HOLLYWOOD—I had always doubted to some degree that Norman (Freddie Highmore) had murdered his teacher, but last week confirmed what we all suspected from season one: he did murder her. Season two of “Bates Motel” wrapped with Norman Bates edging even closer to the dark side as the polygraph test proved, this is a character not to be crossed. Let’s rewind a bit.
The finale picked up right where the predecessor ended with Dylan (Max Thierot) confessing to Sheriff Romero (Nestor Carbonell) that he had just murdered Nick Ford. You’d think the sheriff would be placing cuffs on the young one, but not in White Pine Bay. He was almost rewarded a medal. Romero threatened one of Ford’s henchmen to locate Norman before it was too late. Norman’s screams helped Dylan locate his brother who was in terrible condition and the duo shared a heartfelt hug.
This episode definitely proved to be a changing point for Dylan who transformed in so many ways; his guard came down and he bonded with his family in more ways than even he could have suspected. Norma (Vera Farmiga) was a complete wreck upon laying eyes on her son in the hospital. Overcome with grief, she poured her soul out to Dylan who was grateful. Emma (Olivia Cooke) continued to be kept in the dark about what transpired in the personal lives of the people that she worked for. Frustrated she decided it was time to quit, but Norman pulled a few strings to prevent such a thing from happening. During perhaps one of the most riveting dinner scenes, Norman confessed to his mother that he believes he murdered Blair Watson.
Determined to protect her son, she told him he hallucinated what transpired, but we later learned he slept with his teacher. She shouted at the top of her lungs to Norman to drop the whole charade. The kicker: they returned to eating pot roast as if nothing ever happened. Genius.
Disturbed by what he was feeling, Norman retrieved a gun and wrote his suicide list, which consisted of a several things he needed to accomplish before dying, including apple pie. When Sheriff Romero informed Norma that Norman would be forced to take the polygraph test sooner than she expected, her brain went into panic mode. Could she protect the truth about her son coming to light? In a quest to fix things with Emma, knowing that he might not be around, he confessed a deep dark secret about Dylan’s paternity that shook his friend to the core. I think Emma’s thirst for information made her realize its better to not know some things.
Dylan’s boss set up a sting at her house, which led to two more bodies this season. Yeah, I’m skipping this storyline a bit, as it just dragged quite a bit this season in my opinion. Looks like the drug ring in White Pine Bay is over or is it. The more I think about it Romero treated Dylan like a son. These two were crime fighters and should join forces to eliminate the bad guys.
In a breakthrough moment, Norma poured out her soul to Dylan confessing that she planned to leave town with Norman and she wanted him to come with them. It took Dylan aback, who finally realized that his mother cares for him just as much as Norman. The estranged mother and son shared an emotional hug that was absolutely a heart-stringer.
Upon returning to Bates Motel, Norma found a suicide note from Norman and went chasing after him in the woods. At first I suspected Norman might do harm to his dear ole mother, but he was ready to take his life because of the bad person inside of him. She begged her son to not do this promising to do whatever she needed to protect her son. This lead to the most SHOCKING MOMENT: the mother and son shared a kiss! Yes, it was so uncomfortable and odd to watch. Things between the relatives are definitely crossing into a region that is unfamiliar in television. Just how far will writers push the envelope in the relationship between Norman and Norma in season three?
The episode culminated with Dylan and Norma showing support to Norman as he took the polygraph test. It was almost a given that Romero was gunning for the test to prove Norman killed Ms. Watson. During the questioning Norman was quite poised, but when that question about murdering Ms. Watson came to the forefront, Norman’s alternate identity, ‘Norma’ came to surface and told him she had killed Blair Watson. That helped the teen pass the test, which stunned both Norma and Dylan. Was it a relief or more a surprise that he passed.
The final moments allowed the camera to close in on Norman’s face. It was in a daze for a few moments, but then we got that wicked grin and devilish look on his face. It literally had me go back to that final scene at the end of “Psycho” where Norman knew he had just gotten away with something epic. It literally sent chills down my spine. So where does the series go from him? Those are questions that will haunt viewers until season three premieres in 2015.
By LaDale Anderson
