Bates Motel: Primer and Homebase

[eevilalice]

Welcome to the homebase for the A&E series, Bates Motel. Each week you'll find a thread for the newest episode, so we can discuss its twists and horrors together.

First, a primer.


Bates Motel is a modern day prequel to Hitchcock's Psycho, centering on Norman and his mother, Norma, as they move to the titular motel in a coastal Oregon town. Norma is hoping for a new start for herself and Norman after her husband's death, and buying and running the run-down motel is her plan. Of course, there are plenty of unforeseen complications, especially since the town has a touch of Twin Peaks strangeness and corruption to it.

I know what you're thinking. A Psycho prequel? Really? Two things should convince you to give the show a shot: its pedigree and its cast. Among others, the series is (executive) produced by Carlton Cuse (Lost) and Kerry Ehrin (Friday Night Lights). It both builds intrigue and mysteries while creating complex characters. And then it scares the crap out of you.

Cast/Characters (As of Season 2)

Vera Farmiga plays Norma Bates.



She's high-strung, cloying, yet honestly put-upon and sincerely caring. She's smart but vulnerable at times. You may not be able to stand her at all, and you may deeply sympathize with her, all within one episode.

Freddie Highmore plays Norman Bates.



Like Norma, you might feel sorry for Norman or be terrified or horribly creeped out by him in the space of a breath. Often he's simply a normal teenage boy by all appearances, crushing on girls, wanting his own space, sneaking out late at night. Buuut then there's the blackouts and weird stuff he keeps under his bed...

Max Thieriot plays Dylan Massett.



Dylan is Norma's other, older son, and Norman's half-brother. He's more of an outsider, and drifts into town and into their lives against Norma's wishes. He clashes with the family, especially when he urges Norman to live his own life, but he proves indispensable, too.

Olivia Cooke plays Emma Decody.



Emma is a smart, inquisitive girl in Norman's class who quickly develops an interest in him. She has cystic fibrosis and sees Norman's own strange health issues and outsider-y status as something akin to hers.

Nestor Carbonell plays Sheriff Alex Romero.



As sheriff, Romero and Norma butt heads as she struggles to accomplish what she wants with the motel and deals with, er, other complications. Given the town's penchant for ongoing shady activities, Romero is someone who is tough to read.


You can stream Season 1 episodes on Netflix, Amazon, and at the A&E site.

The second season begins Monday, March 3rd! Episodes air at 9/8c 10/9c.

Comments

Re: 2.10 The Immutable Truth

[eevilalice]

Aristotle, my! ;)

I should've seen it coming that Norman would disassociate during the polygraph, allowing him to pass it. It was definitely a forehead-smacking moment for me. Although when he sees and talks to "Mother," I don't know that it means the belief will carry through; in other words, I don't know that he will now literally think Norma killed Miss Watson. Will this be like another blackout (as when he disassociated when he confronted Caleb), or closer to the time he was rejected by Bradley last season and stalked off, talking as if Norma? At this point he at least knows that he blacks out and "does things." But that doesn't mean he's going to be clear or remember when it happens again.

When I look at reviews of the show, everyone loves the Norma-Norman relationship especially and loathes the drug plotline. I haven't had as big a problem with that aspect of the show, but it fizzled out unsatisfyingly, I thought. Why the hell even introduce Jodi? Zane was simple but threw a wrench into the works; Jodi just felt like filler. I was excited about the idea of a "bad" female character in a position of power. Ah well. (Also, I guess nothing came of the pearls and article on Miss Watson.) A good contrast would be someone like Cody, who wasn't a season-long character but made a significant impact.

I disagree that Dylan being the new kingpin would erase external threats. I think it could multiply them. I doubt it would be an uncontested assumption of power, not to mention BOTH drug enterprises have lost leaders and are not likely to suddenly get along. And I'm guessing being in the highest position (something Dylan wouldn't be bad at as he's level-headed but doesn't seem interested in) comes with threats and decisions we haven't seen yet. At the very least, I'm guessing there would be conflict between Dylan and Romero.

Speaking of, rather convenient, Dylan running into Romero on the road. I know Romero was headed over there, but seriously. Ditto Norma coming home just after Norman left in time for Emma to see where he went. Narrative convention, blah blah, but this show can do stronger. I did like how this season finale called back to last season when Dylan killed Shelby, saving Norma and Norman, and Romero mopped up.

I must have read Dylan and Norma's conversation about what to do with Norman differently than you. While Norma wanted to run away (another nice bookend: at the start of the first season, Dylan was angry that she and Norman left without telling him whereas this time she got him a ticket to go with), Dylan encouraged her to stick around so that whatever happened with Norman and the polygraph, others would be safe from him (prison, an institution)--and essentially Norman would be safe as well. I didn't see it as him putting who he cares about first. Now, after Norman's passing the polygraph...that's another story, but we don't get much of that.

I love how Norman's disclosure of Dylan's parentage to Emma was both this act of sharing and a manipulation. Norman does care about Emma and knows his mother does, too, but carefully chooses what to tell her so she'll stick around.

Yes, Norman's mentally ill, but that doesn't mean he can't or doesn't have a tragic flaw as well--it seems just as Norma can't let him go, he always gives into her in the end. He bucks her control but never enough to shake it off. The two of them are forever in that dance (and, photos of LBJ notwithstanding, it is less common for Anglo-Americans to kiss adult children on the mouth--even if you just use other American shows as a measure--though Norma's kiss during her and Norman's dance was more lingering and lip-smacking than what she gave Dylan, I do still think they're playing on the show's ever-present incest vibes).

Re: 2.10 The Immutable Truth

[selenak]

I don't know that it means the belief will carry through; in other words, I don't know that he will now literally think Norma killed Miss Watson. Will this be like another blackout (as when he disassociated when he confronted Caleb), or closer to the time he was rejected by Bradley last season and stalked off, talking as if Norma?

No idea. But I think, given that Norman in Psycho really believes it's his dead mother committing the murders and given that he has conversations with her, it's more likely than not that Norman will really believe Norma killed Blair Watson. I've now read the AV Club review which points out the real Norma's face getting blurry while Norma is still in Mother mode, pointing towards imaginary Norma taking more room in his head while real Norma will get less, which sounds plausible to me.

Jodi: I hear you. I, too, thought an evil overlady could be interesting but then they didn't let her do anything. So my cynical guess is the reason why she was in the show was so someone could have sex with Dylan (see also: Dylan getting shirtless this season), providing eye candy for viewers fancying Max Thiorot.

I doubt it would be an uncontested assumption of power, not to mention BOTH drug enterprises have lost leaders and are not likely to suddenly get along.

Perhaps I should rephrase: Dylan becoming the uncontested new kingpin and staying in that position would remove external pressure, and as you said, this is not likely to happen because, for starters, the members of both organizations are hardly going to regard themselves as one happy drug family directly after several of them got killed by each other, but also because some other lieutenants are going to want the head position for themselves.

re: Dylan and Norma conversation - yes, it ends with him persuading her to stay and let Norman take the polygraph, but I don't think Dylan is convinced by the results that Norman is in fact innocent. He looked somewhat sceptical when a relieved Norma hugged him. However, I agree that this isn't necessarily conclusive. It's my assumption, though, that the next season won't open with Dylan trying to persuade Norman to try therapy again. (Though I could be wrong! Thinking about it some more, Dylan is actually in a good position to suggest that right now post reconciliation and Norman saving, and he's aware that even if Norman didn't kill Miss Watson, the blackouts happen.)

I love how Norman's disclosure of Dylan's parentage to Emma was both this act of sharing and a manipulation. Norman does care about Emma and knows his mother does, too, but carefully chooses what to tell her so she'll stick around.

Yes, exactly! It's not an either/or with Norman, it's both. In a way, it's a parallel to his masterful passive aggressive campaign in Meltdown where he pushed every button Norma had to get at her for not telling him the truth. He may not be able to predict Bradley or Cody, but he's really good at reading Norma and Emma.

Yes, Norman's mentally ill, but that doesn't mean he can't or doesn't have a tragic flaw as well--it seems just as Norma can't let him go, he always gives into her in the end.

True, and when they literally dance in this episode, that's a great visual expression for this mutual entanglement. Though Norman's choices are still (at least until now) more limited by his illness than Norma's are. Then again: Norman now does know he killed his father during one blackout. He also has access to the Miss Watson memories, and no matter whether he'll end up believing those were real, or whether he now really believes Norma killed her, either way he's making a decision to cover up another murder.

re: kiss, lol, yes, Norma kissing Norman has a distinctly different subtext than LBJ kissing his father. (Or the briefer kiss for Dylan, for that matter.) Not to mention that they're dancing to a song called "Dream Lover". And two episodes earlier it was clear that Norma having sex with George was a direct reaction to her argument with Norman. But I don't think the show will ever let the two have sex because that to me seems to be a line Norma wouldn't consciously cross. It'll remain on the (overt) subtext level.