Norma said it to Dylan at the top of this episode, the Season Finale of Bates Motel, “People are generally disappointing, honey. They can’t help it and you can’t let it kill you.” And that statement can just as easily be applied to the writers/showrunners who cobbled together this season’s conclusion.
This was a very disappointing end to an otherwise great season. What a sloppy way to tie up loose ends that really didn’t mean anything anyways… just kill everyone. Imagine the writing process in the boardroom:
-“What do we do with Bradley if she survives?”
-”Dunno, just kill her.”
-”What do we do with Bob Paris if he survives?”
-”Dunno, just kill him.”
Although these events will lead to things to come next season, killing wasn’t the only sloppiness going on.
-”What do we do if Emma doesn’t get the lung transplant?”
-”Dunno, have Dylan kiss her and persuade her to have the procedure done.”
Of course we all wanted Dylan and Emma to kiss, and not just because Norman’s reaction will be devastating when he finds out, but also because they just seem right for each other, even if Dylan is the sweetheart bad boy. I don’t think, however, that we wanted their first spit swapping to be like it was, which was a bit melodramatic.
The most interesting thing to come out of the exchange between Dylan and Emma was her statement about being able to continue to live in “denial” if she chooses not to have the transplant. If you remember, denial was a big theme in the previous weeks, but mostly in Norma’s denial of Norman’s condition.
But Norma’s denial has been pushed aside by the ever-growing threat of Norman’s condition, and it seems she’s heeded Caleb’s warning from last week. Norma sought some in-patient treatment for Norman, and when she told him he visibly got upset and left the room saying that she’d lost faith in him. This then resulted in his packing to leave town with Bradley. Norma struggled to stop him, falling down the stairs in the process. In the end, Norma did the exact opposite of what any sane person would do, she hit Norman over the head, knocking him unconscious, dragged him down to the basement and tied him up.
Does Norma then call the police? No, she calls Dylan, who, upon his god-like quick arrival finds that Norman escaped the basement. It’s also Dylan who reveals to Norma that she’s lost more control, longer ago than she realized when he tells her that Bradley is alive and that both he and Norman had a hand in her faked suicide.
And Norman has gone off to meet Bradley to escape his mother, when who shows up in the car’s backseat? Norma! Or rather, imaginary Norma. Ultimately, imaginary Norma asks Norman to speak to Bradley directly, and when he lets her, imaginary Norma (i.e., Norman) kills Bradley. And then it’s Norman who has to dispose of the body… and considering that the car he put her in is only a few feet from the shore, right beside a dock, it won’t be long before Bradley’s corpse is discovered.
And when Bradley’s body is discovered, Romero, if he’s still around, will likely sweep the incident under the rug for a couple of reasons: 1) he has strong feelings for Norma, and 2) he’ll be dealing with covering up his own crime, being that he shot Paris with the DEA hot on Paris’ tail. Perhaps the DEA will trace the call Romero made to Paris warning him, putting Romero on the lamb and possibly seeking help from Norma. Or maybe he’ll just take the money he jacked from Paris and take off, which would be the smart move. Get out of Dodge.
Basically, the season ended with Norman having another major blackout and everyone who was a minor factor this season either dead or gone. Big Woop!
What did you guys think of the Season Finale? Sound off in the comments section below.
Rock Hard \m/
