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Bates Motel 3.07
This one has the ominous title "The Last Supper", but the supper in question actually turns out to be...
...surprisingly un-ominous and relaxed considering the pariticipants, if you ignore the part where Norman is inwardly seething and building up to, well, I'll get to that.
Because this show is this show, I'm expecting the "last" part to indicate that one of the participants will be dead pretty soon. Caleb is the obvious candidate; Emma has her condition, but I doubt the show will kill her before wrapping up (if then), and it definitely won't kill Alex Romero before then, either, despite the fact the odds are currently staked against him in Watsonian terms. But he's so going to be Norma's last lover, the one Norman kills with her, after this episode I'm more sure than ever. More on this later.
But to go back to the start: it occurs to me I haven't said anything about recent Emma/Dylan developments yet. This isn't because I object to the pairing but because fandom paired them up eons ago before they had any actual interaction, and I'm contrarian when stuff like this happens. However, on the show itself it's a plausible development so far, and certainly beats Dylan hanging out with random drug lords as in seasons past. Plus Emma got a drastic and graphic illustration of just how disturbed Norman is last episode, and if that has cured her of any romantic thoughts in that direction, all the better, because it means Emma's going to survive a few years longer.
Speaking of how disturbed Norman is: Finnegan the therapist, you get no sympathy for me despite almost getting strangled. You continue to be the worst tv therapist since Deb's in season 6 of Dexter. "Do you want to sleep with your mother?" Sure, let's ask the kid with blackouts and violent tendencies just that. Actually, even if Norman had the most docile temper this side of the Faithful Griselda, it's bad therapy. Aren't therapists supposed to let the patients discover their inner troubles with only gently nudging questions but certainly not via sledgehammers imposing views like that one? Mind you, I'm not complaining about the scene! It was great (in the uncomfortable way it should be), with Norman starting out passive-aggressive, then ditching the "passive" part and going for Finnegans throat verbally before he does so literally. In the long term, the worst thing about this is this: Norman direly needs therapy. Norma finally has arrived at a stage where she trusts a therapist to be a lone with her son. But because that therapist is an unprofessional idiot who slept with her, it only succeeds in making things worse instead of better.
This is the episode where we finally find out something about Alex Romero's background: turns out he has a dead mother who committed suicide and a living father who's in prison for being a dirty cop (and getting caught at it). Remember Finnegan a few episodes back making a noise about how damaged people recognize each other? Turns out it's not so much true for him and Norma, but defnitely for Norma and Alex Romero, and I appreciate the ep didn't do something as obvious as letting Romero say "you remind me of my mother, only you're a survivor". The contrast between Norma's determined nonchalant-to-indifferent "everything's fine, what's the big deal?" attitude with Alex during their first scene in the episode (when he's seemingly well) as opposed to her open affection and concern when she picks him up drunk and puts him to bed reminded me that their very first moment of obvious UST was when she patched him up after a fight. Last episode, when she said to him "sometimes you're the sheriff, and sometimes you're Alex", it captured more than she meant at that point; she's willing to open up emotionally when he's vulnerable. It also brings out the less self centred side of her, as this is the one scene where Norma completely puts aside the drama of her own life and asks what happened to Alex, focusing on this instead. And note: despite clearly wanting to kiss him, she doesn't. Partly because he's so drunk (see, Finnegan, it's entirely possible to handle people you're attracted to having an alcohol-fueled breakdown and making a pass at you without going for it! when Norma Bates acts more maturely than you, you really should hand in your therapist's licence!), but partly, I think, precisely because her pattern with men - based on the last two relationships she had, since Shelby was a particular case (she originally slept with him to get out of a murder charge, and he ended up trying to kill her and her sons) post Sam Bates seems to be to run once the sex part is over with. And whatever she's feeling for Alex Romero, it's not something she wants to be over with.
Presumably Caleb is going to do the gun run after all so Dylan won't do it and still get the 20 000 for Emma's organ transfer. As of now, my guess is that Norman will kill him once he gets back but that Dylan will assume Chick (or some other guys involved in the gun transport) did it and not suspect Norman (and that Alex Romero will assume this, too). The aftermath of last episode's scene, I thought, was sensitively handled as far as Norma is concerned, with on the one hand her reluctance to interact with Caleb on a regular basis (because even after remorse and a hug, the past s still there) and on the other her deciding, when he's leaving, to invite him to the family dinner. Said dinner should have been incredibly awkward given all the participants but actually isn't (except for Norman); for Dylan it's plain wish fulfillment (mother and father reconciled!), ditto for Emma (she's treated as a part of the family and everyone seems to get along!), for Caleb (forgiveness!) and for Norma (more non-bad childhood memories, everyone she currently cares for is there and (seemingly) gets along, it's the childhood fantasy she never had). Hey, even Alex Romero probably gets some wish fulfillment out of this (even after his immediate emergency is over, Norma won't let him depart into mutual standing-offness again but invites him in and makes him a part of something that's clearly very meaningful to her).
For Norman, though? It's BETRAYAL with capital letters, and that he expected to have Norma for himself for the evening is the least of it. The real disaster is this, though: the combination of James Finnegan asking the forbidden "do you want to sleep with your mother?" question, thus bringing it to the surface, and seeing Norma capable of forgiving and interacting with Caleb. Because you can't tell me that Norman didn't think "if she can forgive Caleb and treat him affectionately again, she'll forgive me for the same thing, or she lied about loving me most of all!" at some level...resulting in him showing up in Norma's bedroom when she's sleeping and for the first time touching her in a way that's unmistably and deliberately sexual (stroking her hip).
Now, leaving aside Finnegan the incompetent therapist yelling at Norma she needs to do something about Norman as he ingloriously departs, Dylan has a "we need to do something about Norman" conversation with her in the same episode, and she does take that in. Unfortunately, no matter what she'll do - even finding a non-Finnegan therapist, which I doubt -, Norman is bound to read that as a rejection. And will come that much closer to killing her.
Trivia: great continuity with Caleb's reminiscence of Norma loving music and loving to sing and play (even if the piano at home didn't even work half the time), which ties with her attempt to be in a musical at the start of s2. Mind you, the sight of Norma and Caleb slipping into an old singing and piano routine together is also one of those things that make Norman inwardly seethe since it's something he must have previously assumed Norma only did with him.
...surprisingly un-ominous and relaxed considering the pariticipants, if you ignore the part where Norman is inwardly seething and building up to, well, I'll get to that.
Because this show is this show, I'm expecting the "last" part to indicate that one of the participants will be dead pretty soon. Caleb is the obvious candidate; Emma has her condition, but I doubt the show will kill her before wrapping up (if then), and it definitely won't kill Alex Romero before then, either, despite the fact the odds are currently staked against him in Watsonian terms. But he's so going to be Norma's last lover, the one Norman kills with her, after this episode I'm more sure than ever. More on this later.
But to go back to the start: it occurs to me I haven't said anything about recent Emma/Dylan developments yet. This isn't because I object to the pairing but because fandom paired them up eons ago before they had any actual interaction, and I'm contrarian when stuff like this happens. However, on the show itself it's a plausible development so far, and certainly beats Dylan hanging out with random drug lords as in seasons past. Plus Emma got a drastic and graphic illustration of just how disturbed Norman is last episode, and if that has cured her of any romantic thoughts in that direction, all the better, because it means Emma's going to survive a few years longer.
Speaking of how disturbed Norman is: Finnegan the therapist, you get no sympathy for me despite almost getting strangled. You continue to be the worst tv therapist since Deb's in season 6 of Dexter. "Do you want to sleep with your mother?" Sure, let's ask the kid with blackouts and violent tendencies just that. Actually, even if Norman had the most docile temper this side of the Faithful Griselda, it's bad therapy. Aren't therapists supposed to let the patients discover their inner troubles with only gently nudging questions but certainly not via sledgehammers imposing views like that one? Mind you, I'm not complaining about the scene! It was great (in the uncomfortable way it should be), with Norman starting out passive-aggressive, then ditching the "passive" part and going for Finnegans throat verbally before he does so literally. In the long term, the worst thing about this is this: Norman direly needs therapy. Norma finally has arrived at a stage where she trusts a therapist to be a lone with her son. But because that therapist is an unprofessional idiot who slept with her, it only succeeds in making things worse instead of better.
This is the episode where we finally find out something about Alex Romero's background: turns out he has a dead mother who committed suicide and a living father who's in prison for being a dirty cop (and getting caught at it). Remember Finnegan a few episodes back making a noise about how damaged people recognize each other? Turns out it's not so much true for him and Norma, but defnitely for Norma and Alex Romero, and I appreciate the ep didn't do something as obvious as letting Romero say "you remind me of my mother, only you're a survivor". The contrast between Norma's determined nonchalant-to-indifferent "everything's fine, what's the big deal?" attitude with Alex during their first scene in the episode (when he's seemingly well) as opposed to her open affection and concern when she picks him up drunk and puts him to bed reminded me that their very first moment of obvious UST was when she patched him up after a fight. Last episode, when she said to him "sometimes you're the sheriff, and sometimes you're Alex", it captured more than she meant at that point; she's willing to open up emotionally when he's vulnerable. It also brings out the less self centred side of her, as this is the one scene where Norma completely puts aside the drama of her own life and asks what happened to Alex, focusing on this instead. And note: despite clearly wanting to kiss him, she doesn't. Partly because he's so drunk (see, Finnegan, it's entirely possible to handle people you're attracted to having an alcohol-fueled breakdown and making a pass at you without going for it! when Norma Bates acts more maturely than you, you really should hand in your therapist's licence!), but partly, I think, precisely because her pattern with men - based on the last two relationships she had, since Shelby was a particular case (she originally slept with him to get out of a murder charge, and he ended up trying to kill her and her sons) post Sam Bates seems to be to run once the sex part is over with. And whatever she's feeling for Alex Romero, it's not something she wants to be over with.
Presumably Caleb is going to do the gun run after all so Dylan won't do it and still get the 20 000 for Emma's organ transfer. As of now, my guess is that Norman will kill him once he gets back but that Dylan will assume Chick (or some other guys involved in the gun transport) did it and not suspect Norman (and that Alex Romero will assume this, too). The aftermath of last episode's scene, I thought, was sensitively handled as far as Norma is concerned, with on the one hand her reluctance to interact with Caleb on a regular basis (because even after remorse and a hug, the past s still there) and on the other her deciding, when he's leaving, to invite him to the family dinner. Said dinner should have been incredibly awkward given all the participants but actually isn't (except for Norman); for Dylan it's plain wish fulfillment (mother and father reconciled!), ditto for Emma (she's treated as a part of the family and everyone seems to get along!), for Caleb (forgiveness!) and for Norma (more non-bad childhood memories, everyone she currently cares for is there and (seemingly) gets along, it's the childhood fantasy she never had). Hey, even Alex Romero probably gets some wish fulfillment out of this (even after his immediate emergency is over, Norma won't let him depart into mutual standing-offness again but invites him in and makes him a part of something that's clearly very meaningful to her).
For Norman, though? It's BETRAYAL with capital letters, and that he expected to have Norma for himself for the evening is the least of it. The real disaster is this, though: the combination of James Finnegan asking the forbidden "do you want to sleep with your mother?" question, thus bringing it to the surface, and seeing Norma capable of forgiving and interacting with Caleb. Because you can't tell me that Norman didn't think "if she can forgive Caleb and treat him affectionately again, she'll forgive me for the same thing, or she lied about loving me most of all!" at some level...resulting in him showing up in Norma's bedroom when she's sleeping and for the first time touching her in a way that's unmistably and deliberately sexual (stroking her hip).
Now, leaving aside Finnegan the incompetent therapist yelling at Norma she needs to do something about Norman as he ingloriously departs, Dylan has a "we need to do something about Norman" conversation with her in the same episode, and she does take that in. Unfortunately, no matter what she'll do - even finding a non-Finnegan therapist, which I doubt -, Norman is bound to read that as a rejection. And will come that much closer to killing her.
Trivia: great continuity with Caleb's reminiscence of Norma loving music and loving to sing and play (even if the piano at home didn't even work half the time), which ties with her attempt to be in a musical at the start of s2. Mind you, the sight of Norma and Caleb slipping into an old singing and piano routine together is also one of those things that make Norman inwardly seethe since it's something he must have previously assumed Norma only did with him.