In the first season of Bates Motel, the show impressed this Psycho fan with its ability to craft a "young Norman Bates" story even albeit general plot lines that are not always the most compelling. That same basic formula remains true in this second season: expert character work that carries the freight when the plots don't always lead to a fulfilling conclusion.
Some of the highlights of this S2 include...
-Further exploration of Norman's (Freddie Highmore) "blackouts" and his confrontation on what they may be doing to him--all while the investigation into the mysterious S1 finale death of Blair Watson is still being investigated by Alex Romero (Nestor Carbonell).
-Norma's (Vera Farmiga) brother Caleb (Kenny Johnson) shows up and dredges up conflicting stories about their childhood together and how Dylan (Max Theirot) is involved.
-New character Cody Brennan (Paloma Kwiatkowski) fills in quite nicely and fulfills a tremendous role in the Norman Bates canon, of sorts. Her character really exposes the holes in the Norma/Norman relationship, especially as they pertain to sex and relationships.
The dynamic between Norma and Norman here in S2 continues to be some of the best--and most chilling--in the history of "peak TV". The fact that such quality was achieved on A&E (not an HBO or equivalent) remains astounding.
Granted, this show still has some built-in limitations for plot-lovers. As with S1, many events are not altogether compelling and when scrutinized do not always lead anywhere substantial. This season had to unceremoniously write the Bradley Martin (Nicola Peltz) out due to a film commitment, and Emma Decody (Olivia Cooke) is perhaps not utilized as well as that strong character should/could be.
Overall, I give S2 the same 8/10 rating I gave the inaugural Bates Motel run. It continues to be a grand Psycho re-imagining--but could also be a spiritual prequel to the events of that 1960 film. With every episode, Highmore's Norman and Farmiga's Norma continue to fall down a chilling rabbit hole in which the endgame is known for Bates fans--but all the details matter and are immaculate here.
Some of the highlights of this S2 include...
-Further exploration of Norman's (Freddie Highmore) "blackouts" and his confrontation on what they may be doing to him--all while the investigation into the mysterious S1 finale death of Blair Watson is still being investigated by Alex Romero (Nestor Carbonell).
-Norma's (Vera Farmiga) brother Caleb (Kenny Johnson) shows up and dredges up conflicting stories about their childhood together and how Dylan (Max Theirot) is involved.
-New character Cody Brennan (Paloma Kwiatkowski) fills in quite nicely and fulfills a tremendous role in the Norman Bates canon, of sorts. Her character really exposes the holes in the Norma/Norman relationship, especially as they pertain to sex and relationships.
The dynamic between Norma and Norman here in S2 continues to be some of the best--and most chilling--in the history of "peak TV". The fact that such quality was achieved on A&E (not an HBO or equivalent) remains astounding.
Granted, this show still has some built-in limitations for plot-lovers. As with S1, many events are not altogether compelling and when scrutinized do not always lead anywhere substantial. This season had to unceremoniously write the Bradley Martin (Nicola Peltz) out due to a film commitment, and Emma Decody (Olivia Cooke) is perhaps not utilized as well as that strong character should/could be.
Overall, I give S2 the same 8/10 rating I gave the inaugural Bates Motel run. It continues to be a grand Psycho re-imagining--but could also be a spiritual prequel to the events of that 1960 film. With every episode, Highmore's Norman and Farmiga's Norma continue to fall down a chilling rabbit hole in which the endgame is known for Bates fans--but all the details matter and are immaculate here.