Bates Motel: Recap of Episode 3.04 – Unbreakable; First Details on Episode 3.05 – The Deal
Previously, on “Bates Motel”: Dylan struck up a relationship with his estranged father (and uncle) Caleb, unbeknownst to Norma; Romero pursued an investigation into the dead woman found floating face down in a marsh; Norman straight up flipped out at Norma’s persistent fears regarding her son and his potential involvement in Annika’s disappearance, then nearly drowned himself at the suggestion of the Figment Norma that lives only in his troubled mind; Annika reappeared, gutshot and bleeding out, just long enough to push an “important” thumb drive into Norma’s hand before dying in her arms.
As Episode 3.04 (“Unbreakable”) begins, Norman awakens to the commotion of numerous cop cars and an ambulance in the motel parking lot. There, he discovers what has happened to Annika and is spirited away from the crime scene by Dylan at Norma’s behest – all as Romero watches on with a keen eye.
Romero questions Norma about the incident in her home, which she agrees to (all without mentioning the thumb drive). Romero doesn’t hesitate to point out that her story makes little sense and can’t help but mention that the Bates Motel appears to be a chaos magnet. Norma, of course, snaps at him and ends the conversation.
Upstairs, Dylan watches over Norman. Norma steps in and assures the troubled teen that he had nothing to do with Annika’s murder. Once alone, she attempts to open the contents of the drive, only to find that it’s been password protected. She will eventually drop into a coffeehouse and scout out a tech savvy teen to open the drive for her – only to be told by the bored youngster that the drive’s password program is beyond his abilities to crack.
Meanwhile, Romero continues his investigation into the growing number of female murder victims popping up in his town. He discovers the car that Annika drove to the Bates Motel in fact belonged to the first corpse they discovered in the marsh, before questioning Bob Paris, the president of the Arcanum Club, about the two women. Said president denies any wrongdoing, before asking if anything of note was found on Annika’s body. Romero – ”Pretty incriminating question, Bob.”
Norman eventually asks Norma if she even likes him anymore and points out how different things seem to be between them. He wonders aloud if it’s due to Dylan’s increased presence in the house and in her life. Norma denies this and assures Norman that nothing has changed. This is a lie, of course, as Norma points out that she can’t trust Norman anymore while having a coffee with her new friend/shrink James Finnigan. She can’t help but break down a bit while admitting this.
Caleb continues to help out with Dylan’s legal pot growing operation, going so far as to run an errand in town – leading him to catch a glimpse of Norma at a distance. He seems genuinely pained at this but hides before she can see him. This trip into town and near-miss with Norma results in an argument with Dylan back at his farm, leading to an accident which injures the older man. After Caleb tells him that he can’t go to a hospital (there is a warrant out on him), Dylan offers to stitch up his wounds. It’s here that Caleb opens up about the incident that drove him and Norma apart. Caleb describes how close the two of them had been as children, that they practically raised themselves – and that Caleb had loved her, no matter how wrong that had been. (”You can’t help who you love.”) He expresses genuine remorse for having attacked her when she eventually tried to end things between them and wishes he could see her again so he could apologize for what he had done.
On the teen relationship front, Emma suggests to Norman that they get away from the motel and schoolwork for a while and have a picnic. This leads to a make-out session that Norma eventually steps in on, causing her to bristle and snap at the two. When she finds out about the upcoming picnic, she warns Norman that he can’t sleep with Emma because she’s ill – ”You could kill her, Norman. You hurt that girl, I’ll kick your ass to the moon and back.” Norman storms away but eventually stops things between him and Emma during a romantic interlude on their trip. He makes the mistake of telling her about Norma’s warning, leading the hurt young woman to angrily march away from him – ”I didn’t think your mother was coming on this date with us.”
Back at the motel, Norma discovers Romero rummaging around Annika’s room. She confronts him, only for him to ask if Annika had anything on her when she had arrived at the motel the night she died. The two can tell they’re each being lied to and say as much. She eventually tells Dylan about the drive and gives it to him for safekeeping (and in hopes of finding something to crack it). She tells him to keep this a secret, even from Norman – which, of course, Norman hears as he eavesdrops.
Dylan later finds a couple of shadowy goons ransacking the office in search of the drive. Threats are made all around before the men leave. He tells Norma about this, before Norman steps in and demands to be told what they’re keeping secret from him. They refuse and send him away – infuriating him. Dylan then tells Norma he’ll hide the drive at his farm.
At the farm, Dylan runs into Caleb, just before Norman steps in – catching the two together and correctly surmising that Norma doesn’t know that her brother/rapist has been hiding out in town (at Dylan’s place no less). Dylan pleads, threatens, begs Norman not to tell their mother – that it would tear apart everything he’d built with her. Norman coldly states that she has to know, before driving off into the night – leaving Dylan destroyed.
Another solid ep this season, full of heart and intrigue. The mystery of Annika and and the Arcanum Club is an interesting side story (far more so than the “pot wars” fluff from the previous season), and the growing rift between Norman and the people he loves seems to be pushing him further into Psycho territory. The performances continue to be stellar, along with the production values and the increasingly Hermannesque musical score by Chris Bacon.
So far, this third season of “Bates Motel” is shaping up to be its best. Here’s hoping the next episode continues the trend.
“Bates Motel” Episode 3.05 – “The Deal” (airs 4/6/15)
When Norma finds herself in a rare position of power, she appeals to Romero for guidance. Norman and Dylan both come undone at the fallout of a secret. And Caleb considers an offer made to him by a surprising source.
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