HOLLYWOOD—Norman’s transformation to the dark side continues to get weirder with each episode. This current outing saw Norman (Freddie Highmore) hoping to stuff his dead dog to preserve his memory in “A Boy and His Dog.”
Norma (Vera Farmiga) decided to clean the room for the mysterious guy in room #9. He preferred to watch her as she cleaned the room versus leaving the premises. She was a bit uneasy being watched by the mystery guy, who seemed drawn to Norma’s presence. He’s definitely up to no good; the bigger question is what his plans are, this development continued to play out the rest of the episode.
Dylan (Max Theirot) and his colleague picked a group of stoners as apart of their ‘job’ for their boss, and mostly took a back banner this episode as more focus was placed on Norman’s spiraling behavior. Bradley gave him the cold shoulder at school and scolded him for letting everyone know they slept together. Unfortunately, Norman didn’t get the memo from Emma that she was the one who spelt the beans in the ladies restroom.
His emotional state of mind concerned his teacher, who did her best to calm Norman down, but he flipped out and left school premises. She has always been a bit obsessed with Norman. At first I thought she was just a concerned teacher, but the more I think about it, she seems to have an attraction to the teen. This prompted a parent-teacher conference that caught Norma off guard as officials thought it was best forNormanto see a child therapist about his behavior.
This prompted mama bear to be on the defensive making it her decision to seek out the therapist for her son. The audience is well aware that Norma is skeptical about Norman seeing a therapist out of fear that he will recall what he did to his father. That assumption proves true at the therapy session, where Norma practically answers all ofNorman’s questions for him. This pushes the therapist to insist on seeing Norman one-on-one without his mother being present, which she objects to. Norman continues to bond with Emma’s father over his newfound skill, which concerned his mother who doesn’t want her son labeled a freak or weirdo.
As Norman and Emma continue to bond, Norma begins to investigate the mystery man in room #9 by tailing him after he leaves the motel. She spots him on Shelby’s boat looking for ‘something.’ What that happens to be is never explained, but Norma does indeed get a few chills from the creepy guy. Back at the hotel she confronts the mysterious figure to get out of her hotel and even throws his cash in his face as a sign. That makes him quite angry as he continues to insist he knows about her and Deputy Shelby’s relationship.
Dylan shows up to the hotel asking his mom for all the rooms as he has guests for work that need a place to crash. This delights Norma who asks her eldest son out to dinner, which he obliges to. It appears that both Norma and Dylan have more in common than they’d like to think. As Norma darts to the house to change her clothes, she is shocked beyond belief to see the body of Keith Summers lying in her bed. She unleashes horrifying screams as the episode closes. It looks like the man in room #9 was serious about the threats he made. With only two episodes left should Norma be afraid for her life as well as her sons? It sure looks like it. “Bates Motel” airs Mondays at 10 p.m. on A&E.
By LaDale Anderson
