Norman's new friend Emma is becoming a bit of a nuisance for Norman. After escaping a precarious chase in the marijuana fields in the previous episode that was too close for comfort, Emma begins to obsess over their accidental discovery over the marijuana field. She is convinced a sketch in the journal that Norman found is legitimate. They discover a Chinese symbol drawn under the sink. Dylan commences his 300$ a day job, for essentially doing nothing but guard the marijuana. Norman collapses at school, and heads to the hospital for tests, but the results come back negative. Bradley continues to hang out with Norman, visits him at the hospital, and sends him texts. Norma gets a visit from Sheriff Romero, with a search warrant in hand. Norma forces Norman out of the hospital, without the hospital's authority. Norma then turns to Deputy Shelby for help. Norman begins to lose it, and has an imaginary conversation with his Mother, and decides to go look for the belt Deputy Shelby took from under Norman's bed at Shelby's house, but nothing can prepare Norman for what he uncovers
I loved this episode even more the second time around. I realize it wasn't anywhere near this chaotic in the Psycho movies. My advice for you in this series is to just go with it, and ignore things that don't add up with the movies. Almost everyone is mentally messed up in this show. You get succinct glimpses of what is to come with Norman in the future. The imaginary visions, the conversation with his Mother, the blackouts, the obsession over kinky things, it's all a prelude for Psycho. That's essentially what this series is, a prequel to Psycho, focusing on Norman's teenage years. Norman is entering into the loony zone, and it was fascinating to watch. His relationship with both Emma & Bradley is focused on here. His relationship with Bradley is fun, but to me it's Norman & Emma. Bradley just seems like the hot chick everyone wants to be with in High School, where as Emma is the outcast. I can see why Norman gets irritated by her, but he kind of treats her like dirt. It's pretty easy to see why Norman went bonkers. His Mother is far more concerned over the reputation of herself & the hotel, in lieu of Norman's well being. She is perfectly OK with dragging Norman out of the hospital, when Norman needs to spend time at the hospital over night, just so her reputation isn't damaged further. Let me get this straight. Norma isn't exactly a sympathetic person. She's quite deranged and incredibly neurotic & selfish, but she's such a charming person. She is played with bravado by Vera Farmiga, and it's been a treat to watch Freddie Highmore & Vera Faramiga together. Norma's relationship with Deputy Shelby heats up here. A steamy romance commences. I quite liked the Shelby character. His character has a huge twist going forward that you won't see coming. I also loved the transformation of Dylan's character. You start to see that maybe he's not such a bad guy after all. His work storyline with Ethan (Terry Chen) was actually fun. The best thing for me though, was the bonding session Norman & Dylan had near the end of the episode. You can tell right away that they play off one another very well. You see even more of it in future episodes. The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger. I did not expect it when I first watched it. You're not sure if it's more imaginary visions from Norman, or if he really is seeing what he is. That's what made the ending so great. I love that this show is willing to push boundaries. It's not afraid to have a different agenda. In my opinion it's working very well.
Final Thoughts: I love this show. Revisiting these episodes makes me love them even more. If you enjoyed the first two, you'll love this one. It's constantly throwing surprises your way. Character development is top notch, and the acting is amazing.
9.7/10
I loved this episode even more the second time around. I realize it wasn't anywhere near this chaotic in the Psycho movies. My advice for you in this series is to just go with it, and ignore things that don't add up with the movies. Almost everyone is mentally messed up in this show. You get succinct glimpses of what is to come with Norman in the future. The imaginary visions, the conversation with his Mother, the blackouts, the obsession over kinky things, it's all a prelude for Psycho. That's essentially what this series is, a prequel to Psycho, focusing on Norman's teenage years. Norman is entering into the loony zone, and it was fascinating to watch. His relationship with both Emma & Bradley is focused on here. His relationship with Bradley is fun, but to me it's Norman & Emma. Bradley just seems like the hot chick everyone wants to be with in High School, where as Emma is the outcast. I can see why Norman gets irritated by her, but he kind of treats her like dirt. It's pretty easy to see why Norman went bonkers. His Mother is far more concerned over the reputation of herself & the hotel, in lieu of Norman's well being. She is perfectly OK with dragging Norman out of the hospital, when Norman needs to spend time at the hospital over night, just so her reputation isn't damaged further. Let me get this straight. Norma isn't exactly a sympathetic person. She's quite deranged and incredibly neurotic & selfish, but she's such a charming person. She is played with bravado by Vera Farmiga, and it's been a treat to watch Freddie Highmore & Vera Faramiga together. Norma's relationship with Deputy Shelby heats up here. A steamy romance commences. I quite liked the Shelby character. His character has a huge twist going forward that you won't see coming. I also loved the transformation of Dylan's character. You start to see that maybe he's not such a bad guy after all. His work storyline with Ethan (Terry Chen) was actually fun. The best thing for me though, was the bonding session Norman & Dylan had near the end of the episode. You can tell right away that they play off one another very well. You see even more of it in future episodes. The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger. I did not expect it when I first watched it. You're not sure if it's more imaginary visions from Norman, or if he really is seeing what he is. That's what made the ending so great. I love that this show is willing to push boundaries. It's not afraid to have a different agenda. In my opinion it's working very well.
Final Thoughts: I love this show. Revisiting these episodes makes me love them even more. If you enjoyed the first two, you'll love this one. It's constantly throwing surprises your way. Character development is top notch, and the acting is amazing.
9.7/10