In the latest Bates Motel recap, Norma is worried that Norman may have done something bad to their latest guest while Dylan meets his woodsy neighbor from the other side of the hill….
By Damon Martin — Editor/Lead Writer
Following the season debut of ‘Bates Motel’ a week ago, the latest episode titled ‘The Arcanum Club’ sets up an interesting story arc for this season as more of the rich and powerful people living in White Pine Bay landing Norma’s crosshairs while she investigates the disappearance of their latest motel guest after she drove off with Norman the previous night and never returned.
Meanwhile, Dylan is still putting together his new business while finding out that there are neighbors living not so far away that are very interested in what he’s putting together alongside his father/uncle who appears to be sticking around for the time being.
With that, let’s recap the latest episode of ‘Bates Motel’:
The Search for Annika
The episode opens with Norma going to give new motel guest Annika some fresh towels, but when she knocks on the door, nobody answers. A peak in the window reveals that her bed wasn’t slept in despite the fact that her car is sitting right outside her door. After catching Norman peaking through her window, Norma gets concerned immediately wondering if her baby boy has found another outlet for his murderous instincts.
She finds out, much to her chagrin, that Norman was the last person seen with Annika after they sped off the previous night so he could give her personalized directions to the party she was going to attend. Norma freaks because when she quizzed Norman about it earlier, he clammed up and claimed he hadn’t seen her at all recently.
When Norma calls out Norman for lying to her, he claims that he dropped her off at the bar where she was going and then drove her car back — at her request — because she was going to be drinking and would just catch a ride home. Norma’s not buying it and to make matters worse she accuses Norman of constantly being a magnet for questionable (slutty) women.
Finally, Norma (along with Emma) decide to unlock Annika’s door and do a little digging. Inside they find an invitation to a party at The Arcanum Club, which Emma explains is an exclusive hunting club where all the rich folks in town hang out. Her dad did some taxidermy work for them, but was constantly creeped out by the people involved with the club.
Norma decides she’s going to do a little digging of her own by attending the party in Annika’s place.
Won’t You Be My Neighbor
It seems a day after Dylan couldn’t wait for his father/uncle to get the hell out of town, they are ready to play Waltons up on the mountain while building a new weed business with Gunner as the third wheel in this new (odd) nuclear pot family. It seems Dylan is coming to grips with having his father around and he comes in handy later that night when their dog gets into a scrap with a stray and Caleb puts him down with a single bullet from the gun he’s apparently been carrying this entire time.
The next morning while Dylan is getting to work, a stranger shows up on his front doorstep looking for his pooch. His name is Chick Hogan (played by ‘Sons of Anarchy’ star Ryan Hurst) and he’s clearly very curious about what’s going on with Dylan and his dear old dad. Caleb isn’t playing games and kindly tells Chick to piss off before telling Dylan that the neighbor from the other side of the hill didn’t lose a dog — he was casing their land and checking out what they were doing.
So later that night Caleb and Dylan decide to pay Chick a visit at his house on the other side of the mountain. When they arrive, the father/son combo are surprised to find Chick living in a house with his wife and daughter and no surprise it turns out he didn’t have a dog after all.
Chick invites them inside for a drink to size them up. Dylan is quick to give his new neighbor all the answers he’s looking for — they are opening a legal marijuana business with 99 plants and no trouble. Chick seems reasonable (as well as suspicious enough) but Caleb isn’t buying into whatever act he’s selling. He scoops up Dylan and tells the neighbor that they are doing to do as they please on their own land and they’d appreciate it if he didn’t just show up on their property any longer and they’ll respectfully do the same.
It’s going to be interesting to see the dynamic that develops between Chick, Dylan and Caleb as this season gets underway.
First Date
Norman and Emma go on their first date together over dinner and fruity drinks before the conversation turns from casual subjects like why they are finally going out to a much more risqué subject like sex. Norman quizzes Emma on her sexual history and she does the same in return.
It seems their thoughts on the subject differ. Emma sees sex as something special shared between two people. Norman apparently believes it’s just naughty.
When they arrive back at the motel, Norman and Emma share a somewhat awkward first kiss before he retires for the night. He says he doesn’t want to start something in the car that they couldn’t finish with his house looming so large in the backdrop. These two make an odd couple, but then again everything Norman does is odd.
Eyes Wide Shut
Before Norma can go to the hunting club party, she first has to say goodbye to Sheriff Romero, who is moving out of the motel three months after his house burned to the ground. She admits she feels safer whenever he’s around and the two share a warm embrace before he leaves the motel to head back home. It appears Norma and Romero will be a thing before this season is over.
Finally, Norma arrives at the posh hunting club, but her plans to go in disguised as Annika goes awry when the security guard at the gate requires a password to go along with the invitation. When she doesn’t have it, he tells her to get lost.
Instead of going home, Norma sneaks around the back and climbs a brick wall to see what’s going on inside the Arcanum Club. A look around shows men all talking and smoking cigars and nothing too out of place — until she happens upon a cabin a little further down the property. A sneak peek inside and Norma sees a full on sex party happening with one of the well-to-do onlookers sitting in a chair flanked by two women wearing little to no clothing and watching on with great pleasure.
Before she can see too much, Romero shows up out of nowhere and pulls her down from looking in the window. He says he’s there to glad hand some local politicians, but insists that she can’t be there. It’s not safe for her there. He ushers her off the property but not before Norma confesses that she’s there because her motel guest Annika was supposed to attend this party and she’s concerned because the last person who saw her alive was Norman. Romero immediately shifts into police mode because he knows what Norman is capable of and if Norma is worried then he probably should be, too.
He promises to look for Annika at the party just in case she’s there and he’ll reconvene with Norma tomorrow.
Before she can make it home, Norma stops by the bypass highway that will soon destroy her motel business. She can’t take it anymore because every sign advertising this new highway is just a constant reminder of the clock ticking down until her business is out of business. She finally decides to fight back — by running her car over the sign and tearing it down. It’s the little victories.
Back at home, Norma shows up and tells Norman what she just did (while omitting the part about the Arcanum Club party). The two embrace in a hug that’s just a little bit too much for mother and son.
And if you’re wondering whether or not Annika was alive and well at the party? Well, she wasn’t because the final scene shows a dog barking at a dead body floating in the lake with the prettiest blonde hair you could imagine. Unless this is an incredible coincidence, Annika’s dead but was Norman the one who killed her?
Welcome to the Bates Motel season 3 mystery folks.
Bates Ammenities:
— It was fun seeing Ryan Hurst and Kenny Johnson back together after starring in ‘Sons of Anarchy’ for a couple of seasons. Hurst played Opie while Johnson played Kozik, both members of the outlaw biker club.
— What was up with the asshole guest complaining about the free WIFI on his bill?
— uring his conversation with Dylan and Caleb, Chick says they remind him two men from a book he once read and then he asks them if they have any rabbits? Is he referencing ‘Of Mice and Men’ or something else?
Tune into the next episode of ‘Bates Motel’ next Monday night at 9pm on A&E
