Bates Motel 2.07
Apr. 15th, 2014 01:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakIn which revelations are at hand.
Emma, you are so my heroine. I mean, trying to mediate in this particular family is probably one of the all time fruitless jobs, but still, as Zane the idiot says: A for effort. Also for not, as fanfic would have it, hugging Dylan and being immediately on his side. (Seriously, during the last weeks when I checked the more recent fanfic there were not one but three stories in which Dylan tells his woes to Emma and she comforts him. Which struck me as unlikely on two counts: firstly, Dylan is more likely to tell Remo, if anyone, just what his current problems with his mother and brother are, and even with Remo I doubt he'd go beyond the general way he puts it in this episode ("some shit with my mother"). Secondly, Emma knows Dylan least of the family, and while her old crush on Norman may have transformed into friendship, it's still strong friendship, and she has not a little hero worship and mother figure yearning when it comes to Norma.) Yes, Emma doesn't have many, if any, of the facts about both the current and the long time Norma-Dylan troubles, but I still loved her parting shot at Dylan. Especially since he reveals in his conversation with Emma Norma did call him and left a message on his voicemail. Dylan, you can't have it both ways: either you're always shut out and Norma and Norman only care about each other, or you ignore it when they contact you. (I also noticed that when Romero told Norma there was something bad had happened, she asked whether it was Norman or Dylan, not just about Norman.)
Meanwhile, I wronged Cody by suspecting her of long term plans. She handled a bad situation rather well here, and wisely took the chance to get the hell out of White Pine Bay to her aunt (cat pee smell not withstanding, this definitely raises her life expectancy). In the end, Cody was there in the story as a trigger of revelation for several people; she let Norma know (via Emma) that Norman had additional blackouts, let Norman know that Norma knew about previous blackouts and was scared as hell about their significance, and the accidental death of her father, in a fitting irony for a long term murder story, is what brings Norman's DNA into the police system which triggers the discovery that it was his semen inside the late and definitely murdered Blair Watson. (More about that in a moment.) You could even say she acted as a trigger of discovery for Emma, too, because Emma both found out about the blackouts via Cody, and could see Norman does care for her (even if its not romantically). And having fulfilled the revelation function, she departs, which makes her the second girl this season to live where audience expectations were for her death.
Norman is in the Oedipus position in more than one sense here, as in the original Sophocles drama Oedipus presses and presses to find out more when the discovery waiting for him, about his own deeds, committed unknowingly, will destroy him. He realises that something is off about Norma's fears re: the death of Cody's father and that there has to be a reason for that, then Cody tells him Norma knew about the blackouts and adds the new information about Norma being scared by the way he changes during them, and in their last confrontation in this episode - both Norma and Norman dressed in identical coloured outfits - he gets Norma to confirm that what Cody said was the truth. But Norma still refuses to tell him more. At this point, it's doubtful whether "you killed your father" could be worse news than her refusal to tell him just what he did, and the audience because this is Norman Bates knows Norma is doing exactly the wrong thing (thus ensuring her own death), but then again: Norma hasn't seen Psycho, but she does have a vivid memory of how the last time telling a son the truth about himself ended.
Bates Motel, show that manages black comedy in the midst of drama, always: having rewatched s1, I remembered the office worker at the Sheriff's station who has it in for Norma and was amused she still does. Also, all around awkward moment when Norma hugs George for being there when she's angsting about her son at the exact point where Norman and Alex Romero exit the Sheriff's office. Hard to say who of the two was less pleased by the sight (though if in doubt, always Norman.) Romero clearly has developed at least a soft spot for Norma - compared with this s1 cold demeanour towards her, he's positively gentle here - which makes the cliffhanger ending all the worse for him. I knew the DNA probing would lead to something. I didn't know it would also lead to something that's new for the audience.
Now: as far as I recall from 3.01, they didn't find signs of rape or necrophilia on Miss Watson - just that she had sex with two different men within the last 24 hours of her life - which would mean Norman had sex with her before her death, not after, and probably not forced sex. (BTW, if I misrenember and they diagnosed rape, please tell me!) Which fills in one part of the missing time betwen Norman watching Blair Watson undressing in her bedroom and his running through the night after his blackout. But did he kill her afterwards? The only serious reason I have to doubt that is the assumption Norma will be the first woman he kills based on the movie. That, and the Doylist assumption that since the show got just renewed they can't end it with a situation where Norman already is a known (to people outside his family) killer. Now Romero already sent another man to prison for this particular murder, but it doesn't depend on Romero, or even his assistant, not with Norman's DNA now in the computer system. Which leads me to speculate that there will be a finale reveal of Blair Watson's killer as someone else (the late Gil? Bradley?), which clears Norman (having had sex with Blair Watson wasn't a crime on his part, though on hers, since he was her student and a minor), to be followed by a cliffhanger ending where he does kill someone (George?) again and this time the audience sees it.
Whoever directed the episode has an eye for extraordinary shots; the one of Norma at the police station in profile with Norman (and Romero) in the background was a standout, as was the whole sequence starting with Norman on top of the stairs and Norma rushing in with the good news that the death of Cody's father was ruled an accident, where you notice their identical colour scheme and they're shot like doppelgangers as they descend the stairs until Norman reveals what Cody told him.
And lastly: we have a name for the Overlady, Jodi, though she didn't show up this week. How Dylan is supposed to keep an eye on her brother and restrain same when she didn't tell any of the other thugs Dylan has more authority is a mystery, though, and unsurprisingly Zane the idiot makes things worse by staging a raid on Nick Ford's warehouse. Let's see, Nick Ford: very likely to hear soon that the investigation into his daughter's death will be reopened, with Norma's younger son as the new main suspect. Also about to find Norma's older son on the scene of his raided warehouse. (Unless by dragging himself those few meters Dylan successfully managed to stay hidden once Zane the idiot & thugs depart.) There is an avalanche of badness in development right there.
Emma, you are so my heroine. I mean, trying to mediate in this particular family is probably one of the all time fruitless jobs, but still, as Zane the idiot says: A for effort. Also for not, as fanfic would have it, hugging Dylan and being immediately on his side. (Seriously, during the last weeks when I checked the more recent fanfic there were not one but three stories in which Dylan tells his woes to Emma and she comforts him. Which struck me as unlikely on two counts: firstly, Dylan is more likely to tell Remo, if anyone, just what his current problems with his mother and brother are, and even with Remo I doubt he'd go beyond the general way he puts it in this episode ("some shit with my mother"). Secondly, Emma knows Dylan least of the family, and while her old crush on Norman may have transformed into friendship, it's still strong friendship, and she has not a little hero worship and mother figure yearning when it comes to Norma.) Yes, Emma doesn't have many, if any, of the facts about both the current and the long time Norma-Dylan troubles, but I still loved her parting shot at Dylan. Especially since he reveals in his conversation with Emma Norma did call him and left a message on his voicemail. Dylan, you can't have it both ways: either you're always shut out and Norma and Norman only care about each other, or you ignore it when they contact you. (I also noticed that when Romero told Norma there was something bad had happened, she asked whether it was Norman or Dylan, not just about Norman.)
Meanwhile, I wronged Cody by suspecting her of long term plans. She handled a bad situation rather well here, and wisely took the chance to get the hell out of White Pine Bay to her aunt (cat pee smell not withstanding, this definitely raises her life expectancy). In the end, Cody was there in the story as a trigger of revelation for several people; she let Norma know (via Emma) that Norman had additional blackouts, let Norman know that Norma knew about previous blackouts and was scared as hell about their significance, and the accidental death of her father, in a fitting irony for a long term murder story, is what brings Norman's DNA into the police system which triggers the discovery that it was his semen inside the late and definitely murdered Blair Watson. (More about that in a moment.) You could even say she acted as a trigger of discovery for Emma, too, because Emma both found out about the blackouts via Cody, and could see Norman does care for her (even if its not romantically). And having fulfilled the revelation function, she departs, which makes her the second girl this season to live where audience expectations were for her death.
Norman is in the Oedipus position in more than one sense here, as in the original Sophocles drama Oedipus presses and presses to find out more when the discovery waiting for him, about his own deeds, committed unknowingly, will destroy him. He realises that something is off about Norma's fears re: the death of Cody's father and that there has to be a reason for that, then Cody tells him Norma knew about the blackouts and adds the new information about Norma being scared by the way he changes during them, and in their last confrontation in this episode - both Norma and Norman dressed in identical coloured outfits - he gets Norma to confirm that what Cody said was the truth. But Norma still refuses to tell him more. At this point, it's doubtful whether "you killed your father" could be worse news than her refusal to tell him just what he did, and the audience because this is Norman Bates knows Norma is doing exactly the wrong thing (thus ensuring her own death), but then again: Norma hasn't seen Psycho, but she does have a vivid memory of how the last time telling a son the truth about himself ended.
Bates Motel, show that manages black comedy in the midst of drama, always: having rewatched s1, I remembered the office worker at the Sheriff's station who has it in for Norma and was amused she still does. Also, all around awkward moment when Norma hugs George for being there when she's angsting about her son at the exact point where Norman and Alex Romero exit the Sheriff's office. Hard to say who of the two was less pleased by the sight (though if in doubt, always Norman.) Romero clearly has developed at least a soft spot for Norma - compared with this s1 cold demeanour towards her, he's positively gentle here - which makes the cliffhanger ending all the worse for him. I knew the DNA probing would lead to something. I didn't know it would also lead to something that's new for the audience.
Now: as far as I recall from 3.01, they didn't find signs of rape or necrophilia on Miss Watson - just that she had sex with two different men within the last 24 hours of her life - which would mean Norman had sex with her before her death, not after, and probably not forced sex. (BTW, if I misrenember and they diagnosed rape, please tell me!) Which fills in one part of the missing time betwen Norman watching Blair Watson undressing in her bedroom and his running through the night after his blackout. But did he kill her afterwards? The only serious reason I have to doubt that is the assumption Norma will be the first woman he kills based on the movie. That, and the Doylist assumption that since the show got just renewed they can't end it with a situation where Norman already is a known (to people outside his family) killer. Now Romero already sent another man to prison for this particular murder, but it doesn't depend on Romero, or even his assistant, not with Norman's DNA now in the computer system. Which leads me to speculate that there will be a finale reveal of Blair Watson's killer as someone else (the late Gil? Bradley?), which clears Norman (having had sex with Blair Watson wasn't a crime on his part, though on hers, since he was her student and a minor), to be followed by a cliffhanger ending where he does kill someone (George?) again and this time the audience sees it.
Whoever directed the episode has an eye for extraordinary shots; the one of Norma at the police station in profile with Norman (and Romero) in the background was a standout, as was the whole sequence starting with Norman on top of the stairs and Norma rushing in with the good news that the death of Cody's father was ruled an accident, where you notice their identical colour scheme and they're shot like doppelgangers as they descend the stairs until Norman reveals what Cody told him.
And lastly: we have a name for the Overlady, Jodi, though she didn't show up this week. How Dylan is supposed to keep an eye on her brother and restrain same when she didn't tell any of the other thugs Dylan has more authority is a mystery, though, and unsurprisingly Zane the idiot makes things worse by staging a raid on Nick Ford's warehouse. Let's see, Nick Ford: very likely to hear soon that the investigation into his daughter's death will be reopened, with Norma's younger son as the new main suspect. Also about to find Norma's older son on the scene of his raided warehouse. (Unless by dragging himself those few meters Dylan successfully managed to stay hidden once Zane the idiot & thugs depart.) There is an avalanche of badness in development right there.
