REVIEW: Bates Motel, Season 3 Episode Five 'The Deal'
REVIEW: Bates Motel, Season 3 Episode Five 'The Deal'
The previous episode ended with a moment that was sure to send ramifications through the show as a whole. Norman (Freddie Highmore) discovered that his brother Dylan's (Max Thieriot) father Caleb (Kenny Johnson) was in town. He vowed to tell their mother Norma (Vera Farmiga), and so we pick up with where we left off, with a Norman Bates who may or may not have told his Mum about this new revelation.
Only it fast becomes clear that there's something not quite right. Norman insists that he did tell Norma, but when Dylan next talks to Norma, it becomes clear that she hasn't been told. It's quite an eery development, as we learn that Norman had yet another of his blackouts and envisioned telling this piece of information to his mother. It's another cleverly woven example of Norman's poor mental state of being, and a sign of things to come with the events of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho.
There's a hint that Caleb does regret what he did to his sister Norma, all those years ago. All the same though, I don't think any kind of redemption works with a character like this. Rape in general is an unforgivable act of criminality, but doing it to a family member is a thousand times worse. The character may be showing signs of regret and remorse, but as a viewer I simply cannot look past what he did to Norma Bates.
It's not all about Caleb, however. We also get a significant amount of plot development regarding the ongoing storyline with Bob Paris (Kevin Rahm), Norma Bates and the flash drive. The flash drive's immense importance is so crazy that it even sees Bob send his own henchmen to ram Norma Bates off the road. This is clearly something that holds a certain significance for Bob Paris, and the reveal of the contents of the flash drive when it comes doesn't disappoint. It's every bit as interesting as the build-up suggests, and leads to a great scene where Norma negotiates the titular deal which involves a road diverting off the bypass, alongside a series of billboards advertising the motel, in return for Norma keeping the contents of the USB drive a secret.
Norma gets help from sheriff Alex Romero (Nestor Carbonell), and his scenes with Norma contain some of the pair's best scenes in the show to date. Vera Farmiga absolutely acts her socks off as she breaks down whilst telling Alex everything about the USB flash drive, and Nestor Carbonell's understated performance really sells the character's clear soft spot for Norman Bates' mother. It's a real showcase for the chemistry between these two actors, and I hope there are plenty more scenes to come between them.
The episode sees a particularly sinister turn of events, where Norman decides to take the dress which he saw his mother wearing from her wardrobe and hide underneath his bed in his bedroom. It's a creepy moment that paves the way for Norman dressing as his mother. I could be wrong, but I am also pretty confident that it's the same dress from Psycho too, as it looks strikingly familiar to the way that Norman dresses in that iconic horror classic.
Overall, 'The Deal' is yet another stunning episode of Bates Motel. The build-up to the events of Psycho is more prevalent here than ever before, as Norman starts to lose a further grip on his sanity, and we see his behaviour start to become more erratic. It also delivers us some great scenes between Norma and Alex, and Norma and James, two of the greatest character dynamics within the show. Bates Motel is a programme that just continues to impress, and is a prime example of a franchise continuation which adds rather than detracts from the original work.
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What are your thoughts on the fifth episode of Bates Motel's third season? Let me know in the comments section.
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