REVIEW: Bates Motel, Season 5 Episode Five 'Dreams Die First'

 REVIEW: Bates Motel, Season 5 Episode Five 'Dreams Die First'

One of the most iconic aspects of the original Psycho is the dual personality of Norman (Freddie Highmore) and 'Mother' (Vera Farmiga). Norman's twisted psychology often sees him adopt the identity of his dead Mum in order to commit his grisly murders. It's one of the elements the original Pyscho is best remembered for, and so it's interesting when an episode of this show decides to explore what Norman is like when you *remove* this aspect.

The answer, it seems, is that Norman without 'Mother' is totally lost. As he runs around the motel calling for her to appear, and rings bars asking if they have seen a 'friend' called 'Norma', it's clear that he's clueless without visions of his mother appearing to him. 'Mother' is as much a part of Norman as his true identity is, so remove one aspect and you are effectively left with the missing piece of a puzzle. It's a really effective piece of storytelling, as it establishes the importance of 'Mother', and how her presence is what completes Norman Bates.

Norman is called into Sheriff Jane Greene's (Brooke Smith) office this week regarding the escape of Alex Romero, and it's clear that she's very suspicious of what drove him to escape. In particular she is curious about the bust-up which occurred between Norman and Alex at Norma's funeral, and these scenes are so tense to watch. You do find yourself worrying for Jane a little, as she's coming closer and closer to the truth, and thereby potentially closer and closer to her death. It's really well written though, as Norman essentially plays her and comes up with his own rational explanations for everything she throws his way, from the fact he banned Alex from the funeral as a reason why he'd be so angry, to how he could be blaming Norman for her death purely because his grief is resulting in him looking for someone to blame.

Madeleine (Isabelle McNally) is an integral part of this episode, as the lift she offers Norman to the pub where he believes his 'Mother's car is parked ends in a explosion of revelations. Finally we get to see Norman tell his latest romantic interest about how he had seen Madeleine's husband Sam (Austin Nichols) with another woman, and the scene is just as dramatic as you'd expect. Isabelle McNally plays it well, as she screams at Norman and practically yells at him to get out of the truck, angry that he didn't tell her as soon as he had found out. This is one of those times where you can see both perspectives. On one hand, telling Isabelle would have let her know precisely where she stands with her husband. On the other, Norman hasn't really known Madeleine that long, and so it's not really his place to tell.

The episode ends with one hell of a reveal, when we discover that Norman had a fling as 'Mother' with a random man at the White House Bar. Not only that, but 'Mother' is a frequent visitor to the pub, with many knowing of 'Norma'. It shows just how twisted Norman is, the fact that he has had this whole social life as his alter-ego that he doesn't even remember.  It's almost as though 'Mother' is another entity living separately from Norman, much like when Norma was actually alive, and it adds a further creep factor to proceedings. There's something very, very wrong about a situation like this.

This is also the episode where Emma (Olivia Cooke) learns about Norman's twisted mind, as Dylan (Max Thieriot) decides to voice his (correct) suspicions that Norman killed her mother. Poor Emma has not had it easy, what with her now cured cystic fibrosis and now having to come to terms with not only her Mum potentially being dead, but her former boyfriend Norman being a psychotic serial killer. Olivia Cooke really does a great job with the material she is given though, as we see the utter devastation at this news cloud her face, before she angrily instructs Dylan to leave for not telling her sooner. It looks like she could be slowly starting to piece together the puzzle regarding Norma's death, as she reads an article about her suspected suicide, and seems to have a curious look etched on her face. Could she have worked out that Norman's responsible?

Lastly, we are introduced to this show's version of Marion Crane (Rihanna). These scenes are very familiar to anyone who has watched the original Psycho, as we see her set off with the stolen suitcase of money for the motel, and get pulled over by the police car, very much like in the original. These scenes are very well handled however, and feel respectful of the original film. Essentially it demonstrates that retelling the original film's narrative can work very well, it's just all about the approach that is taken and the care and attention paid to the Hitchcockian classic. It doesn't feel like it's trying to copy the original, so much as add a new interpretation of it, and that's what sets the Marion storyline here apart from that in the shot-for-shot 1998 Psycho remake.

Overall, 'Dreams Die First' is another stellar episode of Bates Motel. Introducing this show's version of Marion Crane whilst also giving one hell of a twist regarding 'Mother', this is a fresh, bold and original take on the Psycho source material. Let's just hope Emma gets some better luck soon however, as that character really has been punished enough.

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