Episode eight of season four of Bates Motel, Unfaithful, is a slow burn of an episode… almost literally. It begins with a broken furnace, then, as the temperature heats up, so does the drama. We’re waiting the entire episode for a confrontation between Norman (Freddie Highmore) and Sheriff Alex Romero (Nestor Carbonell). Along the way, they interact, but it’s not until the final moments that the situation erupts into violence as we knew, perhaps hoped, it would.
The broken furnace also acts as a device to demonstrate Norman thinks that just because he’s returned home, everything is back to normal. That means, he thinks it would be warmer if he slept in the same bed as his mother. Norma (Vera Farmiga) at least seems more unsettled about the idea than she was in the past, but she nevertheless lets it happen. “What’s going on, Mother? Are you happy I’m back?” Of course she is, but she’s more likely to accept the evolution of their relationship than he is.
The entire episode is a psychological dance among Norma, Norman and Alex. Alex pressures Norma to tell her son about the true nature of their relationship while she insists she will do so only when the time is right. Meanwhile, Norman pressures her to tell him the truth, even though he suspects there’s more to their marriage than simply convenience. In typical Norma fashion, the truth comes bursting out at the most inappropriate time. While Christmas tree shopping, Norman vomits upon hearing it.
Earlier in the day, Norman had paid Alex a visit, telling him he can get his own insurance. “When I get this all straightened out, which should be in the next couple of weeks, you can get a divorce… so as not to expose your fraud.” Alex tells Norma, making her grumpy at the Christmas tree lot. Of all people, Norman has the nerve to say, “She’s moody! I forgot how she can be.” This causes Dylan (Max Thieriot) to observe, “I hate saying this but I think Norma and Norman are so messed up they’re never going to change.”
Tired of them “sucking me into their black hole,” he’s ready to move away with Emma (Olivia Cooke). When they had arrived at the Bates house, Emma was nervous to see Norman, “I hope it’s not weird.” Dylan jokes, “It’s my family. How can it be weird?” To her relief, Norman seems truly happy for the young couple, noting that she was the first real friend he ever had. When he proclaims that they’re all together, Dylan says, “It’s a Christmas miracle.”
Later that night, Norma and Norman go down to the motel to sleep because of the cold. It’s in different rooms this time, though, creating a terror-ific moment for Norman to drill a peephole in the office to watch Alex and Norma undress in their room next door. He’s like a slow cooker, building up pressure until the steam explodes. The last straw comes during dinner the next evening, to which Norma has invited Alex.
Let’s pause for a moment to mention that Highmore is credited for writing Unfaithful. I’d like to think he’s responsible for some of the humor found in the episode. When Norma tells him, “Don’t forget your medicine,” Norman swallows his pills and announces, “All fixed now!” Then, at the dinner table when Alex asks him to share a little bit about the motel business, Norman says, “It’s really very simple. People check in… they check out. Really, Mother, what else is there?”
It’s some much needed levity before things get serious fast. Norman tells Alex, “There’s something you don’t understand. It’s never going to change. You can be married to her, you can sleep with her, but you’re never going to get between us.” Then he tells Norma, “You’re such a hypocrite, Mother. My entire life you’ve kept me so close that I couldn’t breathe without you. And now you want to tell me it doesn’t matter, that there’s room for someone else. Well, there isn’t and you knew that. This is our world.”
A final admonishment from Norma and Norman is outside chopping wood. “I love him and he loves me and that’s it. You have to deal with it.” Alex may not know the troubled teen like we do, telling him to put down the axe, “Don’t you think she deserves to have a man in her life?” Norman comes dangerously close to taking a swing at the Alex, but instead starts hitting the house while he shouts, “I hate you.” With that, the episode ends promising even more next time than the last episode did for this one.
