S03.E06: Norma Louise

[radishcake]

Norma considers a life outside of White Pine Bay, leaving Norman in a vulnerable position. Dylan and Emma bond while helping Norman through a rough night. Romero is confronted by a new threat. And Caleb makes a difficult decision after learning of Norma's sudden departure.

 

[Avaleigh]

I'm intrigued that the title is Norma's name. Presumably we're going to learn more about her. I think it's probably still too soon for us to get more details on what happened with Caleb but maybe we'll get another clue. Maybe we'll even hear more about the parents. 

 

In the preview she says something again about how she's not sure if she can do this anymore and I have to assume that she's talking about dealing with Norman. I wonder though if she's talking to Romero or the new guy. 

 

Dylan and Emma bond

 

Damn it, show, don't tease me now.

[Primetimer]

Our heroine spends a night being 'Norma Louise,' and it's a rough ride for a remarkable number of people, including car salesmen, skeevy dudes at bars, and the people left behind to take care of Norman.

Read the story

[JenE4]

Me yelling at my TV:

Nooooo! Romero! ROMERO! Don't you kill Romero!

OMG. Norma is going to be a prostitute with that fur jacket and spike heels!

Oh, thank god! Romero is okay!

OMG. Dylan don't kiss Emma after she just coughed up that phlegm...and because Norman will KILL YOU and/or her!

Holy fuck! ROMERO! OMG! Yay, Romero! Whoo!

Omgomgomgomg. Mother? Mother? MOTHER! Holy shit! MOTHER!!!!

Oh, Caleb. You're dead.

[Tech Noir]

Amazing. That was the best hour of TV I've seen all year. Freddie Highmore's perfomance in the kitchen as Norma, wow. And Farmiga all the way through was just perfection. The writing, the action, the editing, all the actors. UGH, HATS OFF TO THE WHOLE TEAM. So good.

[Timetoread]

Jesus Christ! That's all I've got right now.

[Rear Window]

I don't like to ship characters, but damn, Emma and Dylan in the bathroom?

And I need more Romero! Bad Ass is an understatement! I flove that he called Norma.

Loved Dylan's reaction to Norman in the bathrobe.

Emmys all around!

Edited April 14, 2015 by Rear Window

[Madison Bumgarner]

Holy crap, Norman wearing Norma's dress. We're finally starting to see his creepy side come on even stronger. I'm so addicted to this show.

[Chaos Theory]

Everyone gets an Emmy for this episode.

[thuganomics85]

Well, then!  Looks like you totally got your answer there, Marcus!  Romero does NOT want to work under you.  I wonder what in the hell Romero is going to do with the body.  And, I have to think Bob is going to know he had something to do with it.  Always good to remember that Romero is totally not someone to fuck with.

 

Yup, Norman totally went off the deep end there for a second.  Complete with putting on Norma's dress and making breakfast.  In front of Dylan.  At least Dylan was kind of enough not to tell Emma about all that.  Guy's a good brother: making sure his brother's girlfriend didn't find out about that bit.

 

Aww, sometimes I really want Dylan and Emma to just run off together.  Staying on this show is just a danger to both of their healths, and they are the closest to normal, which is so refreshing.

 

Vera Farmiga was awesome as always.  She better get another Emmy nod.

 

The final scene was something.  Both Norma and Caleb breaking down, Dylan looking on wistfully, and then we get a glimpse of a furious Norman.  Yeah, I have to think this season is going to end with Norman become close to the Psycho Norman, as you can get.

[ganesh]

That was a dense episode of tv. I wasn't expecting Romero to smash the car window with the IV stand and then just blow the guy's head off. And then casually wipe the brains off the windshield before starting the car. I suppose Romero has nothing to lose, but I can't see him surviving much longer after that stunt. Unless this would actually intimidate Bob. 

 

It was predictable that Norman would go full Mother, but Dylan's reactions were what sold how crazy the whole situation was.

 

I really don't know what's going to happen next. I mean, wild!

[AlwaysWatching]

Yes, Dylan's reaction was pure gold.  I have to watch this episode a couple more times just to see Norman be Norma.  Stunning! I'm trying to type non-expletive reactions. My mind is blown. I wasn't sure about the first few minutes and I actually ff'd through some of the overtly sexy parts. Not because I'm a prude or anything, simply because they don't interest me. I also ff'd through whatever Norman did or didn't actually do to that bird.  But, when this episode started picking up steam, like I said, it blew my mind! 
 

Oh, and I was crying like the crybaby I am when Norma and Caleb, well..... that was some powerful stuff.  VF has got some great Emmy reel material. I would love to see her win. 

 

Right before the show came on, I told my friend who doesn't watch Bates Motel, that it was in the top five shows I watch.  Tonight, I realized it was higher than that. Every week it gets better and better.

[Bec]

So many bones thrown to people who has seen Psycho tonight!

 

There was Norman pounding on Dylan's shoulder in a sort of stabbing motion. (cue shower scene music - eek eek eek eek eek eek DUN dun dun.)

 

And Norma "on the run", changing her car and then going to a motel just like Janet Leigh in the beginning of Psycho.

 

Taxidermy coming to life in Norman's mind.

 

And of course "Norman's sleeping."

 

If I were Dylan, I would totally make a video of my brother playing the role of my mother. And then I would call the people in the white coats to come pick him up. Ah, Dylan is so loyal to his brother, he probably wouldn't act on his chemistry with Emma, either. But I have a feeling they'll keep getting pushed together by circumstances (yes, please!) as Norman gets crazier and crazier.

 

I half expected Norman to come up behind Dylan and clock him in the head with a blender when Dylan was helping Emma with her phlegm problem. If you happen upon this scene without any context, it would kind of look like he's attacking her, right?

 

And I expected Norma to have an epic meltdown when the store staff at the fitting room tried to limit her to three items. Instead she managed to limit herself to one "Really?" and one unhinged glare. (Side note: New World! I've been to that store! Funny that in the show Norma went in there to transform from retro to modern, because normally that store has the stuff to transform you into a retro pinup.)

 

I love that the first thing Romero did when he woke up after getting shot was call Norma. But he didn't have to be so rude to that nurse who was being perfectly nice. Tsk tsk.

 

Of course Norma had to kill the bad phone. This reminds me of when Sookie on True Blood threw her phone into the woods in a tantrum and then everyone kept trying to call her for the rest of the season but she never got any of the calls.

 

For some reason I expected Marcus' car to explode. I did not expect Romero taking him out. Romero got up out of his hospital bed and did all that? Damn, I don't even get out of bed when I have a cold.

[Avaleigh]

Christ almighty I feel like I've just been through an emotional ordeal. Really terrific episode and I agree with everyone who thinks that the performances have been top notch.

I need to let this all process.

Dylan gets major points for not completely freaking out when Norman was playing Norma. I would have run screaming in the other direction.

I think Norma made a huge mistake telling that guy the truth about her husband'sdeath.

[queenanne]

The brothers racketing around together at the end, unable to deny force-of-nature Norma, were totes adorbs.  Norman:  “Why does she have this car?!”, in appalled fascination.  Dylan (paraphrasing) “Shhh… don’t mention it.”  Any special significance to Norma regressing in particular, to seventeen-ish, eve-of-Massett marriage, in the bar?   Were there previews?  My feed cut out when Norma was hugging Caleb.  (Also, I think we can finally chalk this plotline up to “an attempt to heal Norma”, as juxtaposed with the 10-year-old siblings together under the porch, I now believe Caleb’s “mutual comfort gone wrong” scenario.) 

 

Freddy is so creepily like Anthony Perkins in his fixed fugues I can’t believe it.  Nestor/Romero is his own force of nature, totally awesome.  I thought his goofy body language at the end of the IV stand attack, when he was manhandling the corpse around the car, was borderline Norma's rubbing off on him.  What a great midpoint for the season, hell, the series.  Norman even had Norma's "wrapper" tied tight and high on the neck, like Norma would/does when feeling vulnerable.

Edited April 14, 2015 by queenanne

[Irritable]

Fantastic. All of it.  My only distraction was Dylan wearing his leather jacket all the time, in the house, in the morning for breakfast, laying down in it and falling asleep... is it some kind of in-joke I'm not getting, the reason why Dylan must constantly wear that jacket indoors?

 

I love that when Norma buys clothes to modernize herself, she goes with 1970's Hooker as a style guide.  I was sad to see the Mercedes go, it was one of the characters on this show.

 

I guess the therapist should be worrying about more than just losing his license now that he knows one of the secrets of the Bates family, but if he gets killed I won't be upset because he sleeves me out for some reason I can't place.

 

My need for Emma and Dylan to run away and live together as happily as possible has become visceral.  Knowing bad things are coming for them is physically painful for me.

 

Mr. Irritable said that every episode this season feels like a season finale, and I have to agree with him.  Love that Romero is still such a bad ass... it's the quiet ones you have to watch out for!

[Timetoread]

This was one of the most intense hours of television that I've ever seen.  I don't even know where to start so I'll just throw stuff out.

 

Seriously the least affecting scene was pretty powerful and would have preoccupied my thoughts in lesser episodes.  Dylan and Emma.  There is a sweet chemistry there.  Emma really could use a boyfriend that is sane and would take care of her.  Dylan could use a sweet girl like Emma.  However, I do NOT want them together unless together constitutes running far, far away and never looking back.  Norman would NEVER accept this.

 

Romero - my God!  He's a bad ass but that man scares the hell out of me.  I believe that he is MOSTLY good but he is unbelievably violent and I literally jumped when he smashed that window and blew that guy's brains out.  I did like that the first thing he wanted to do was call Norma.  It almost felt that the warning that she was in danger was just the EXCUSE, that being shot and in the hospital made him want her there for comfort more than anything.

 

Dylan - with every episode, I become increasingly worried about Dylan.  His face as he witnessed the swirl of crazy told a story all by itself.   Max was PERFECT last night.

 

Norman - that he is not at the top of my ascending list of OMG for the episode says a lot about this episode.  His transformation into Norma was astounding.  Definitely Emmy worthy.  Still, though there was a slight comedy to it, watching Norman's free range insanity made me want to cry.  He is just so sick and so dangerous and he needs to be committed to an institution.  His tantrum after Norma left made me realize that perhaps she has been right all along.  Norman simply cannot be without her.  She anchors him as much as he is capable of being anchored.  Without her he is literally lost inside his own mind - a mind that finds solace only in "mother".  It made me sad for Norma - she is trapped in Norman, in every meaning of that phrase.

 

Norma - Seriously.  Emmy people.  Don't make me do something that you will regret...  Outstanding performance by Vera.  Outstanding.  I had to sleep on it to process it all.  Like I've said before, I get her.  I get her meltdown and storming out.  Having both Dylan and Norman sit her down to basically force her hand into doing the thing she LEAST wants to do in the world (deal with Caleb/her past)  infuriated her.  So she ran, like Norman says, it's what she does.  But she didn't have anywhere to go because - as Dylan pointed out, she can't REALLY ever leave Norman.  That whole trip with the booze, the clothes, the car and the assorted men was all her working up the courage to confront Caleb.   And I hope people realize - and that the show points out - she went through all of it for Dylan.  This was for Dylan. His need for cohesion.  His need to put his father in his life, or reject his father with certainty.  His need to let his father apologize and attempt redemption and for his mother to RECEIVE this apology and perhaps begin to let go of some of her pain.  His need to have both his parents in one space acknowledging each other and acknowledging him. The need for all of them to be whole.  Norma had to drink down and sex up the courage to do it - and she DID do it.  Leading me to the scene that has my mind blowing...

 

Norma and Caleb - I didn't know what to expect.  I want to get to the bottom of this story.  I want to believe Norma.  I want to respect Norma's privacy and space.  I was prepared to hate Caleb.  I was prepared for Caleb to display his violence and one of the men in Norma's life would kill him to protect her.  What I was not prepared for was what happened.  There is something about a grown man sobbing that is like kryptonite to me.  It completely disarms me and I am left a bit helpless.  I'm not saying that I forgive him for rape, but damn if I'm not at least thinking about it.  I mean we throw around terms like "unrepentant killer/rapist/criminal".  It allows us to wish all things bad as a consequence.  But what do you do with someone who is so mightily sorry?  Do we allow him to try to redeem?  Do we not because it's too little too late.  I honestly can't wrap my head around this right now.  What was clear, however, is that before everything went wrong, Norma and Caleb loved each other very much.  They seemed to cling to each other for dear life, both as children AND as adults.  That scene moved me to my core.  Emmy reel time!

 

One last thought in this dissertation - as Norma and Caleb sobbed together, with their son Dylan watching, that the thing that seemed to not belong in that family unit was Norman.  I don't think that this was an accident.  It struck me that when all is said and done, most likely ALL of them will die at Norman's hand because of it.

Edited April 14, 2015 by Timetoread

[Guest]

 Any special significance to Norma regressing in particular, to seventeen-ish, eve-of-Massett marriage, in the bar?   

 

Freddy is so creepily like Anthony Perkins in his fixed fugues I can’t believe it.  Nestor/Romero is his own force of nature, totally awesome.  I thought his goofy body language at the end of the IV stand attack, when he was manhandling the corpse around the car, was borderline Norma's rubbing off on him.  What a great midpoint for the season, hell, the series.  Norman even had Norma's "wrapper" tied tight and high on the neck, like Norma would/does when feeling vulnerable.

I think the scene with Norma calling herself Norma Louise Calhoun (or whatever her maiden name is) was supposed to show us her physically relying on a guy for emotional support and then shoving him away when it turns sexual and him accusing her of being a cruel tease, and her feeling a little guilty and waxing nostalgic, presumably due to similar scenes with Caleb as a girl.  (Not that there's anything wrong with pushing a guy away who's demanding sex, of course.)

 

I was impressed with how much Highmore moved and sounded like Farmiga playing Norma in that kitchen scene.  

[Avaleigh]

Fantastic. All of it.  My only distraction was Dylan wearing his leather jacket all the time, in the house, in the morning for breakfast, laying down in it and falling asleep... is it some kind of in-joke I'm not getting, the reason why Dylan must constantly wear that jacket indoors?

 

I love that when Norma buys clothes to modernize herself, she goes with 1970's Hooker as a style guide.  I was sad to see the Mercedes go, it was one of the characters on this show.

I thought it looked like she borrowed that jacket from Adriana LaCerva. 

Edited April 14, 2015 by Avaleigh

[Guest]

That outfit just looked very 'juniors ethnic/urban' to me.  I didn't really understand why she bought it.  She didn't even stay gone long enough to need clothes.  I guess she wanted a makeover...  Pretend she's teen Norma, single and childless?  And it didn't feel any better because teen Norma was unhappy, too?  

 

The dude in the bar looked he could've passed for one of her sons.  They find a lot of guys who are vaguely similar.  

Edited April 14, 2015 by Guest

[Chaos Theory]

The dude in the bar looked he could've passed for one of her sons. They find a lot of guys who are vaguely similar.

Well Norma does have a type. For the record; I thought the same thing.

[Evie]

Brilliant episode. I'm left with a feeling of dread. Norman is so close to going Psycho.

I always had a shred of hope that Dylan would make it out alive. Have a final falling out with Norma and get the heck out of dodge. After seeing Norman as Mother and Norma and Caleb break down, he's never going to leave. I fear he won't make it out of this season alive. The family he wants to belong to so badly is going to be the death of him. The question is which one will do him in: Psycho Norman, Norma and her schemes, or Caleb and his association with this Chick guy.

I've been wanting Emma and Dylan scenes so bad. I love them. He was so sweet with her, and they get each other. The dread intensifies.

I knew it was futile, but part of me was hoping Norma wouldn't come back. Dylan was obviously lost, but I feel like he would have gotten Norman help after seeing Mother. Norma may have told the therapist guy (So creepy and so dead) but she's not quite there yet. She's going to get there, I think, but it will be too late.

Man, don't mess with Romero.

[BatmanBeatles]

 

And Norma "on the run", changing her car and then going to a motel just like Janet Leigh in the beginning of Psycho.

Oh I didn't think of that! Also like Janet, she was terse about it.

 

I always thought The Giving Tree was kind of messed up.

 

 

I was impressed with how much Highmore moved and sounded like Farmiga playing Norma in that kitchen scene.

I wonder how he long it took him to prepare that.

[ganesh]

Her "really?!" cracked me up in the department store. 

[Guest]

Oh I didn't think of that! Also like Janet, she was terse about it.

 

I always thought The Giving Tree was kind of messed up.

 

I wonder how he long it took him to prepare that.

Me too.  And to make it worse the trunk always looked decidedly phallic to me.  

[ganesh]

Y'all need to see the parody of the Giving Tree that Robot Chicken did. 

[BatmanBeatles]

How would the psychologist lose his license sleeping with Norma? She isn't officially his patient right?

[Spartan Girl]

After last night, Vera and Freddie both deserve Emmy nominations.

 

Wow, Norma really hit every midlife crisis cliché in the book, didn't she?  Trading in her car, dressing up like a hooker, picking up random guys in country bars, sleeping with her unofficial shrink...speaking of which, I don't think the shrink resisted her advances that much.  My friend and I do not trust him.

 

And only Norma could sum up her whole situation as being the martyr for her crazy son only to have him "betray" her.  You know, Norma, maybe Norman wouldn't be so psychologically damaged if you had gotten out of that abusive marriage before Norman could kill him.  Or, you know, gotten him actual help.  Just sayin'.

 

I so knew Norman was going to dress up and act like Norma to cope with her absence and I was right.  I don't care if it was just her bathrobe, it'll do for now.  Norman saying "I want my mother" over and over broke my heart even he was terrifying me.  There really is no turning back for him now...

 

One thing you have to say about Romero: he doesn't waste time.

[Fable]

What really impressed me during this episode was just how much Dylan's messed up family means to him.  Everyone was fantastic, but Dylan stood out to me the most.  He just wants to make everything better for everyone.  He was so desperate, sweet and vulnerable, I really just wanted to hug him. 

 

Norma's reference to The Giving Tree was so sad and so telling of her future.  Poor Norma!

[seashell]

I've totally fallen for this series.

 

Liked it from season one but am now totally hooked. And the writing of Romero's character along with the brilliantly understated way NC portrays him is a major part of why it's become such a delight.

 

Terrific cast with writing that's been getting better and better. Exciting to see a good show transforming into a great one.

[Nutjob]

Add me to the list of those wanting Dylan and Emma to run off together, as far away from Norman and Norma as possible. That scene in the bathroom? The chemistry was outrageous--I'm not usually a shipper, but I feel so sad that I know things won't ever work out for those two crazy kids. Mostly because I expect them to die very soon.

 

Vera.VERA. Good gravy, she knocked this one out of the park. I also immediately thought 70's hooker when I saw her new clothes--the fun fur coat made no sense for her! And Freddie channeled her so well in The Scene--it was subtle enough so that it didn't veer into camp, but strong enough to be unsettling and scary.

 

The final scene with Caleb really got to me. We still don't know if he raped her, took advantage of her, or if their physical relationship was consensual, but he seemed genuinely remorseful. And yes... Norman was the outsider, and already seething.

 

This show. THIS SHOW.

[truthaboutluv]

Well, then!  Looks like you totally got your answer there, Marcus!  Romero does NOT want to work under you.

 

 

I honestly cracked up when the fool was in Romero's room posturing about how he could control Bob. I thought "sure dude, you can control Bob when you don't even have any power over Romero..." I totally called Romero putting a bullet in his head. I just didn't expect it to happen as immediately as it did. Romero is bad ass, man. 

 

Boy, Norman's crazy was firing on all cylinders last night wasn't it? First with his taxidermy animals coming alive in his head (I was so confused at first wondering when Norman got a dog before realizing he was imagining the one he stuffed as alive) and then going full on split personality in thinking he is Norma. I think Dylan was trying to tell Norma about it when they got up but she was all on her mission to get the meeting with Caleb over with, so he couldn't. But yeah, it's official that Norman is batshit crazy and I'm interested in how Norma reacts and what she does when Dylan tells her about Norman thinking he was her. 

 

So now we know who will end up killing Caleb and it may be the thing that destroys Norman and Dylan's relationship. I'd say I cared about Caleb possibly being murdered but that would be a lie. I still can't stand his constant sad sack face and "woe is me" demeanor. Ugh, he just drags the show down for me, though the actor did a pretty good job with Vera, in the final scene. 

 

The writers are so going to go there with Dylan and Emma and I'm kind of okay with that. I mean let's face it, anyone is a better choice than nutty Norman. But why, oh why is Emma obsessed with this family? How, considering she's been around for so much of the crazy, can she not realize how batshit and totally fucked up they all are? But maybe that is why she wants to be a part of it. Being around their crazy makes her feel alive and since she figures her time left may be so limited, why not enjoy some little nuttiness. Hopefully it doesn't get her killed. 

 

As much as I still don't love the professor/therapist, I am slightly more interested in where they're going with him, only because he now knows not just about Norman's being weird but that he murdered his father. So it will be interesting to see what the writers really do with the character. Bob's lackey casually following Norma around all night was interesting and it cracked me up when he pulled out his book when she went to the therapist's house. Finally, I cracked up when Norman asked Dylan why Norma was driving that car because all I could think was "forget the car, let's talk about that outfit and especially that god-awful coat." Seriously, the fact that all these people who know Norma so well had almost no reaction to it was even funnier. 

 

We still don't know if he raped her, took advantage of her, or if their physical relationship was consensual, but he seemed genuinely remorseful.

 

 

I don't understand this because I still think Caleb was very clear when Dylan asked him about it, when Dylan was stitching him up. I thought he alluded pretty clearly to the fact that in his mind it started consensually between them because they were all the other had (one can debate the merit of it being consensual to a very young Norma who may not have understood what was happening but Caleb was also pretty young). Then as Norma got older, she realized what they were doing was wrong and told Caleb so and that it had to stop.

 

And that point in his relaying the story to Dylan, he mentions how she was all he had and it was like he was losing her and then he leaves the sentence unfinished and saying how sorry he was. I think it was clear that at that point it was most definitely rape because he couldn't or wouldn't really let Norma go after she told him they had to stop because it was wrong. 

Edited April 14, 2015 by truthaboutluv

[Nutjob]

Nothing to see here.

Edited April 14, 2015 by Nutjob

[rue721]

I love all these characters so much!

 

Norma was cracking me up with her story about being a runaway bride, and having been married "maybe once," but knowing that it wasn't going to work out and having to kill him. I also loved her when she was like, "and then the kid sits on the stump. That's been a parent." And when she was like IN THE CAR, WE'RE SEEING MY HORRIBLE BROTHER. LOL. I love that lady. I even liked her hideous knit-and-faux-fur jacket.

 

Dylan wearing his leather jacket inside the whole night was strange. Why did the show have him keep it on? Does he not own a sweatshirt?

 

Norman's trippy blackout with the dead/alive bird and the dead/alive pet dog was legitimately unsettling. I felt so terrible for him when he was making breakfast as Norma. It's good that Dylan played along -- and stayed well away from the stove! Thank god Norman was using butter and making french toast instead of frying bacon or something, I kept thinking of him throwing the pan with hot grease in it...Which I doubt the show would do, except that Norman gets really violent sometimes!

 

I will love Emma forever because of how she insisted she stay the night. When she said "you shouldn't have to be alone for this" to Dylan, she melted my heart.

 

The scene of her trying to teach Dylan how to pound on her chest was fantastic. And such an odd but oddly realistic kind of "meet cute" moment. I think he's got a soft spot for her already, but I think she was really developing one for him when she saw his little delicate "pats" on her chest because he was confused and didn't want to hurt her.

 

Norma and Caleb's reunion killed me. No idea what's going to happen for them or their relationship, but I was really glad that they could have that moment together, regardless. There was genuine love there imo.

 

Honestly, I didn't even recognize the therapist until a few seconds before Norma confessed about Norman killing his father. That was SUCH A MISTAKE telling him that. I bet he's going to get killed at Bob's hands (maybe indirectly, through one of Bob's minions), and in the process, Bob will find out about Bates's death. There's no proof of it, though. I hope that Norma realizes that.

 

Norma actually is a good mother in a lot of ways imo, but I really wish she would think for a second about how her own safety effects the safety of the people who love her. She runs headlong into trouble and doesn't realize that that drags the people who love her into trouble, too. I think she *honestly* doesn't realize what the collateral damage is likely to be. This Club thing she's getting tangled up in is what I think is liable to get Dylan in particular killed. Also, she and Romero have each others' backs to a certain extent, but I'm thinking now that they're both trouble-magnets and are likely to escalate things for one another -- they're both making things worse for each other with Bob, imo, by defending each other to the point that they're escalating the conflict.

[Evie]

Dylan wearing his leather jacket inside the whole night was strange. Why did the show have him keep it on? Does he not own a sweatshirt?

He was wearing just a shirt until he came back from seeing Caleb and found Norman catatonic. I'm going to pretend he kept it on because some deep down part of him wanted to run from the crazy.

[Timetoread]

Seems to me that the answer is to kill Bob.  Romero is just the man to do it!

[editorgrrl]

The scene of [Emma] trying to teach Dylan how to pound on her chest was fantastic. And such an odd but oddly realistic kind of "meet cute" moment. I think he's got a soft spot for her already, but I think she was really developing one for him when she saw his little delicate "pats" on her chest because he was confused and didn't want to hurt her.

 

I know nothing about cystic fibrosis, but I immediately thought, "Why can't Dylan pound Emma on the back rather than the chest? Oh, TPTB must want me to ship them."

[Bec]

I wondered that, too. Because of the danger of causing spinal injury, I guess?

 

About Dylan wearing that leather jacket all night. I thought maybe it was symbolic. Like it was some kind of armor. Also it's a visual clue that he never really relaxed all night around Norman. Did anyone else notice it looks like he fell asleep on a chair? He wasn't like, lying down, either, it's like he dozed off while sitting there tired as hell.

 

And of course Emma also fell asleep on a chair by Norman's side. Reminiscent of how Norma's going to be positioned in a chair in Psycho. (Ooh, missed that bone thrown to us in my first round of observations.)

 

On a different note, I wonder if part of Dylan was thinking "hot damn, he's gonna make me french toast? Okay, I'll play along with this 'mother' thing."

 

Hey, it's not that certain Dylan would die. There is no mention of any brother, dead or alive, in Psycho. They could go either way with this. I think it would make for a more poignant story if he dies and Norma has to bury him, though. As much as I don't want him to die.

[rue721]

What do you think Norman was talking about when he was saying that Norma always leaves, and gave the example of them moving around a lot back when they were kids? Weren't they living with Norman's father for the ~16 years before moving to White Pine Bay? Even if they'd moved around a lot during that time, who was getting left behind in those moves?

 

That conversation was so messed up. Dylan seemed pretty bitter when he was trying to reassure Norman that Norma would never leave *Norman.* And Norman had just finished saying that Norma had left Dylan when she'd decided to move to White Pine Bay and didn't tell him, so it was really spooky imo when he said, "she's never left us before." I guess when he said "us," he meant himself and head!Norma, rather than himself and Dylan!

 

On a different note, I wonder if part of Dylan was thinking "hot damn, he's gonna make me french toast? Okay, I'll play along with this 'mother' thing."

 

LOL. I've been around people having psychotic episodes before, and honestly, ime the kitchen is NOT WHERE YOU WANT THEM TO BE :P. Not with all those knives, or even around the gas stove! And Norman went after Dylan with a meat tenderizer in that room before, so I doubt his guard was down.

 

If I were Dylan, I would have been like, "[fake cheer] OK, I'll go wake Norman up, Mom!" and just left the room. And then tried to come up with some kind of lie to convince "Norma" to get into the truck so Dylan could drive him to the hospital, lol. That boy needs antipsychotics desperately at this point, even if they turn him into a bit of a zombie for a while.

 

I don't think that calling an ambulance or anything would have worked, though, because Norman wasn't acting at all threatening. He just was acting completely weird. And it wouldn't actually be all that helpful if the EMTs and/or cops were to show up and *then* Norman were to hulk out and start attacking people or something. Getting him arrested isn't a good idea! Like Norma said before, can Dylan imagine Norman in jail or prison? OMFG.

 

I feel terrible for Norma, because she's not equipped to handle this, either. Nobody is. When Norman was going up the stairs saying, "I want my mother. I want my mother," it made me think he was *really* far gone, not that Norma could actually do anything to help him. This "crisis" was just that she got upset, told Norman that his brother would take care of him, and left for *one* night -- which imo is a reasonable amount of "freedom" for the mother of two grown men to have! The "freedom" to leave for *one* night, and with her younger *adult* son left in the care of a "babysitter," even.

 

I think that maybe the show is moving toward the characters, including Norman, getting medical "help" that isn't all that helpful. Norma and her shitty, creepy, stalker of a therapist. Emma and her useless doctors that can just tell her that her lung capacity sucks and to have people pound on her chest so she can spit. Norman is probably going to go to the hospital relatively soon, too, but what can they do for him -- put him on some medication that might not work, and even if it does, will in all probability end up crippling and killing him over time with its side effects? "Best case scenario" in all those cases is so shitty. Better than what it would be without any medical help, probably, but still so soul-crushingly shitty. They're all *medically* hopeless cases, imo. Even though they've still got a lot of humanity/life left in them yet.

 

Another thing that I forgot to mention earlier -- when Dylan came to talk to Caleb and started crying in front of him, Caleb just slammed the door in his face so that he (and I guess Dylan, too) could cry in private. But when Norma came, he threw the door open and sobbed openly in front of her, and she cried in front of him, too. I just thought that was a sort of interesting touch.

Edited April 14, 2015 by rue721

[green]

Hey, it's not that certain Dylan would die. There is no mention of any brother, dead or alive, in Psycho. They could go either way with this. I think it would make for a more poignant story if he dies and Norma has to bury him, though. As much as I don't want him to die.

 

Yes but there was a brother of the real life person that Norman Bates is loosely based on.  They probably just didn't go that route in Psyco since Norman was much further along his "career path" by the time frame of the film and a movie has limited running time and Janet Leigh needed to get killed and there is only so much time in Norman's day to get stuff like that done.

 

Nice pleasant episode this as in a typical day in the life of the Bates family, haha.  Love Romero doing his thing too.

[ganesh]

I would think Bob has to go. Would any one rise at the club get in Romero's way after that?

[Chaos Theory]

At the end of the episode Dylan was looking on at his parents (for better or worse they are his parents) attempting to make peace. While Norman for the first time was on the outside looking in. I can see how that would be stressful for him and bring out the Mother within.

Edited April 14, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[whyjen8]

Double post.  My bad :(

Edited April 14, 2015 by whyjen8

[Garnett7]

Damn but I love Romero. He's epic. I figured he would threaten the guy, scare him, didn't think he'd just kill him so coldly. But it was awesome. Now if he'd just take out Bob.

 

I'm another who is on board for Emma/Dylan. I have been since last season, when she found him passed out after he found out Caleb was his father. My wish is for them to run away from this crazy town together and be happy. Yeah, I know it probably won't happen on this show but I can hope.

 

Norman's first appearance as "Mother" was creepy. Poor Dylan's mind was blown. (Again, take Emma and run, Dylan! RUN!) Caleb is definitely doomed.  I bet he's getting it by season's end.

 

The cast is really amazing, everyone. Vera, Freddie, Max, "Emma", Nestor, and Kenny Johnson, too. I've loved him since "The Shield".

[whyjen8]

Comparing Norman to Bugs Bunny in drag was exactly what I needed after this episode. Literally LOL!

This was brilliantly acted, with a lesser cast this would easily be the worst show on television but they all continue to step up and knock it out of the park.

Too bad the guy tailing Norma wasn't taking pictures because when you have a tale this crazy it's best to have proof.

My heart just aches for Emma. What a sad, lonely life she has led to still want to be part of Norma/Norman's family.

[BooBear]

I will love Emma forever because of how she insisted she stay the night. When she said "you shouldn't have to be alone for this" to Dylan, she melted my heart.

That is what got me.. then he tried to be like "no I couldn't ask" and she was like "you didn't ask I volunteered".  She wouldn't let him be alone with all of it.  She cannot die.  Maybe that is why they have kept Dylan relatively girlfriend free.

 

As for Dylan pounding on her chest I think they got me there, I was terrified that Norman was going to come up on them and misunderstand. Either that Dylan was hurting her or having sex with her (it was a compromising position).

 

This episode was flat out amazing on all levels. Kind of makes me think the show really doesn't need the intrigue of the town weirdness. Norma has enough for everyone.

[Avaleigh]

At the end of the episode Dylan was looking on at his parents (for better or worse they are his parents) attempting to make peace. While Norman for the first time was on the outside looking in. I can see how that would be stressful for him and bring out the Mother within.

If Norman doesn't kill Caleb my other speculation is that Caleb will have to make the ultimate sacrifice to prove his love for Norma and/or Caleb and that he'll die saving one or both of them from the Arcanum Club people.

[ganesh]

I still think it's too early for Norman to straight up murder. I bet that ^ scenario is more likely. 

[Mick Lady]

Oh Avaleigh! You just went somewhere I was DREADING! Damn you! (In the nicest possible way) The only thing worse would be Dylan. Both men have stories yet to tell.

Edited April 15, 2015 by Mick Lady

[Andromeda]

I love this show. Such a great episode, all the actors were wonderful. Seeing Norman think he's Norma was so chilling. It could have gone terribly wrong, into camp territory, in the hands of lesser actors.