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"Norman" is the season finale of the fourth season of Bates Motel. It aired on May 16, 2016.

Synopsis

As Norman plans a special event for Norma, Romero faces pressure from all sides over his actions. Dylan considers reaching out to Norman but wants nothing to do with Norma.

Summary

Paramedics arrive at the Bates house and as a semi-conscious Norman is loaded into an ambulance, he looks to his left and sees Norma's body being loaded into another one. As the ambulance takes him away, Romero stands alone on the steps to the house. He is interviewed by a detective named Chambers, who shows him the letter that Norma wrote which includes her wedding ring. He says that they were only married for two weeks but has a feeling that Norman had something to do with it.

Several hours later, Norman wakes up in hospital to be told that Norma has died from carbon monoxide poisoning and is asked if there's anyone who can bring him home. However, Romero shows up and he's the last person Norman wants to see. He lashes out at Romero, saying he tried to warn him and that he doesn't want to see him anywhere. Romero loses it and holds him against a wall by his neck, telling him he will find out what exactly happened.

Norman returns home to an empty house and calls out for Norma, who isn't there. He eats alone at the kitchen table, having set a place for Norma, and sleeps alone in her bed. When he wakes up, he disposes of his meds in the toilet and is interrupted by a phone call from funeral director Justin Willcock, who wishes to make funeral arrangements with Romero. Norman says that Romero doesn't live there anymore and agrees to meet with him. Meanwhile, Romero goes to the morgue as he wishes to see his deceased wife and opens a drawer to uncover her corpse. With tears in his eyes, he tells her that he loves her and places her wedding ring back on her finger.

As Norman removes the 60" TV from the house, taking his rage out on it after dropping it, Detective Chambers arrives to question him. As he makes Norma's bed, he speaks fondly about his mother but badmouths Romero, mentioning his drug trade past and his short marriage to Norma, which he only did to have her all to himself and to get Norman committed. While he says this, he picks out a periwinkle blue dress for her to wear at her funeral. He goes to the funeral home and says that he doesn't want Norma embalmed, mentioning that he does taxidermy. He asks to see her and says that he won't get upset. As he touches Norma's face, he imagines her opening her eyes and seeing the wedding ring on her finger, he angrily removes it before leaving.

Romero pays a visit to the man who fixed the furnace and also told her it was leaking. He wants to know if Norman was present when he gave Norma that information and assaults him when the man won't co-operate with his questioning so the man says that Norman could have been there. A distraught Norman returns home and gets excited when he hears the sound of the piano but when he bursts into the house, it's empty. Dylan phones from Seattle, telling Norman that he got a new number and that he doesn't want to speak to Norma. Norman tells Dylan that it's for the best if they no longer contact each other and hangs up.

He attends Norma's funeral alone and when Justin Willcock approaches him, concerned that no one else has shown up, Norman says that no one else was invited. Norman gives a eulogy but loses it, accusing Norma of leaving him alone, shocking the minister as well as Justin and his son. Romero arrives and an angry Norman returns the wedding ring which Romero takes back but then he punches Norman and a fight erupts. Justin and his son attempt to break it up with Justin threatening to call the police. Romero informs him that he is the police and leaves. He returns to his office to retrieve a gun but as he exits he is arrested by the DEA for perjury and brought in for questioning.

As Norman sits home alone that evening, he argues that his mother can't leave him like this and takes matters into his own hands by going to the cemetery to dig her corpse up. He drives both of them home and is taken aback when she doesn't respond to him. He carries her into the house where they're greeted by Juno and places her on the couch, telling her to open her eyes, but nothing happens. He returns with a bottle of superglue and uses it on her eyelids to open them. He's freaked out at the sight of his mother's glassy eyes and the moment is interrupted by Chick, who is there to offer his condolences and give him some chicken enchiladas that he prepared himself. A panicked Norman doesn't let him past the front door but Chick asks him if he realizes his mother is dead and tells him that he will return in a few days to check on him.

As it dawns on Norman that Norma is truly gone, he runs upstairs to grab a gun with the intention of committing suicide until he hears the piano playing again. He heads downstairs to find the house decorated with the Christmas tree and lights and sees Norma at the piano. She tells him that she would never leave him and he hugs her, knowing that everything will be fine now that they're together forever.

Cast

Main Cast

Guest Stars

Also Starring

Uncredited

Notes

  • This episode was watched by 1.50  million viewers.
  • The female detective who questions Romero at the start of the episode and later visits Norman has the last name Chambers. This is a homage to Sheriff Al Chambers in Psycho.
  • Norman selects a periwinkle blue dress for Norma to wear at her funeral. In Psycho, Eliza Chambers says that she helped Norman pick out that dress for Norma's funeral.
  • Norman digging up Norma's corpse is another Psycho reference. Feeling guilty over murdering her, he exhumed her body and eventually mummified it.
  • In a post-finale interview, it was confirmed that Vera Farmiga did all her own scenes as Norma's corpse rather than being substituted for a dummy like in the previous episode where Romero attempts to revive Norma by performing CPR. [1]

Music

Song Title Performer(s)
Pearly Shells (Pupu A `O `Ewa) Freddie Highmore
Tonight You Belong To Me Vera Farmiga
Star Dust Glenn Derringer
I'll Be Home For Christmas Vera Farmiga

Videos

Gallery

Promotional Pictures

BTS

References

  1. ‘Bates Motel’ Season 4 Finale Postmortem: Kerry Ehrin and Nestor Carbonell Talk the Big Death, Normero, and the Romero-Norman Feud. Yahoo! Entertainment. May 17, 2016
Season 4
#401 "A Danger to Himself and Others" #406 "The Vault"
#402 "Goodnight, Mother" #407 "There's No Place Like Home"
#403 "'Til Death Do You Part" #408 "Unfaithful"
#404 "Lights of Winter" #409 "Forever"
#405 "Refraction" #410 "Norman"
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