Bates Motel 2.05
Apr. 1st, 2014 10:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakWhich strikes me as a transitionary episode after the heavy drama of the last two, though a lot of things happen, and there is great ensemble use.
I'm back to feeling sorry for Dylan due to his quasi-suicidal stunt. More about that later. Though may I just say, making Nick Ford's opposite number, the head of the other big drug cartel in town, an Overlady instead of another Overlord was inspired?
During the last week, it had occured to me that considering his house got just burned down, Sheriff Romero might move into the Bates Motel for a while, and lo and behold, he did, which was great to see and offered the chance for more scenes between him and Norma, each of which was golden. They were last season, too, but the emotional power has somewhat shifted, due to Norma not being desperately afraid anymore (well, not of Romero, anyway) and Alec Romero being somewhat rattled due to having an escalating drug war in town. Which makes for more equality and I must admit that somewhere around the time she bossed him into letting her disinfect his cuts, I realized I ship them a little. Not least because he hasn't made any attempt to blackmail her into anything so far and he's so openly morally ambiguous, unlike Vartan's character where you're waiting for the other shoe to drop. Also, there's definitely chemistry, and she's relaxed enough around him now to tease him into a smile. Mind you, given the looming Psycho future I should not wish for anything, because it would mean Romero would end up dead (and that relationship could even become the ultimate trigger for Norman), but still. They're just great fun to watch together.
Meanwhile, we find out what Nick Ford, aka one of the two big drug lords in town, wants from Norma, which is a facade for a move gainst the bypass. (What Ford has against the bypass, I don't know, considering that the drug trade would presumably benefit, too, but I guess we'll find out.) While what he asks Norma to do - file an injunction based on an environmental assessment he's had prepared - is a seemingly harmless and even smart move from her pov, it is of course just the first step and makes her beholden to him. Not to mention that before the episode is over, she finds out via Romero the city councilman who was the leader of Team Bypass just got killed, which is a drastic illustration (in case one is needed after Romero's warning) just what her new ally is capable of. (Something Norma is not yet aware of is that in addition to being a drug lord, Nick Ford is also the father of the late Blair Watson. I wonder whether Norman still has those pearls in the house? Because Nick Ford is bound to recognize them.)
Norma meets Cody, and it's mutual dislike on first sight, which was to be expected. (Though to be fair, even less neurotic parents than Norma would have objected to Cody's behaviour.) What was more interesting that Norma's slight detour in her conversation about Cody with Norman late in the episode - that line about girls trapped in unbearable circumstances being doomed and taking others with them - is an obvious self reference/projection. Now the audience knows, though Norma does not, that Cody does, in fact, live in an at least emotionally abusive domestic situation, due to the scene with her father. Which makes Norma's and Cody's mutual objections to another among other things a case of "takes one to know one", which in a different way is also true for Norman's and Cody's being drawn to another (which otherwise would happen a little to fast for me to believe it). I do wonder when the other shoe is going to drop with the Cody situation, though not for Norma's reasons but because if Norman had a functional sexual relationship, he would presumably get through his hangups before they become murderous (if they haven't already), and he wouldn't have his Psycho ending. Which means Norman telling Cody that he had previous blackouts will probably come back to haunt him instead of being therapeutic.
Given what an idiot Dylan's immediate superior was, it should have been obvious the reason why he had his position was that he was related to someone higher ranking. Dylan saving his life not in a small part to being in a suicidal mood results in Dylan finally meeting the head of the drug organisation he works for, who turns out to be the idiot's sister as well as the Overlady of that particular cartel. Which, as I said, was a refreshing twist; we already had enough evil powerful men in town. Of course, this will involve Dylan even deeper in the ongoing escalating drug war, while Norma has just gotten involved with Nick Ford (whom I don't see taking an "okay, that was that, bye, Nick" for an answer). Sheriff Romero undoubtedly will follow through with his threat that this was just the beginning to the idiot after having beaten up same, which considering the idiot is the Overlady's brother will put him on the hitlist of Dylan's organisation. And there's the ongoing ticking time bomb of the Norman-and-Miss-Bates open question. In short: the plot thickens, indeed.
In other news: the scene between Emma and Norma was lovely. Emma does bring out the best in Norma, possibly because a) they're not related, and b) Emma also doesn't remind Norma of herself, but it still made me wonder what kind of mother Norma would have been to a daughter.
ETA: two things: the episode had a neat shoutout to a certain showwriter and runner of the OTHER serial killer prequel show. That's right, one bit character is called Bryan Fuller. Who apparantly watches Bates Motel for verily, he reacted instantly:
Also, the AV Club review of the episode contains a great description of Norma that sums up a reason why I'm so ridiculously fond of this show: Norma Bates is a mess. She’s a fantastic, struggling, determined mess, and Vera Farmiga never lets us forget any piece of that; even in tonight’s episode, a relatively low-key hour, there were expressions on her face that summed up the character more effectively than entire years’ worth of performances from lesser actors. And she’s a sympathetic mess, too. When it comes to Bates-mythology, Norma used to get the short end of the stick. All we ever saw was the aftermath of her death and Norman’s difficult childhood, which meant a string of psychiatrists explaining how Mom “suffocated” the poor boy and turned him into a killer. Worse, the only version of Norma that existed anymore was crazy Norman’s version—the whining, protesting, knife-wielding murderer. Norman himself was so friendly, so personable when he wasn’t dressing up in his mother’s old clothes, that it was easy to imagine Norma as the real monster. For all its faults, Bates Motel has managed to give Norma her own tragedy, and make it clear, at least in this version of the story, that she’s no vicious harpy bent on destroying her son’s life. The truth is more complicated, and a hell of a lot sadder.
I'm back to feeling sorry for Dylan due to his quasi-suicidal stunt. More about that later. Though may I just say, making Nick Ford's opposite number, the head of the other big drug cartel in town, an Overlady instead of another Overlord was inspired?
During the last week, it had occured to me that considering his house got just burned down, Sheriff Romero might move into the Bates Motel for a while, and lo and behold, he did, which was great to see and offered the chance for more scenes between him and Norma, each of which was golden. They were last season, too, but the emotional power has somewhat shifted, due to Norma not being desperately afraid anymore (well, not of Romero, anyway) and Alec Romero being somewhat rattled due to having an escalating drug war in town. Which makes for more equality and I must admit that somewhere around the time she bossed him into letting her disinfect his cuts, I realized I ship them a little. Not least because he hasn't made any attempt to blackmail her into anything so far and he's so openly morally ambiguous, unlike Vartan's character where you're waiting for the other shoe to drop. Also, there's definitely chemistry, and she's relaxed enough around him now to tease him into a smile. Mind you, given the looming Psycho future I should not wish for anything, because it would mean Romero would end up dead (and that relationship could even become the ultimate trigger for Norman), but still. They're just great fun to watch together.
Meanwhile, we find out what Nick Ford, aka one of the two big drug lords in town, wants from Norma, which is a facade for a move gainst the bypass. (What Ford has against the bypass, I don't know, considering that the drug trade would presumably benefit, too, but I guess we'll find out.) While what he asks Norma to do - file an injunction based on an environmental assessment he's had prepared - is a seemingly harmless and even smart move from her pov, it is of course just the first step and makes her beholden to him. Not to mention that before the episode is over, she finds out via Romero the city councilman who was the leader of Team Bypass just got killed, which is a drastic illustration (in case one is needed after Romero's warning) just what her new ally is capable of. (Something Norma is not yet aware of is that in addition to being a drug lord, Nick Ford is also the father of the late Blair Watson. I wonder whether Norman still has those pearls in the house? Because Nick Ford is bound to recognize them.)
Norma meets Cody, and it's mutual dislike on first sight, which was to be expected. (Though to be fair, even less neurotic parents than Norma would have objected to Cody's behaviour.) What was more interesting that Norma's slight detour in her conversation about Cody with Norman late in the episode - that line about girls trapped in unbearable circumstances being doomed and taking others with them - is an obvious self reference/projection. Now the audience knows, though Norma does not, that Cody does, in fact, live in an at least emotionally abusive domestic situation, due to the scene with her father. Which makes Norma's and Cody's mutual objections to another among other things a case of "takes one to know one", which in a different way is also true for Norman's and Cody's being drawn to another (which otherwise would happen a little to fast for me to believe it). I do wonder when the other shoe is going to drop with the Cody situation, though not for Norma's reasons but because if Norman had a functional sexual relationship, he would presumably get through his hangups before they become murderous (if they haven't already), and he wouldn't have his Psycho ending. Which means Norman telling Cody that he had previous blackouts will probably come back to haunt him instead of being therapeutic.
Given what an idiot Dylan's immediate superior was, it should have been obvious the reason why he had his position was that he was related to someone higher ranking. Dylan saving his life not in a small part to being in a suicidal mood results in Dylan finally meeting the head of the drug organisation he works for, who turns out to be the idiot's sister as well as the Overlady of that particular cartel. Which, as I said, was a refreshing twist; we already had enough evil powerful men in town. Of course, this will involve Dylan even deeper in the ongoing escalating drug war, while Norma has just gotten involved with Nick Ford (whom I don't see taking an "okay, that was that, bye, Nick" for an answer). Sheriff Romero undoubtedly will follow through with his threat that this was just the beginning to the idiot after having beaten up same, which considering the idiot is the Overlady's brother will put him on the hitlist of Dylan's organisation. And there's the ongoing ticking time bomb of the Norman-and-Miss-Bates open question. In short: the plot thickens, indeed.
In other news: the scene between Emma and Norma was lovely. Emma does bring out the best in Norma, possibly because a) they're not related, and b) Emma also doesn't remind Norma of herself, but it still made me wonder what kind of mother Norma would have been to a daughter.
ETA: two things: the episode had a neat shoutout to a certain showwriter and runner of the OTHER serial killer prequel show. That's right, one bit character is called Bryan Fuller. Who apparantly watches Bates Motel for verily, he reacted instantly:
Also, the AV Club review of the episode contains a great description of Norma that sums up a reason why I'm so ridiculously fond of this show: Norma Bates is a mess. She’s a fantastic, struggling, determined mess, and Vera Farmiga never lets us forget any piece of that; even in tonight’s episode, a relatively low-key hour, there were expressions on her face that summed up the character more effectively than entire years’ worth of performances from lesser actors. And she’s a sympathetic mess, too. When it comes to Bates-mythology, Norma used to get the short end of the stick. All we ever saw was the aftermath of her death and Norman’s difficult childhood, which meant a string of psychiatrists explaining how Mom “suffocated” the poor boy and turned him into a killer. Worse, the only version of Norma that existed anymore was crazy Norman’s version—the whining, protesting, knife-wielding murderer. Norman himself was so friendly, so personable when he wasn’t dressing up in his mother’s old clothes, that it was easy to imagine Norma as the real monster. For all its faults, Bates Motel has managed to give Norma her own tragedy, and make it clear, at least in this version of the story, that she’s no vicious harpy bent on destroying her son’s life. The truth is more complicated, and a hell of a lot sadder.
