

## Multimedia

* Promotional
* BTS
* Screencaps
* Videos

Midnight, Texas - Manfred's Dark Past (Promo)Midnight, Texas - Dark Pasts Come to Light (Episode Highlight)Midnight, Texas - Deleted Scene Nothing but Trouble (Digital Exclusive)

## References

1. ↑ Final Adjusted TV Ratings for Monday 21st August 2017
2. ↑ Midnight Texas - Episode 1.05 - Unearthed - Press Release