Bates Motel Season 2 Episode 1: Stop Stuffing Woodchucks (Season Premiere)

"Bates Motel" airs on Mondays at 9 ET on A&E. How did you like the first episode of season 2 entitled "Gone But Not Forgotten"? I thought it was a solid start. If you're not caught up, see my season 1 reviews here: Bates Motel Season 1 Recaps

Bradley jumps off a bridge but have no fear. She is not dead. Instead we see her leaving the White Pine Bay Mental Hospital a few months later (cause all small towns have, like ya know, mental hospitals).

Everyone attends Ms Watson's funeral. Norman weeps like a baby. Is he responsible for killing her? All signs point to yes but I think its too obvious. Norman spends his summer at the cemetery. No, that's not the least bit strange.

Bradley approaches Gil to try to find out what happened to her father (Jerry Martin). Gil says he was "no good. It turns out Jerry was having an affair with Gil's girlfriend which is... wait for it... Blair Watson. She is the "B"in the letters that Bradley found. This does add another interesting layer to the mystery.

Dylan seems to be a good guy these days but I'm never really sure. Norman visits Sheriff Romero about the strange man at Ms Watson's grave. We never know what Romero is up to either. Does he have the hots for Norma?

Norma at the White Pine Bay city counsel meeting was a sight to behold. I never tire of watching her. She calls the president a "dick". In her defense, he really is. "Maybe you should talk about how your fancy town is run on drug money."

I'm pleasantly surprised that the previously irritating Bradley has turned into a bad ass. At the end of the episode she goes to Gill's house We think she is going to seduce him for info but instead she shoots him the head. She then makes a beeline for Norman to help her dispose of the body. He's a good choice since he's has lots of prior experience.

Favorite Quotes:

"You're taking apart a woodchuck, how am I supposed to know how long that takes?"- Norma. "...It's a beaver, not a woodchuck"- Norma
"This is the road that is going to ruin our lives."- Norm
"You spend your days equally mooning over a dead teacher and taking apart dead animals... You need to spend time with actual living organisms."- Norma to Norman
"Your father was a shitheel"- Gil to Bradley. I dont even know what a "shitheel" is. Perhaps this is a White Pine Bay colloquialism?
"Welcome to the world ladies. There are ax murders and whores stuffed under every rug so your kids better read about it cause that's what is it"- Norma at the city counsel meeting.
"It's not easy being a girl without a daddy."- Bradley to Gil.