Bates Motel “‘Til Death Do You Part”: Norman Gets A New Dad

Bates Motel “‘Til Death Do You Part” saw Norma marry Romero and Norman gaining a new father. Psycho was based on the novel by Robert Bloch, with director Alfred Hitchcock making the film as something of an experiment. It was shot relatively inexpensively, which allowed him to break some cinema taboos, from showing a toilet flushing onscreen to murdering the main character halfway through. It’s one of the most influential horror movies of all time, and would (eventually) spawn a franchise.

Psycho II arrived 22 years after the original, with Norman Bates released from the asylum and going back to the motel. The sequel is surprisingly great, being an engrossing whodunit with several shock twists. Anthony Perkins himself would direct 1986’s Psycho III, which saw Norman once again until “Mother’s” control; the movie is the weakest of the original series but is still a unique slasher in its own right. Perkins returned one last time for Psycho IV: The Beginning, a prequel/sequel that saw Henry Thomas (The Haunting Of Hill House) play a young Norman, while older Norman recalls his relationship to his mother.

The original Psycho was given an infamous remake directed by Gus Van Sant in 1998 that sought to recreate it shot for shot, which was greeted with bad reviews and bombed. The franchise was revived again with Bates Motel in 2013, which focused on the relationship between Norman (Freddie Highmore) and his mother Norma (Vera Farmiga). Season 4 proved to be a decisive one, with Norman descending into madness and paving the way for the final season’s take on Psycho.

In Bates Motel “‘Til Death Do You Part” is the third episode of season 4, in the aftermath of Norma having Norman committed to Pineview. Norman is convinced Norma killed Emma’s mother Audrey, but it was really him as “Mother.” Since Norma doesn’t have insurance, Sheriff Romero (Néstor Carbonell) agrees to marry her so she can use his. Romero also moves into the motel to make the whole situation look real. Later in the episode, he runs into ex-girlfriend Rebecca, who is shocked that he’s suddenly married. She’s also worried about her involvement with missing businessman Bob Paris – who Romero killed at the end of season 3.

Elsewhere on Bates Motel “‘Til Death Do You Part,” a very angry Norman is in Pineview believing Norma is a killer, but they’re not allowed to meet for 72 hours. He also meets with his doctor, and switches between hating Norma and calling her a wonderful mother during their sessions. Romero later fills in the pit between the motel, which is good in Norma’s eyes as Audrey was almost certainly buried by Norman there; there’s a little bit of tension when a worker finds one of Audrey’s earrings though.

Bates Motel “‘Til Death Do You Part” also catches up with Norman’s half-brother Dylan, who is looking to leave the drug trade behind following Emma’s lung transplant. This looks like it will be complicated when Chick shows up looking for Dylan’s father Caleb, who assaulted Chick at the end of season 3 following a deal gone wrong. When Norma later visits Norman in Pineview they get into a furious row, which leads to Norma and Romero sleeping together when she goes home. The episode ends with Norman telling his doctor he thinks Norma might be a killer, hinting at trouble ahead.

About The Author

Padraig Cotter
(3505 Articles Published)

It’s pronounced Paw-rick, not Pad-raig. Now that’s out of the way, a brief introduction. Padraig has been writing about film online since 2012, when a friend asked if he’d like to contribute the occasional review or feature to their site.

A part-time hobby soon blossomed into a career when he discovered he really loved writing about movies, TV and video games – he even (arguably) had a little bit of talent for it. He has written words for Den of Geek, Collider, The Irish Times and Screen Rant over the years, and can discuss anything from the MCU – where Hawkeye is clearly the best character – to the most obscure cult b-movie gem, and his hot takes often require heat resistant gloves to handle.

He’s super modern too, so his favorite movies include Jaws, Die Hard, The Thing, Ghostbusters and Batman. He can be found as i_Padds on Twitter making bad puns.

See also  GTA Trilogy Restarting Failed Missions Makes Taxis Pointless

More From Padraig Cotter