Bates Motel - S3E5 - The Deal

Previously on Bates Motel, ‘Unbreak-Able’

The Morning After

Everyone’s had a rough night. Dylan wakes up in his car, having slept ll night in the parking lot of a bar.

Norma is driving, crying over her fight with the Norman the night before, when a car speeds up behind her and eventually runs her off the road. She’s about to call for help when the driver returns and threatens her: Call Bob Paris (I’ve been calling the man Harris for three episodes!) and return what you took from Annika, or else.

Birdwatcher

Romero is at the lake where Lindsey’s body was found. He’s interviewing a fisherman who reluctantly tells him about seeing a guy at the same spot right before the girl’s body was found. The guy claimed to be bird watching without binoculars, in the rain.

Snitches Get…

Norman wakes up to find Emma watching over him. Norma asked her to stay with him. He tells her what he learned about Dylan and Caleb and says he has to tell his mother. “Do you?” Emma asks, wise beyond her years. She explains Dylan’s father may be a rapist, but he’s still his father and children have a way of whitewashing their parents. Oop. He insists he has to tell his mother. When he hears Dylan entering the house, Norman apologizes saying he had to tell Norma. This son-of-a…

Flash Drive

Dylan leaves and gets a call from the hospital; Norma’s in the ER. He rushes there and starts to apologize to her, and then quickly realizes she doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about. Norman lied. She tells him about Bob Paris’ threat and he thinks they should take it seriously, but she’s connived the flash drive could be good for them (money) and she begs him to continue to hide it.

Speaking of the most popular flash drive on TV: Romero interrupts a lunch meeting between Bob Paris and Marcus Young the Wannabe Mayor. He confronts Paris about the dead girls and what they were holding over him. Bob comes right out and says: It’s a flash drive with serious info on it and it would be best for the town if it were found. And Romero’s in luck because Bob believes Norma Bates has the flash drive.

Everyone Loves Norma

Dylan confronts Norman at the motel. Norman lies, again, and says he did tell Norma. Dylan is like, “Then one of y’all is crazy.” Dylan says Caleb just wants to apologize and then he’ll be gone. And he’s decided he’s going to tell Norma on his own. Stay out of it, Norman!

The psychology teacher sees Norma sitting in the rain at the school’s bus stop and offers her a lift… and dinner. This poor, poor man.

Brother Dearest

Caleb eyes a photo of him and Norma as kids. He takes out his anger/frustration on a tree with an axe. Along comes my new favorite character, Chick. He offers Caleb boar jerky, dead rabbit, or just a hug. Caleb finally agrees to some whiskey. Chick also offers him a job as a driver. $25K, a little risk. Caleb says he’s turning over a new leaf for his son. Chick gives hm till the end of the week to tell him if he’s going to stay on the same side of the old leaf.

Psychology teacher is so open with his feelings over dinner that Norma wonders if he could help her through some things. He gives her another card, since the first one is in her towed car. She flat out asks if he’s attracted to her and he says yes. And that won’t be an issue if she becomes his patient.

Is the Dress Blue and White or Gold…

When Norma gets home Norman asks if she changed her clothes. She says she’s been wearing the same thing all day. He swears he spoke to her that morning and she was wearing a blue and white dress. Nope. Must be another blackout. He looks scared as hell, even after she hugs him and tells him it’s going to be okay.

He goes to her room, finds the dress, and gets super fucking comfortable with it. So comfortable, it made me uncomfortable to watch. When she calls him to dinner, Norman rushes to hide the dress in his room.

Gunner Got Skills

Gunner is up at the farm when the power goes out. He checks the timer and finds the flash drive and guess what? He’s a fucking hacker. He decrypts the data and calls Dylan. He knows what’s on the drive.

Dylan shows up at the house and tells Norma it’s a financial ledger of drug money, which would implicate half of the important and powerful people in White Pine Bay. Norma wants to use it as leverage. Thankfully, it looks like Dylan talks her into telling Romero because it’s too dangerous. It means everything to him that he has a family now and he doesn’t want to lose it. Oh, Dylan. They better not kill you.

Who the Hell is Clay and Why is He Dead?

Romero pulls up behind a running car parked on the side of the road. He calls out to the driver, Clay, that he just wants to talk about Lindsey, the dead girl. Clay doesn’t answer because Clay has a bullet hole in his head.

Norma kinda listens to Dylan. She goes to Romero’s house and tells him about the drive - that she has it and what’s on it. But she’s not going to give it to him. She wants Romero to take her to Bob Paris to negotiate a deal. He thinks that’s a baaaaad idea, and Norma responds he’s only saying that because she’s a woman. This town has raped her, put a dead man in her bed, and kidnapped her child. Screw justice for the dead girls.

She tries to make a dramatic exit, but she can’t get the door open. That leads to tears and a Romero hug.

Let’s Make a Deal

In Paris’ office, Norma makes her offer: The bypass is going to ruin her business and it’s all she has to support her son and his.. medical problems. Norma wants an exit ramp off the bypass that leads to the main road near her motel. She wants a billboard on both sides of the highway before the exit, and she wants design input. Oh, and a pool for her motel. Well, damn. 

And in return, she’s not giving up the flash drive. She will give him her word that it will never see the light of day, but it will be sent to the Feds if something should happen to her. Surprisingly, Bob agrees! Romero is shocked. I’m side-eye’ing Bob so hard right now.

Brotherly Love

Dylan goes to Norman and says he’s going to tell Norma and he understands if Norman doesn’t want to be there. Norman apologizes and says he’s a man now, and he wants to be a good one. He’ll be there for Dylan And he is.

When Norma gets home, she finds both of her sons at the kitchen table looking solemn. Dylan tells her everything, with Norman providing backup. Norma quietly gets up, goes upstairs, and starts packing her clothes. When they ask her what she’s doing, she throws something at the mirror and breaks it. She grabs her gun and storms out, with Norman pleading with her.

“Your brother can take care of you now.”

Overall Thoughts & Questions:

• Of course the Wi-Fi password for the motel is MOTHER.
• Romero not backing down from Paris is interesting. What he seems to be saying is he’ll gladly see the half the town go down to get justice for two dead girls, but he has to know they won’t let that happen. Paris is the one who brought in Marcus Young.
• More Chick, please! He’s great! And I just learned he played Opie on Sons of Anarchy.
• I fear for everyone who isn’t Norman and Norma. Emma, Dylan, psychology teacher, Romero. Anyone who gets too close to their crazy is at risk.