3.8 The Pit It’s that lack of clear vision that causes the show to veer between sickening violence and campy melodrama within one episode, or weave from unsettling depictions of very real mental illnesses to dumb crime plots. Tonight we got some series-best work from Freddie Highmore, who is becoming more riveting to watch and downright terrifying with each episode, but we also had to deal with the narrative cul-de-sac of Caleb and Dylan’s gun running adventures. Oh sure, they were fairly tense and I even wondered if Caleb would die now having completed his redemptive arc, but it seems the only real consequence will be some stern words with Chick next week. At least the Arcanum Club plot seems like it’s going somewhere at this point, even if that destination hardly promises to be especially interesting. Half the problem is that there’s not a ton of conflict left between Caleb and Dylan at this point. With his semi-reconciliation with Norma complete, I kind of think Caleb is just waiting around for the inevitable moment when Norman plunges a knife in him and drives the Bates family apart all over again. The rifts are ready to happen, but we’re treading water now and after a couple of really top-notch episodes it’s hard for one like this not to feel like a bit of a disappointment. The character beats were great; I’m loving Emma and Dylan’s fledgling romance and the Norman/Norma stuff was typically terrific, but unlike last episode, they weren’t enough to elevate what was ultimately a lot of table setting. That said, it’s hard to judge a story that is still very much in progress. After last week I was excited for the storm to come; now the wait for the next instalment seems a whole lot less painful. I don’t particularly care about Bradley or the inevitable questioning over whether or not she is real. Aside from the central Norma/Norman stuff my main concerns right now are with the last things anybody should be fixated on in a Psycho prequel; who is gonna end up with who. The chemistry between Dylan and Emma is matched only by that of Norma and Romero, and just about any time either of those pairings are on screen I’m yelling ‘kiss!’ over and over again. That level of investment is great and it will make the eventual carnage so much more painful to watch, but it just seems like, this close to the end of a season these shouldn’t be the predominant concerns of a viewer. Not in a show like this. Read Gabriel’s review of the previous episode, The Last Supper, here.
