Bates Motel
Season 3 Episode 10: “Unconscious”
Directed by Tucker Gates
Written by Kerry Ehrin, Carlton Cuse
Starring Vera Farmiga, Freddie Highmore, Max Thieriot, Nestor Carbonell, Olivia Cooke, Kenny Johnson
A&E
Air Date: Monday, May 11th, 2015, 9pm

It’s Bates Motel finale time! But first a little recap of last week’s episode.

Caleb (Kenny Johnson) is the hero of the episode, beating Chick (Ryan Hurst) for the money, and coming though for his son and for Emma (Oliva Cooke). Of course then he feels he has to get out of Dodge. He has a really tender goodbye scene with Norma (Vera Farmiga), but then doesn’t really say goodbye to Dylan (Max Thieriot). To be fair, Dylan should have known the non-goodbye was just that. Norma is flipping out. Everything she has tried to keep hidden has been bubbling to the surface. Romero (Nestor Carbonell) didn’t help when he turned over the drive to the feds. I mean, he did the right thing, but it didn’t help Norma any. Bradley Martin (Nicola Peltz) came back to town and Norman (Freddie Highmore) hid her in one of the rooms. She’s supposed to be dead. Don’t worry, Bradley. I’m sure you will be soon.

Bates Motel 1.10 “Unconscious” review: Norma visits a mental facility which looks like a country club. She is pleased by what she sees, but gets hung up on the costs, understandably. Norman does make her feel like she has no choice. But stupidly, she tells him. Then she’s gotta knock him out (see image gallery below). Doesn’t she ever learn? She calls Dylan for help as usual. When will she treat him like a real son as opposed to the one who has to take care of things?

Bradley trashes her mom’s place, steals everything, then tells Norman she wants him to come with her. Oh, honey. Don’t do that. We all know how this will end up.

Emma looks a gift lung in the mouth. She doesn’t want the transplant, so daddy calls Dylan. He is being really understanding, considering he was almost killed, and his dad had to leave because of the messed up job. The job that was taken to grease the wheels for that transplant. Thanks Emma! But Dylan is ever the gentlemen and softly convinces her with kisses. They really are adorable together. So much less weird than her and Norman.

Romero does what Romero does – jumps back and forth across the line between lawman and criminal, but ultimately will always go criminal for Norma and her tears.

Two people die. Guess who? One murder is obvious in the victim and the perpetrator. And the way they play out the scene is brilliant acting and camera editing. The other? Not so much.

Well written finale – there was enough expected satisfying violence, and the expectation of how the “crazy” moves forward next season is set up. I hops that both Caleb and Chick return.

Congratulations to Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore on their Critics Choice award nominations for Best Actress and Best Actor in a Drama Series. You guys deserve it!

Goodbye, Bates Motel. See you next year for season 4!

Videos

Don’t miss the Season 3 Finale of Bates Motel on Monday, May 11th at 9/8c on A&E.

Norma sits down with Norman to tell him she believes he needs professional help in this scene from “Unconscious.”

Image Gallery