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Did you catch the joke referencing LOST when bleach-blond bad-boy Zane says that Richard, I mean Romero, is the guy with the God complex? Romero going to give Zane a stern warning about how things are run in White Pine Bay was hardly “Check-Out’s” most important moment, but it did lead us to suspect Zane of setting Romero’s home ablaze in retaliation. And why does Romero need to throw his weight around? What stake does he have in the local drug industry?
Who thinks Romero is playing both sides?
Jokes aside, the big event in this episode of Bates Motel was Norman’s walk on the dark side when he went to visit his uncle, Caleb. First, let’s just say that this was his second trip out to Caleb’s motel after first chickening out when he went with Cody to give Caleb a “scare.” Norma is clearly Norman’s anger/blackout trigger, and he would have spent a quiet evening at home had there not been a blowout between Norma and Dylan caused by Caleb’s disruptive appearance in their lives.
Norman’s visit to Caleb was the most we’ve ever seen of his blackout episodes. What we learned is that Norman “becomes” his mother and actually takes on her memories, or at least what he perceives them to be. It was actually pretty disturbing to see Norman referencing himself in the female and visualizing Caleb raping him as his mother. Despite his rage and initiating the physical confrontation, Caleb easily overpowers him. Obviously, Norman’s episodes aren’t his superpowers as I joked last week… Cody’s tire iron is his superpower.
Oddly, Caleb doesn’t seemed phased by Norman’s madness. Is this a family trait that Caleb has seen before? Is it something that he suffers or suffered from? If so, is that why raping Norma “wasn’t like that”?
Cody continued her take-no-shit attitude this week. We learned through Emma that Cody is a high school dropout, which is something Emma thinks Norman’s mother won’t like. I’m going to bet that as Norma increasingly disapproves of Cody throughout the season that Norman will blackout, become his mother, and kill Cody. Emma could be in trouble too if she ends up having sex with cupcake boy in his motel room and Norma finds out, which she will.
Still, Cody does seem to admire the fact that Norman really does love his mother. And from the odd affection Norman gave to his mother as he consoled her in her bed, we can see that he really does love his mother. There was also that creepy way he briefly watched her get dressed, enjoying the view of her with the back of her dress unzipped.
The fact that Norma was raped by her brother, or her belief that she was, explains how she’s able to shift gears so seamlessly. This episode’s prime example of her changing moods instantly happened when she went from arguing with Dylan to answering the door and going on a date with George. Is it easier to believe that Norma has a refined defense mechanism than to believe that she’s nuts?
Finally, I think we can all sympathize for Dylan. It’s really gotta suck to find out that you’re a consequence of your uncle raping his sister. But, why, oh, why is he so deadset on siding with Caleb?
Rock Hard \m/
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