S02.E08: Meltdown

[radishcake]

 

Romero digs deeper into the murder of Miss Watson; the conflict between the drug families leaves Dylan facing an impossible choice; Norma refuses to tell Norman the truth about his blackouts.

 

[peacheslatour]

I'm really surprised that Norman was with Ms. Watson. I was under the impression that he saw her undressing and freaked out and ran away.  Didn't Gil have her killed for cheating on him?  I'm so confused.

[Happy to be here]

It is a tough thing to find genuine sexual chemistry between two people and the sexual chemistry between Freddie Highmore and Vera Farminga is incredible especially since they are playing mother and son.   The fight scene between them sizzled with sexual undertones.  It was almost like Norman was breaking up with a lover and not having a fight with his mother. 

I loved ever scene with Norma.  Everything Norma was just pure Norma if that makes any sense.  From literally going to a drug hideout, knocking on the door, and getting in to being pleased that her son had an office all the way to the scene where she tried to make her son jelouse that she had a date with another man and got pissed when he didn't care then ended up back at the dates house after she initially left.  "Norma. what are you doing?"  THe guy said.  My mind said "Cheating on my son." 

Oh and Dylan...yes you can kill Zane.  And this is just the right show to do it.  Or you can just go with the  Hans Solo plan.  I kinda liked that one. 

 

I kinda miss Blair Watson.  My sick twisted heart would have loved to see a triangle between Norma. Norman, and Blair Watson.  That would have been all kinds of twisted.

[whyjen8]

Is Romero going to kill Zane too?  He told Deputy DNA not to arrest him but to find him and let him know where he was.  Speaking of the deputy I was glad Romero clarified that running Norman through the database was not a legal thing to do.  

Makes no sense that Norman would of let Nick in the house to wait for Norma.  Not only should he know by now that White Pine Bay is full of stranger danger but he had to recognize him from Miss Watson's grave.  The same guy that he was so suspicious of that he took pictures of to show the sheriff, the same guy he ran for his life from because of the picture taking.  That guy shows up at his door, knocking all mad like and Norman lets him in to wait on Mother.  

Was beyond uncomfortable with the Norma/Norman fight/breakup and Norma's grudge fuck.  Her eyes popping open at the moment Norman was taken was a little over the top for me.  Her scene with Dylan was glorious!  Her pride in his success at having his own office, not the marijuana stuff though.  Loved her kissing him goodbye in front of all the drug guys, reminded me of Spongebob when his grandma kissed him in the Krusty Krab only with weed.

Was that filet mignon?  Maybe I'm just deprived but my filets are a hella lot smaller than those were.

[thuganomics85]

Before the big thrown-down, it was kind of fun watching Passive Aggressive Norman.  Nice to know that he can actually act like a normal teen at times when he's upset, and not always become Unhinged Norman.  But that didn't last long, at all.  The Norman/Norma fight was all kind of fucked-up.  It really did come off less like a mother and son arguing, and more of a spat between a couple.  And, yeah, Norma rushing to George at the end totally came off like a revenge fuck.  Oh, Bates Motel, you crazy show.  Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore were amazing as always.

I'm glad that they had Romero acknowledge that what the deputy did was illegal.  It seems like she's going to be more of a problem.  But, now Romero is ultra suspicious of Norman and what went down with Miss Watson.  Have a feeling this is going to get ugly.

Surprised both Zane and Romeo survived the dumbass warehouse bust.  Now, Nick Ford is basically declaring war on Jodie and Zane, and Dylan is trying to keep his head above water.  Sounds like Jodie gave the OK to off Zane at the end, but I wonder if Dylan is just going to dump him on Romero instead.  That would probably be the smartest play.

Emma didn't do much, but it was fun watching her show Norma where the weed warehouse is.  Looks like the place does have armed security, but I still wouldn't be surprised if they let the pizza guys in!

[Bec]

Thanks, Nick Ford, for bringing the Bates family back together! Okay, it was just so he could threaten Dylan with killing his family, but still!

If those guys at the warehouse don't know Norma is Dylan's mother, they probably think she is his girlfriend. The inappropriate chemistry there rivals the chemistry between Norma and Norman. It was oddly sweet that she seemed proud of him and concerned about his bruises and about Nick Ford potentially wanting to kill him.

If I were Dylan, I would just let Romero know where Zane is and let the sheriff take care of the rest. It's not like in this show's universe they worry about people talking to the police.

Makes no sense that Norman would have let Nick in the house to wait for Norma.

Norman didn't check who was there before he opened the door. Nick Ford just stepped right in and it seems to me Norman was too nervous to tell him to get out. I wouldn't dare tell him to get out of my house, either. But good old Norma had no trouble! (It should be a drinking game by now - drink every time Norma tells someone to get out of her house or get off her property.)

[Charlotte Vale]

Oh, Norma, Norma, Norma, I want you to be my crazy, scary best friend. Everything she does goes so spectacularly wrong. She is the Toonces the Driving Cat of Moms.

[ObscuredbyClouds]

 

Was that filet mignon?  Maybe I'm just deprived but my filets are a hella lot smaller than those were.

 

yeah, I noticed that too. I think they might have been ribeyes and Norma incorrectly identified them as filet mignon. Also, filets typically have bacon wrapped around them.

[Tara Ariano]

The show really wanted me to notice the Psycho allusions so I noticed them!

[chives]

I thought Norman would definitely be killing Nick Ford, but seeing as he was chloroformed and taken away I guess that's not happening this season. But you never know. Also I was really hoping Norma would go on over to Romero's room for her revenge fuck. #Normero forever.

Vera and Freddie were great together this episode. The fight was so intense. I'm really excited to see where the rest of the season goes. 2 episodes left!

[Kristen]

Yes, the Norman/Norma scenes were eerily good! Freddie Highmore's eyes got all weird and creepy when they were fighting. When George asked Norma why she came back, I was thinking, "Because Norman won't fuck her." 

I know they're trying to create this atmosphere about the town, but the most interesting aspect of this show is Norman and Norma. They need to ramp that up a little bit. Norman was barely in the first 20 minutes of this episode, and I found my attention drifting.

[Fable]

I don't really understand why Nick Ford needs Dylan to take out Zane.  Surely he has people working for him who are capable. this episode had a couple of foreshadowings for Dylan biting it.  One where Nick told Norma to make peace with him before it was too late and the scene where Romero threatened him.  I am worried for Dylan!

i am also worried for the sheriff.  He is really starting to push Norman's buttons, and Norman seems like a guy about to burst at the seams. I do like the fact that Romero is keeping it on the down low and trying to reach out to Norman, and I hope Norman confides in him about the blackouts.

Norma's/Norman's relationship perplexes me.  Sometimes I just see an extremely weird dynamic between them where no boundaries exist and at other times, I feel there is something along the lines of incest going on.  Tonight was the latter.  Norma was trying to make Norman jealous of George.  I have shiny new quarter that says George will be going buh-bye.  

[millahnna]

So Norman went Norma at Norma.  That's just frelling fascinating. 

[Sleepyhead Case]

That fight was 20 kinds of wrong. They absolutely sounded like lovers. "Devoted to each other" and "no one would come between us?"  I heard my partner who was watching it downstairs say "EWW!" And storming out to sleep with George?  Double "EW." It was uncomfortable, creepy, and brilliant. 

I'm not digging Norman getting kidnapped.  I wanted to see how they would interact when Norma got home the next morning (or later that evening). 

I'm losing interest in the drug business story line. I hope they'll concentrate on Norma and Norman next season. Please take the hint, TPTB.

[ganesh]

 

I don't really understand why Nick Ford needs Dylan to take out Zane.  Surely he has people working for him who are capable.

It's less mess and easier logistics for Ford. It's why Tessio was supposed to kill Michael Corleone. It's a old tactic. Have someone on the inside. Ford's goons don't have to track down Zane and then get the man and firepower to storm the office, sister's house, wherever. Ford said to Dylan, "you're close to him a lot. You do it." Plus, they both know Ford is right. 

It makes Ford look reasonable as well. "I won't retaliate and this can all stop." It's not like the sheriff is going to push *too* much into it. Dylan has been fairly sensible so far, so I'm leaning toward him somehow getting Zane arrested instead of outright killing him. As much as Boss Clare gave the order, I think she's going to resent Dylan if he really does it. 

[DangerousMinds]

yeah, I noticed that too. I think they might have been ribeyes and Norma incorrectly identified them as filet mignon. Also, filets typically have bacon wrapped around them.

Filets don't come with bacon all the time lol. Those did look big, but I've had a couple almost that size.

[tricknasty]

Loved the Norma/Dylan scenes. It was funny how whenever he would show her the door she would circle back inside. And when she kissed him goodbye...adorable

[SunnyBeBe]

I just love Norma. That actress is knocking it out of the ballpark with this role.  I hope she gets some awards for this season. She's so underrated.

Yes, George is likely to bite the bullet.  Except for her brother, everyone Norma has slept with is dead, right?  

I can't stand the incest vibe, ewww....so, I hope whoever got Norman keeps him.  I don't care for him much and don't buy the amnesia story.  He does a great job in that role though.  He and Norma are definitely the stars on this show.

Edited April 23, 2014 by SunnyBeBe

[Peanut6711]

I'm losing interest in the drug business story line. I hope they'll concentrate on Norma and Norman next season. Please take the hint, TPTB.

 

If the show was all Norma and Norma it would essentially just be like one of the prequel movies already made. Instead the show is building on the dynamics of their already inappropriate relationship through the situations they’ve encountered with the town and the rest of the community. I don’t mind the drug business at all. Without it the story would be too narrow and I don’t see how the show could exist beyond a mini-series. 

The drug business fuels the town’s economy and is probably a large part of why the “law” is often skewed and justice handled their own way. It’s a huge aspect of the town (the setting if you will).  It’s been a part of the show from the very beginning and is just starting to come full circle as the “Bates” family becomes more involved with the core players. I don’t see how that’s going to go away.

The show creators have compared the town to “Twin Peaks.”  It’s a place that operates with a slightly different set of rules and conventions, and that helps add layers to the plot and everything that’s happening with Norma and Norman. They are now players in this town too, whether they realize it or not and I think it will all go towards what ultimately happens between them.  For me, it keeps the story from being flat and one-dimensional. Norma and Norman are very complex individuals but so are the people that wield power and influence in this town.

I don't really understand why Nick Ford needs Dylan to take out Zane.  Surely he has people working for him who are capable.

 

I’m sure he does too and he’s already tried that (gunning down Zane on the sidewalk when Dylan saved him). But as an “inside job” there’s no retaliation on his people by the Morgan family. Thus the war ends—or more accurately there is a cease fire.

I don't care for him much and don't buy the amnesia story.

 

It’s not amnesia; Norman at certain times is operating in a text book fugue state. It’s part of his psychosis.

[Fable]

I don't really understand why Nick Ford needs Dylan to take out Zane.  Surely he has people working for him who are capable.

 

    

I’m sure he does too and he’s already tried that (gunning down Zane on the sidewalk when Dylan saved him). But as an “inside job” there’s no retaliation on his people by the Morgan family. Thus the war ends—or more accurately there is a cease fire.

 

I see what you are saying, but just because Dylan takes him out doesn't mean the Morgan family will know it was an inside job.  However, given the fact that we saw Jodi telling Dylan to do what he had to do, I guess one could arrive at that conclusion, but how did Nick even know that Jodi would go along with that, and Jodi already seemed to know that Nick and Dylan had talked.  Maybe I am missing something here, but if Nick and Jodi are heading the 2 families and wanted to come up with a solution, why involve Dylan at all?   Patsy maybe? 

 

In any case, I'm glad the drug stories are starting to converge with the Bates stories.  I really had no problem with the drug war story per se, aside from the fact that that it seemed like a separate entity from the rest of the show. I do see Norman/Mother offing Nick at some point, if not in this season at least by next!

[Peanut6711]

I see what you are saying, but just because Dylan takes him out doesn't mean the Morgan family will know it was an inside job. 

I’m guessing since Zane is in hiding; they’d know/guess it had to be an inside job. But the way the scene with Dylan and Jodi went I think you could also interpret that he might have told her about the meeting with Ford too. I could go either way with that.

Maybe I am missing something here, but if Nick and Jodi are heading the 2 families and wanted to come up with a solution, why involve Dylan at all? 

 

Yes, the feminist in me wishes Nick Ford would sit down with Jodi as his equal—the head of the other drug family. I’m cool with her bringing Dylan along though if for no other reason than he’s cute and they might make a good pair. ;-)

[Bec]

why involve Dylan at all? Patsy maybe?

That might be it exactly. Everyone's telling Dylan to kill Zane, which is exactly why he should hand Zane over to Romero instead.

I gotta think Jodi is not as helpless as she seems. That she's pulling some master-manipulation here. Because if she really doesn't know what to do, that's just weak and it wouldn't make sense that she hasn't been overthrown as leader yet.

[green]

The whole pacing of this second season seems a bit off to me.  Things are getting so "major" with weed wars and a kidnapping coming up and oh yeah a few deaths of various types already that I don't see how they don't go way overboard to top this in season three.  I mean Norman still has his senior year to go through and some time after that until Psycho time, right?  I'd rather have seen a more subtle escalation then Norman already out of control.

 

Still love the main actors though. 

 

And Romero is an interesting character.  A sheriff from the old school where back in the 1800's you kept the peace between the cattlemen and the ranchers by not exactly following the letter of the law but knowing when to bend it rather then have it end up totally broken.  "Peacekeeper" first, last and foremost and not some modern day boring legalities type.

Edited April 24, 2014 by green

[Peanut6711]

Re: Also on why Ford involved Dylan….

Nick Ford seems like the type of guy to do his research. At the least he knows Dylan is Norma’s son and he has a hold over Norma now (whether she realizes it or likes it or not). At the very most, he knows that Dylan is sleeping with the boss, Jodi. Either way, Dylan is a card to be played in Nick’s hand in this drug game. And I think when you think about the complexities of the relationships and loyalties on this show, this is where the SL is deeper than the surface of simply a drug war.  Will Jodi cross her own brother? If forced to choose, will Dylan protect his lover or his brother/mother (who will one day become one in the same—LOL).  I think these are all questions TPTB want viewers to be contemplating as the story unfolds. It’s not just about a drug business, it’s about how and where lines are crossed, how the main characters (Norma, Dylan) are being and can be manipulated, and so forth.

And Romero is an interesting character.  A sheriff from the old school where back in the 1800's you kept the peace between the cattlemen and the ranchers by not exactly following the letter of the law but knowing when to bend it rather then have it end up totally broken.  "Peacekeeper" first, last and foremost and not some modern day boring legalities type.

 

I agree. It gives a timelessness to the show and depicts how the law in the town is not black and white but very gray. It also makes Romero a far more interesting character. It keeps the viewers guessing which way Romero will handle things like Norman/Miss Watson and Zane.

[Solzhenknitsyn]

 

It keeps the viewers guessing which way Romero will handle things like Norman/Miss Watson and Zane.

 

Where are TPTB going with Romero's storyline, though? If he confirms that Norman has blackouts, won't that give him cause to suspect that Norman is dangerous at best, and a murderer (of Miss Watson) at worst? And then what? Does his character sit on that information for another season or two? Lean on Norma to get Norman psychological help? Try to be a quasi father-figure to Norman?

 

It felt to me like this episode spent a fair amount of time building up a noir-esque cat-and-mouse game between Romero and Norman. (Loved the penultimate scene of a rain-drenched Romero glaring after Norman in frustration.) And the stakes are high: "Please tell me I didn't convict an innocent man of murder."

For Norman to be safe (for another season), Romero needs to be dispatched toute de suite. So that's my prediction: he'll confront Norman, and Norman will take him out. Deputy DNA will take over the role of thorn-in-Norma/Norman's side.

 

And on a picky note: it totally bugs me that the sheriff's/deputies uniforms are so baggy. Put some bulletproof vests under the shirts (that's what the extra room is for) or freaking get them taken in!

[Peanut6711]

Is that an actual spoiiler or just speculation though?  I seriously don't see eager-beaver deputy taking over if for nothing more than simply the fact that that actress is in a minor guest star role while NC who plays Sheriff Romero is part of the main cast.  I honestly don't think Romero is going anywhere as his character is a big part of the town and he "balances" (for lack of a better word) the various politics going on in the town.  Remember that right now, Romero doesn't have any evidence that he can use. And we still don't know for sure that Norman killed Miss Watson. There's probably a dozen scenarios that could play out how that night of the dance went. Til we are shown it, I don't think it's clear cut. Technically there's still the possibility that Norman could come out looking the victim in all this if it somehow points to Miss Watson taking advantage of underage Norman while he was blacked out. 

[Solzhenknitsyn]

Peanut6711, you're right; that's just speculation. I dunno - something about the episode just seemed...elegiac with respect to Romero? Like it was his swan song as the Grey Knight?

Never thought about the possibility of Miss Watson assaulting a blacked-out Norman. That's all kinds of ick and wrong...and in keeping with the theme of parent figures failing to protect the young.

[peacheslatour]

Oh, god I hope they don't kill off Romero.  I love him and Norma together and I can't stand Deputy DNA!  But at this point I don't see Romero just sitting on this.  I'm hoping that there was a mix-up with the DNA.  Or how about this: Norman and Ms. Watson are discovered in the act and the killer (one of her legion of boyfriends) attacks her and Norman blacks out because he does that whenever there is a damsel in distress.  He attacks the killer and is shoved aside and the killer escapes.

[Solzhenknitsyn]

Or how about this: Norman and Ms. Watson are discovered in the act and the killer (one of her legion of boyfriends) attacks her and Norman blacks out because he does that whenever there is a damsel in distress. He attacks the killer and is shoved aside and the killer escapes.

I'm liking this. Norman would then be able to provide eyewitness testimony regarding the killer's identity. This would presumably put Norman back in Romero's good graces - until the next Bates-related homicide, woo-ha!

[UncleChuck]

I'm coming to a conclusion that Norman NEVER does actually kill Norma...

 

One day, she will in very short order, be confronted by Norman, Dylan, Romero, Nick, George and some random townsfolk--and her poor head will explode.  Then Norman props her up in her chair and waits for Psycho.

[peacheslatour]

I just watched the latest episode and what creeped me out was that after Norman confronted his mother on the stairway, she got all hot and ran over to Mr. Filet Mignon's house to jump his bones already in a state of arousal..  gross.

[Anela]

I just watched the latest episode and what creeped me out was that after Norman confronted his mother on the stairway, she got all hot and ran over to Mr. Filet Mignon's house to jump his bones already in a state of arousal..  gross.

I thought she wanted to feel loved, and she knew he was attracted to her, so she ran over there. One son is avoiding her, the other is now shutting her out, and angry with her. She doesn't have anyone else. 

 

I have to stop only half-watching this, though. I was more into the show two years ago, although my interest is growing again with each episode.

Edited June 10, 2015 by Anela