REVIEW: Bates Motel, Season 2 Episode Ten 'The Immutable Truth'

 REVIEW: Bates Motel, Season 2 Episode Ten 'The Immutable Truth'

At the end of the previous episode, Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) was in quite a predicament. Still trapped inside of a glass box, buried under some grass, Norman was practically helpless, and with nobody knowing where he was, rescue wasn't on its way. At least, not until this episode.

Dylan (Max Thieriot) and sheriff Alex Romero (Nestor Carbonell) are on the case pretty sharpish. As they search for Norman across the grass land where he is buried, it becomes quite tense, as it really doesn't look like they will find him. Of course, they do otherwise there'd be no Psycho, but the screenplay does a brilliant job at raising the stakes and making you believe that they might not.

And Dylan and Alex make for one hell of a team up. These two characters work so well together, precisely because they come from opposite ends of the spectrum. Alex as a police 'sheriff' is meant to uphold the right side of the law, whereas Dylan is a guy who has become embroiled in a criminal gang and is the kind of guy Alex normally tracks down. Neither feel entirely comfortable in the positions they uphold, I'd say, with Alex having gotten his hands dirty numerous times over the course of the series, and it creates for such a strong and powerful dynamic. These are two characters who need to interact more.

Vera Farmiga gets some great material once again when Norman is found, and she uses it to her advantage. You feel the relief of a mother reunited with her son when she is by Norman's bedside in the hospital, and her gratitude towards Dylan for rescuing him. Vera Farmiga communicates so much in just four words to Dylan - 'I love you Dylan', giving this strong sense of a mother who has realised how much she has under-appreciated and perhaps even undervalued her other son Dylan Bates.

Freddie Highmore as ever is utterly fantastic as Norman Bates. You get this real sense of fear and self-loathing when he confesses to his mother how he believes he was the one who murdered Blaire Watson. A man who is disturbed and clearly needs some form of medical help, which his mother refuses to admit. It's quite dark how Norma is clearly very aware that his blackouts cause these psychotic episodes for Norman, and yet she is determined to convince her son that they are just bad dreams. She's effectively turning a blind eye, and that makes her arguably just as responsible for the murders Norman has committed as Norman himself.

Nowhere is Norman's issues more evident than in the moment where he contemplates suicide. He grabs hold of a gun, writes a list of things to do before he dies (including talk to Emma and his mother, and eat an apple pie), and heads off into the forest, leaving his Mum a suicide note. We know Norman doesn't actually commit suicide, due to the rather obvious fact that he is in the film Psycho, but it's a powerful piece of storytelling nonetheless, because of just how prominent an issue men's mental health is right now. It's an issue that needs more awareness, and so it is great to see a show like Bates Motel offer that, in a way that feels natural for the progression of the story. This is a show about delving deep into the psychology of these characters, after all, and Norman has not had an easy life.

This is also the episode where Norman takes a polygraph test over the murder of Blaire Watson, and the way he passes it is insanely clever. He sees a vision of his mother telling him that she was the one who killed his teacher, leading Norman to genuinely believe that he wasn't responsible. It's another excellent way of showing the sick and disturbed psych of this character; a man who has essentially become a monster who cannot be controlled. Norman is somebody who is beyond saving.

Another story strand comes to an end this week, with the conclusion to Zane (Michael Eklund) and Jodi Morgan's (Kathleen Robertson) stories. They have an epic showdown when Norman and Alex trick Zane - with Jodi's help - into coming straight to them, at Jodi's house. This is perhaps the most epic sibling rivalry shown on television, which ends with the deaths of both characters. Jodi at the hands of his brother, Zane at the hands of Alex. It's the only kind of fitting ending you could have for these two characters, and it's a spectacular sequence for sure.

Overall, Bates Motel's second season comes to a truly faultless conclusion, with strong character moments for both Norma and Norman Bates. Every character gets a part to play here, from Alex and Dylan's fun team-up to the deadly showdown between Zane and Jodi Morgan, but perhaps the thing that stands out most is the heart-breaking sequence where Norman considers taking his own life. It's such a stunning way to conclude the second season, and proves that Bates Motel is truly one of the greatest U.S. drama series out there.

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What are your thoughts on the tenth episode of Bates Motel's second season? Let me know in the comments section.