Hightower

**Hightower** was an antagonist in *Midnight, Texas* that relentlessly pursued Manfred because he and Xylda pulled a grift on him; ultimately it resulted in his daughter's suicide.

## Backstory

Virtually nothing is known about Hightower's past, other than he knew of Xylda and Manfred Bernardo and of their abilities to communicate with the dead. Wanting to be the patriarch of a powerful, magical family, Xylda made him an offer. In exchange for $100,000, Manfred would marry his daughter, Violet, and get magic back into his bloodline, via grandchildren. The night before their arranged marriage, he paid Xydla the money, though it proved to be nothing more than a con; to take the money and run. Manfred left Violet at the altar and a few weeks later she killed herself, leaving Hightower distraught and seeking revenge. Taking drastic measures, he sacrificed his eye in exchange for black magic, telekinesis. He would then spend the next year hunting down Manfred and Xylda in an attempt to collect the debts he was owed.

## Throughout Midnight, Texas

### Season One

In *Pilot*, Manfred received a call from Hightower, who told him that he can't run forever.

In *Unearthed*, he sends Manfred a small jack-in-box with a note to meet him at the old train station.

Later that night, Manfred, along with Olivia, meets with Hightower, though they found his daughter's, Violet, corpse. Manfred is shocked to find her body there, though Hightower asks him what else she meant to him and forces him to reveal his secret to Olivia; Manfred was engaged to her, though he left her at the altar. Olivia attempts to pay him off, $100,000 with interest, though that doesn't persuade him. He walks towards them, their guns raise, though he ignores them; he raised his hands and telekinetically yanked the guns from their hand, pulling them to himself. Weaponless, he opens fire on Manfred and Olivia, though they run for cover. Exhausting all the rounds, he raised his hands once more, lifting broken shards of glass from the floor, hurling them towards Olivia and Manfred, though they escape.

Not long later, he travels to Midnight, searching for Manfred. Not able to find him at his house or RV, he sets his sight upon Olivia. Taking her by surprise, and her gun, he threatens her while they stop in front of Home Cookin', that a flick of his finger, he'd shove a fork down an elderly customer's throat. Olivia stops him; "Enough!" she proclaimed him, and confess that she'll take him to where Manfred was hiding. In an unknown location, Manfred ambushes Hightower, and with Olivia's help, they confine him in chains within the room.

Once he's calmed down a bit, Manfred comes in to talk to him; he asks if he's happy. Manfred elaborates that he will be once he's free from him and doesn't have to look over his shoulder every day. Manfred wants to settle what he owes, telling him that he's changed and he's willing to do whatever it takes; Hightower recalls his debts: the money he stole, his suffering and his daughter's life. Manfred claims that they are even on the "life for a life", that not long after he left Violet, Xylda became sick and they blew through the money quickly because chemotherapy is expensive. Ultimately that they both had lost someone. This enrages Hightower, "You lost *nothing*"; he elaborates that he can still see his dead grandmother, whereas he can't speak to or see his daughter. This gives Manfred an idea on how to settle his debt; he asks "You want to talk to Violet?" Hightower refuses, believing it will only bring him more pain, though Manfred pushes, telling him that he can make it happen, that it may bring him peace and closure.

Back at the train station, Hightower takes Manfred to the new location where he's hidden Violet's corpse and pushes him down a set of stairs, informing him it's his insurance policy until he gets the peace and closure he wants. If not, then he 'would die' as he telekinetically rattles and cracks the back windows panes of the room they are in, signifying his power to end Manfred with a mere gesture.

Hightower watches from above on the upper landing as Manfred summons and converses with Violet. He asks for proof to indicate that Violet is truly present. Manfred relates Violet's message; he reveals that the night before he left her, her father gave her a christening dress for the grandchildren they would have had and that Hightower revealed their family's heritage to her, that they were once powerful psychics. This information proves that Violet is actually present with them, and he joins Manfred, eager to know more. He asks to know more of what Violet's saying, though avoiding the truth, he tells him that she's upset. Hightower mistakes the comment, claiming that of course, she would be upset because Manfred left her at the altar.

As dawn approaches, Hightower continues to watch as Manfred tries to calm Violet's rage. Unable to be swayed, Violet possesses Manfred and speaks to her father directly; "Daddy" she calls him. This gets Hightower's attention though before he can speak, she continues to speak, indicating that for her entire life, he controlled her. With her revelation that she didn't matter to him, he wishes that he could do it all over again, though he can't. Violet reveals that she killed the wrong person and lunges for her father, choking him, though Manfred regains control over his body before he's killed. He expels her from his body and tells Hightower that her spirit's moved on now that she's said what she wanted him to know. Manfred offers a hand and asks if he's okay, unfortunately, he's not and that what he got was not peace. He raises his hands once more, shattering more of the glass window panes. Manfred covers his head, though the shards do not harm him. Hightower, still grieving and unable to forgive his actions to his daughter, commits suicide; impaling himself with the glass shards.

## Skills

Although human, Hightower was considered a gypsy, though he possessed no psychic abilities of his own. He was also "old world" and wanted to be the patriarch of a powerful, magical family, so much so that he dabbled in "black magic"; offering his left eye in exchange for magic, specifically telekinesis.

Hightower's ancestors were once powerful psychics, a trait passed down by blood, though eventually disappeared from the Hightower name. He sought to reintroduce this *magic* with a union from Violet and Manfred, bringing it back into their family, via grandchildren.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Brynn Malone (Writer) and Milan Cheylov (Director) (August 21st, 2017). *Unearthed*. *Midnight, Texas*. Season One. Episode Five. NBC.