The Obsessive Viewer

I love it when a show or movie makes me feel like a complete moron. This week’s episode of Bates Motel made me feel like an idiot. Let’s get to it. Read on for my thoughts. But beware because there are  SPOILERS AHEAD….

This episode felt like it could have been a season finale. At least, it had the ingredients of a finale. Given how much action and plot “The Truth” had, I’m very curious what’s in store for the remaining four episodes.

A couple of weeks into the series I rewatched the beginning of the pilot episode and noticed something about Norman. I don’t remember if I’ve mentioned it on the blog or not, but I had a theory that Norma had drugged Norman and murdered Mr. Bates herself. This was based on how disoriented Norman was in that opening scene. Man, am I glad they handled it the way that they did.

“The Truth” is a big turning point, not only for the season but also for the trajectory of the series as a whole. Dylan saving the family and seemingly teaming up with Norma to take care of Norman is going to make the rest of the season very interesting viewing.

I said last week that I had a feeling Dylan may become Norman’s first kill. It didn’t even dawn on me that he may have already killed before. I love the way the writers handled the plot development in this episode. But it wasn’t a perfect episode. I do have a few complaints.

My first complaint is regarding Shelby. He sees the girl and chases her into the woods. He instantly becomes a killer and shows his true self throughout the rest of the episode. I viewed it as a great mirror to Norman’s budding psychopathy. The trouble, for me, comes with the lack of explanation. I don’t mind that we’re supposed to accept that Shelby was a monster and be done with it.  But I would like some concrete answers about who is behind the trafficking and what the bigger picture is. It’ll come in due time, though. I hope.

Dylan’s friend Ethan (I knew he had a name!) dying could have been handled a lot better. I feel like there may be a scene that ended up on the cutting room floor where Dylan gets the news. The way it played out on screen, however, felt like the writers shot Ethan thinking they’d keep him alive but when they went to break 106 they decided to just kill him off. Maybe there are behind the scenes problems with the actor, I don’t know. It just felt slightly awkward.

It’s all well and good, though, because the episode was spectacular in the end. The showdown between Shelby and Dylan was intense, if a little hokey. Ending the episode with the police pulling up was cruel and amazing. Considering how pissed Sheriff Romero was about Keith Summers’ death, I don’t think he’ll take too kindly to the Bates family killing his deputy. I hope Romero is done investigating that burglary from last week so we can get more Nestor Carbonell in the show.

Finally, it kind of sucks seeing Shelby die this week. But if the choice were between killing him or Dylan, I’d want Dylan to survive every time. Mike Vogel did a great job as Shelby and I’m really looking forward to seeing him in Under the Dome this summer. But there is a plethora of story left with Dylan and the moments he’s had with Norman the last few episodes have been the best scenes of the series so far.

So what did you think of “The Truth?” Did you suspect Norman murdered his dad or were you blindsided? What do you want to see in the season’s remaining episodes? Leave me a comment and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and like the blog on Facebook.

Previous Episode Reviews:

Bates Motel – 101 – “First You Dream, Then You Die”

Bates Motel – 102 – “Nice Town You Picked, Norma…”

Bates Motel – 103 – “What’s Wrong with Norman”

Bates Motel – 104 – “Trust Me”

Bates Motel – 105 – “Ocean View”