In the latest Bates Motel recap, Norman looks for an escape from Pineview, Alex deals with fallout from Bob Paris’ murder and Dylan plans a move with Emma….
By Damon Martin — Editor/Lead Writer
What started out as a fairly lackluster freshman season for Bates Motel has spawned into one of the most intriguing and watchable shows on television.
That string of success continues for Bates Motel into season four as Norman Bates slowly dissolves further and further into madness while his mother tries to find some sense of happiness without him around. Of course that will all come crashing down around her eventually, but for right now it appears Norma is happy.
At least until she finds out that her new husband murdered someone and his death is reverberating back on both of them.
Meanwhile, Norman just wants out of the crazy house and he’ll do anything to accomplish it. Last week he ratted out his mother as the psychotic murderer who killed Blair Watson and bludgeoned Bradley Martin to death. He’s convinced by coming clean about the murders, that he’ll soon be headed home.
By the end of the episode, however, Norman is finally convinced of his own psychosis and he’s the one begging for help.
With that said, let’s recap the latest episode of Bates Motel titled ‘Lights of Winter’….
One More Day
Norman just can’t adjust to life inside Pineview where there’s always somebody watching and nowhere to turn just to get away. Norman refuses to take his medication, doesn’t want to participate in group and insists that after confessing that his mother is a murderer that he’ll be home within a day.
The release papers don’t come soon enough, however, and Norman instead makes a call to his brother Dylan to go be with Norma so she won’t be alone when the cops come to gobble her up. But it’s clear Dylan is more concerned about his brother’s well being than any nonsense he’s spouting off about in regards to Norma’s health and safety.
Realizing that Dylan won’t be there for Norma when she needs him and hearing Dr. Edwards explain that it will take time to confirm his allegations but that still doesn’t mean he’s going home, Norma decides he’s had enough of Pineview and it’s time to escape. Thanks to his new pal Julian, who has been locked up at Pineview for the last four years, he’s finally got a way out.
Sounds of Seattle
Norma pays a visit to Emma in the hospital where she gives her blessing to the relationship that sprung up with Dylan just recently. Obviously, Emma is concerned about Norman as well as his reaction to the news that she’s now dating his brother, but Norma is just happy her former employee is breathing on her own and living a healthy life for the first time ever.
But change is coming because Emma tells Dylan that her father has gotten her a spot at a highly regarded clinic in Seattle where she can continue her treatment to ensure she has a long, happy life with her new lungs. Emma also wants to go to college and Seattle seems like the perfect place for a fresh start.
Dylan agrees with her while quietly sad that his new girl is about to leave town. That is until Emma says that she wants Dylan to go with her and a smile streaks across his face filled with joy. Dylan agrees to move to Seattle with Emma where the two of them can start a new life together.
Here’s hoping Dylan and Emma get that happily ever after they deserve but let’s leave them around for another season, please?
Dirty Laundry
Norma and Romero are settling into married life — especially after jumping in bed together in the last episode. Norma is cooking her new hubby breakfast while he’s suggesting a joint bank account together along with a night out at a local winter festival where the happy couple can be introduced to all the dignitaries in town.
But this idyllic setting can’t last forever — especially after Romero has a run in with his ex-fling Rebecca at the bank when she’s growing concerned about a safety deposit box filled with $3 million of Bob Paris’ laundered money that he didn’t bother to take with him. Rebecca is convinced that Romero killed him but she’s not angry about the murder, but more concerned about the key he was holding to the box that could make her rich.
Romero dummies up and claims he has no clue where the key is much less what happened to Bob Paris. Back at home, Romero digs through the cash he took after actually killing Bob Paris and he finds the key hidden away in one of the stacks of money. Now he has a chance to make off with $3 million, but showing that key to Rebecca is almost as good as an admission of guilt.
To make matters worse, the DEA is still sniffing around the Bob Paris case and they are now convinced that Rebecca was helping him launder money through the bank. Romero tries to throw them off the scent, but he’s got a big problem brewing because the more the authorities dig into Bob Paris, the closer they get to him.
Things only escalate when Romero finds Rebecca introducing herself to Norma at the winter festival that night. It’s an uncomfortable encounter and Romero now has to worry about a DEA investigation plus Rebecca not only believing he killed Paris, but now she’s getting a little fatal attraction about his new relationship.
When Romero and Norma return home after a blissful night together (minus the encounter with Rebecca), they find that the entire house has been trashed.
Norma is scared and concerned while Alex wonders if this was Rebecca lashing out in jealousy or simply looking for the key he claimed he never had. Neither scenario is good — and now it looks like Romero is the one bring trouble to Norma’s front doorstep.
Norman Shouldn’t Be Here
Julian helps Norman escape from Pineview while showing off that he has a pile of money in his pocket to spend — payoff cash that his family gives to him every time they visit out of guilt that he’s locked up inside a mental institution.
Rather than make a run for home or even to call Norma to warn her about impending doom, Norman follows along with his new pal Julian to a classy strip club called “The Landing Strip”.
Inside, Julian quickly finds his way to a private dance with one of the girls while Norman watches his libido go from dormant to five alarm fire in about 2.6 seconds. And we all know what happens when Norman gets a raging hard on — people die.
So Norman retires back to a private VIP room with a girl named Athena and she’s willing to give him whatever he wants. Of course a lap dance involves Norman removing the screwdriver he has from his pocket — and that should have been the first red flag to this girl to run for cover.
Part way through the dance, Norman begins flashing at the girl and her bra that’s laying next to him and he sees Blair Watson and a knife slashing across her throat courtesy of his ‘mother’ Normal. A second later and Norman is gone and all that remains is ‘Norma’.
In his detached state, Norman begins talking in the third person as his mother but the stripper doesn’t blink an eye and believes he’s just looking for some role play — and she’s more than happy to oblige. While we’re all waiting for Norman to pick up that screwdriver and jam it into Athena’s ear, it never happens. Instead, Norman as Norma invites Athena onto his lap before the two share a passionate kiss.
We’ll never know if the screwdriver was coming next because loud screams are heard from the hallway and Norman discovers his friend Julian is in trouble. Before long security swoops in, knocks Julian to the ground and even Norman catches a punch for trying to intervene.
The cops are called, ambulances arrive and shortly after Dr. Edwards shows up to check on his patients. He comforts Norman but also tells him that this stunt that Julian pulled was the same thing he does every few months. It’s Julian’s way of crying out for attention and forcing the Pineview staff to come get him, proving that they ‘need’ him.
Meanwhile inside Norman’s fractured psyche, he’s blacked out once again and now he’s finally scared of himself. When Dr. Edwards tells him that the police haven’t contacted him about the allegations against his mother, which all but closes that case, Norman realizes that he’s been living in a constant state of perpetual psychosis while slipping in and out from himself and a person he no longer recognizes.
Norman is finally ready to ask for help because after a night like this, he realizes he actually needs it.
Bates Motel returns next Monday night at 9pm ET on AMC.
