| "Goodnight, Mother" | |
|---|---|
| |
| Air date | March 14th, 2016 |
| Writers | Kerry Ehrin |
| Director | Tim Southam |
| Producers | Scott Kosar; Erica Lipez; Christopher Nelson; Tim Southam; Jamie Kaye Wheeler; Tom Szentgyorgyi; Justis Greene; Steve Kornacki; Alyson Evans; Vera Farmiga; Tucker Gates; Kerry Ehrin; Carlton Cuse; Heather Meehan; Pete Whyte; Mark Wolper; Roy Lee; John Powers Middleton |
| Starring | Vera Farmiga; Freddie Highmore; Max Thieriot; Olivia Cooke; Nestor Carbonell |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous "A Danger to Himself and Others" |
Next "Til Death Do You Part" |
"Goodnight, Mother" is the second episode of season four of the psychological thriller series Bates Motel, and the forty-second episode of the series overall. It was directed by Tim Southam with a script written by Kerry Ehrin. It first aired on A&E on Monday, March 14th, 2016 at 9:00 pm. In this episode, Norman Bates' psychosis takes a more dominant step as he now believes that it has been his mother, Norma Bates, who has been committing acts of murder and trying to blame it on him. Things come to a head as Norman realizes that something must be done about "mother". Nora makes a desperate call to Alex Romero for help. Meanwhile, Emma Decody's recovery from her lung transplant has Dylan Massett thinking about his future.
Synopsis[]
Emma's recovering nicely.
At the hospital, Dylan and Will Decody get the chance to visit Emma. She has a tough moment, but otherwise, is recovering just fine. Will speaks to Dylan and asks him think about his future, especially if it is one that may include Emma in it. He tells him that he is too good a man to simply be selling pot for a living.
Back at the motel, Norman asks his mother why she locked him in her room the previous day. She says that she needed him to rest and that she had run out to get some groceries. Norman knows this is a lie and challenges her, but Norma deflects the accusation. She doesn't care for the way Norman is acting.
Norman's got some anger issues.
Alex Romero goes to Pineview on Norma's behalf to try and get Norman admitted. The manager of the facility is resolute about their waiting list, and Alex presents a large wad of money as a bribe. He later telephones Norma and tells her that he can get Norman into Pineview, but as he is eighteen, he must sign the commitment papers himself. He tells her that he had them faxed to the motel office. Norma is eternally grateful to Alex, but also worried as Norman is currently in the office checking in a family from Portland.
Norman finds the fax and his psychosis takes an even darker turn. He is now convinced that it was actually his mother who has been committing these murders and trying to pin it on him. The two have a confrontation with one another, and Norman expresses an uncharacteristic dominance over her.
It becomes clear that Norman is becoming too dangerous, and Norma fears for her safety. Norman lashes out over the notion of committing him to Pineview and begins chasing her through the house. Norma runs upstairs to get a gun she had concealed under her mattress, but Norman already got to it. She runs into another section of the house and locks the door. She frantically calls Romero on her cell phone and tells him that Norman is lashing out.
Norma then finds Norman downstairs in the basement at his work table. Norman speaks to her in an even, yet threatening manner. Before he can take any further action, Alex Romero and a deputy rush into the basement and take control of the situation. They walk Norman upstairs and say that they will have to take him to the county hospital unless he agrees to sign the commitment form. Norma pleads with Norman to sign the form, and he silently obeys. Romero puts him into the police cruiser and drives off.
Cast[]
Principal Cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Vera Farmiga | Norma Bates |
| Freddie Highmore | Norman Bates |
| Max Thieriot | Dylan Massett |
| Olivia Cooke | Emma Decody |
| Nestor Carbonell | Alex Romero |
Guest Stars[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| David Cubitt | Sam Bates |
| Louis Ferreira | Doctor Guynan |
| Andrew Howard | Will Decody |
| Karina Logue | Audrey Ellis |
| Fiona Vroom | Vicki Monroe |
Also Starring[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Dustin Freeland | Deputy |
| Nelson Leis | Portland dad |
| Hannah Levien | Portland mom |
| Sasha Rojen | Portland kid |
| Elizabeth Weinstein | Receptionist |
Notes[]
- Bates Motel was developed for television by Carlton Cuse & Kerry Ehrin and Anthony Cipriano.
- This series is based on characters from the novel Psycho by Robert Bloch, and as portrayed in the theatrical film Psycho.
- This episode is rated TV-14. It contains violence and strong language.
- This episode had a viewership of 1,446 people. It fell one tenth from a 0.7 to a 0.6 rating from the previous episode. [1]
- This is the second episode of Bates Motel directed by Tim Southam. He previously directed the season three episode "Persuasion".
- This is the eighteen episode of Bates Motel written by Kerry Ehrin. It is her second episode from season four. She previously wrote "A Danger to Himself and Others".
- Elizabeth Weinstein is credited as a receptionist in this episode, when she actually plays a nurse.
- This is the second appearance of Audrey Decody. She appears as part of an hallucination only. She appeared last in "A Danger to Himself and Others".
- This is the second appearance of Doctor Guynan. It is the first time that he is identified by name. He appeared last in "A Danger to Himself and Others".
Trivia[]
- Actresses Fiona Vroom and Elizabeth Weinstein both appeared together in the 2014 dance film Step Up: All In.
- This episode aired right before the "Second Death" episode of Damien on A&E.
Allusions[]
- The man in Norman's hallucination is Sam Bates, Norman's father. Norman killed Sam in the pilot episode, "First You Dream, Then You Die". He also appeared in a flashback in "The Truth".
- Norman accuses Norma of killing Bradley Martin. As far as Norma is concerned, she believed that Bradley had committed suicide. Norman killed Bradley at the end of season three in "The Psycho".
- Norman also accuses Norma of killing Blaire Watson, his former teacher. Miss Watson had actually seduced Norman and Norman killed her in "Midnight".
- The woman in the ice box is Audrey Decody, Emma Decody's mother. Norman strangled her to death in "A Danger to Himself and Others". Her death scene is shown in the "Previously on Bates Motel" recap at the beginning of this episode.
Quotes[]
- Norma Bates: You had a bad day yesterday.
Crew[]
See also[]
External Links[]
Series links[]
Episode links[]
References[]
- ↑ Zap2it.com, TV by the Numbers; March 15th, 2016. "Monday cable ratings: ‘Better Call Saul’ and ‘Bates Motel’ fall".