TV Review: Bates Motel – 105 – “Ocean View”

At the end of last week’s episode I was excited at the prospect of more Nestor Carbonell. Unfortunately, Sheriff Romero was busy investigating a burglary this week. His absence didn’t make for a bad episode, though. Things continue getting crazy in White Pine Bay. Read on for my thoughts… (SPOILERS AHEAD)

I really liked this episode but there’s a slight chance for it to retroactively annoy me. It’s nothing major, but I’m hoping there’s a good payoff to Dylan’s friend getting shot and Dylan running down the shooter. I didn’t really like the way it was left up in the air. The shooting, however, was very well done. It’s rare that I’ll audibly respond to something I’m watching, but this episode made me yell out a hearty “Holy Shit!”

Speaking of Dylan, I really like Max Thieriot in the role. I honestly think he might be the best written character. Between Dylan bonding with Norman and actively working toward getting them out of Norma’s reach provides some warmth in a show that could really be all about the lurking monster beneath the surface.

Of course, that also puts a bad omen on Dylan. Norma and Dylan have a rocky relationship and Norma has been shown to have a propensity for violence. I’d like to see Dylan last a couple seasons but I’m not sure he’ll survive through the end of this season. Ideally, I think it would be interesting if Dylan becomes Norman’s first kill.

Norman’s adventures this week made me cringe quite a bit. His awkward voicemail to Bradley was painful to watch and the naive confidence with which he told Emma about it made me feel uncomfortable. Freddie Highmore played his scenes very well. It’s funny how the show is making me feel for a character who will ultimately become one of horror’s greatest monsters.

I was also glad to see Emma back for more amateur sleuthing. Olivia Cooke is doing a fine job in the series, particularly her reaction to hearing about Norman and Bradley. I’m surprised to see she hasn’t done much acting. I predict a bright future for her.

I have to commend the show for actually frightening me a little, by the way. The scene where Emma and Norman discover the girl on the boat was very well executed. The way she jumped out reminded me a bit of The Ring mixed with a little bit of Paranormal Activity. It went over so well with me that I’m going to hold off on questioning why the Asian sex slave/human trafficking victim knows English so well for at least another episode.

We’re now halfway through the first season and it’s hard telling where the last half of the season will go. Now that the girl has identified Deputy Shelby as her captor, I expect things to get really messy. I hope Dylan’s troubles somehow get intertwined with Norma’s stuff or, at the least, I hope they get resolved in a satisfying way. The show leaving the fate of Dylan’s Coworker #1 (I can’t remember his name) up in the air makes me a little nervous that it might not go anywhere significant.