Bates Motel - What's Wrong with Norman?

Gooood Eeevening, Addicts. Welcome back to the newest creepy show I’m enjoying. Last week we met Dylan, the son Mother never wanted and has always hated. Bradley’s dad was burned alive. Emma took the book Norman discovered and translated it to reveal a scary story that is actually true. I thought he got the book off the rapist, but I apparently am blind and am reminded that he did find it under the carpet in one of the motel rooms. We also see that Norman kept the Sommers rape-belt. Sheriff Romero smells blood in the water and is after Mother when they find his truck close to her property. Mother kisses up to Shelby (the other officer, not a chick) to get in on his good side to find out what he knows.  

We open with a bit of comedy. Dylan has a gun and is having a Taxi Driver moment in the mirror. “You talkin’ ta me?” He’s dressed like a Winchester from Supernatural; a man after my own heart. He’s trying to figure out where to put the gun to make it look inconspicuous, yet accessible, all while not allowing for an accidental dick-shooting experience. He settles on tucked into the back of his pants.

Mother asks Dylan to be at the house to sign for the new carpet when it arrives today. Dylan says he would, but he has a job. When asked what it is he does, he says, “Nothing”.

Emma finds Norman at his locker and makes bullet points of what she wants to say. She’s afraid the guys from the pot field are going to try and find her and kill her. She also feels guilty because she was just using the journal mission as a way to get Norman to hang out with her.  She didn’t really believe it was true until she saw the shed. Norman demands the journal back because it’s pornographic and she shouldn’t have it at school. She tries to object, but Norman goes off on a rant about how she’s saying he’s obsessed with the journal. He says he’s not, he just found it and didn’t throw it away. All the while looking super guilty. We know what you become Norman, it’s ok, you can admit it.

Norman is supposed to be taking a test, but he’s sitting there in a dead pan, clicking his pen. His teacher comes up to him and checks to see nothing is written on his paper, and with what little time is left in class, she senses something is wrong because he answered all these questions yesterday in class. I love how she’s modern, but she’s also so very era. The hair, the make- up, and clothes are perfect. Norman keeps flashing between the test and the book. And then the book images and the teacher.

And then…

You have no idea how hard that image was to screen grab. It was up for the tiniest of seconds. I’m proud of myself.. Norman then passes out.

We see Norman in the hospital and a doctor is asking all sorts of background questions. Mother isn’t a fan of questions. She says he’s never passed out before.

Dylan’s new job is to go be a watcher/protector of the pot fields that Norman and Emma discovered. He gets paid $300 a day to sit and watch the pot. Not a bad gig. We discover the strip-club crier, is Ethan.

Mother is sitting with Norman in the hospital when she gets a call from the carpet guy saying there’s no one there to sign. Norman insists she go and take care of it, since it’s not as if he’s going anywhere. She says, “I love you” in the most deliberate, yet uncomfortable way.

Bradley comes in to return the flower trade. Again, notice how vintage everything looks in that hospital room. When was the last time you were in a hospital that had actual screens, instead of curtains? It’s so fun to watch for those details. Bradley is grateful that Norman came to visit her when her dad was in the hospital. She doesn’t think her dad will survive. Me neither, Bradley. She learns about Norman’s dad dying and they bond over dad’s being dead. They watch the old movie that’s on TV. “Everyone seems much better in old movies.” She sits on the bed with Norman, right next to him. She confesses she just wants to be happy. Norman is probably sportin wood.

Mother is dealing with the carpet guy (who brought too much) when the police come into the house. Romero delivers a search warrant. Mother is obviously concerned. She rushes back to the hospital and the doctor tells them that all the tests were negative. Mother says, “That’s good news Norman. Negative means good news,” like he’s a child and doesn’t understand that concept. The doctor wants to keep him overnight for observation. Just because the tests were negative doesn’t mean there’s not something wrong. Mother is unhappy and on edge. She starts pulling off chords and sensors.

“I am his mother, and I am checking him out.” That look kind of makes your blood run cold. Vera was a smart casting choice. On the way out Mother tells Norman about the police showing up with a search warrant. Norman keeps asking if they found anything. Mother is confused why he would ask so many times since they got rid of everything. When they arrive home, Norman bee-lines it up to his bedroom. He looks under his bed, and the rape-belt is gone. Norman starts to cry and keeps saying, “What is wrong with me?” Freddie was a good casting choice too.

Norman goes down to confess to Mother that he kept the belt. She’s making a turkey pot-pie, his favorite. She can hardly stand from shock when he tells her the belt is gone. She doesn’t understand why he would keep a memento from that night. She could understand keeping things from a day at the lake or from happy memories, but it was a horrible night of violence. Norman genuinely seems to not understand why he would want to keep it. She leaves abruptly.

Dylan asks if they can smoke the pot while they watch it. Ethan says no. He then tells him that a couple families from town own all the pot, and that it’s what’s sustaining the town. Jerry (Bradley’s dad) got burned to send a message, and that team Jerry burned the other guy to settle the score. They hear a noise and grab their guns. It’s a pheasant. He asks Ethan if he’d ever gone pheasant hunting, and runs after it. I’m growing to like Dylan.

Emma tromps up the stairs at Norman’s house with her tank and demands to have some answers. She wants to keep investigating the girl buried by the shed. She points out that there are only a few drawing that have any signs of English, everything else is in Chinese. There’s a number 4, and Emma suggests the girl must have seen the number somewhere. Norman says he found the journal in room 4 so they go to check it out. Emma thinks that the motel was where the girls were “tested” before being sold into the sex slave industry. She says it would make sense because Keith, the rapist, was a disturbing guy. She notices a pattern of drawings of pipes. Norman gets a text from Bradley and gets that smile that we all get on our faces when our crush texts us. Emma is annoyed. She goes to look at the pipes from the sink.

She takes a picture of the character to identify it later. “She was real, Norman.” This is going to put Emma on a mission.

Mother left to go in search of Shelby. She finds him, and pulls over and gets in his car. Rather forward. I didn’t think you could do that. Just jump into a cop car. She tells Shelby how upset she is about Romero bursting into her house with a search warrant, and that she needs a friend. She lets it “slip” that Norman was in the hospital. “It’s not like they found anything.” She’s clearly fishing. Shelby tells her he’s on duty but they can talk later if she comes over for dinner. Shelby reassures her everything will be ok.

When she arrives she’s got a strategically slutty dress on; cleavage with just a hint of leg. They settle in for a drink and she asks what the deal is. Shelby asks her to tell him about the belt. She tries to play dumb but he says that they need to be honest because that’s what matters to him. She starts to get teary and says Romero has it out for her. He tells her that HE found the belt and took it, and no one else knows about it. Shelby says that Sommers was a bully. He asks if what happened was an accident; point blank he asks if Norman killed Sommers. She denies it. “What could I possibly say?” Shelby says he understands that she’s always tried to take care of everyone else, but that it’s weighing her down and that he’s here to change it. “I’m going to take care of you, Norma Bates.” Creepy. “You’re so beautiful it makes my heart hurt.” What a line! Kissing commences with sex to follow.

Dylan is butchering the pheasants with Ethan and they’re roasting them over a spit. He says he’s from South Dakota and there’s not much to do but hunt. He says his dad grew up in Kansas, but he doesn’t know where his mom is from. Ethan finds it weird that he doesn’t know where his own mom is from. They talk briefly about Norman and Dylan admits they aren’t close.

Dylan comes home and Norman calls out for, “Mother?” Dylan finds it weird. He tells him to cut the weird momma’sboy shit out. He notices the hospital band and cuts it off for him. I think Dylan is trying to be an ally to Norman, but he can only do so much. Norman says that Mother is out but should’ve been back hours ago and that he’s worried. Dylan suggests that he get out more and that Mother is smothering him. His heart is in the right place. He then brings up that Norman tried to kill him. “You’re making this up right?” Norman doesn’t believe him. What? Does he really not remember, or is he just playing it off? He apologizes.

Mother comes home and tells Norman that Shelby has the belt but that she feels safe and he shouldn’t worry. AKA, “I humped his brains out so we’re good.” She won’t admit it to him directly. Norman thinks it’s a bad idea because Shelby might want more from her.

Emma finds Norman at school and tells him she got the character translated. It means “beautiful”. She says she’s going to the police to tell them about the journal. Norman freaks out and tells her she’s not going to do that. Makes a low blow about how she’ll always be sick and he’ll always be who he is no matter what happens. Hmm..foreshadowing, me thinks. He apologizes and walks away.

Mother comes in to find Norman laying in bed. She says that Norman was right, that as long as Shelby has the belt, he can control them.

“This is all your fault.” “I know, Mother. There’s something wrong with me.” “You know what you have to do, don’t you.” Not a question. Chilling.

More chilling. Dude slow walks it all the way to Shelby’s house. He breaks in, without first confirming that Shelby is in fact on duty and not at home, in bed. He goes through and finds a door with a deadbolt on it. He goes upstairs and while searching the bedroom, finds a key-ring, janitor style. Then there’s a big nasty dog that appears. Norman is fast enough and runs out of the bedroom and closes the door. He then goes back downstairs to the door with the deadbolt.

Once he finds the right key he goes down and finds a normal looking shop in a basement.

You know, except for the bed with the disco ball and the video camera next to it. Sex chamber, much? There’s another door and he opens it. He turns on the light and there she is!

He goes and wakes her up. Excuse me!? I don’t think so. Get the hell outta there. She wakes up, and appears to be blind. “Help me,” is all she says. Shelby pulls up to his house . Uh oh. Run!

End scene.

Next week we see that Mother tells Norman he’s seeing and hearing things that aren’t there. She goes down into the basement and sees nothing. Norman confides in Dylan that he’s scared. Dylan tells Mother than he knows enough that he could have Norman taken away. Mother won’t allow this. Let’s hope they can keep up this momentum! It’s going rather well so far!