Bates Motel - "Nice Town You Picked, Norma..." (Mar. 25, 2013)

In the second episode of A&E's Psycho prequel series Bates Motel, Norman's wayward half-brother Dylan drops in for an extended stay. The cops continue their investigation of the disappearance of Keith Summers while other mysterious crimes start to plague the town of White Pine Bay. Norman continues to assimilate into his high school, and even makes a heart-pounding discovery with one of his new friends while working on a project.

I enjoyed this episode better than last week's pilot. Inter-character relationships are starting to flesh out, more unexplained events occur, and the show's overall sense of tension has greatly improved. I like the addition of Max Theriot as Dylan, Norma's wayward son and half-brother to Norman. It's fascinating to see Theriot play an antagonist of sorts to the antagonists he's living with, and he works well against the peculiar dynamic Norma has with her younger son.
I still am on Team Freddie as I think Mr. Highmore is a great choice for Norman. I love getting to know this infamous character in his formative years. He's getting the girls, making the grades, and trying to do right by his family. Life seems good, right? I know how he ends up as a grown man, but as a boy, I can't help but root for Norman. I'm so conflicted! I'm rooting for the villain, but is he actually a villain yet? What exactly ends up happening to him that makes him a Psycho? It's this uncertainty and element of unpredictability that makes Bates Motel so much fun.

Oh, speaking of Norman getting the girls, I like the dynamic that the young women add to his character as well. The presence of Bradley (Nicola Peltz) and Emma (Olivia Cooke) help drive Norman's assimilation into his new school and town. Things take an interesting turn with Bradley in this episode, so I'm interested to see where her relationship with Norman goes after this week. For now, he's got Emma Decody, a character who comes off very much like a Luna Lovegood-type for you Harry Potter fans out there. She's flawed but beautiful and seems to know a little bit about everything. She and Norman make a narrow escape in the wake of a huge discovery, and I can't wait to see how they face the consequences and continue on together.

Look out next week as Norma's relationship with Deputy Shelby begins to blossom, and Norman continues to uncover the mysteries of White Pine Bay alongside love interest(?) Emma.