REVIEW: Bates Motel, Season 1 Episode Eight 'A Boy And His Dog'

 REVIEW: Bates Motel, Season 1 Episode Eight 'A Boy And His Dog'

It's fair to say that the ending of the previous episode was a hard watch for us dog lovers. After only one episode, Norman's dog is out of the picture, and it becomes very clear that this has affected Norman greatly. Not least because it inspires his love for taxidermy, something that was established in the original film. Norman takes his beloved pooch to Emma's (Olivia Cooke) Dad Will (Ian Hart), who teaches the tricks of the trade in this area of craftsmanship, and it certainly does not hold back on explaining the almost barbaric brutality in stuffing dead animals. Will describes it as removing the 'blood and guts', and displaying a sense of artistry in the way you add the stuffing and stitch the body back together. It's really interesting seeing here where Norman's hobby from the original Psycho originated, and what inspired him to learn the skill in the first place.

He's a kid who certainly couldn't seem to catch a break during his early years, and this becomes really evident in the school sequences. The way his friend Emma betrays his trust, and has effectively told the whole school of his love affair with Bradley (Nicola Peltz), almost makes you feel sorry for the psychopath. Especially when you see his school mates discussing him so candidly in the girls' bathroom. Sometimes this kind of school drama can seem forced in a TV Show, but here it feels natural, and not done for the sake of melodrama.

Something sinister definitely appears to be underfoot with Bates Motel's guest Jake (Jere Burns). The man somehow knows such intrinsicate details about the situation with Shelby, and this instantly places the audience on tenterhooks. We know that Jake is asking too many questions, and therefore we're really starting to fear for his safety. It's such tight writing, that helps to instantly give a deep sense of paranoia.

And finally, somebody has the very wise idea to request that Norman gets therapy. Principal Tom Hutchins (Paul Jarrett) and teacher Blaire Watson (Keegan Connor Tracy) suggest to Norma that Norman sees a psychiatrist, and it feels so much like a natural evolution of the plot, considering Norman's weird behaviour at the school. I also love the fact that when Norma reluctantly hires a private psychiatrist (Hiro Kanagawa), he instantly turns the tables on her and suggests she gets therapy too. After all, she is just as disturbed as her son. We have a great acknowledgement by an outside force of just how controlling she is over Norman, and it really feels as though the psychiatric doctor is our voice piece for how we as the audience are feeling about all this.

Overall, 'A Boy And His Dog' was an excellent instalment in Bates Motel's first season. This episode nicely establishes a key aspect of Norman's personality from the original film, and also helps to further evoke the paranoia present throughout the previous episodes in this series. In Bates Motel, in true Psycho fashion, it seems nobody is safe, and the next death can always just be lurking right round the corner.

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What are your thoughts on Bates Motel's eighth episode? Let me know in the comments section.