Bates Motel: 'Ocean View' (2013)
Rating: C+
A&E's "Bates Motel" mini-series is basically going to be re-working PSYCHO IV. If you've seen that film then you know it shows what was going on with Mrs. Bates and Norman before the events in the original Alfred Hitchcock film. While that prequel wasn't perfect, it at least put a nice wrap-around story to the original film.
The fifth episode picks up with Norma (Vera Farmiga) in jail and Norman (Freddie Highmore) and Dylan (Max Thieriot) trying to figure out how they're going to get her out. While all of this is going on Dylan tries to explain to Norman that it's time he breaks free of his mother and he has the idea that the two of them should move somewhere together. While all of this is going on there are yet more twists in the story dealing with the sex slave as well as Dylan getting into his own trouble.
I must admit that I found this episode to be the worst so far and in fact I'd go as far as to say it's downright idiotic. I'm not going to give away major spoilers but there is way too much stuff happening in this small town to be believed and there's certainly way too much going on in this one episode. Everything seems to be rushed because there are so many stories opened and closed within this one episode and the entire thing just seems to be going on way too fast. We get this big dramatic moment at the end of the last episode with Norma getting arrested but how it plays out here is just too simple and too stupid. I'm not going to ruin the trouble that Dylan gets into but I just had to shake my head. Yes, it's unexpected but it's just too far-fetched for its own good and especially the outcome (with apparently no cop interested). As with the previous episodes, the performances are all extremely good and Farmiga is really taking this role on as her own. As her character begins to crack mentally the actress is really pulling it off wonderfully. Hopefully the rest of the series gives her something better to do.