REVIEW: Bates Motel, Season 2 Episode Four 'Check-Out'
REVIEW: Bates Motel, Season 2 Episode Four 'Check-Out'
The revelations at the end of the previous episode were quite a shock to the Bates family tree, to say the least. Dylan (Max Thieriot), it seems, was the product of a rape - and not any old rape, but a rape which occurred between brother and sister. This episode picks up with the ramifications from such a reveal, in what is a very character focused episode of Bates Motel.
Poor Dylan. He's had this major reveal about his parentage thrown on him, and it doesn't seem as though he has been coping at all. Dylan's been on the booze, and when Norman (Freddie Highmore) and Norma (Vera Farmiga) find him, he's in quite a state. Check-Out is a real showcase for the character of Dylan; it develops his character significantly, and poses some interesting questions regarding this new status quo he has found himself in. If everything you thought you knew changed, and you had a different father to who you were led to believe, who does that make you now? Are you even still the same person by that point?
Poor Emma (Olivia Cooke), still working at the motel and noticing the increased tension surrounding the place, really can't help but feel in the middle of it all. These last few episodes really feel as though they have been quite rough on Emma, and you wish somebody would just tell her the truth for once. She's probably the most innocent character in this whole show, and at times she almost feels like a viewpoint for the audience. I think Bates Motel would be a very different show without her.
Norman's relationship with his mother continues to be as weird as you would expect. In this episode, he climbs into bed with her once again, and snuggles quite close to his mother. Out of any of the episodes in Bates Motel, this is the one where you most forget that they are actually mother and son, and not some strange couple with a huge age gap. This series has really got the disturbing amounts of affection Norman holds for his mother down perfectly; it's something that goes well beyond a typical mother/son relationship, and always makes for some intriguing scenes when explored further.
In the last review I talked of how I liked Norman's new love interest Cody (Paloma Kwiatkowski). Well, in this episode, she seems like a total bad influence on Norman, telling him direct that he should strike Caleb (Kenny Johnson) over the head. It just goes to highlight how these two feel like the perfect combination, and the screenplay goes to such lengths to show how they make for a good team. Cody is essentially like a twisted figure of support for Norman, the devil on his shoulder if you will, who will listen to his concerns but counteract with some devilishly evil solutions.
Norma's friend Christine (Rebecca Creskoff) is much less of a bad penny. She takes it upon herself to help Norma, and offer some distraction with a fancy dinner meal, and it's nice to see in the screenplay these glimpses of what Norma is like when she's having fun with others for once. In these scenes that Christine offers we see just how much Norma has this wicked sense of humour; she's a more confident and outgoing individual than her son Norman, and a natural at maintaining a conversation with those around her.
Overall, 'Check-In' is an excellent episode in this prequel series, offering some substantial development for the character of Dylan, and a rare chance to see Norma have fun. It's also interesting to see Norman adopt his 'mother' persona, even if it surprisingly doesn't end in the outcome you would typically expect, and it makes you curious as to where the rest of the season will lead. With Cody as a bad influence on Norman, this show could be about to dive deeper into the psychopathic tendencies of Norman Bates.
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What are your thoughts on the fourth episode of Bates Motel's second season? Let me know in the comments section.
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