After last week’s packed episode, this week’s “The Pit” almost felt like someone hit pause on Bates Motel. However, that doesn’t mean it was without incident.
It should be said that Vera Farmiga possibly turned in her best performance in the series so far. Where last week she was essentially a wreck, running around like a chicken with her head cut off, this week she was the polar opposite, calm and extremely happy with simple solutions all around (“Just be happy you’re getting a pool.”).
However, she did have a fit with Norman, essentially ending with her saying, “You’re going to kill me, Norman.” She immediately back peddled, saying that she didn’t mean it, but the damage had already been done to Norman’s fragile mind and sensitivities. Also, how haunting is that bit of foreshadowing about Norma’s demise?
Norma’s outburst also caused the Norma in Norman’s mind to surface, and boy what a temptress she was. Of course, this plays into James’ direct question to Norman about him wanting to sleep with his mother. And Norman confessed this “revelation” to his mother, and she masterfully played it off as confusion caused by teenage hormones. It was actually an endearing scene, but you can’t help but feel that Norma was motivated by fear and the need to snuff that fire.
The flirting between Dylan and Emma increased a bit, which led Emma to break up with Norman. Although Norman doesn’t know the real reason why she’s chosen to abandon him. Interestingly, last week it was the men in Norman’s life invading his “territory” and this week it’s the women throwing daggers.
While on the topic of women, Bradley showed up at the end of the episode. As Norman chased his dog down the street, he came upon Bradley, standing in the rain in the middle of the road. What is up with that? Last we knew of her was that she killed Gil for killing her dad and she left town, leaving behind a suicide note and a letter for Norman telling him that he was the best person she’d ever known.
What is the possible twist here?
Dylan and Caleb end up taking the gun-running job from Chick. When father and son get to their destination, the buyers reveal that Chick is dirty and attempt to kill Dylan as a message to Chick for Caleb to deliver. But Caleb saves the day and a gunfight ensues. So, this advances the subplot and we’ll see what happens to Chick when the boys return home.
Oh, and Romero had his heart broken by Norma, who refuses to tell the truth about how her husband died. The truth had come to Romero via Paris who had tortured the information out of James. Oh, Norma, if only you could have kept your mouth shut. Does this mean that Romero is done helping Norma with regard to the flashdrive?
And before we leave you today, let’s address this episode’s namesake and ask, what is up with this pool pit? Obviously it’s way too deep for a pool, a fact that the writers made sure we understood. So, what’s going to go into the pit? Is Paris planning to bury Norma in her car?
How did you like the iconic imagery in this episode, such as the rocking chair and the silhouette in the window?
Rock Hard \m/
