S05.E08: The Body

[Glade]

I was really shocked to find out that Audrey Ellis was in the lake?? The last we heard, she was at the bottom of the 20 foot ditch where the bates motel pool was supposed to be, and then was covered over with soil. Who would have moved her, and when (not to mention how?) Chick of course is the next most obvious fall guy--he got rid of the assassin's car, and may have gotten rid of Audrey's car too? That is evidence enough, and since Romero just killed Chick for no fucking reason (to frame Norman, one could claim), maybe he also killed Sam Loomis? I was expecting more bodies--like that of Norman's doctor, but I guess not.

Presumably this isn't the same lake where Chick burned/dumped Caleb's body, or where Bradley Martin drowned in her car--Oregon has a lot of lakes... I can't believe Norma/n's lawyer let him hang himself with that ridiculously incriminating interview.

[Mick Lady]

12 hours ago, Ailianna said:

So many thoughts.  I had the choice to watch this or the new Better Call Saul this morning before work, and I went with Bates Motel.  And I was completely mesmerized.  

I liked how ghost Norma had her hair curled.  I've been noticing that, although actual Norma liked to curl her hair, and was often wearing the curls, which did soften and flatter her, Mother always wears her hair straight and rather severe.  I think it is another reflection of the difference between Norma and Mother.  Mother is there solely to protect Norman, and therefore she is the stern one, the controlling one, and the one whose word is law.  And I wondered why there was no one watching to see him force up the meds (and to wonder why he would ask for them so much and then throw them up!), and so see him knock himself out.  A prisoner has to be watched pretty closely (NY requires actual view of every prisoner in a holding cell every 15 minutes), and a lot of especially small agencies had installed cameras, so that one person can watch the prisoner and do work around the station too.  That would be one screwed up video!

The snow in Seattle bothered me, but I have decided if that's the only thing bothering me, I will let it go.  Emma and Katie did look cute sitting out there, though.  Please stay in Seattle Emma!!  Even though your mom is now going to be buried in WPB (for no reason--she had no connections there, but I"m sure that's where the funeral will be, since she didn't seem to have connections anywhere else).  For Katie's sake, stay away!  I want Dylan to live too, but I watched their phone call, with Dylan in the dark in the motel and Emma and Katie in the light in Seattle, an I have a horrible fear that he will die and they will be the only hope of escape from Norman's tragedy.

Can't believe there are only two more episodes, and can't wait to see them.

 

Wow Alianna! What a great observation!

[Complexity]

3 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Had this new sheriff been around when, say, Norma killed her rapist, Norman might have gone into foster care (or under Dylan's custody) and then his mental problems wouldn't have been swept under the rug and he would have gotten real help before he hurt anyone else.

But then we wouldn't have a show or movie. The whole point of it all is his behavior due to his mental illness.

[Lamima]

2 hours ago, Glade said:

I was really shocked to find out that Audrey Ellis was in the lake?? The last we heard, she was at the bottom of the 20 foot ditch where the bates motel pool was supposed to be, and then was covered over with soil. Who would have moved her, and when (not to mention how?) Chick of course is the next most obvious fall guy--he got rid of the assassin's car, and may have gotten rid of Audrey's car too? That is evidence enough, and since Romero just killed Chick for no fucking reason (to frame Norman, one could claim), maybe he also killed Sam Loomis? I was expecting more bodies--like that of Norman's doctor, but I guess not.

Presumably this isn't the same lake where Chick burned/dumped Caleb's body, or where Bradley Martin drowned in her car--Oregon has a lot of lakes... I can't believe Norma/n's lawyer let him hang himself with that ridiculously incriminating interview.

I too wondered how Audrey got from the pool pit to the lake. Unless her body was never in the pool pit and Norma just presumed it was due to finding Audrey's earring near it.

But I do think Chick is going to be the fall guy for everything. Maybe Romero will be a hero for killing the true murderer. I think Chick's book is him writing what Norman did but writing it as he, himself (Chick), doing it. The book will be left and Romero will take the tapes and hide/destroy them. Maybe Romero will hope Norman gets off so he can kill him.

[Stringey]

2 hours ago, Mick Lady said:

 

Wow Alianna! What a great observation!

I actually like the straight version of veras wig and like it better this season. And the first season she wore that wig I found  it weird looking i think partly because it was so platinum blond looking sometimes it looked almost grey in certain lights. Speaking of her wig something got me laughing when I was looking through some of the posts of last season's finale and somewhere along the line the appearance of veras wig came up. Someone said that wig reminded him or her of George Washington. I am glad i was not eating when reading that because I would have choked on it from instant laughter. That got me laughing because it did look a little like George Washington at times but I never really thought to much about it until someone voiced it.

1 minute ago, Stringey said:

I actually like the straight version of veras wig and like it better this season. And the first season she wore that wig I found  it weird looking i think partly because it was so platinum blond looking sometimes it looked almost grey in certain lights. Speaking of her wig something got me laughing when I was looking through some of the posts of last season's finale and somewhere along the line the appearance of veras wig came up. Someone said that wig reminded him or her of George Washington. I am glad i was not eating when reading that because I would have choked on it from instant laughter. That got me laughing because it did look a little like George Washington at times but I never really thought to much about it until someone voiced it.

Sorry this did not seem to correspond to the right statement. Above a little in bold veras hair was mentioned.

[RedMal]

2 hours ago, Lamima said:

I too wondered how Audrey got from the pool pit to the lake. Unless her body was never in the pool pit and Norma just presumed it was due to finding Audrey's earring near it.

Audrey was never there, it was just a red herring.

[JenE4]

On 4/11/2017 at 8:30 AM, Chaos Theory said:

What I find interesting is that while Mother is trying to help she is only making things so much worse.  Her lies sound brilliant (I mean pinning Sam's death on Madeline was a work of genius) but once you even start to investigate the story falls apart.  I am still thinking that the majority of the relationship we saw between Norman and Madeline didn't actually happen.  

I actually had the opposite reaction that the more they investigated, the more believable the story would be. Madeline said she barely knew Norman and he just came into the store. But then they'll find that she has his mother's dresses, and various witnesses around town will be able to attest to seeing them together. Especially if a neighbor saw Norman rushing out of her house with Madeline yelling after him on the night she kissed him and he feared Mother would kill her. It would seem suspicious that Norman could have been fleeing in fear of Madeline. She made a mistake lying about the extent of their friendship.

why would Romero shoot Chick when he obviously would have been a star witness against Norman--including clearing him from any association with Norma's wrongful death?! Yeah, the guy is a bit blusterous, but he would have helped Romero's case--and instead just one more death tally.

i feel like these two points are in Mother's favor.

[truthaboutluv]

On 4/11/2017 at 7:46 PM, Glade said:

I was really shocked to find out that Audrey Ellis was in the lake?? The last we heard, she was at the bottom of the 20 foot ditch where the bates motel pool was supposed to be, and then was covered over with soil. Who would have moved her, and when (not to mention how?)

As someone else said, we were never told for certain that Audrey was in the pit. Norma suspected she was because of the earring and she did search the pit but didn't find anything. It's entirely possible that the earring just fell when Norman as Mother was dragging Audrey's body to the car, en route to the lake. 

Quote

Chick of course is the next most obvious fall guy--he got rid of the assassin's car, and may have gotten rid of Audrey's car too? That is evidence enough, and since Romero just killed Chick for no fucking reason (to frame Norman, 

I'm not sure killing Chick would work to frame Norman, since Norman was clearly in jail when Chick was killed. Even if one suggests he was killed before, the police apparently searched both the house and the motel. I think it'd be hard for them to miss an obvious body. There is also the fact that medical experts can gauge how long someone's been dead so it'd be very unlikely to pin Chick's murder on Norman.

Romero killed Chick for the simple reason that he was annoying him. Not to mention he'd just admitted he knew Norman dug up his dead mother and kept her in some tomb like thing in the basement, more proof of how crazy he is and instead of trying to help or stop Norman, Chick was using his illness and the tragedy of the family for some book.

Quote

I actually had the opposite reaction that the more they investigated, the more believable the story would be. Madeline said she barely knew Norman and he just came into the store. But then they'll find that she has his mother's dresses, and various witnesses around town will be able to attest to seeing them together. Especially if a neighbor saw Norman rushing out of her house with Madeline yelling after him on the night she kissed him and he feared Mother would kill her. It would seem suspicious that Norman could have been fleeing in fear of Madeline. She made a mistake lying about the extent of their friendship.

I agree. I felt like although the sheriff clearly didn't fully buy Norman's story, she wasn't dismissing it entirely and was still willing to investigate Madeline somewhat. I actually found her in total good cop mode when she was telling Madeline about Norman confessing about Sam's murder and asking about their friendship. She made it seem like she was just trying to get anything she could to help her but I could tell she was trying to gauge if Madeline was lying about anything.

Mother's story wasn't so crazy, only if Norman hadn't confessed to the murder. That's the part that doesn't add up and makes no sense. That this guy would just call the police and confess to some woman's husband's murder for her. Especially when at the time the police wasn't even aware a murder had happened. The story would have been more believable if Sam's body had been found and evidence pointed to Norman and the police brought him down for questioning. Then the story that he might have helped Madeline cover up Sam's death after she killed him might have seemed believable. 

But the "she killed him, told me and she was so scared, so I decided to call the police and confess to a man's murder who no one even really knew was dead yet" made no sense. 

Edited April 14, 2017 by truthaboutluv

[smorbie]

23 hours ago, Stringey said:

The last line was creepy and cryptic. And two decades from now Mother in Norman's mind has also grown old. She wears her greying hair in a bun and when she does not sit in that wheel chair(mother suffered a fall down the basement stairs or did Mother just really piss Norman off one time too many) she likes to sit in her rocking chair and sometimes rock slowly in it.  At one point Norman over the phone tells some girl he is sorry he can't see her anymore. When he hangs up we hear an aged version of Veras voice say "It's okay my boy she was not good enough for you anyway now bring me my tea". Norman with a tear in his eye says "Yes Mother"   I mentioned in the past this is how I envisioned Norman's future if he never was caught but then doubted this would happen once he discovered Mother was not Norma because I believed Norman was going to be fighting her. Well he has but I think she would have found a way to completely dominate him still. Anyhow realistically even though my fantasy ending is creepy I see nobody going back home to that house.

There is a scene close to the end of the second season after Norman has been rescued from the box.  He's sleeping in his bed and Norma is sitting in his room, watching over him, and rocking in that squeaky rocking chair.  It was a creepy little tableau.

[smorbie]

20 hours ago, Evie said:

He could hide out at Chick's place if he gets rid of the body. I doubt Chick gets many visitors.

I wonder if there is physical evidence linking Norman to any of the murders?

With Romero finding out that Norman dug up Norma's body and then moved it, I'm guessing the final confrontation between the two is going to take place in the woods where Norman left Norma's body.

I kind of assumed maybe Chick had been evicted since he set up residence in the basement.

[smorbie]

16 hours ago, AlwaysWatching said:

Romero looked like walking death to me. I thought he was seriously end of life hallucinating Norma.  Guess I'll find out if he dies from his wound.

I can not believe this show is about to end.  How many TV shows have you watched that got progressively better for years? And coming down to the end stretch here, I can't miss 10 seconds of any episode.  Bates Motel is why I watch television.  I can't even imagine it being over for good.  It really feels like they could keep going and keep going and keep........."sniff".

When it ends, I'm probably cancelling my cable.  I can wait for new eps of TWD, the Middle, and Doctor Who to show up on Netflix and Amazon, but I couldn't stop watching Bates.

11 hours ago, RedMal said:

Audrey was never there, it was just a red herring.

And Audrey didn't have a car.  That's why Norma gave up and let her stay another night 

[smorbie]

2 hours ago, JenE4 said:

I actually had the opposite reaction that the more they investigated, the more believable the story would be. Madeline said she barely knew Norman and he just came into the store. But then they'll find that she has his mother's dresses, and various witnesses around town will be able to attest to seeing them together. Especially if a neighbor saw Norman rushing out of her house with Madeline yelling after him on the night she kissed him and he feared Mother would kill her. It would seem suspicious that Norman could have been fleeing in fear of Madeline. She made a mistake lying about the extent of their friendship.

why would Romero shoot Chick when he obviously would have been a star witness against Norman--including clearing him from any association with Norma's wrongful death?! Yeah, the guy is a bit blusterous, but he would have helped Romero's case--and instead just one more death tally.

i feel like these two points are in Mother's favor.

But...what if none of those things happened?  What if all Norman was to Madeline was a guy who shopped in her store and that she gave a ride to one time?

[truthaboutluv]

2 hours ago, smorbie said:

But...what if none of those things happened?  What if all Norman was to Madeline was a guy who shopped in her store and that she gave a ride to one time?

Then it would further convince the Sheriff he's a crazy, lying murderer. But as is, we don't know for certain that these things never happened and Norman just imagined it. YMMV, I believe those things happened though because it was Mother who used it as a way to shift blame on Madeline. Remember, like most personalities, Mother knows everything about Norman while he doesn't know all the things she's done. So if these things never happened, Mother would know that because it would mean Norman was in a dis-associative state and imagining it, like he imagined the doctor and imagines Mother's presence. I could be wrong though.

[islandgal140]

This show is turning the original work on its ear and doing it so damn well. I. AM. LOVING. IT. I believe the original intention when the show started was to end where Psycho began Madeline Crane checking into the motel. I was a little scared when this was changed but damn are they delivering.

One small disappointment though is that one of my dream scenarios coming into the final season was having Romero finally confront Norman and than having Norman panic and start channeling Norma and trying to flirt/seduce Romero and than watching Romero's WTF face as it slowly dawned on him what was going on. Now that Norman is to some extent self-aware of his mental issue and in jail I don't see how that could happen.

Norman/Norma ain't shit for trying to set up Marilyn. I think the fact that they dug up 2 more bodies in the lake that they could connect more readily to Norman that helped extricate Marilyn so quickly. 

I thought for sure that when they showed the cops and dogs combing through the woods that they would uncover Norma's body and it would truly have been a wrap. Frankly, I think if someone, anyone, doesn't uncover the body by next episode, or midway through the finale at the latest, Norman will have gotten away with it because he will wind up going back to the clearing, digging her up and living 'happily' ever after with it/her in that creepy ass house. End scene.

I was shocked, SHOCKED I tells ya, by Chick's demise. 

I wasn't surprised by Dylan's not turning on Norman. I think part of him thinks he failed Norman because he most of all knew he was ill. Secondly, Dylan naturally doesn't trust cops because of his past.  Dylan is also incredibly street smart. Part of me also thinks he wants to mull on it and maybe broker some kind of deal for Norman, but I don't think we have time for all that given there are only 2 episodes left to which I say:

[smorbie]

5 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

Then it would further convince the Sheriff he's a crazy, lying murderer. But as is, we don't know for certain that these things never happened and Norman just imagined it. YMMV, I believe those things happened though because it was Mother who used it as a way to shift blame on Madeline. Remember, like most personalities, Mother knows everything about Norman while he doesn't know all the things she's done. So if these things never happened, Mother would know that because it would mean Norman was in a dis-associative state and imagining it, like he imagined the doctor and imagines Mother's presence. I could be wrong though.

And you may be right.  It's just as plausible.  Really, I hadn't considered the possibility that it wasn't true until someone else mentioned it.  

And we are kind of flying in the dark now, aren't we?  Everything and nothing might be real.  

[KaveDweller]

10 hours ago, JenE4 said:

I actually had the opposite reaction that the more they investigated, the more believable the story would be. Madeline said she barely knew Norman and he just came into the store. But then they'll find that she has his mother's dresses, and various witnesses around town will be able to attest to seeing them together. Especially if a neighbor saw Norman rushing out of her house with Madeline yelling after him on the night she kissed him and he feared Mother would kill her. It would seem suspicious that Norman could have been fleeing in fear of Madeline. She made a mistake lying about the extent of their friendship.

Well, I wonder how much she said after the sheriff asked if Norman had reason to be infatuated with her. The scene ended after that, but maybe Madeline changed her story at that point and admitted they'd spent more time together?

[kieyra]

You could probably go through every one of my posts here and back on TWOP and never find an instance where I said a show made me gasp out loud. I just don't react to television outwardly like that, and I usually see the twists coming a mile away.

But I was so mesmerized by Ryan Hurst's completely bananas performance as Chick, and the crazy yet true things he was saying, that I was absolutely caught off guard when Romero shot him in the head mid-sentence. And I gasped out loud. Then I realized I had been watching the whole scene with my mouth hanging open. Bananas.

This is such a unique little show. I'm not always as taken with it as people who are more into the Psycho IP, but it has a style and rhythm I've never seen anywhere else, and it continues to surprise me.

(And the fantastic casting and performances didn't do Rihanna any favors.)

Shallowly: Brooke Smith looks fabulous. Someone give her and Ryan Hurst some leading roles, please.

[Anela]

Norma whacking Norman's head into the sink, and then gently laying him down onto the floor, was creepy. I also liked seeing her in the mirror - reminding everyone of who was in control.

I wondered why everyone seemed to be seeing Norma in the house. Didn't the same thing happen to her brother? 

[LocimusPrime]

I wish Neegan would bash Normans head in. 

[lunaseas1122]

I wish Norman would stab Negan. Repeatedly. But cut his throat first so he can't freaking TALK anymore.

[springchicken]

My two favorite moments in the episode (besides Chick ringing the bell on his typewriter - I would have loved to see the writers cheering over that one) were when Norma repeated Julia's name - Hulia, lol, and when Madeline saw Norman being led through the jail through that small window. That was great on many levels - his fury displayed to the world finally, and wow! what acting by Freddie. Speaking of acting by Freddie, I am amazed how he is making his eyes brim with tears for practically all his scenes.

[Stringey]

44 minutes ago, springchicken said:

My two favorite moments in the episode (besides Chick ringing the bell on his typewriter - I would have loved to see the writers cheering over that one) were when Norma repeated Julia's name - Hulia, lol, and when Madeline saw Norman being led through the jail through that small window. That was great on many levels - his fury displayed to the world finally, and wow! what acting by Freddie. Speaking of acting by Freddie, I am amazed how he is making his eyes brim with tears for practically all his scenes.

Yeah they must be tossing him water bottles in between takes. Dehydration

[smorbie]

11 hours ago, LocimusPrime said:

I wish Neegan would bash Normans head in. 

I could get on board with the reverse, actually.  Just as long as anybody kills negan, I don't care who it is.

[sugarbaker design]

4 hours ago, springchicken said:

were when Norma repeated Julia's name - Hulia, lol

Yes!

4 hours ago, springchicken said:

 and when Madeline saw Norman being led through the jail through that small window.

YES!  Creepiest moment!

[Ohwell]

15 hours ago, LocimusPrime said:

I wish Neegan would bash Normans head in. 

I cannot stand that smirk on Norman's face.  So, yeah.

[Living Dead]

Why did Romero kill chic? Wouldn't you think that Romero would want to understand more about Norman? Chic told him that he dug her up. So wouldn't Romero want to know as much as he could? 

And what else does Romero know about Norman other than he killed Norma? Does he underestimate Norman? He did ask Chic if this is where he ''keeps them.'' So does Romero know or suspect Normal is a serial killer? I'm sure he knows some stuff but I can't remember every single episode. 

[luna1122]

2 hours ago, Ohwell said:

I cannot stand that smirk on Norman's face.  So, yeah.

Have you met negan? Perma-smirk is the least of his sins. Negan is pure murdering raping tedious evil. Norman is sick. I don't want him to get away with his crimes, but I don't hate him. I feel sorry for him. Seeing him dead wouldn't give me any pleasure. Unlike negan. 

[Ohwell]

I haven't "met" Negan but, yeah, I've seen him.  I wouldn't mind if they both got blown away.

I don't take either of these characters seriously because...well...they're just tv shows.

[Miss Chevious]

When Romero confronted Chick in the basement the lighting, shadows etc. on his face was masterful. For a flash a few seconds his head and face looked positively skull-ish. His eyes almost seemed black and his entire head had kind of a blue-ish cast to it. The cinematography in this show is stunning. They think of everything, even down to the use of color. 

[ganesh]

I'm hoping something comes of Chick's death because that was very abrupt. Romero is nearly as unhinged as Norman at this point, and I could almost see him taking the fall for all the bodies if they paint him as trying to get revenge on Norman. 

[luna1122]

58 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

I haven't "met" Negan but, yeah, I've seen him.  I wouldn't mind if they both got blown away.

I don't take either of these characters seriously because...well...they're just tv shows.

True. But one of them has actually ruined a TV show for me, so my hate runs deep. I don't pine for Norman's death, and I'll be sorry to see it all end. 

[Ohwell]

If Chick had stopped talking I don't think that Romero would have shot him.  But Chick just went on and on and on so I was glad that Romero finally shut him up. 

[smorbie]

On 4/12/2017 at 11:47 PM, Anela said:

Norma whacking Norman's head into the sink, and then gently laying him down onto the floor, was creepy. I also liked seeing her in the mirror - reminding everyone of who was in control.

I wondered why everyone seemed to be seeing Norma in the house. Didn't the same thing happen to her brother? 

It is possible she is haunting the house. Chick said as much.

[smorbie]

15 hours ago, Ohwell said:

If Chick had stopped talking I don't think that Romero would have shot him.  But Chick just went on and on and on so I was glad that Romero finally shut him up. 

Yeah, I think Romero shot him to shut him up.  Effective.  I may have to try it.

 

Oh, Neeeegannnnn...

[Anela]

23 hours ago, smorbie said:

I could get on board with the reverse, actually.  Just as long as anybody kills negan, I don't care who it is.

I thought that the other night. I was picturing Negan's reaction to Norman becoming Norma, and then Norma taking care of him.

[DangerousMinds]

Who?

[smorbie]

The thought made me smile.  But, then so did the thought of Romero's shooting Negan?  Is it possible I'm not the nice person I thought I was?

1 hour ago, DangerousMinds said:

Who?

Sorry, sweetie.  We're mixing universes, I know.  I hate it when people do that and I've just become a part of it.  

Don't mind us; we're a bit crazed right now.  :))

[Anela]

6 hours ago, DangerousMinds said:

Who?

I'm sorry. It sometimes bugs me, when I have no idea what people are talking about - like I've only seen a couple of episodes of Buffy, and the X-Files, or quite a few other shows. The Walking Dead. A Big Bad who just talks way too much. 

5 hours ago, smorbie said:

The thought made me smile.  But, then so did the thought of Romero's shooting Negan?  Is it possible I'm not the nice person I thought I was?

Sorry, sweetie.  We're mixing universes, I know.  I hate it when people do that and I've just become a part of it.  

Don't mind us; we're a bit crazed right now.  :))

haha! I just said the same thing. 

[Virtual]

On 4/11/2017 at 6:46 PM, Glade said:

I was really shocked to find out that Audrey Ellis was in the lake?? The last we heard, she was at the bottom of the 20 foot ditch where the bates motel pool was supposed to be, and then was covered over with soil. Who would have moved her, and when (not to mention how?) Chick of course is the next most obvious fall guy--he got rid of the assassin's car, and may have gotten rid of Audrey's car too? That is evidence enough, and since Romero just killed Chick for no fucking reason (to frame Norman, one could claim), maybe he also killed Sam Loomis? I was expecting more bodies--like that of Norman's doctor, but I guess not.

Presumably this isn't the same lake where Chick burned/dumped Caleb's body, or where Bradley Martin drowned in her car--Oregon has a lot of lakes... I can't believe Norma/n's lawyer let him hang himself with that ridiculously incriminating interview.

I wonder how Audrey got moved as well. Norman saw visions of her being covered with dirt last season, so I thought for certain that she was in that hole that got filled. I also think that we will find out just what happened to Dr. Edwards at some point in the next two episodes.

Given how much trouble Mother got Norman in during this episode, I think "she" would have been better off letting Norman answer the police's questions, especially if changing the story was the best plan "she" could come up with. Then again, "she" knows that if Norman is institutionalized, he'll be on meds and won't be able to see "her" anymore, thus killing "her". I'm at the point of not liking Mother very much now, especially since "she" tried to kill Dylan (a favorite character of mine) and might get Norman killed (I've been pulling for him to beat his illness and be able to live normal) judging from the 5x09 preview.

[Mick Lady]

8 hours ago, smorbie said:

The thought made me smile.  But, then so did the thought of Romero's shooting Negan?  Is it possible I'm not the nice person I thought I was?

Sorry, sweetie.  We're mixing universes, I know.  I hate it when people do that and I've just become a part of it.  

Don't mind us; we're a bit crazed right now.  :))

Heh! I was going to mention that Negan was John Winchester...

[UncleChuck]

I just went back and re-read some of the posts from earlier episodes and a pattern was quickly evident.  Time after time, our posters speculated on what Norman/Norma/Mother would do next, or how Marian Crane would find her way into that famous shower, or who would die next...and time after time--without fail--Cuse and the writers had an entirely different outcome planned for us. 

Little scenes, and bits of dialogue and props continually pop up from the original Psycho, yet the death of Sam Loomis showed us for sure that TPTB are NOT re-making the original movie.  Now that we know that they are not following Hitchcock's screenplay, anything is possible for an ending.  Tony Perkins lived to re-create Norman Bates in several more films, but Freddy H. might not be so lucky.  We might end this show with a dead Norman--or maybe not, but Loomis in the shower means we cannot really predict anything...

I do feel that it would be a real disservice to this wonderful project if Romero is allowed to be the last man standing, or the one to take Norman down.  Poor Norman kills because he is very sick--Romero just kills for fun and profit.  There is nothing redeeming or sympathetic about Romero.  To allow him any redemption by finishing the Norman Bates saga would be very unsatisfying for me. 

Of course, we could have another "homage" to the original and end "Bates Motel" with a ten minute speech from some psychologist--explaining how Norman is "mother" and "mother" is Norman and etc., etc., but we have spent 50 hours over 5 years learning about that.  In my scenario, I picture Norman as finally confined permanently because of testimony by Dylan, or even Norman being killed by Dylan.  This would bring this tragic family full circle, doomed to consume itself.  

[Stringey]

1 hour ago, UncleChuck said:

I just went back and re-read some of the posts from earlier episodes and a pattern was quickly evident.  Time after time, our posters speculated on what Norman/Norma/Mother would do next, or how Marian Crane would find her way into that famous shower, or who would die next...and time after time--without fail--Cuse and the writers had an entirely different outcome planned for us. 

Little scenes, and bits of dialogue and props continually pop up from the original Psycho, yet the death of Sam Loomis showed us for sure that TPTB are NOT re-making the original movie.  Now that we know that they are not following Hitchcock's screenplay, anything is possible for an ending.  Tony Perkins lived to re-create Norman Bates in several more films, but Freddy H. might not be so lucky.  We might end this show with a dead Norman--or maybe not, but Loomis in the shower means we cannot really predict anything...

I do feel that it would be a real disservice to this wonderful project if Romero is allowed to be the last man standing, or the one to take Norman down.  Poor Norman kills because he is very sick--Romero just kills for fun and profit.  There is nothing redeeming or sympathetic about Romero.  To allow him any redemption by finishing the Norman Bates saga would be very unsatisfying for me. 

Of course, we could have another "homage" to the original and end "Bates Motel" with a ten minute speech from some psychologist--explaining how Norman is "mother" and "mother" is Norman and etc., etc., but we have spent 50 hours over 5 years learning about that.  In my scenario, I picture Norman as finally confined permanently because of testimony by Dylan, or even Norman being killed by Dylan.  This would bring this tragic family full circle, doomed to consume itself.  

I mentioned an ending where Emma kills norman. It is a moment when he is struggling with Mother  and then begs Emma to finish it and end his pain. Norman's body dies in Emma's arms with Norman at the surface in those last seconds. When you mentioned a possibility of Dylan killing Norman I think the  scenario I imagined might work better with Dylan.

[Fable]

3 hours ago, UncleChuck said:

I do feel that it would be a real disservice to this wonderful project if Romero is allowed to be the last man standing, or the one to take Norman down.  Poor Norman kills because he is very sick--Romero just kills for fun and profit.  There is nothing redeeming or sympathetic about Romero.  To allow him any redemption by finishing the Norman Bates saga would be very unsatisfying for me. 

I can’t disagree with this as much as I love Romero.  With the exception of Emma, everyone on this show has blood on their hands.  It is easy to cheer some of those deaths on because they seemed well deserved, but no matter how you slice it, they were all done with forethought.  Norman is the character I feel the most sympathy for.  When he is in his right mind and not in a fugue “Mother” state, he seems like a very decent person. I was somewhat disappointed when Norman killed Sam instead of Mother, but it made sense in terms of him trying to come to terms with his illness, and I did think it was a clever twist. 

ETA:  Actually, forethought is probably not the right word, but they at least went to lengths to cover up what they had done, knowing full well what had happened, whereas Norman had no clue what he had done. 

Edited April 16, 2017 by Fable

[HariboPeach]

I loved the scene with the sherriff telling Norman that he was a child with affect of an adult. I know that's all part of his persona, but I liked seeing it actually brought to his attention. Dude, you're not a 40 year old man running a business and being a caretaker. You're a kid.

[Stringey]

On 4/15/2017 at 10:29 PM, Stringey said:

I mentioned an ending where Emma kills norman. It is a moment when he is struggling with Mother  and then begs Emma to finish it and end his pain. Norman's body dies in Emma's arms with Norman at the surface in those last seconds. When you mentioned a possibility of Dylan killing Norman I think the  scenario I imagined might work better with Dylan.

Well it seems I may have a little of the shining lol.  Hey if I can predict something maybe I will start seeing ghosts too. Ha ha.