Tag Archive for: Psycho

With only one episode to go, we find ourselves moments from the public hearing of Norman Bates, charged with three counts of murder carrying a maximum penalty of death. Amidst the mug shots, fingerprints and a brutally honest meeting with counsel, anyone and everyone who is part of Norman Bates is frozen with fear. “Serial homicides”, “multiple life sentences”, “maximum security prison”, “not guilty by reason of insanity”…these phrases hold more weight than even Norman’s strongest personality can handle. The mother/son/protector morph is once again portrayed as two bodies in one outfit. The change from one personification to the other seems to happen at the flip of a coin although the reflection of Norma in the cell window is once again magnificently orchestrated. read more

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. But instead of a gargantuan tusked pachyderm, let’s make it a Barbadian bombshell with hypnotic hazels.   Rihanna effortlessly delivers Marion Crane in the broad sense of the classic character: she’s seductive, elusive and totally committed to a better life with her beau Sam Loomis. She is preyed upon in the workplace and quick to fake sick to stick it to the scumbag who flaunts his cash as a pickup line. A&E’s “Bates Motel” owns the rest of THIS Marion Crane. Unaware that her boyfriend is already married, criticized for her lack of education and, most importantly, already a past guest at the Bates Motel, Rihanna brings a coy angst to a character who is redefined in this century. As show creator Carlton Cuse told Vulture, “Fundamentally, it was not going to be possible to make Marion Crane an empowered woman of 2017 if she just died in the shower.” (http://www.vulture.com/2017/03/bates-motel-casting-rihanna-marion-crane.html) read more

Did you ever get the feeling that you know something you’re not supposed to know?  And then next thing you know, you’re in the thick of it….this secret cosmos you weren’t supposed to know about suddenly and openly playing itself out? So begins Episode Three, breaking down the fourth wall we have hidden behind until this point.

We pick up exactly where we left off with Caleb recovering from his bash upside the head and Norman still in his wig, frock and high heels. (Go, Freddie Highmore for working those pumps better than I ever could.) Our heart crumbles at the sight of Caleb, beaten both physically and mentally, as he regains consciousness handcuffed to a support beam in the basement.  His blow to the noggin allows him to see his sister for a moment until she morphs into his demented nephew.  Before the closing credits, we see the character of Caleb in all his glorious dichotomy. Bound to a pole through the majority of the episode, his physical strength is robbed from him and we are left with a weak, fragile man. He has always been incapable of accepting his relationship with his sister but his love for her is unrivaled. Enraged and unable to negotiate his release, Caleb drifts through dreams and flashbacks that are horribly intertwined with the reality of Norma’s death. Pure anguish personified. Norma-via-Norman visits Caleb and tells him that both her son and her brother are in love with her and therefore, the three of them cannot live happily ever after. This is the final push for Caleb who now no longer sees Norman’s face but that of his adoring sister. He professes his love while holding her hand and goes to a place beyond despair – a place with no sister, no son, no purpose. read more