Norma prepared to meet Abernathy at the pier while Norman and Emma prepared to dance the night away on this week’s Midnight season finale of Bates Motel.
The Breakdown
In this week’s Bates Motel Norma paid a visit to Sheriff Romero to tell him about Jake Abernathy’s threat and the $150k he was expecting from her at midnight. Romero played it down, told Norma that he would take care of it, and left it at that. Norma wanted more details on how it would be taken care of, but Romero had nothing else to tell her.
Norma spoke with Dylan and asked if he would get her a gun. She explained that she wanted to protect herself and told him about the meeting with Abernathy and what Romero said. Dylan said no to the gun and Norma was disappointed.
At school, Norman and Emma saw a sign for a school dance and decided to go together. Soon after, Norman went to his favorite teacher’s classroom, Miss Watson. He overheard her on the phone arguing with a man named Eric. She saw Norman and asked him to keep this a secret. When Norman agreed she gave him a big hug.
Meanwhile, Norma went to see the psychologist that she took Norman to see recently. She asked him to help her handle stress. But, as the doctor began asking questions about Norma’s childhood, she became visually uncomfortable. Although, she did say that her father was a very friendly man, her mother was a hard worker, and she was an only child. Soon, Norma said she felt ill and had to leave.
Later Emma came to work at the motel and showed Norma the dress she had just bought for the dance that night. As they talked and looked at the dress, the large scar on Norma’s leg popped out. Norma told Emma it was a childhood injury and no big deal.
Dylan showed up and brought Norma the gun she had asked for earlier. Norma was thrilled and Dylan tried to show her how to use it. Dylan seemed genuinely concerned and obliged. He even called her “mom” once and Norma seemed touched. Although she was not pleased to find out that Dylan guards marijuana for a living.
Romero visited a garage and dug out a bag full of cash – the $150k Abernathy must have been speaking about to Norma. He then visited Summers’ sister and told her to keep quiet about what she knew of her brother’s business with Shelby and Abernathy. She then said she knew Abernathy by a different name, Joe Fioretti.
Bradley showed up at the Bates house and Norman seemed happy when he opened the door to her; only to find out she was there to see Dylan. Dylan handed her the box containing her father’s items from his office. Norman left the two alone, but listened in at how friendly they were with each other. Norman was clearly beyond bothered by it, although he continued to tell everyone he was over Bradley.
As Norman was waiting for Emma to pick him up for the dance, Norma decided to have a moment of truth with him. She told him that she actually grew up in Akron, Ohio and that her brother molested her from the age of 13 until he moved out. She told him that her father came home and almost caught them one day. She had jumped up and a hot iron had fallen on her leg, hence the scar. Norman was shocked and upset at the entire story. Then Emma arrived.
At the dance, it was clear that Norman was anything but over Bradley. Emma got upset about it and told Norman that he could find his own ride home as she stormed off. Then Bradley’s boyfriend, who also spotted Norman staring at Bradley earlier, took him outside and punched him in the face.
Norma showed up at the dock with a fake bag of money to give to Abernathy. Suddenly she saw Sheriff Romero pull up so she hid. Then Abernathy drove up. He asked Romero who he was and as Romero started to make it sound like the two of them could work together, Norma aimed her gun. Then suddenly Romero took Abernathy out. With a few shots, Abernathy fell into the water. Romero told Norma she could come out and that she should have trusted him to take care of things like he said he would.
Norman left the dance to walk home alone in the pouring rain when Miss Watson pulled up. She got Norman into the car and said she would take him to her house to get his face cleaned up. Once there Miss Watson cleaned up Norman as she said she would which seemed to make Norman feel close to her. She went to her room to change when Norman suddenly saw his mother on the couch. She told Norman that Miss Watson wanted him to see her changing her clothes otherwise she would have closed the door. She told Norman that he knew what he needed to do.
The next thing we saw was Norman heading home in the rain. Just as he arrived back in the motel parking lot Norma drove up. Norman told her that he remembered Miss Watson offering him a ride home and that is all he can remember.
The last scene of this episode was back in Miss Watson’s home. She was lying on her bedroom floor in a pool of blood with her throat cut.
The Analysis
The Bates Motel’s Midnight season finale was definitely worth watching. The story with Abernathy played out really well. I did, for a minute, think that Romero was on his side. So, when Romero shot him dead I was surprised. Again, things move quickly on this show; I thought Abernathy would be around tormenting Norma longer.
The exchange between Norma and Dylan while he was teaching her to shoot was comical and a wee bit heartwarming at the same time. However, knowing that Norma is now packing heat is a little scary.
Things certainly tensed up a lot for Norman in this episode! I knew he was going to catch on to Dylan and Bradley soon and he had that psycho look in his eyes as he listened to the two of them. Between that and what happened at the dance with Emma and then Bradley’s boyfriend, I doubt anyone was surprised he was on the edge. But, to kill Miss Watson? That is, of course, if it was actually Norman who killed her. Did he do it and then black out? Or, did someone sneak in after he left for home? We will have a while to wait to find out, unfortunately.
I think this was a terrific way to end the season and I am thrilled that Bates Motel was renewed for a second season. I almost can’t wait!