bates motel season twoIt is very hard to reinvent a cinematic classic. Most attempts to do so fail miserably. To somewhat avoid the comparisons, etc. the minds behind Bates Motel decided to take a very discussed and intriguing character in cinema and give us his back story. We know that as an adult Norman Bates is the owner of a motel who is also a serial killer. Throw into the pot that he also killed his own mother and kept her mummified body in his creepy house on the hill. The character is rich and begs for a back story. Bates Motel gives us just that in a television serial format. The series starts with Norman Bates (played by Freddie Highmore) as a 15-year-old who has a very close relationship with his mother Norma (played by Vera Farmiga). The two have moved to a small town in Oregon to start life anew. Norma is a widow and to support herself and her son she has purchased a rather run down motel. Now despite the fact that they are in a new town and want a fresh start their dark secrets follow them. Norman strange behaviour begins to surface making his mother rather nervous as she seems to know what is going on despite the fact that he remains clueless. Danger looms as murder, secrets, strange behaviour, local villains and overall creepiness begin to surface.

 

Episode 1: Gone But Not Forgotten: Norman seems to be obsessed with the death of Miss Watson and this worries Norma. Norma gets some disturbing news about a bypass project.

 

Episode 2: Shadow of a Doubt: Norma tries to distract Norman from Miss Watson’s death by having him audition with her for a local play. Dylan (played by Max Theriot) and Remo (played by Ian Tracey) are worried about their new boss.

 

Episode 3: Caleb: Emma (played by Olivia Cooke) organizes a memorial for Bradley and meets a new love interest there. Norman also makes a new friend at the memorial.

 

Episode 4: Check-Out: Norma’s new friend Christine (played by Rebecca Creskoff) starts introducing her into White Pines’ social scene. When he learns something new about his birth Dylan begins to distance himself from Norma and Norman.

 

Episode 5: The Escape Artist: Norman tells Cody (played by Paloma Kwiatkowski) a family secret. Norma begins working with Nick Ford (played by Michael O’Neill) in order to stop the construction of the bypass.

 

Episode 6: Plunge: Norma and Norman’s relationship goes through a bumpy stretch. Emma is in a dangerous situation.

 

Episode 7: Presumed Innocent: Norman is upset by Norma’s lack of faith in him. Dylan finds himself in trouble due to Zane’s (played by Michael Eklund) quest for revenge.

 

Episode 8: Meltdown: Romero (played by Nestor Carbonell) is once again looking into the murder of Miss Watson. The war between the town’s drug families escalates.

 

Episode 9: The Box: Dylan has to decide if it is worth risking his life to save a loved one. Romero asks a former colleague’s help to find out if Norman was involved in the murder.

 

Episode 10: The Immutable Truth: Dylan and Romero work together to bring about an end to the drug war. Emma makes a decision about working at the motel.

 

Special Features: Bates Motel: After Hours – Season 2 Premiere, Deleted Scenes, Origins of a Psycho: Inside Bates Hotel, Bates Motel: After Hours – Season 2 Finale, Digital Copy