Murder. Attempted suicides. Seduction. There is a lot of drama surrounding Norman Bates and the people of White Pine Bay in the season two premiere of “Bates Motel.”
The sophomore season picks up where season one left off, with the murder of Norman’s teacher, Blaire Watson. The episode then flashes forward four months later to the summer, Norman still mourning the death of Watson.
Norman’s mother, Norma — yeah Norma and Norman, weird stuff — is highly concerned with her son's odd behavior. Why is he so devastated by the murder of his teacher? And why does he spend all day in the basement stuffing dead animals (taxidermy)? If you didn’t already know, this show is somewhat based on Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho.” However, it is not a direct prequel, merely borrowing some ideas.
Norman isn’t the only one in a morbid state of mind. The once miss popular Bradley is seen jumping off a bridge in an attempted suicide. Spoiler alert: She does not die.
Instead, she’s checked into an asylum. After leaving, she attempts suicide once more, something only the audience sees. She is saved by a knock on the door, her mother letting her know that a boy is there to see her. It’s none other than Norman Bates, who is quite obsessed with Bradley after their little rendezvous in season one.
Bradley is hardly interested in Norman because she has a crush on Norman’s older brother, Dylan, who is very respectful of the fact that Norman is head over heels for her.
Dylan works for a weed farm that is somehow tied to Bradley’s late father. Bradley is trying to discover who murdered her father, and Dylan gives her the information he knows.
We discover that Bradley’s father was sleeping with Blaire Watson. He was married, and she was dating someone else; things seem to be adding up. When Bradley tries to seduce Dylan’s boss for more information, she then pulls out a gun and kills him. Towards the end, Norman finally tells his mother that he was at Miss Watson's house the night she was killed but can’t quite remember what happened.
The episode ends with her in Norman's room asking for his help. It seems Bradley has fallen off the popular track and into the “Psycho” path with Norman.
Season two seems very promising. Watch “Bates Motel” on A&E; or online. In case you didn’t catch the first season, it’s now entirely on Netflix.
Reach the reporter at mercedes.santana@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @MercedesMS17
