Already halfway through its first season, Power has shown no interest in leaving its story in fifth gear. There are moments when the pace quickens to what you might expect from a thriller, but they are few and far between–and for good reason, it seems.
“This is Real” mostly deals with the reverberations of Ghost’s actions in Power to this point. That may take the form of the key chain that his daughter chokes on, but it is also represented in how all the groups involved in the crime plot–police forces included–are responding to the message that Ghost sent via severed body parts.
The family bonds in “Check-Out” are very much at the forefront, and while it still feels like the stories that Norman is being given are not all that interesting compared to some of the other things going on in Bates Motel, this episode at least challenges his mental state more than any other before.