Bates Motel Series Finale: Norman Reunites With Mother

The last season of A&E’s “Bates Motel” series has just ended, and Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) has finally reunited with his mother. It’s been his lifelong goal to never be separated from his mother, and now he gets what he’s been longing for ever since Norma Bates (Vera Farmiga) died. The series is a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” that went on a different course for the story; and what an alternative path it took indeed.

Spoilers for the last episode of the “Bates Motel” series follow.

Norman Bates Goes Home To Mother in Bates Motel Series Finale

In a shocking turn of events, Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) came to his own end as he was buried next to his mother in the series finale of “Bates Motel.” Norman, with his extreme obsession for his dead mother, died at the hands of his half-brother Dylan (Max Thieriot). His delusions were way into deep, and he was no longer able to identify reality.

In an interview with USA Today, Highmore recaps the “Bates Motel” episode saying, “Norman comes home and is consumed by images of the (series) pilot and is thinking he’s back at that time and his mother is alive and they’re going to make things great,” Highmore says. “But his dream starts to unravel when Dylan says, ‘She’s dead. She really isn’t here, Norman.’ ”

Upon learning about the sad truth, Norman freaks out and tries to kill Dylan with a knife. His brother retaliates by shooting Norman in self-defense, something that Norman himself saw coming as he saw his fake world with his mother materialize into truth.

“Norman puts Dylan in a position where he has no choice. We hope there was a certain beauty to Norman having this final moment of clarity where he recognized he had no options that were better than this,” says executive producer Carlton Cuse. “He forces Dylan to do something, and that action is the final act in his tragedy.”

Bates Motel Finally Closes It’s Doors

Even before things led to Norman’s death, the “Bates Motel” finale included plenty of action which subsequently led to a bloodbath. Early in the episode, Norman shows Alex Romero (played by Nestor Carbonell and also Norma’s ex-husband in the series,) his mother’s corpse. Norman then kills Romero before he returns to meet his end at the hands of Dylan.

Despite the finale’s dark and bloody theme, there’s still a glimmer of positivity as Dylan is then reunited with his wife Emma (Olivia Cooke) and their daughter at the end of the show. You might remember their relationship wavering due to Dylan’s support for Norman’s legal defense.

Earlier in the “Bates Motel” season, Marion Crane (Rihanna) was urged by Norman to leave the motel, giving us a huge twist from what the original “Psycho” movie intended Crane’s fate to be.

“It’s not that I’m condoning certain actions of his, but I hope we feel sympathy for him at the very end. I think he’s always tried to be a good person, tried to be nice and do what he thought was best,” Highmore says. “What makes him appealing is that he’s never really been out to get people.”