The Box

Only one more episode to go and it looks like all the pieces are ready to fall into place! Norman has not only cracked a bit more but his memory has returned about what actually happened that night with Blaire Watson. Dylan has gotten himself knee-deep in feces thanks to killing the wrong guy–depending on which way you look at it–but either way he’s now gonna be popular with Zane. And finally there’s all this pressure on Norma, which is causing her to be off with people who care about her. It appears as though Norma and Norman are both cracking up under all this pressure, loosening a few nuts and bolts, although, I’m not so sure sanity runs strongly in the Bates’ family.

Last week saw Norman and his mother argue over what was really going on in Norman’s head, with Norma warning him to never speak of it again. Romero found out Norman’s seman matched the sample taken from his teacher’s corpse, placing him at the scene of the crime. Interestingly, Romero appears satisfied to let the wrong guy rot in jail for Blaire Watson’s murder, but he still needs answers for peace of mind. Norman was also snatched from his home, while Norma and George were getting it on. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to work out why Norman was taken but I certainly wasn’t prepared to put my neck out and say so in my last recap, just incase I was wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time!

Bates Motel
Created by
Anthony Cipriano
Cast
Vera Farmiga, Freddie Highmore, Max Thieriot
Episode Release Date
28 April 2014
Ed’s Grade: A

Norman doesn’t know why he’s been taken and continually asks his captures why this is happening to him. Nick’s men lock him up in a steel box in the middle of nowhere, and it looks as though the box isn’t exactly a stranger to holding victim’s of Nick Ford. He did warn Norma not to cross him, and this is his way of getting Dylan to take care of Zane. This is one thing I’m a bit confused about. Nick has access to weapons, money and trained killers. I would have thought it far simpler to take care of the problem himself, instead of involving three additional people he doesn’t know he can even trust, which means he was likely gonna kill them all anyway. It just seems too messy and complicated for a shrude guy like Nick Ford to get involved in.

Romero meets with one of his dad’s old buddies, who’s an expert in using a polygraph. He wants Norman questioned but also needs it to be off the record. He explains that the guy doing time for Blaire Watson’s murder was a scumbag who deserved what he got, but he needs to be sure about Norman. If you watch next week’s trailer attached to this review, you’ll see it looks as though Norman does go through with the test. I was wondering, if you’re genuinely insane, perhaps the polygraph results will be inconclusive.


While Norman is in the box, cold, wet, upset and confused, he begins to remember the things his mother used to say to him when he was younger, one of which is “everybody’s mother lives inside them.” This is key to Norman’s psyche fracturing further, and will cause him to take on his mother’s persona when the time finally comes. I think what will finalize this, or complete the transformation we know is going to happen, will be Norma’s eventual death. How this will finally come about in the show, if at all, is anybody’s guess.

Norman also remembers exactly how he murdered Blaire Watson while he was imagining Norma telling him “you know what you have to do.” He slits her throat while he’s having sex with her. Norman had intended to get rid of the trophy he had taken right after Romero asked him about his teacher’s death, and was all the evidence the Sheriff would have needed, but before Norman got the chance, he was kidnapped with the newspaper cutting and pearl-necklace in his pocket. This is eventually found by Nick’s thugs and brought to his attention. What he planned to do with Norman I guess we’ll never know, but I’m pretty sure Norman wouldn’t have liked it very much.

Other than poor Emma feeling left out of the Bates’ life–and why she would even want to be included is beyond me–Dylan’s arc has really getting interesting, with him now stuck in the middle of rival siblings. What had happened to Nick will put him back in favour with Zane, even if it wasn’t to help the psycho, however, that’s exactly what Zane will think. He did order Dylan to tell his sister he wanted Nick taken care of. Well, he has, and now Dylan will either be seen as a hero, or he’ll be hunted by Nick’s men. Romero ran off to help find Norman, after Norma broke down and confessed about where he was. I’ve a feeling Romero will clean up the mess for Dylan, and in return, maybe he can finally take care of Zane, only this time it’ll be for the Sheriff. We’ll just need to wait and see in next week’s finale.

TV Recap by Lead Entertainment Writer, Ed Blackadder