Bates Motel 4.04.
Mar. 30th, 2016 09:37 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakWhich is downright fluffy for this show, in a good way. Mind you, this still means darkness set up s and heartbreaking moments.
And blatant fanservice. I mean: there is no other reason why, after Freddie Highmore more than proved in the most recent episodes that he can play Norman manifesting Mother all on his lonesome splendidly, we go back to intercutting between Freddie-as-Mother and Vera-as-Mother during the scene with the stripper. Not that I object to visuals of Vera Farmiga kissing a girl, but that was pretty obvious, guys.
Aaaanyway: re: young Mr. Highmore, he continues to be awesome as Norman Bates. The phone call to Dylan, not out of spite but so that Dylan would be there for Norma when Norma gets arrested, only for Norman to realize Dylan also believes Norman, not Norma, is the crazy one. (A far cry from early s1 Dylan trying to convince Norman of the reverse.) The manifestation of Mother (this time without attempted lethal violence , which isn't a first (he also was Mother without violence in the night when Norma was gone and Dylan got introduced to her), but still rare, and Mother responding to the stripper's role play suggestion made me wonder whether in AU land roleplay might have been a way for Norman to cope with his issues in a non lethal way; and then the heartbreaking final scene when Norman, having gone through another blackout and KNOWING Norma was nowhere around, is at last considering again that he might be the one going made and in dire need of help, and desperate to get that help. Because the part of him who doesn't want to hurt people is still there.
Meanwhile, in the C-Plot: you know, on the one hand, Dylan moving with the Decodys to Seattle would save their collective lives, otoh, not only would this remove them from the show, but even if it didn't would be hard to root for because Dylan and Emma on their lonesome aren't what I watch for, much as I like both characters. Mind you, the Seattle plan clearly isn't going to work out; my current guess is that soon, someone will find the late Audrey Decody's body (whereever Norman-as-Mother has put it, which we don't know yet) or at least look for her, and that will make Mr. Decody, who had a public hostile encounter with his (former? We don't know whether they were separated or officially divorced) wife at the Portland Hospital and threatened her, a prime suspect. So he won't be allowed to move while the investigation is going on. Not to mention that neither he nor Dylan have told Emma yet that her mother had been there, which I don't think she'll like.
Mind you: Emma has been not so secretly making Norma into a replacement mother figure in seasons 1 and 2, and one of the very few things I disliked about season 3 was that they didn't have a single scene with just the two of them in it. (The few times Norma and Emma were on screen together, it was always a group scene.) So I was absolutely thrilled when Norma told Alex that she was about to visit Emma in in Portland, and very happy when this happened and we saw the scene play out. Because I'm invested in that relationship, which is Norma's sole one with another woman that's positive (and vice versa for Emma), and had loved their s1 and s2 scenes. The late s2 scene where Emma, about to lose her virginity with Gunner, asks Norma for advice on this and Norma pushes her own traumatic memories back and is there for Emma, was one of my favourites for both characters. So basically I beamed through their hospital encounter, with Emma lightening up when Norma visits her and Norma not only expressing joy at Emma's new state of health but also thanking her for making Dylan happy. Considering Emma in s2 angsted at times as to whether or not she meant anything to Norma or was just convenient help, and felt excluded from the family she wanted to belong to, this was such a good emotional pay off for this.
As for the Norma and Alex plot: it continues to be ridiculously pleasing in its faithful execution of the "Marriage of Convenience becomes real" trope. Norma wavering between skittish awkwardness and starting to believe this could be happiness throughout felt right given her history (and current worries) on the one and growing through three seasons feelings for Alex Romero on the other hand. And since undoubtedly the next catastrophe is just over the horizon, this interlude feels like a breather. (Also a future death sentence for both of them. My current speculation continues to be that Edwards will be able to help Norman enough to get him released, but that what eventually will trigger Norman's renewed fall will be that the Norma/Alex relationship is real. That she puts Norman's photo from her dressing table is pretty ominous in this regard.)
Incidentally: Alex Romero, I hope that after sucessfully looking for the key, you have found a better hiding place for the money than the incinerator in the basement, because seriously?
Suspects for the break-in devastation in Norma's house that she and Alex find when they return from the festival: Alex' former friend-with-benefits Rebecca the bank manager is the most obvious one, presumably looking for the key since clearly she didn't believe Alex when he denied having it. Presumably the DEA wouldn't have searched the house without leaving guards behind, even if they should suspect Alex already. There's the outside possibility that it wasn't Rebecca but Chick, set on vengeance against Caleb (or just clues where he might be); in which case Alex is going to assume it was Rebecca, thereby alienating her further and possibly making her spill the beans about her own past with him to the DEA investigating her. Since he directly lied to the DEA in this episode about knowing her only as the bank manager and having no personal relationship with her, and she can prove such a relationship existed (she has the keys for his house, among other things), that could get him into trouble even if she doesn't tell about having laundered money for him as well as Bob Paris.
More speculation:
- Norman's flashbacks in this episode include the pilot, aka the one time Norma actually did kill someone (her rapist) and he saw her doing it. It occurs to me that if he talks about this with Dr. Edwards, as opposed to his own murders while manifesting Mother, it might get his new therapist to at at least consider the possibility that some of Norman's suspicions re: Norma could be true, especially if he confronts her with this.
- Julian knowing how to break out of Pineview and doing so easily but really wanting to be caught because he wants the proof of attention and caring makes sense, but I've not yet given up the "Strangers on a Train" scenario.
- The honey moon phase between Norma and Alex will end when he has to investigate Audrey Decody's disappearance/possible murder, because Norma being Norma, I'm afraid despite what they're building together right now she'll instinctively lie to him at first (and while she doesn't know exactly what happened to Audrey, she has to have an earing-and-Norman's accusations based suspicion)
- "I want to see you" (Norma to Alex when they think they're about to have sex before discovering what happened in their absence in the house) both warmed me and broke my heart a little, because it says a lot about Norma's sexual past and the contrast to this present relationship.
And blatant fanservice. I mean: there is no other reason why, after Freddie Highmore more than proved in the most recent episodes that he can play Norman manifesting Mother all on his lonesome splendidly, we go back to intercutting between Freddie-as-Mother and Vera-as-Mother during the scene with the stripper. Not that I object to visuals of Vera Farmiga kissing a girl, but that was pretty obvious, guys.
Aaaanyway: re: young Mr. Highmore, he continues to be awesome as Norman Bates. The phone call to Dylan, not out of spite but so that Dylan would be there for Norma when Norma gets arrested, only for Norman to realize Dylan also believes Norman, not Norma, is the crazy one. (A far cry from early s1 Dylan trying to convince Norman of the reverse.) The manifestation of Mother (this time without attempted lethal violence , which isn't a first (he also was Mother without violence in the night when Norma was gone and Dylan got introduced to her), but still rare, and Mother responding to the stripper's role play suggestion made me wonder whether in AU land roleplay might have been a way for Norman to cope with his issues in a non lethal way; and then the heartbreaking final scene when Norman, having gone through another blackout and KNOWING Norma was nowhere around, is at last considering again that he might be the one going made and in dire need of help, and desperate to get that help. Because the part of him who doesn't want to hurt people is still there.
Meanwhile, in the C-Plot: you know, on the one hand, Dylan moving with the Decodys to Seattle would save their collective lives, otoh, not only would this remove them from the show, but even if it didn't would be hard to root for because Dylan and Emma on their lonesome aren't what I watch for, much as I like both characters. Mind you, the Seattle plan clearly isn't going to work out; my current guess is that soon, someone will find the late Audrey Decody's body (whereever Norman-as-Mother has put it, which we don't know yet) or at least look for her, and that will make Mr. Decody, who had a public hostile encounter with his (former? We don't know whether they were separated or officially divorced) wife at the Portland Hospital and threatened her, a prime suspect. So he won't be allowed to move while the investigation is going on. Not to mention that neither he nor Dylan have told Emma yet that her mother had been there, which I don't think she'll like.
Mind you: Emma has been not so secretly making Norma into a replacement mother figure in seasons 1 and 2, and one of the very few things I disliked about season 3 was that they didn't have a single scene with just the two of them in it. (The few times Norma and Emma were on screen together, it was always a group scene.) So I was absolutely thrilled when Norma told Alex that she was about to visit Emma in in Portland, and very happy when this happened and we saw the scene play out. Because I'm invested in that relationship, which is Norma's sole one with another woman that's positive (and vice versa for Emma), and had loved their s1 and s2 scenes. The late s2 scene where Emma, about to lose her virginity with Gunner, asks Norma for advice on this and Norma pushes her own traumatic memories back and is there for Emma, was one of my favourites for both characters. So basically I beamed through their hospital encounter, with Emma lightening up when Norma visits her and Norma not only expressing joy at Emma's new state of health but also thanking her for making Dylan happy. Considering Emma in s2 angsted at times as to whether or not she meant anything to Norma or was just convenient help, and felt excluded from the family she wanted to belong to, this was such a good emotional pay off for this.
As for the Norma and Alex plot: it continues to be ridiculously pleasing in its faithful execution of the "Marriage of Convenience becomes real" trope. Norma wavering between skittish awkwardness and starting to believe this could be happiness throughout felt right given her history (and current worries) on the one and growing through three seasons feelings for Alex Romero on the other hand. And since undoubtedly the next catastrophe is just over the horizon, this interlude feels like a breather. (Also a future death sentence for both of them. My current speculation continues to be that Edwards will be able to help Norman enough to get him released, but that what eventually will trigger Norman's renewed fall will be that the Norma/Alex relationship is real. That she puts Norman's photo from her dressing table is pretty ominous in this regard.)
Incidentally: Alex Romero, I hope that after sucessfully looking for the key, you have found a better hiding place for the money than the incinerator in the basement, because seriously?
Suspects for the break-in devastation in Norma's house that she and Alex find when they return from the festival: Alex' former friend-with-benefits Rebecca the bank manager is the most obvious one, presumably looking for the key since clearly she didn't believe Alex when he denied having it. Presumably the DEA wouldn't have searched the house without leaving guards behind, even if they should suspect Alex already. There's the outside possibility that it wasn't Rebecca but Chick, set on vengeance against Caleb (or just clues where he might be); in which case Alex is going to assume it was Rebecca, thereby alienating her further and possibly making her spill the beans about her own past with him to the DEA investigating her. Since he directly lied to the DEA in this episode about knowing her only as the bank manager and having no personal relationship with her, and she can prove such a relationship existed (she has the keys for his house, among other things), that could get him into trouble even if she doesn't tell about having laundered money for him as well as Bob Paris.
More speculation:
- Norman's flashbacks in this episode include the pilot, aka the one time Norma actually did kill someone (her rapist) and he saw her doing it. It occurs to me that if he talks about this with Dr. Edwards, as opposed to his own murders while manifesting Mother, it might get his new therapist to at at least consider the possibility that some of Norman's suspicions re: Norma could be true, especially if he confronts her with this.
- Julian knowing how to break out of Pineview and doing so easily but really wanting to be caught because he wants the proof of attention and caring makes sense, but I've not yet given up the "Strangers on a Train" scenario.
- The honey moon phase between Norma and Alex will end when he has to investigate Audrey Decody's disappearance/possible murder, because Norma being Norma, I'm afraid despite what they're building together right now she'll instinctively lie to him at first (and while she doesn't know exactly what happened to Audrey, she has to have an earing-and-Norman's accusations based suspicion)
- "I want to see you" (Norma to Alex when they think they're about to have sex before discovering what happened in their absence in the house) both warmed me and broke my heart a little, because it says a lot about Norma's sexual past and the contrast to this present relationship.
no subject
Date: 2016-04-06 07:55 pm (UTC)I've also seen some speculation that this is how Romero will find out what happened re: Dylan's birth, but, eh. I don't think so. I'm not sure that knowing Chick knows Dylan as Caleb's son will actually mean anything considering:
1) Chick is skeezy
2) Caleb could just really like Dylan and be pulling a Captain Teach
3) Maybe Norma adopted Dylan after Caleb got somebody pregnant and they were both a mess (a more likely scenario to jump to for most folks than the actual event)
4) Chick is just saying whatever
etc. lol
no subject
Date: 2016-04-07 07:59 am (UTC)