After an intense first season we have finally come to the end. I am kind of relieved the finale is here because this show kills me week after week. Thankfully, the finale really delivered, setting us up for season 2 with a bang... well not really a bang, but... it's good. I see a lot of awards in this shows future, especially with Farmagia's powerful performance.
We open with Norma storming the police station like she is storming the Bastille. She screams through plexiglass that it is a "matter of life and death." The secretary is flippant, but Sheriff Romero calls her into his office. Norma tells him all about Abernathy's threat and is met Romero's general coldness. All he tells her is that he will take care of it, not telling her anything more. He promises no harm will come to Norma or her sons. She needles him about a plan, but tensions raise as she is met with silence and Norma walks out. The Sheriff looks very conflicted after her.
We find Emma staring at the Winter Formal poster looking rather glum. Norman walks up next to her and comments about how pathetic she looks, trying to be cute, but coming off with the Norman weirdness. She tells him nobody has asked her to go, and tries to play it off like shes fine, but Norman sees past her flippancy. He tells her that he would go with her, to which she responds that he will only be going with her because he feels sorry for his friend. He agrees, that's exactly why he is doing it. Emma smiles and replies, "Okay jerkoff, I'll go with you.
Norma makes breakfast for Dylan and it seems like a sweet moment until she begs him for a gun. Dylan immediately says no, even after Norma explains the entire Abernathy situation. She tells Dylan that even though the Sheriff promised they would be safe, she doesn't trust him, saying she thinks he is as bad as everybody else in town. Duh. Dylan only replies, "You and a gun is a bad idea."
The Sheriff pulls his car up to what looks like an abandoned garage. Next to a dusty old car sits a chest... and what's in said chest? 150k in a duffle bag. DAMN IT SHERIFF! You are the worst law enforcement of all time.
In town, Norma has some dry cleaning to do. On her way into the store, she bumps into a man who gives her major attitude and Norma finally blows screaming "SCREW OFF SHIT HEAD!" Norma realizes she may be losing it and shows up at Norma's psychiatrist's office. He is surprised to see her without Norman, but quickly realizes that she is here for her own needs and lets her in. Norma asks the doctor how she can better handle stress. he asks what kind of stress to which Norma replies "Normal life stuff." Oh yeah, that normal stuff like rape, murder, Asian sex trafficking, patricide. The doctor quickly turns the whole session around on her, asking he about Norma growing up and how he feels about how he will be leaving her soon. Norma deflects until he asks her if this is what she thought parenting would be like when she was a little girl. At first she says she doesn't remember getting a far away look in her eye and almost speaking in a baby voice. She opens up a bit, speaking highly of her dad and saying almost nothing about her mom, and it all seems too perfect. When the doctor asks if she has siblings, she says no but quickly her mood changes. She gets jumpy and makes weird faces. She quickly excuses herself saying her stomach is upset and she has to go home.
Norma find Miss Watson, aka Miss Sexy, on the phone screaming at somebody, telling them never to call again. She is in tears as she stares into the rain and Norman makes his presence known by asking if she is okay. She asks how much he heard and he lies saying "Nothing." He tells her that he definitely does not want to publish his story. She tells him that's fine, but asks him again to forget what he saw. She touches his face and tells home that they have a secret now, before giving him a very un-teacherly hug.
The Sheiff pulls into the driveway of a broken down house. A women with a busted face is getting out of her car and we realize that she is Keith's sister. She remarks to Romero about how she hasn't seen him since Keith's funeral and how it was odd to just bury a hand. Romeo tells her that he is here on business, asking her what happened to her face. When she doesn't answer he tells her that he knows that she was doing the book-keeping for the sex business. Romeo asks if it was Abernathy who hit her, but she says she knows him by another name. Abernathy had threatened her about the money, but realized she didn't have it and left her alone. After her confession she asks Romero what he is going to do and he tells her nothing as long as she keeps her mouth shut.
Emma walks into the motel for work as Norma is on the phone, making sure the house is still being patrolled. When Norma hangs up, Emma tells her that she and Norman are going to the winter dance tonight. Norma is surprised, but when Emma shows her the dress she brought, they have another mother/daughter bonding moment. Norma holds the dress up so Emma could see how it would looks with heels, and Emma sees the scar on Norma's leg. Norma panics, immediately saying that they scar is nothing, she just spilled hot chocolate on herself when she was a kid and that it's no big deal. Norma leaves in a rush, but Emma looks after he knowing that Norma hasn't told the truth.
As Norma walks back to the house, Dylan pulls up and actually gives Norma the gun she was asking for. Norma looks relieved, but Dylan tells her not to make him regret this decision. Dylan takes her out back and teaches Norma how to shoot. He gets super pissed when Norma prematurely fires the gun, but like Norma, she deflects asking him what kind of job he has that he needs a gun. Dylan confesses that he watches the weed fields. Norma judges him, but Dylan is not having it, giving it to her about how he is a grown man who can make his own choices. Norma ignores the outburst, aims and shoots hitting her target. She is overjoyed, and then we all realize that Dylan called her mom. Norma breaks down in tears of happiness and fear, confessing how scared she is. Dylan tells her to trust in Romero.
Later on we find Norma playing maid again. She is startles by Keith Summer's sister, telling Norma that if she has the money she better give it to Abernathy because he will kill her. Summer's sister says no more as she goes to her car and drives off leaving Norma panicking on the porch.
Norman is doing homework on his computer when the doorbell rings. He is startled to find Bradley there asking for Dylan. Dylan comes down the stairs with a box of Bradley's father's things. The three of them stand awkwardly in the foyer until Norman excuses himself to finish his homework. Bradley thanks Dylan again for his help, even if they almost got shot doing it. She promises that she won't bug him anymore, but Dylan assures Bradley she can bug him any time. Norman stands in the doorway listening to the entire conversation with tears in his eyes.
We find Norma in her bedroom playing with her new gun. For a minute it looks like she is going to commit suicide but she pops open the chamber and it looks to be empty. In the room next door, Norman freaks the fuck out that he can't find black socks. He storms into Norma's room and she quickly hides the gun. They scream at each other about the missing socks and Dylan comes in saying Norman can wear a pair of his. As Norman pulls on his socks he gives Dylan major attitude about Bradley. They have a very brotherly fight over her and Norman tells Dylan to just date her. Norman is clearly at the boiling point and I am already starting to get scared.
Norman and Norma wait for Emma. As the time ticks by to midnight, Norma begins to feel her life slipping away. She only has a few house to meet Abernathy who very well may kill her. Norma turns to Norman and tells him that she wants to confess something to him that she has never shared with anybody before. Norma begins to weave the horrifying tale of her childhood. Norma's brother forced her to have sex with him starting wen she was around 13. Her father was violent and abusive, and her mother is an empty shell of a women. Norma got the scar on her leg because one day, while her brother raped her, her father came home early and in her rush to not get caught a hot iron fell on her leg. Norman is horrified as he tells her he is so sorry. This was Norma's suicide note. Emma's knock interrupts an intense mother/son embrace as they put on their happy faces. Norma watches Emma and Norman go to the car, and her face tells us that she thinks this is the last time she will see them... but at least she looks happy. That is, until Abernathy calls to remind her of their appointment.
The Winter Formal is a bit too perfect for this small town, but whatever, I can look past it. Emma is beaming, but it is obvious from moment one that Norman has eyes only for Bradley. This is going to be awkward.
Back at home Norma fills her gun with bullets. For some reason, she is packing a bad full of clothes, stuffing a pillow inside as well. WTF is she doing? Is she going to bolt? Or does she really think that will fool Abernathy?
Back at the dance, Emma and Norman slow dance, but Norman is too focused on Bradley to notice Emma's longing. Emma finally has enough and storms out, leaving Norman without a ride. Norman turns away to find Bradley's boyfriend in his face. He asks him to step outside and silly old Norman follows. Bradley's boy tells Norman to leave her alone and that he knows what happened between them. Apparently Bradley told him that Norman took advantage of her grief to sleep with her. Before Norman can defend himself, he receives a serious punch and is left on the floor in the rain.
Norman decided to just walk home in the rain, nose bleeding and all. A car pulls alongside him and we find Miss Sexy staring at him. She tells Norman to get in the car and is horrified when he sees his bleeding face. Miss Watson offers to take Norman to her home to clean him up and then give him a ride back to the motel. He agrees.
Norma is at the dock with her lame duffle bag of "money". A car pulls up, but it's not Abernathy's, its the Sheriff. Norma hides behind some fishing gear and watches as Abernathy and Romero confront each other. Abernathy asks who the Sheriff is, wondering where the "cute but nutty lady" is. Romero says he is in charge now. Norma watches from her hiding spot as they have a bit of a man-off, and she is trying to decide whether to shoot or not. Romero tell Abernathy he wants to go in on the biz with a 50/50 split, kicking the money back over to Abernathy. Abernathy reaches for the bag and Romero SHOOTS THE SHIT OUT OF HIM! After that, things went like this:
Romero: Not in my town you piece of shit. You can go home now Norma.
Norma: I almost shot you!
Romero: When I say trust me, trust me.
Our next shot opens with a very tight close up on Miss Sexy's boobs. Miss Watson's dress is quite inappropriate. As she cleans Norman's wound, his eyes role to the back of his head and the audience can feel that we are losing him. Watson tells Norman that she will drive him home after she changes and the proceeds to strip in front of a mirror. Norman watches with adolescent nervousness as he teacher slowly strips. Suddenly Norma appears, wearing her hair exactly like the mummified version of herself in Psycho. She even effect the "Norma/Norman" voice from the movie as she admonishes Miss Watson for her strip show, ending with "YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO!" Fuck. Fuck. Fuckity Fuck. The next thing we see is Norman running through the rain.
Norma nearly hits Norman as he runs home. They hug and cry, Norma sees Normans face and he explains what happened. But Norma doesn't freak because she is just so relieved! She keeps telling Norman that everything is going to be okay, that everything is back to normal and they are safe. It all seems like such a happy ending as the frame closes on the Bates Motel sign.
But it's not over yet. Our worst suspicions are realizes as we find a pool of blood in Miss Watson's bed room. She lies dead with her throat slit. He killed her. Norman killed her. Well fuck
Can. Not. Wait. For. Season. Two.
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