Bates Motel: Recap of Episode 3.02 – The Arcanum Club; First Details on Episode 3.03 – Persuasion
Welcome, “Bates” enthusiasts and Psycho-philes! Jinx here with another brief look at the newest episode of A&E’s prequel series “Bates Motel” (click HERE for a quick review of the previous episode). Note that this is a recap, not a review, so spoilers abound!
When we last left the world of White Pine Bay, the Season 3 premiere had just set up numerous storylines one presumes will drive the rest of this season. Among those plot threads: Norma attempted to put some distance between herself and Norman after Dylan pointed out that their uncomfortably close relationship occasionally borders on the inappropriate; Dylan’s father/uncle Caleb came back to town to try to have some sort of relationship with his son; Norman discovered that Emma’s health is deteriorating and made the decision to begin dating her; and a beautiful young customer named Annika arrived at the Bates Motel, taking a liking to Norman and stirring up the complicated emotions within the young man that will one day turn him into a monster.
Tonight’s Episode 3.02 – titled “The Arcanum Club” – picks up the morning following the events of the premiere. Annika has gone missing, with Norman apparently being the last person to have seen her alive. When Norma discovers this, she begins have doubts about her son’s sanity – eventually catching him up in a lie about his contact with the missing woman and pointing out that, much like with Norman’s murdered teacher Miss Watson, Norman has a knack for attracting “unhinged woman” to him.
Seeming to fear the worst, Norma takes it upon herself to investigate Annika’s disappearance, leading her to snoop around in the young woman’s cabin. When she finds an invitation to the “Arcanum Club” tucked in with her belongings, she attempts to gain entrance and question those inside – only to discover that it’s the sort of club that might have housed one of the creepy sex parties featured in Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut and that it’s populated by some of the town’s wealthiest and most powerful men.
Meanwhile, an uneasy friendship continues to build between Dylan and Caleb. While Dylan cannot forget the man’s trespasses against his mother, he nonetheless seems to crave the company of the father he spent most of his life without. When a new character pokes around Dylan’s makeshift home (a creepy forest-dweller named “Chick,” brought to life by a terrifically strange and unnerving performance from “Sons of Anarchy” star Ryan Hurst), Caleb essentially comes to the rescue – having a subtle alpha-off with the creep in order to chase him from Dylan’s property. Of course, the character reappears later on, running tensions high between himself and the father/son duo.
While all of this is happening, Norman and Emma finally manage to have their first date. It starts off as awkward and sweet enough, but their conversation eventually veers into a surprisingly frank discussion concerning their thoughts on sex – with Emma gently prodding Norman about his potentially warped views on the subject, given his mother’s attempts at seemingly keeping him a child. This was a great scene, full of a strange mix of tension and charm.
Sheriff Romero makes a couple of brief appearances as well – the first being a brief scene where he finally leaves the Bates Motel (he’d been forced to stay there since the previous season when his home was burned down). The farewell between him and Norma is at turns sweet, awkward, humorous, and loaded with sexual tension. It’s a fantastic sequence, letting the two marvelous actors spark off one another.
Romero appears later on when Norma is staking out the Arcanum Club – as a member, no less. He insists that he isn’t a part of the club “for that” and attempts to chase Norma away – but not before she can tell him about Annika’s disappearance.
The episode’s penultimate sequence might also be its best. Norma, distraught after her failure to obtain any info at the Arcanum, drives back home and runs across a massive sign heralding the coming of the major highway bypass that will mean the end of her business and livelihood. This poor woman, at her wit’s end for numerous reasons, leaps from her car and attempts to wreck the sign with anything she can find at hand. Farmiga is amazing in this brief bit – eliciting both laughs and sympathy from the audience, before striking upon an ill-advised (if completely successful) way to destroy the sign.
And what of Annika’s disappearance? We’re not given any definitive answers, but the episode’s final image is utterly chilling – a nude young woman, floating face down in a lake.
Overall, this week was a significant improvement over last week’s solid if unspectacular offering. The writing, direction, and performances were all top-notch, and the story feels as though it’s really beginning to move – offering the hope that the show will only improve by leaps and bounds with every subsequent episode.
Here’s looking forward to the next installment! If you’re ready to join me, below is the synopsis for Episode 3.03, “Persuasion.”
“Bates Motel” Episode 3.03 – “Persuasion” (airs 3/23/15)
As Norman (Freddie Highmore) grows closer to Emma (Olivia Cooke), he starts growing apart from Norma (Vera Farmiga); Norma balks when Romero (Nestor Carbonell) asks Norman some tough questions; and Romero meets his competition for reelections.
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