Bates Motel: Season 1, Episode 10 "Midnight"

Bates Motel: Season 1, Episode 10 "Midnight"

May 20, 2013

SPOILERS AHEAD!
Ladies and gentlemen, it has finally happened! In the vein of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, Freddie Highmore aka Norman Bates made his first onscreen kill. If the show really wanted to be Psycho, it would have done away with the last shot of the dead body of poor Miss Watson. The audience knows she is dead, but the show maybe did not realize its audience knew. I’m glad this episode ended with a bang. The last few episodes were solid in their own right, but they were slow episodes meant to build towards this finale. From start to finish, this episode had me from the edge of my seat. Norma finally broke down and I guess you can say that Norman did as well.



In this episode, “Midnight,” Norma does not believe she will be able to meet Abernathy with the $150,000 she promised him. She fills in Sheriff Romero with the details and he tells her he will take care of everything. Romero visits Sommers’s sister to find Jake Abernathy’s real name. Norma finally visits a psychiatrist, but she leaves after falling ill to his questions. Norma also doesn’t trust Romero will take care of things, so she enlists Dylan to teach her how to use a gun. Dylan initially refuses. Norman is jealous with Bradley starts to hang with Dylan, although Dylan insists nothing is going on between them. Norman also overhears Miss Watson in a spat with somebody close to her. Finally, Norman takes Emma to the school dance, but it does not go well with Norman fixated on Bradley.



As you can see, this makes for an exciting finale. Norma finally broke down resulting in her trip to the psychiatrist. But she also has a moment here which makes her deserving of an Emmy. The moment where she confesses her sexual abuse at the hands of her older brother is an extremely powerful moment. Of course, all of this disturbs Norman. Norma is a very complex character, but this confession allows us to see where she is coming from and what inner demons she has. This is another reason why she protects and cleans up after Norman. Although, she will have another problem on her hands when the next season rolls around.



For a prequel series to one of the most beloved movies of all time, the first season of the show really held its own. The creepy relationship between mother and son drove the show forward despite some relatively weaker moments (Bradley relationship with Norman, sex ring subplot.) Olivia Cooke as Emma and Max Theriot as Dylan were welcome, perfectly-casted actors to play these characters. This series delivered campy, comedic fun and a complex character study. I expect better things for next season!



My Grade: A

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