Bates Motel season 4 episode 10 takes place in the aftermath of Norma Bates’ death and reveals how “Mother” finally emerged. Audiences in 1960 were barely equipped to deal with Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Not only did it break such taboos of the era such as depicting lovers sitting on the same bed in a state of undress or a toilet flushing on camera, but it also included the shocking murder of the supposed main character Marion Crane halfway through.
The main suspect is Norman Bates’ (Anthony Perkins) unseen mother Norma, but the finale reveals Norman murdered her years before, and “Mother” is really his murderous split personality. Perkins returned to the role 22 years later for Psycho II, where the family of Marion tries to drive him insane once he’s released from an institution so he’ll be sent back - this doesn’t end well for anybody. The events of Psycho III led “Mother” to reemerge and start killing again, while Norman tries to suppress his killing urges. The fourth and final film Psycho IV: The Beginning was a split prequel/sequel, dealing Norman’s poisonous relationship with Norma as a teenager, and how future Norman finally frees himself from the past by burning down their old house.
Bates Motel was a fresh reinvention of the franchise, detailing how Norma, played by Vera Farmiga (Godzilla: King Of The Monsters) and teenage Norman (Freddie Highmore), opened the motel and the inevitable deterioration of their relationship. The show ran for five series, with the fifth and final season being a loose remake of Psycho. Bates Motel season 4 found Norman slipping further into insanity, and while Norma tries to get him help, their relationship breaks down when she marries the town sheriff Romero.
Heartbroken over the marriage, episode 9 sees Norman flood the house with carbon monoxide in an attempt to both kill himself and Norma while she sleeps. Norman is rescued by Romero but he’s too late to save Norma. Bates Motel season 4 episode 10 “Norman” finds him so distraught over his mother’s death he digs up her corpse and takes it back home. When he comes to the realization she really is dead, he prepares to kill himself with a revolver, only to hear music playing in the living room. That’s where he discovers “Mother” playing the piano, stating she’ll never leave him.
The final scene of Bates Motel season 4 episode 10 laid the groundwork for the next series, where Norman is living with Norma’s corpse, and his murderous split personality “Mother” occasionally takes control. The Bates Motel show did a great job depicting the tragedy of their relationship in a way the films didn’t have the time to explore, which why the show was greeted with acclaim. This also added much more weight to the final season and how it reimagined the original movie.
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