S05.E04: Hidden

[Peanut6711]

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

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!

That's timely. Psycho is being shown right before next week's Bates Motel. :) 

TCM, MONDAY MARCH, 20 2017 AT 08:00 PM

[Mick Lady]

On ‎3‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 7:57 PM, Bec said:

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!

What ever you do Bec, don't talk to peacheslatour!

4 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

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!

TCM channel is, hands down, my favorite channel!

[peacheslatour]

2 minutes ago, Mick Lady said:

What ever you do Bec, don't talk to peacheslatour!

TCM channel is, hands down, my favorite channel!

That's because I'm EVIL. Evil I tells ya!

Seriously, TCM is the only channel I would pay a separate cable fee for.

[JenMcSnark]

On 3/14/2017 at 1:09 PM, 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. 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?

As my daughter and I were watching tonight, I said "Oops, Norman is sane for a minute."  He definitely saw Norma's food uneaten and recognized that all was not as he usually sees it.  But it was very fleeting.  

[queenanne]

I gotta give it to Isabelle McNally, she was doing a chilling job with her "Vera face", including at least two moments in the first hardware store scene behind the counter where she looked so like Norma I nearly gasped.

I think Chick has occasional moments of feeling sorry for Norman but I agree, he's being very self-serving.  He was as good as threatening Norman with discovery as he packed the car the first time around, I thought.

Freddie and the writers are doing a good job with the Norma/Norman of these bi-level discussions (of course Norman would picture Norma telling him she de facto could give a hang about Romero - it's his dream!); and it's funny that we can just as easily picture the conversations as "Norman talking aloud to himself trying to convince himself", but they haven't convinced me there's a good purpose to showing Norman "strangling Norma".  Maybe if they went extreme camera angle so that Norman's eyes are the camera, they'd get me, but I keep getting thrown by the practicality of it all.  The "How can Norman believe---" hurdle.

Also, I did not need to be eating while Romero dressed his wound, heh.

[smorbie]

16 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

 

 

18 hours ago, FoundTime said:

 

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.

It really was.  He didn't ask for any of this, and Norman, himself, didn't start out as a bad guy.  He grew more manipulative as the show went on and he became more aware of his illness, but the real Norman was just a sweet kid, loving and devoted to his mother.

No one asks to be sick, and he is just sick.  His illness just happens to be lethal to others.

[smorbie]

8 hours ago, queenanne said:

I gotta give it to Isabelle McNally, she was doing a chilling job with her "Vera face", including at least two moments in the first hardware store scene behind the counter where she looked so like Norma I nearly gasped.

I think Chick has occasional moments of feeling sorry for Norman but I agree, he's being very self-serving.  He was as good as threatening Norman with discovery as he packed the car the first time around, I thought.

Freddie and the writers are doing a good job with the Norma/Norman of these bi-level discussions (of course Norman would picture Norma telling him she de facto could give a hang about Romero - it's his dream!); and it's funny that we can just as easily picture the conversations as "Norman talking aloud to himself trying to convince himself", but they haven't convinced me there's a good purpose to showing Norman "strangling Norma".  Maybe if they went extreme camera angle so that Norman's eyes are the camera, they'd get me, but I keep getting thrown by the practicality of it all.  The "How can Norman believe---" hurdle.

Also, I did not need to be eating while Romero dressed his wound, heh.

I agree about Chick and about McNally's Norma performance.

However, Norman did really see to channel Norma in their first discussion about Romero when she was studying French.  He asked her whether she still loved Alex, and she made an "I'm-lying" face when she unconvincingly denied it.  Also, people with imaginary friends, typically children, often kill them when they are trying to get rid of the them.  They have outgrown the need for the friend and the most permanent way to get rid of them is to kill them.  Norman's growing unhappiness with his mother culminating in his attempted strangulation of her reminded me of that behavior.

[Virtual]

22 hours ago, Gizmo321 said:

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.

In that case, I suppose I don't mind Dylan missing an episode or two. Looks like he returns in the next episode, which will be good to see. And I, too, thought it was great to see Norman trying to live a normal life (if he wants to do that to the full extent though, he should return his dead mother's corpse to the grave, which we know won't happen). We mostly see shades of Seasons 1 - 2 Norman when he is glad to be talking with Madeline. It's still weird that she looks like Norma, and now will have her dresses, though. 

18 hours ago, FoundTime said:

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.

That's the thing about Bates Motel, the show has a lot of scenes that just make you stop and think, "just what is happening here?"

[Stringey]

So I  am thinking a discovery of the corpse in the basement freezer scene could work also with either Emma or Madeline discovering this if Madeline makes it. Just the horror and bewilderment that would be on madelines face at not only seeing this but if she also saw  her well mannered but eccentric Norman appear in front of her sporting the Mother outfit and knife.

[Stringey]

So do you guys think that  when Marion was at the motel with Sam that she saw and would recognize Norman when she sees him again. And did Norman get a look at her face where he would recognize her when he sees her again. I ask this because it relates to her coming to the motel again. I wonder if Norman will believe she is just a lady passing through who would know nothing about the death of his mother. I don't think this will happen but it would be so cool if the conversation about Mother between them was similar to the one in psycho. Norman does not know who she is and assumes she is just passing through so he just lets out his frustration with Mother. Maybe she stays there a couple days so he has become friendly with her. Anyway talking about Mother is something he cannot do with anyone in town because they know Norma is dead.  I would love to see  how they would portray this and Marion suggesting he get mother help and his reaction to this. I know the show should take liberties to make its own story and it has. But sometimes showing iconic moments with some variations is cool.

[Lamima]

Not a Psycho extraordinaire... ha, that sounds funny... but I am not super knowledgeable about the old movie. But I think she won't know him but Norman, sure will know her from the visit with Sam. She won't know his mother is dead.

[Stringey]

1 hour ago, Lamima said:

Not a Psycho extraordinaire... ha, that sounds funny... but I am not super knowledgeable about the old movie. But I think she won't know him but Norman, sure will know her from the visit with Sam. She won't know his mother is dead.

I was going to say I was not sure he got a look at her face because she did not come in the office with Sam and plus her face was obscured by the umbrella. But....yeah that's right he must have got a  very very good look at her while he was spying on them screwing. But still he could have just seen her from the back he only got a chance to peep on them for several seconds.

[Lamima]

2 minutes ago, Stringey said:

I was going to say I was not sure he got a look at her face because she did not come in the office with Sam and plus her face was obscured by the umbrella. But....yeah that's right he must have got a  very very good look at her while he was spying on them screwing. But still he could have just seen her from the back he only got a chance to peep on them for several seconds.

He'll put 2 and 2 together quick and then that look, I love, will come over his face. But I don't know the storyline from the movie too well. I also wonder how it would go if she suggests his mother gets help. He seems drawn to the ladies that don't 'appreciate' Mother but then he kills them or nearly kills them (in the case of nosering chick). That's his whole internal dilemma... he hates Mother but nobody else better dare to hate her... so he hates her but loves her. And the one lady who did appreciate Mother, Emma, he has no use for and she gets to live.

[Virtual]

There's actually a preview where Marion tells Norman that she was there before with her "boyfriend", so it looks like he finds out from her telling him outright, although I would not put it past Norman to just recognize her perhaps from wearing the same type of clothing as that night with Sam.

[Stringey]

13 hours ago, Virtual Side said:

There's actually a preview where Marion tells Norman that she was there before with her "boyfriend", so it looks like he finds out from her telling him outright, although I would not put it past Norman to just recognize her perhaps from wearing the same type of clothing as that night with Sam.

Maybe Norman will feel comfortable confiding in her about having to deal with Mother if he believes she is not someone who is going to stick around town for a long time. If Marion makes a suggestion about doing something about Mother it will be more along the lines of suggesting a psychiatrist i doubt she would say put her somewhere like Marion did in the movie.  But even just the suggestion of Psycho bariatric help would raise the shackles on Norman's neck. We will see how it all goes down. It's likely no conversation regarding mother would happen but it is my wish. And you know part of Norman must want to talk about her with someone other than Chick. Also speaking of Chick I believe the guy has sociopathic qualities bit every few minutes he does something that makes me laugh.

Just now, Stringey said:

Maybe Norman will feel comfortable confiding in her about having to deal with Mother if he believes she is not someone who is going to stick around town for a long time. If Marion makes a suggestion about doing something about Mother it will be more along the lines of suggesting a psychiatrist i doubt she would say put her somewhere like Marion did in the movie.  But even just the suggestion of Psycho bariatric help would raise the shackles on Norman's neck. We will see how it all goes down. It's likely no conversation regarding mother would happen but it is my wish. And you know part of Norman must want to talk about her with someone other than Chick. Also speaking of Chick I believe the guy has sociopathic qualities bit every few minutes he does something that makes me laugh.

Stupid spell check. The word psycho bariatric is supposed today psychiatric.

[Stringey]

2 hours ago, Stringey said:

Maybe Norman will feel comfortable confiding in her about having to deal with Mother if he believes she is not someone who is going to stick around town for a long time. If Marion makes a suggestion about doing something about Mother it will be more along the lines of suggesting a psychiatrist i doubt she would say put her somewhere like Marion did in the movie.  But even just the suggestion of Psycho bariatric help would raise the shackles on Norman's neck. We will see how it all goes down. It's likely no conversation regarding mother would happen but it is my wish. And you know part of Norman must want to talk about her with someone other than Chick. Also speaking of Chick I believe the guy has sociopathic qualities bit every few minutes he does something that makes me laugh.

Stupid spell check. The word psycho bariatric is supposed today psychiatric.

To be  I mean not today. Wtf

[Ohwell]

6 minutes ago, Stringey said:

To be  I mean not today. Wtf

You can make corrections to your original posts.

Just look for the pencil icon down at the bottom left.

Edited March 18, 2017 by Ohwell

[peacheslatour]

20 hours ago, Ohwell said:

You can make corrections to your original posts.

Just look for the pencil icon down at the bottom left.

Just like you did! Very illustrative. :)

Edited March 19, 2017 by peacheslatour
me too

[spiderpig]

I'm bingeing on Season 5 and just saw this ep tonight.

It was driving me crazy trying to figure out who Chick's vocal delivery reminded me of.

Philip Seymour Hoffman.  Now I feel better.

I like Norma's wardrobe too.  It's just so...Norma!

Just read today that A&E will not make anymore scripted series.  Too bad because this one has been great.

[peacheslatour]

7 hours ago, spiderpig said:

I'm bingeing on Season 5 and just saw this ep tonight.

It was driving me crazy trying to figure out who Chick's vocal delivery reminded me of.

Philip Seymour Hoffman.  Now I feel better.

I like Norma's wardrobe too.  It's just so...Norma!

Just read today that A&E will not make anymore scripted series.  Too bad because this one has been great.

I guess it's too expensive to produce well written and acted programming when it's cheaper to show the fascinating world of house flipping, parking difficulties and bounty hunting.

[spiderpig]

26 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I guess it's too expensive to produce well written and acted programming when it's cheaper to show the fascinating world of house flipping, parking difficulties and bounty hunting.

Yeah - and I guess there's another writer's guild strike looming.  The previous one reportedly generated the explosion of "reality" shows.