Alice Rush reviews episode 9 of the Psycho prequel series Bates Motel….
The penultimate episode is always a tricky one. It has to set up the finale, without revealing too much, but still start to working towards a conclusion. And there is still plenty to conclude in Bates Motel.
The last episode ended with Norma finding the decaying corpse of Shelby in her bedroom, no doubt part of the ‘game’ that Abernathy said he and Norma were about to play. This week’s episode ‘Underwater’ begins with Norma discovering the truth behind Dylan’s dodgy dealings with Gil’s cannabis business. Understandably this is one step too far and she rushes off to the house whilst telling Norman that they’ve moving away from the cesspit that is White Pine Bay.
Throughout the episode she attempts to make plans to move, searching for safe areas of the country to live in, attempting to sell on her motel, but it just seems the world is against her as her estate agent tells her the motel is worth nothing, that’s she ‘underwater’. Her frustration is tangible, borderline comical in some moments which hones in on one of the charms of Bates; it’s ability to provide comic moments amongst a sea of lies, threats and violence.
Norma is not the only one who seems to be underwater in this episode. Norman seems to be circling around a very dangerous conclusion as he has violent dreams of killing Bradley and snaps at his Mother when she suggests the move, shouting and calling her crazy. With the end of the series in sight, it has been interesting to see the organic growth of violence within Norman throughout the past nine episodes. Freddy Highmore’s depiction of a shy and, arguably, inherently gentle teen thrown into a tumultuous and frustrating life allows the audience to feel sympathy for the character of Bates, of whom until this series was always viewed as one of the most cold and dangerous villains of all time.
The presence of the cannabis workers helped to tie up some loose ends up within the series and eliminate any doubt that not only is the town’s wealth built around these dealings, but that good old Sheriff Romero himself is in on it. Predictable, yes, but as more pressing situations are brought to light other strands must be solved. The pace of the episode seemed a little slow and domesticated in some place for a penultimate episode, focusing a lot on plot points that may return in the second series e.g. the love triangle between Norman, Bradley and Dylan. In fact, you could almost be forgiven for forgetting that there is a threat at all. Until the very last moment.
Structured perfectly, the last scene of the episode genuinely jolted the audience out of their seat and brought the reality of Norma’s situation crashing down for all to see. Having been lulled into a false sense of security with the light hearted scene in the estate agents, Norma comes back to her car and held at gun point by Abernathy. The calm and collected Abernathy tells a terrified Norma that she must give him the $150,000 Shelby owed him by midnight the next day or else. Played expertly by Jere Burns, Abernathy brings the episode together and sets up for the finale with three of the most vital elements for tension and drama: an impossible task, a time limit and a very real threat of harm.
‘Underwater’ saw a lot of past plot points being referred back to and this helped to give an overall feeling of conclusion drawing in. We are reminded of all of the stages that have led up to this very moment and we are made to feel that all of these elements will combine next week for an eventful and no doubt fatal finale. As the clock ticks against Norma and her life seems to be coming apart at the seams, we can only wonder what truths and trials will come out and who will be left standing at the end of it.
Alice Rush
Originally published May 17, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
