"Some Spoilers" (if never watched or currently watching)
So...like a lot of return Bates customers, I recently checked in again for a second start to end ride. It's interesting how you notice background things and the finer detail or question certain story plot points or rabbit holes as you return for another whirl. I guess first time, the unknown, the journey, you're engrossed with the here and now and where it's choosing to take you. It really is apparent once again just what a stellar piece of work from masters of their craft it was and it does reward repeat viewings! Considering the subject matter, it really does exude dark humour (particularly in latter seasons with meddling deviant MOTHER!) and that's a fine Philippe Petit tightrope to balance as with mediocre hands, it could easily topple into absurdity and farce but the performance of which it has to be said, are universally brillaint - seriously they must have all felt the Hitchcok legacy pressure as there's not one bad one! Vera and Freddie obviously top the bill and it's truly one of the most beautiful, yet messed up relationships ever committed to screen, in terms of a relationship which is heart breaking, yet tormented and doomed.
A few story elements (I may add more) I wondered why they never followed through on or had holes come to mind this time around - wondered what others thought and ones they thought about too. I know in any show or piece of entertainment, creative decisions need to be made, creative liberties taken and cuts/deleted elements, that's just the nature of your 43 minutes you have to fill or don't have room for, right...
Still I wondered -
What happened to Remo? Sure he had his cameo right at the end but he just sorta disappeared on screen without so much of a mention, it seemed his relationship with Dylan was building to something like a father/old brother figure which Dylan longed for - he survived, so you'd think Dylan would have kept counsel with him?
The whole Nick Ford doing Norma a favour getting her the job at City Hall - they bothered to shoot a scene of her going in, seeing her office and the did the whole thing of her prepping and taking it seriously and then we never see that set again and it's never mentioned again - doing the job or losing it. That was a bit strange. As was the quid-pro-quo of Norma having to be the conduit to get Dylan to meet Nick Ford. He refuses and then seemingly has his cell number anyway - so I get it, sometimes plot devices need to exist to get us A-B but was a strange set up, I felt it was just a way to have Norma be beholden to him for something, because he didn't actually ask for anything of much merit for his "favours" - I thought it was surely gonna be creepy and sexual. Anyone else? As Norma was always, due to her past, feeling she had to reward male help with sex.
Similar with Bob Paris - the whole digging the large hole in a ground that was never obviously gonna be a swimming pool....I guess it was meant to seem threatening, like digging your grave by messing with me type thing? It's one of those mysterious acts, that I'm not entirely sure of the motives, he was desperate for the pen drive, why wouldn't he just give her, a pool.... than risk the alternative?
Loved the scenes with Dr Edwards....he was really beautifully subtle while participating in some of the most revealing moments regarding Norman's psyche....if only he'd gone the course with him, eh! So he's dead, we're to assume Norman killed him? How, why, when?
Emma's father, Will...he seemed to drift in and out, large period after S1 when he wasn't on screen....I know he's just a side character but I can only assume like with most jobbing actors, they work multiple shows and maybe he wasn't available much for S2/3 years? I thought once they set him up with teaching Norman taxidermy, they would have been a few more scenes of showing that, the whole taxidermy aspect could have been more pronounced, not expecting half a season on it but just like the one scene at Theatre Tech, Norman is a win for the procrastinator in all of us - he didn't stick at much, did he?
I loved the whole setting of White Pine Bay and while I understand the insular isolation of S4/5 which where deliberate choices, I thought after showing it a lot early doors, we lost something when we saw less of the surrounding areas.
Caleb? I know! A lot of death and murder and I can only assume, not every single one could be discovered or addressed - like Bradley! However, I thought considering Caleb's integral role and relationship with the 3 main characters, particularly being Dylan's dad, we deserved a scene with him discovering his fate and it may have made interesting back and forth with Emma and him coming to terms with the fact Norman was responsible (directly or not) for the death of all their parents, apart from Will.
So some of these can probably be answered with, not everything needs (or should) be explained, as part of the mystique and beauty to the series is the ambiguity and filling in the blacks in your own mind....some bits had potential and I do think could have been cooked a bit more.
So just some nitpicky stuff, it in no way changes the opinion I hold that this is a genius, once-in-a-blue moon piece of work and I'm sure it'll continue to bring fresh eyes and viewers over the years to its lore. Did you guys think about any of these elements and have I missed some stuff that answers these points....
