REVIEW: Bates Motel, Season 5 Episode Seven 'Inseparable'

 REVIEW: Bates Motel, Season 5 Episode Seven 'Inseparable'

If the last episode was the Psycho episode, then this one is very much its own thing. 'Inseparable' follows on straight from where we left off, with Norman (Freddie Highmore) having killed Sam Loomis in the shower. It's essentially what a Psycho sequel would be had Psycho ended straight after the shower scene, and hadn't continued beyond the murder of the woman who appeared to be the lead - Janet Leigh's Marion Crane. For Bates Motel, it's essentially business as usual, as it continues to pave its path away from the original.

The opening shot is an excellent piece of direction. We start on a close-up of the dead Sam's eye, before the camera zooms out and pans up to the panicked Norman Bates stood looking down on the murder he has just committed.  It's a really dramatic piece of directing which throws us straight in the moment; we effectively become Norman's viewpoint, trying to take in the events which occurred in the shower. This is the kind of dizzying feeling that you would imagine serial killers must witness after committing a murder, something that would be likely to throw you off balance as you try to rationalise your own actions.

It seems Norman's actions are coming back to bite him, as himself and 'Mother' (Vera Farmiga) witness a body being recovered from the lake. This scene essentially sets the over-arching theme of the episode - 'Just how many bodies are in that lake, and how many are victims of Norman or 'Mother'?' - and it's an intriguing one, as it essentially opens the floodgates for all manners of deaths which could have occurred off-screen. Essentially the possibilities are endless, as there could be so many murders that we as the audience have not been witness to.

It's not hard to see why Sheriff Jane Greene (Brooke Smith) is suspicious. During her latest visit to Norman, she not only confirms that it was Jim's body that was recovered from the lake, but that they found multiple bodies that had been disposed there. It's a riveting watch as we see her lightly interrogate Norman, and Norman each time find excuses to avoid telling the truth. We're wondering just like Jane just how much Norman is hiding, but we're not on equal footing as we know of at least a few of the murders Norman is responsible for. Jane is the perfect way to show the curtains slowly closing in on Norman, as she asks the questions that come tantalisingly close towards exposing the truth, if Norman makes just one wrong move.

If anyone's firmly on Norman's side right now, it's his brother Dylan (Max Thieriot). He returns to the motel in this episode with the intention of staying and helping Norman out, and you can really tell this man cares so much about his brother. Their sibling relationship has without a doubt been one of the stand-out highlights of the Bates Motel prequel, as they have this incredibly close bond that is captivating to watch. Dylan knows Norman is ill, and he wants to do what Norma wouldn't; he wants to get him some proper, substantial help. If any character could be considered a 'protagonist' in this series, it's surely Dylan Bates.

It's Dylan who uncovers perhaps the most surprising plot twist in this show so far. Before we were led to believe that Norman had bumped into therapist Gregg Edwards on the way back from picking up 'Mother's' car from the bar; however, now it turns out that this wasn't Gregg Edwards, but merely Norman's imagination. For the real Gregg Edwards is missing presumed dead.  This is an excellent twist for sure, as suddenly we are placed on the back foot, and everything we thought we knew can no longer be trusted. We are seeing things from Norman's perspective, after all, and Norman is an unreliable narrator. Hell, even Dylan showing up may not be real, as Norman is the focal point of this series. Everything is completely thrown into doubt by this revelation and it's good, because it shakes the status quo up substantially.

I did get a little worried for Dylan in this episode though, as 'Mother' once again makes herself known. The 'Mother' identity once again takes over Norman and tries to kill Dylan Bates for his attempted interference in Norman's life, a scene which is so hard to watch purely because as viewers we have been endeared to Dylan Bates. We don't want him to die, and thankfully he doesn't. This is Norman's wake up call, the one thing that makes him realise that he must be held accountable for his crimes as 'Mother'. This is the moment that makes him call the police, an attempt to face justice for the killings he has committed. 

Overall, 'Inseparable' is a fantastic episode of Bates Motel. Featuring a stunning twist and some truly great scenes between Norman and Dylan, it's an episode that reflects all of the best parts of the show as a whole. Bates Motel is a show that understands how to play with audience expectations, when to give the audience what they want and when to provide the shocks, and a perfect demonstration that there's perhaps more life left in the Psycho story than we maybe give credit for.

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