S05.E04: Hidden

[Mick Lady]

Norman discovers who he can rely on as he attempts to protect his secrets. Romero struggles to find safety.

[Spartan Girl]

Damn, I thought Madeline was dead for a minute there. But from the look on Norman's face in the last scene, I bet Mother will do something very very bad to her soon. Either her, the shrink, or Marion -- who is going to die first? Start placing bets!

Once again, Sam sucks. If he's still alive by the time all this is over, I hope he winds up alone. 

Oh, and giving the married woman you lust after your dead mother's dresses? Gross. Another notch up the Oedipus scale.

WTF was with Chick giving Caleb a Viking funeral?

I can't decide whether Alex running off before the kid could give him first aid was a smart or stupid movie. Yeah, he's on the run but you can't run far when you're shot. And crank calling 911 just to steal from an ambulance? Well, it got him another few miles. But who is the woman that took him in? His mother? Oh that would be so ironic...

Edited March 14, 2017 by Spartan Girl

[Mick Lady]

Ironic indeed! I think it was his mother!

I think Madeline is going to die, and soon. "Norma" wasn't home...

[thuganomics85]

"Hey, Madeline!  I was going through all our old stuff in the house, and found these dresses that my mom use to wear.  You know, the same mom I said you reminded me of last week?  So.... I was wondering if you could... err, wear them.  Nothing creepy about that at all!  Laters!"  Ha!  Seriously, Freddie Highmore really is a treasure in this role, because it is his performance that is really making me buy that Madeline doesn't just run for the hills after that exchange.  Not only that, she already invites him to dinner and offers to "bake him a cake", which apparently is code for make out with him!  Oh, Madeline.  I get Sam is an unloving dick, but you picked the worst guy to do this with.  At least Norman got out of dodge this time, but she is so playing with fire.

Chick was cracking me up tonight.  First, with the elaborate Viking funeral that probably even Caleb would have thought was a bit much.  And then his reaction when Norman kicked him out of the house.  He really came off like a jilted lover, who couldn't believe his significant other wanted to "have some space."  I still have no clue what the endgame for his character is, but I'm curious to see how this plays out.

Romero is still hanging in there.  Escaped the kid who shot him, and then placed a fake 911 call, so he could steal some medical supplies from the ambulance (along with some cash.)  He's getting closer!

Norman killing Norma... err, I guess "Norma" this time was creepy.  And then her causally waking back up and all "Dammit, Norman, don't do that shit, again!" about it was darkly amusing.  Norman is getting worse and worse by the minute.

No Dylan or Emma again, but I noticed Max Thierot directed this episode.  Pretty cool, like when Nestor Carbonell did it last season or Freddie Highmore wrote an episode last season.  I like that the show is letting the cast add their input in other ways.  Hopefully they'll continue to branch out, once this show is over.

New sheriff is so suspicious of Norman.  Which could actually be more bad news for her, then him.

Edited March 14, 2017 by thuganomics85

[milner]

Who was the actress who played the sheriff and where else have I seen her?  Anyone? Tx

[rainbowrockgal]

I think she was a dr on Greys Anatomy

[Bama]

Yeah, Brook Smith.  She was Dr. Hahn on GA and the girl in the pit in the movie "Silence of the Lambs".

Edited March 14, 2017 by Bama

[Stringey]

Mother  is starting to get meaner and creepier in some way. You know the scene when he was talking to Madeline sitting on the staircase. Well when he hung up the phone I swear that when he turned his head(we saw like a pov  of someone looking through the bars on the balcony) we were going to see Mother looking at him and that she had heard the whole conversation.  For some reason that would have made me jump and I don't know why since there have been so many creepy things that never make me jump. I can't quite figure out why that would have startled me.  Another thing too at first I thought in the woods for just a second he had literally taken the corpse of Norma with him. Well not right away but after they had been there a few minutes. It was the point right after Norman was smothering mother and then sees  what appears to be the corpse of Norma. Well in that second I really did think he had taken that Norma corpse on a little field trip on probably a safe cold night. But when it moved immediately I thought nope the corpse image is just part of the hallucination of him smothering norma. Then again.......... how do we know for sure that the corpse of Norma was not in the woods with him since we are seeing it all from Norman's distorted pov

[RedMal]

5 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

But who is the woman that took him in? His mother? Oh that would be so ironic...

His mom is dead. The woman was Keith Summers's sister. I probably wouldn't remember it otherwise, but I just re-watched the series before this season started. She appeared in one episode back in season 1.

Edited March 14, 2017 by RedMal

[Bec]

Yeah, it's Keith Summers' sister. Seems kind of random that he goes to her for help, but okay. He was childhood friends with Keith Summers, I guess he's sort of friends with Keith Summers' sister, too?

I was surprised Romero just got up and kept going after getting blasted with a shotgun. He's frickin' unstoppable. I wonder how the show is going to make it make sense that he can make it through so much in this epic Hugh Glass quest to get his revenge, only to get killed by little old Norman. Are they going to have Norman kill him at all? Who knows.

That didn't seem like a very discreet way of getting rid of a body, Chick! Okay, he would have picked a secluded place to do that, but still. So riskily flashy. I can just picture some dudes quietly fishing downriver getting the surprise of their lives. Nicer funeral than Keith Summers or Bradley What's-her-name got, though. Maybe Chick wanted to give Caleb a proper send-off so that Caleb wouldn't haunt his ass.

Norman is going to get old-lady clothes for Mother to make her more inline with the Psycho version of Mother! Makeover!

[mj2000]

Just when I thought that Freddie Highmore couldn't possibly impress more than he already has, he brings out the "stare". He really brought the creepy on that one!

Madeline, girl you need to run as fast and as far away as you can. You dodged a bullet, or in this case a knife!

Well, I guess nobody will ever have to worry about Caleb's body being discovered.

Romero is my bullet surviving hero with incredible endurance :)

[BooBear]

Again felt a bit like a stall. But I have to say I really enjoyed Chick when he was at his home and seem to really be trying to reach out to Norman. Chick has tremendous compassion for him... but seems not to trust "the authorities" to get him help.  Yup Chick is the author of the book and movie.  You really have to feel for Norman. There is a part of him the truly wishes to be free of his mom but he can't escape her. 

I do wonder that Madeline wasn't freaked out by that display. Norman clearly has deep deep issues and that would have sent me running. 

[seashell]

Romero's storyline is ridiculous. Why couldn't they just have continued to let him function as sheriff while he methodically went about--in a state of controlled rage--bringing Norman down? We know that Nestor could play that to perfection and I would have loved to see him and Freddie play off/torture each other during these final episodes.

Watching endless scenes of Freddie with dead Norma or scenes with new characters I don't give a damn about is not emotionally satisfying for me. Whoever decided that it was a good idea to separate the main characters from each other when the show is drawing to a close needs to find a new profession.

[Lostinthehouse]

Another nice homage to "Psycho" in the show.  When the new Sheriff was in the motel office looking at the sign-ins, Norman tilts his head and peers over her shoulder, chewing candy corn.  In the movie, Norman uses the same head-tilt, same chewing as Marion signs in.  Same camera angle too.  Excellent!

[Chaos Theory]

This show is darkly funny at times with Chick and his Viking funeral for Caleb.  Then again your first murder is always the hardest and Chick and Caleb have a complicated history so Chick might have wanted to at least give him a proper send off.

i also rather enjoyed the whole thing with Madeline and Norma's dresses.  The womb already looks like Norman's mother and now she is wearing her things and flirting with her son.  I am very surprised Mother didn't kill her.

Hey Romero survived another episode.  Good for him.  Then again he has always had a bit of rogue in him.  Closer and closer.

The new Sheriff isn't a fool which is nice to see.  I knew I recognized the actress from sonwhete but I couldn't place where.  Apparently she guest stars in a lot of stuff I watch.  

Hey one person with two personalities walking through the woods at night.  How many flashlights?  

Plus the scene where he "killed" Norma.  Wow.!  "Don't do that again Norman."

Edited March 14, 2017 by Chaos Theory

[Jsmasher]

I feel so bad for Norman. Poor kid got no help from his mother and now is in a no win situations. Im Sorry but i HATE romero being unstoppable...its so cheesy and hollywood like.  I liked that norman made him cry though

[Stringey]

2 hours ago, Lostinthehouse said:

Another nice homage to "Psycho" in the show.  When the new Sheriff was in the motel office looking at the sign-ins, Norman tilts his head and peers over her shoulder, chewing candy corn.  In the movie, Norman uses the same head-tilt, same chewing as Marion signs in.  Same camera angle too.  Excellent!

Let's not forget the Freddie used the little nervous stammer in that scene too that Perkins used in the movie. It's real subtle. The sheriff in the show I think is adopting a few of the subtle little ways of speaking that the sheriff had in the movie. The way she was asking questions.

[truthaboutluv]

It's baffling to me that Norman could get away for so long with killing people because my goodness is he a crappy liar. It's clear the sheriff knows something's up with him but just doesn't know what yet. Unfortunately, as crappy a liar as he is, he's surprisingly adept at killing people - well when he becomes his dead mother. So the sheriff may not make it out alive. 

Norman continues to be creepy and insane but that is nothing new. However, Madeline is a cautionary tale of why you don't use seemingly meek and shy guys because your husband is kind of tool. To be clear I'm not saying she's a bad person for it or will deserve to die if she is indeed murdered but it just reminds you again that you never really know people. So the seemingly nice, sweet and attentive young man who is safe to use because your husband is absent may not be so, well...sane. 

Norman telling Chick he can't stay with him now convinces me that Chick will indeed live to write his crime thriller about crazy Norman. So um, have the writers just forgotten about Emma and Dylan? I mean I get that they're in Seattle and once again they still know nothing that's going on because after Emma told Caleb to leave, they probably aren't expecting to hear from him any time soon. But still, until this morning when I was thinking about the episode, I realized that it's like they've vanished. Although that would probably be for the best. Sadly, I'm sure Dylan will find his way back to Pine Bay at some point. 

I'm not sure how I feel about Romero's story. Like I'm not surprised he survived, because I didn't see the writers killing him off that way and especially so soon in the season. Still the whole thing is starting to stretch credibility a little for me. I mean am I supposed to believe that this motel was that close to where these people lived that Romero could get there, on foot, with a bullet wound in his stomach? Not to mention it looks like it's either later winter or very early Spring based on how cold everyone looks. 

Quote

Another nice homage to "Psycho" in the show.  When the new Sheriff was in the motel office looking at the sign-ins, Norman tilts his head and peers over her shoulder, chewing candy corn.  In the movie, Norman uses the same head-tilt, same chewing as Marion signs in.  Same camera angle too.  Excellent!

Yeah I noticed that immediately.

Quote

But I have to say I really enjoyed Chick when he was at his home and seem to really be trying to reach out to Norman. Chick has tremendous compassion for him... but seems not to trust "the authorities" to get him help.

Chick is an entertaining character because the actor is awesome but I don't believe for one second he gives a shit about Norman. Last week's episode confirmed that he is in this solely for his own personal gain, which includes writing what he hopes is some blockbuster crime thriller and until Norman kicked him to the curb, a place to live, since he clearly lives in a dump. If Chick had any compassion for Norman, he would call the police because while not perfect, the alternative of living a crazy Norman who is a danger to himself and others is no better.

Edited March 14, 2017 by truthaboutluv

[Peanut6711]

5 hours ago, seashell said:

Romero's storyline is ridiculous. Why couldn't they just have continued to let him function as sheriff while he methodically went about--in a state of controlled rage--bringing Norman down? We know that Nestor could play that to perfection and I would have loved to see him and Freddie play off/torture each other during these final episodes.

Watching endless scenes of Freddie with dead Norma or scenes with new characters I don't give a damn about is not emotionally satisfying for me. Whoever decided that it was a good idea to separate the main characters from each other when the show is drawing to a close needs to find a new profession.

I agree that the past two episodes felt like the season was dragging it's feet a bit. Not to say they haven't been interesting, but when the episode ended I had a "Is that it?" feeling for two weeks in a row.  A little more progress to the end game would be appreciated; otherwise I fear the final few episodes will feel rushed.

4 hours ago, Lostinthehouse said:

Another nice homage to "Psycho" in the show.  When the new Sheriff was in the motel office looking at the sign-ins, Norman tilts his head and peers over her shoulder, chewing candy corn.  In the movie, Norman uses the same head-tilt, same chewing as Marion signs in.  Same camera angle too.  Excellent!

That was a nice play. Definitely a nod towards the scene in the movie with Norman and Detective Arbogast.  I suspect the new sheriff will be taking on the role but not the same name. *sigh*

1 hour ago, truthaboutluv said:

Chick is an entertaining character because the actor is awesome but I don't believe for one second he gives a shit about Norman. Last week's episode confirmed that he is in this solely for his own personal gain, which includes writing what he hopes is some blockbuster crime thriller and until Norman kicked him to the curb, a place to live, since he clearly lives in a dump. If Chick had any compassion for Norman, he would call the police because while not perfect, the alternative of living a crazy Norman who is a danger to himself and others is no better.

Agree. Once again I felt disgust towards Chick when Norman (the known psycho of the bunch) was the one insisting on calling the police when Caleb was hit, yet Chick sided with "Norma," Norman's crazy half.  This really drove home who was the conscious and unconscious sociopath of the group.  Norman could have easily been "stopped" at this point and apprehended w/out anyone else getting hurt. Instead, Chick forged ahead with his plans...for dinner and his book.

Edited March 14, 2017 by Peanut6711

[Stringey]

Lol well i guess i learned how to bake a chicken from this episode. 375 degrees at 40 minutes i think chick said?? I usually just go to kfc and get a 5 dollar meal. 

[tennisgurl]

My God, that imagine of Chick giving Caleb a full Viking funeral was just this show in a nutshell. Batshit insane, but I totally buy it on this show. I think there is a part of Chick that relates to Norman, also being a loner and a weirdo, but I think he's mostly motivated by his own personal gain. He has a goldmine in true crime here, and he wants to have a front row seat to the crazy. Crazy even by Chicks standards. Although, this will be a pretty awkward conversation to have with the cops when the book comes out, as well as Normans crimes. I really like Chick, I think he's a really entertaining character, but as of now, I think he's the worse villain than Norman. Norman might be killing people, but he's not in control of his actions anymore, what's his excuse?

Poor Norman. I really do feel bad for him, despite his crazy and his obsession with Norma making him act like an asshole frequently. I don't think he wants to hurt anyone, and his obsession seems to mainly come from mental illness, a mental illness that everyone in his life either didn't notice, didn't care about, or were in denial about. He was even the one who wanted to call the police about Caleb, despite the consequences. He really could have been a good, if troubled, person if he had just gotten some help before it was too late, or if someone (like Chick) would call the freaking cops. There were so many moments when he could have gotten some real help, but something always happened to stop it from happening or from sticking. Not that some of that isn't just Norman being...Norman, but the worst stuff seems to be because he is REALLY unwell. I was convinced Madeline was dead as soon as Norman saw her in his moms dress, she was damn lucky Norman got control enough to get out of there. Also, I'm half convinced Madeline and Sam are figments of Normans imagination, or at least certain aspects of them are. They might really be real, but their situation might be different when not seen through Normans lese. Otherwise its a pretty crazy coincidence that a hot blond in a sad marriage who happens to look and dress just like a young Norma, and doesn't see anything weird about wearing the clothes of the dead mom of the guy she just met and might start an affair with just happened to move to town. Of course, weird stuff like that is kind of just how this show rolls, so who knows? Or, Madeline is more than the sweet innocent we`ve seen so far. I mean, most people wouldn't be cool with wearing a guys (a guy who is clearly interested in you) dead moms clothes right? And then wearing her dress to a date? Yeah she said it was an accident, but come on. That cant be a normal reaction! There's taking retro hand me downs, and then there's this!

I cant praise Freddie every week, because it would be repetitive, but I really want to. He just kills it. He manages to both be scary, AND by tragic. He has the wide eyed innocent thing down, as well as the frustrated and put upon son, and, most of all, the creepy psycho killer. Also, Norman will apparently learn his lesson in car disposal between now and the movie. I'm taking both the scene with the sheriff, and the scene with Norman/Norma trying to figure out what to do with the car as shout outs to the movie. Norman disposing of Marion's car is one of my favorite scenes in the movie!

Also, Romero is apparently The Terminator. Go figure.

[Peanut6711]

29 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

Although, this will be a pretty awkward conversation to have with the cops when the book comes out, as well as Normans crimes. 

It would legally be aiding and abetting a criminal as well as failure to report a crime. If Chick doesn't do jail time at the end (assuming he survives), I'll be pissed. 

Edited March 14, 2017 by Peanut6711

[smorbie]

15 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

But who is the woman that took him in? His mother? Oh that would be so ironic...

His mother had mental problems and committed suicide.  The woman who took him in was Keith Summers's sister.  Keith used to own the motel and raped Norma before being murdered by her when the Bates' first moved to White Pine Bay.  I would love to claim my memory is just that good, but I just binged the first four seasons this last weekend and she was in a couple of scenes.

[smorbie]

2 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

It's baffling to me that Norman could get away for so long with killing people because my goodness is he a crappy liar. It's clear the sheriff knows something's up with him but just doesn't know what yet. Unfortunately, as crappy a liar as he is, he's surprisingly adept at killing people - well when he becomes his dead mother. So the sheriff may not make it out alive. 

Norman continues to be creepy and insane but that is nothing new. However, Madeline is a cautionary tale of why you don't use seemingly meek and shy guys because your husband is kind of tool. To be clear I'm not saying she's a bad person for it or will deserve to die if she is indeed murdered but it just reminds you again that you never really know people. So the seemingly nice, sweet and attentive young man who is safe to use because your husband is absent may not be so, well...sane. 

Norman telling Chick he can't stay with him now convinces me that Chick will indeed live to write his crime thriller about crazy Norman. So um, have the writers just forgotten about Emma and Dylan? I mean I get that they're in Seattle and once again they still know nothing that's going on because after Emma told Caleb to leave, they probably aren't expecting to hear from him any time soon. But still, until this morning when I was thinking about the episode, I realized that it's like they've vanished. Although that would probably be for the best. Sadly, I'm sure Dylan will find his way back to Pine Bay at some point. 

I'm not sure how I feel about Romero's story. Like I'm not surprised he survived, because I didn't see the writers killing him off that way and especially so soon in the season. Still the whole thing is starting to stretch credibility a little for me. I mean am I supposed to believe that this motel was that close to where these people lived that Romero could get there, on foot, with a bullet wound in his stomach? Not to mention it looks like it's either later winter or very early Spring based on how cold everyone looks. 

Yeah I noticed that immediately.

Chick is an entertaining character because the actor is awesome but I don't believe for one second he gives a shit about Norman. Last week's episode confirmed that he is in this solely for his own personal gain, which includes writing what he hopes is some blockbuster crime thriller and until Norman kicked him to the curb, a place to live, since he clearly lives in a dump. If Chick had any compassion for Norman, he would call the police because while not perfect, the alternative of living a crazy Norman who is a danger to himself and others is no better.

But don't forget he got to know Norman because he was worried about him after his mother died.  He didn't know there was anything in for him then.

[peacheslatour]

Quote

That was a nice play. Definitely a nod towards the scene in the movie with Norman and Detective Arbogast.  I suspect the new sheriff will be taking on the role but not the same name. *sigh*

Thanks for saying this. I was itching to make the correction, but I do that a lot and didn't want to be "that guy" again:)

[Virtual]

Great episode. I've actually looked forward to each episode this season, and I don't expect that to change with the way the season has been going. My only complaint is that there's been no Dylan and Emma the past two episodes. These are characters I've gotten to know and like since Season 1 and I want to know how they're doing, too. But I'm kind of hoping that Emma finds out what happened to Caleb and feels bad; I was pretty much "ehh" over her telling him he had to leave in return for helping save her life. If it weren't for him, she was going to die and never would have had the opportunity to make the family that she has.

 I'm glad I wasn't the only one who noticed the Sheriff looking at the sign-in book being similar to Arbogast doing so in Psycho. Her catching Norman on things he says differing from previous things (the clutter, and knowing where the hitman was from) also reminded me of Arbogast catching him in the movie about how recently he'd seen people try to check in the motel.

Romero sure took an unexpected turn as far as where I expected him to go. We hadn't seen Keith Summers' sister since the first season when Romero went to her for information about that guy Abernathy. I'm guessing he will stay at her house until he gets "patched up" enough to confront Norman. I definitely wasn't expecting him to try and confront him now, when he's having a hard time getting around. But we all know that is what is keeping Romero going at this point; he wouldn't have even tried to escape had the hitman succeeded in killing Norman.

Although I'm not a big fan of Chick, I couldn't quite understand the reasoning behind Norman telling him he couldn't stay at the house anymore. As far as Norman knows, he's only been helpful. My thought is, he's afraid Mother will go off the rails and try to get him to kill Chick, and he doesn't want to do that. I think Chick's book is in danger of being found out by Norman, especially since he's now told Norman that he's writing one (he just didn't tell Norman it was about him and his secrets), and if he finds out, Mother will know too.

If I didn't think Madeline was a goner before (and I did), I think it even more now, since we saw clear evidence that Mother wants to kill her. You could liken that scene to the scene in Season 3 when Norman and Bradley were making out, Mother appeared and Norman ran to avoid hurting her. We all know what happened to Bradley after that.

And did Mother take over Norman's body at the end of the episode when he was in the kitchen? The synopsis for the next episode says that he tries to piece together Mother's movements.

[truthaboutluv]

Just now, Virtual Side said:

Although I'm not a big fan of Chick, I couldn't quite understand the reasoning behind Norman telling him he couldn't stay at the house anymore. As far as Norman knows, he's only been helpful. My thought is, he's afraid Mother will go off the rails and try to get him to kill Chick, and he doesn't want to do that.

He was also not happy about Chick and "Mother" agreeing to get rid of Caleb's body instead of calling the police. He probably thinks Chick around may encourage more of Mother's bad behavior.

[Stringey]

Hey I am curious to know what was everyone's take on the scene last night when Norman comes home to the house. It's when he is kind of looking around right before standing in the kitchen and giving the famous stare. Notice that the house was dark and messy and it appeared that this time we were seeing it from Norman's point of view. Remember that kitchen before in his delusional state was fixed up when in reality it was a disaster. This time though he is going through the house and he cannot find mother and it seems as if he is just seeing now the reality of what the house looks like. I could be wrong but I am guessing that Norman gets moments of reality and this was one of the. At moments it could dawn on him that Norma is dead and he sees things as they really are but the insight of reality does not last. What made me think of this idea even more is the fact that in the preview for the next episode(supposedly) he seems to be telling his psychiatrist that he sometimes sees Mother when she is not there. What do others think?

[Fable]

I found all the Madeline scenes so creepy…Norman giving her Norma’s clothes, staring longingly at her holding a baby, the nervous and awkward dinner conversation and the cake-baking make-out session.  I was certain she was going to get the mother treatment there and then.  Judging by the look Norman had at the end, I have a strong feeling we are going to find her dead next episode. 

[truthaboutluv]

2 hours ago, Stringey said:

I could be wrong but I am guessing that Norman gets moments of reality and this was one of the.

That's exactly how I saw it and I meant to mention it. I thought the camera focus on him seeing the two plates of sandwiches, one empty and the other with the sandwich, the darkness of the house and rooms, etc. were telling. My guess is Norman does still have a few moments of lucidity where he knows that Norma is dead. But those are very rare, especially because he's not taking his medication. I also think that even in those moments, he still doesn't know he's killing people because Norman becomes Mother when he kills people, so he completely loses time and doesn't remember what happened. 

Edited March 14, 2017 by truthaboutluv

[hoosiermom]

I am embarrassed to ask, but could someone remind my old,feeble brain who Jim Blackwell was?

[truthaboutluv]

The guy Romero sent to kill Norman.

[Stringey]

1 hour ago, Fable said:

I found all the Madeline scenes so creepy…Norman giving her Norma’s clothes, staring longingly at her holding a baby, the nervous and awkward dinner conversation and the cake-baking make-out session.  I was certain she was going to get the mother treatment there and then.  Judging by the look Norman had at the end, I have a strong feeling we are going to find her dead next episode. 

At first i was disappointed that the murder scene of Madeline was not real. And not because I hate the character and want her off(i really want to see sam gone) just that it seems to be coming. But you know actually in am glad they did not have the real death of Madeline look like that because that scene was anticlimactic. I mean that murder scene it just was not scary or well thought of. Honestly  if he kills her I hope that it shows first from Norman's pov(with mother I assume stabbing her) and then from the side we see the real pov with Norman's body doing it. Because he cares so much for her if we the viewer see it visually as the reality(normans body) it makes the scene more horrifying I think than seeing the distorted pov of mother doing.  And if that image in one trailer with Norman's face covered with blood is connected to the death of Madeline that would be perfect.

[kieyra]

Whoever is doing Chick's wardrobe and styling is having a blast. I've never seen anything like it, and the actor totally embraces the whole aesthetic.

[tikirocker]

6 hours ago, Stringey said:

Let's not forget the Freddie used the little nervous stammer in that scene too that Perkins used in the movie. It's real subtle.

He sure did, just loved it as well as looking skyward like Perkins did. The candy corn on the counter was good to see.

[Stringey]

1 minute ago, tikirocker said:

He sure did, just loved it as well as looking skyward like Perkins did. The candy corn on the counter was good to see.

Freddie does the same nervous stutter at one point talking to the sheriff the same that Perkins did in one scene.  Remember in psycho Norman goes " my mother she's an in an in an invalid".

[smorbie]

9 minutes ago, kieyra said:

Whoever is doing Chick's wardrobe and styling is having a blast. I've never seen anything like it, and the actor totally embraces the whole aesthetic.

Having seen where he lives I understand why he always wears everything he owns.  There's nowhere to leave it.

 

That said, everytime he talks about cooking, I get the willies.

[raven]

Maddie, Maddie - they are his DEAD MOTHER'S DRESSES.   I'm sorry, feeling lonely and neglected doesn't excuse the complete weirdness not just of him offering them to you, but you are going to WEAR them - you did wear one, on what was essentially a date.   It's one thing to buy clothes on consignment, or use donated items, or accept something from a friend - but he talks about his mother like she is his ex, and OMG SHE IS DEAD that is just so, so weird to me.   I will say that Maddie has the cutest hardware store I've ever seen.

Really, kudos to the writers for thinking up that bit. 

The opening scene with dead Caleb, Norman, Norma and Chick was hilarious.   Chick's expressions as he watches Norman argue with air were spot on.  "You had him handcuffed to a pole in your basement".   Chick is only thinking of his story but that whole exchange was funny to me.

5 hours ago, Virtual Side said:

I couldn't quite understand the reasoning behind Norman telling him he couldn't stay at the house anymore.

I was getting a sense that Norman thought Mother and Chick were getting along a little too well, from some of the conversations between Mother and Norman,  Now I have to worry about Chick's bird, dammit.

I thought the scene in the woods was excellent, with Norma and Norman looking for the car.  It starts off as darkly comic then becomes sad - Norman was essentially struggling, attempts to destroy the crazy side of himself, ultimately was unable to do so and accepted never doing it again.   The scene also when he wanders through the house and does appear to be seeing it as is (empty plate, etc) was also sad.

I liked all the scenes with the new sheriff, who may be a little too on the ball for her own good.  Hope she makes it out alive.

I didn't miss Dylan and Emma - stay away and alive.  I do expect Dylan to show up again though.

Not sure about Romero and his incredible quest for revenge.  Hopefully he gets back to the main action soon.

[Mick Lady]

5 hours ago, Stringey said:

Hey I am curious to know what was everyone's take on the scene last night when Norman comes home to the house. It's when he is kind of looking around right before standing in the kitchen and giving the famous stare. Notice that the house was dark and messy and it appeared that this time we were seeing it from Norman's point of view. Remember that kitchen before in his delusional state was fixed up when in reality it was a disaster. This time though he is going through the house and he cannot find mother and it seems as if he is just seeing now the reality of what the house looks like. I could be wrong but I am guessing that Norman gets moments of reality and this was one of the.

This some great insight Stringey! I didn't catch this and will have to think about it. But I think you're right about moments of reality. Norman does after all, keep track of his blackouts.

[Bec]

To be fair, I would totally take Norma’s wardrobe even if I have to take them from Norman Bates himself. The woman has the cutest clothes!

I’m trying to imagine what Norman’s freakout looked like from Madeleine’s point of view. And I suppose to her it might have looked like he wasn’t comfortable with going this far with a married woman. So possibly he still seems like a totally wonderful guy to her, not a scary creeper. We have to remember she doesn’t know as much about him as we do.

I’m actually not sure Madeleine would get killed off. If they follow what happens in Psycho, Norman never kills Sam Loomis’ wife (his wife wasn’t even in the movie at all, but still). It would be a pretty big change if they change this part of the story. It’s gonna be a bit much if he kills both Sam Loomis’ wife AND mistress. And he must kill Sam's mistress. They can take some liberties, but they can't veer off so far from the story that they don't do the most famous death from the original, right?

[ganesh]

22 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Chick was cracking me up tonight.  First, with the elaborate Viking funeral that probably even Caleb would have thought was a bit much.

I'm looking at the scene, and I'm like, "of course. Why not." I also liked the beginning of the show when Chick was standing there trying to tell "Norma" that the cops checking out the "you know, in your BASEment?" was not a good idea. I guess he's our meta because he said he was writing the movie. 

12 hours ago, Lostinthehouse said:

Same camera angle too.  Excellent!

I figured it had to be some kind of homage because it was so distinct an angle. 

12 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

Hey one person with two personalities walking through the woods at night.  How many flashlights?

I think it had to be deliberate, but in the woods Norman kept shining the light on Norma, and she was mirroring him so he kept getting it in his face until he put the light down first. 

[Dobian]

Does Chick know how to dispose of a body or what?  What style, what class!  Was Caleb a veteran of the Viking navy?  Chick can dispose of my body anytime!

[Virtual]

18 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

He was also not happy about Chick and "Mother" agreeing to get rid of Caleb's body instead of calling the police. He probably thinks Chick around may encourage more of Mother's bad behavior.

That could be as well; it's probably more likely than the reason I mentioned.

Another thing regarding Romero, he is sure to have more police on his tail now, since I'm sure that teenager's family called the police once the teenager noticed he was gone. At least Alex was smart enough to give a fake name. If he gets patched up and feels better, he better get to Norman as soon as he can if he's going to confront him.

[quangtran]

21 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

So um, have the writers just forgotten about Emma and Dylan?

I see this as a deliberate choice from the writers, and I base this on the theory that story sections that belonged to Sam and Lilly Crane from the Psycho movie will instead go to Dylan and Emma.

[Stringey]

1 hour ago, quangtran said:

I see this as a deliberate choice from the writers, and I base this on the theory that story sections that belonged to Sam and Lilly Crane from the Psycho movie will instead go to Dylan and Emma.

I mentioned something like this on imdb.com. I would like Emma to discover the corpse of Norma in that freezer. And a modern and appropriate and realistic re do of her reacting to seeing that and Norman dressed as mother showing up trying to stab her but stopped by Dylan. I could see Norman as mother actually saying something to the effect(regarding the corpse) "no that's not me I am still alive it's me Emma it's Norma Bates".  With panic in his voice because reality and the discovery come crashing down And Emma would lose it but not like in the movie I think she might just start crying. If she does scream they would have to make sure it does not look cheesy fitting for modern times.

[ganesh]

I hope we don't see Emma and Dylan at all. They're up in their nice house having bbqs and raising the baby. 

[Gizmo321]

2 hours ago, quangtran said:

I see this as a deliberate choice from the writers, and I base this on the theory that story sections that belonged to Sam and Lilly Crane from the Psycho movie will instead go to Dylan and Emma.

I read an interview that Max gave regarding "Hidden" the writers didn't give him any scenes in the past couple of episodes so he could focus on directing "Hidden". I think it's very cool that "Hidden" shows Norman trying to lead a normal life apart from Mother which is something Dylan was always trying to encourage. And Max directing the elaborate funeral for Caleb seemed like a great send-off. It's clear that the entire cast and crew of this show get along well and life each other in real life. They've become a their own family over the past 5 years. I will miss the show so very much when it's gone.

[Chaos Theory]

Once again I find the most humorous scenes are the ones where Norman is having conversations with Mother.  Hell he had one in front of Chick who had to cover up the fact that he knows how wackadoodle Norman is.  Norman and Mother were having a horrible fight in the woods where well he made her shut up by choking her to death.  That's some subconscious that is coming out their Norman.

Well at least you apologized for kinda killing your Mother again and promised never to do it again. Wonder how long that will last.

[FoundTime]

On 3/14/2017 at 2:44 PM, Virtual Side said:

And did Mother take over Norman's body at the end of the episode when he was in the kitchen? The synopsis for the next episode says that he tries to piece together Mother's movements.

For all that this show has classic horror and gore in its DNA, the scenes that are most terrifying to me are seeing these kinds of subtle, quiet changes that Freddie Highmore goes through as Norman/Norma when nothing "happens" but everything happens.

That point in this episode (the scene Stringey refers to upthread) when it seemed Norman was as self-aware as he may be capable of being, when he saw the condition of the house as it really is (e.g., the kitchen table with one meal untouched) and knew what was happening to him was heartbreaking.

[peacheslatour]

Just a shout out to all the horror, film noir and suspense fans that frequent theses threads; TCM is having March Malice from March 20-25th. Go to their website and you will see the listings and you can be in heaven just like me!