I feel that in this version of the Psycho story, Norman had to die. He had killed so many people that justice had to be served for the viewer. I would have felt frustrated with an open ending that would have allowed for him to be back in society some day, killing more people. This version doesn't need a sequel. But Norman also got his happy ending with his spiritual reunion with Norma, and him saying "thank you" to Dylan was the perfect conclusion. This was definitely a superior series that lasted the right amount of time, and that could be a cult classic for years to come. Well done, cast and crew. Bravo.

@kathykato said:

I feel that in this version of the Psycho story, Norman had to die.

Agreed.

The final scene with him meeting his mother was a perfect ending to a perfect show. They could now finally be together for all eternity like they always wanted, unscathed and undisturbed. Even if it all was in Norman's mind, it was just the closure he needed in his final moments.

I am more inclined to agree with you guys the more I read your comments, and thank you. I think my not wanting the show to end sort of clouded my ability to think it through initially. In hindsight, the ending was fitting. I'm going to miss those characters and the actors who portrayed them (at least in those roles). I'm excited to see their next projects, and I'm thrilled they gave us five seasons of one of the best shows on tv!

It's hard to say farewell to a show that engaged you both plot wise and through the characters. I know because I felt strangely empty for days after I saw the very last episode of The Mentalist. Seven seasons and suddenly, it's over. Bates Motel was a quality show that had it all but it was never meant to be a long runner, we knew that from the get go. Maybe now would be a good time to watch the movies?

Awesome show and I'm sorry to see it all end. How did 5 years go by so fast? They could not have cast this show any better. It's going to be hard not to think of Norman Bates every time I see Freddie Highmore or Norma when I see Vera Farmiga. They really knocked it out of the park. I mean even the supporting actors were awesome (Caleb, Chick etc).

If you liked Ryan Hurst (Chick), then may I recommend the show Outsiders, it's one of my favorites. He's just as good in Sons of Anarchy, but mind you it's really graphic

@diadara said:

It's hard to say farewell to a show that engaged you both plot wise and through the characters. I know because I felt strangely empty for days after I saw the very last episode of The Mentalist. Seven seasons and suddenly, it's over. Bates Motel was a quality show that had it all but it was never meant to be a long runner, we knew that from the get go. Maybe now would be a good time to watch the movies?

Absolutely, Jana. I think I'm also a bit spoiled by being 40-something, having grown up in a time when most all hour-long drama shows were 20-25 episodes per season. Certainly the writing quality was a bit sacrificed on those shows in order to meet such short production deadlines (in many cases, just plain not up to par with what we have today), so getting only 10 episodes or so a season out of our current favorite characters usually leaves me wanting more from past experience, alone.

Cometdog made a great point about seeing them in other roles as well. As you've read, I can't fawn over Farmiga enough. Of all her characters, though, Norma (as she said herself)), she played the hell out of. She gave her such depth, and showed us every emotion and character trait possible. You couldn't help but care for her, despite her flaws. Her range was so incredible in Bates. I can separate Norma from Lorraine (The Conjuring films), but find them equally mesmerizing. That is due solely to Vera's talent and versatility.

I'll start a thread on that in itself on Vera's page, but wanted to drop in and comment. Thanks, you guys! It's nice to have a forum to express our appreciation of a show we'll probably watch over and again. I know I will. ;)

@BryanB said:

@diadara said:

It's hard to say farewell to a show that engaged you both plot wise and through the characters. I know because I felt strangely empty for days after I saw the very last episode of The Mentalist. Seven seasons and suddenly, it's over. Bates Motel was a quality show that had it all but it was never meant to be a long runner, we knew that from the get go. Maybe now would be a good time to watch the movies?

Absolutely, Jana. I think I'm also a bit spoiled by being 40-something, having grown up in a time when most all hour-long drama shows were 20-25 episodes per season. Certainly the writing quality was a bit sacrificed on those shows in order to meet such short production deadlines (in many cases, just plain not up to par with what we have today), so getting only 10 episodes or so a season out of our current favorite characters usually leaves me wanting more from past experience, alone.

Cometdog made a great point about seeing them in other roles as well. As you've read, I can't fawn over Farmiga enough. Of all her characters, though, Norma (as she said herself)), she played the hell out of. She gave her such depth, and showed us every emotion and character trait possible. You couldn't help but care for her, despite her flaws. Her range was so incredible in Bates. I can separate Norma from Lorraine (The Conjuring films), but find them equally mesmerizing. That is due solely to Vera's talent and versatility.

I'll start a thread on that in itself on Vera's page, but wanted to drop in and comment. Thanks, you guys! It's nice to have a forum to express our appreciation of a show we'll probably watch over and again. I know I will. ;)

Agree about Vera, she is an amazing actress and poured her heart and soul into Norma. I will miss her and Freddie and all the cast so much.

I admit i was scared to watch the end because I knew it wouldn't have a happy ending..meaning i thought Norman would be the last one standing.. I thought he would get locked up then years later or something he would be released and the killings would start up again. This ending surprised me (I knew Alex prolly wouldn't make it) but i thought dylan would die too. I enjoyed the ending and thought it was a good way to end. Im a bit confused tho as i thought this show was a prequel and would end how the psycho movies began (I never seen the movies) but since norman died i guess that's not the case.

@BryanB said:

I must say I actually didn't want to think about how the show would end, simply because I've loved it so much. I wanted to be surprised all the way to the last minute, and I was. I just finished the last episode, and I guess I'm still processing. I can't begin without saying Vera Farmiga is, without question, the only woman who could have played Norma. Freddie Highmore is brilliant, of course, and I'd say the same about him and Norman. Still, Vera is what drew and kept me watching. She's unbelievable. There are too many great things to say about Vera to even begin on this particular thread.

I think we all knew Romero was going to be toast, though I loved his character so much and so wanted him to survive. Everything else was surprising. I truly thought Dylan would be either killed by Norman, or shot during a police raid at the house.

Regarding Norman's death - I will have to think on that one. In a more real world (I know we're not with anything near the real world here, but for the sake of discussion), Dylan could have stalled, or led Norman outside, or gotten out of the room the second he pulled the knife. Who just stands there with that going on? There were seemingly too many ways for Dylan to have gotten out, or tricked Norman somehow in his crazed state of mind.

I know Dylan didn't want to see Norman locked up, but given what was going on, I think I'd rather run out the door, try buying some time (even 5 minutes!)...something other than standing there waiting to be lunged at with a big knife. I guess the argument would be Dylan would rather see him dead and at peace than locked away. I guess I can go with that, but I'm still wincing.

I guess because I didn't put a lot of thought into it on purpose, I figured Norman would live, and what would happen in the last episode would basically be the supporting characters either being picked off or moving on and out of town. I guess I did think Norman would eventually be arrested, and taken away to a mental facility. While many things in the show were twists and nods rather than rehashing the original (e.g., Marion's boyfriend getting the knife instead of her), I did think it would "wrap up" much more like a lead-in to the original Psycho. I'd love to see what you guys think. I'm not quite sure how I feel about the end. What I do know for sure, is that much like Six Feet Under, The Sopranos...all of the most beloved and unforgettable dramas I could list...Bates Motel will always be up with the best of the best with regard to the cast and their acting abilities. Not one actor gave a bad performance, and cheers to each member for the part they played. To Vera and Freddie - You guys hit home-runs with every scene. Bravo!

Yeah, about Norman and Dylan, it was a bit contrived in order for Norman to die there. Clearly Norman wanted to die rather than be sane and live with what he had done. Once his multiple personalities began to integrate and "Norman" had to face the truth of what he was, what he had done, etc. he decided to try once more to create a fantasy world in which he would not have to face the horrible facts. When it became clear to him that he was facing a life on drugs which would block out the hallucinations he needed in order to avoid facing the horrible truth, he decided to commit suicide by defendant.
I thought we were to believe that Dylan thought he could get through to his brother, talk him down, up to the last moment. He told Emma and others that Norman would never harm him, but didn't he have an awareness that there was some danger there? If not, why get that gun from Remo? From a practical standpoint though, an able bodied man, lying prone, can get to his feet and travel 21 feet and inflict a deadly knife wound in an average of 1.5 seconds according to law enforcement studies. That is why police department policies tell officers to shoot knife weilding assailants who refuse to drop their knives when they are that close. Norman was closer, putting Dylan at great risk. As you said, he should have begun back peddling as soon as Norman picked up that long knife. It should have dawned on him that instant that Norman either meant to kill Dylan, or force Dylan to shoot him. And Dylan should have given up on talking him down for the moment and retreated to a safer distance. But.....then they wouldn't have the ending they wanted, with Norman dying in order to escape the guilt and horror of his actions, and to go be with his mother in the after life instead.

Romero....I hated to see him fall apart after Norma died. And in season five he continued to unravel emotionally and mentally. I could see his death coming. I had no illusions that he would kill Norman. When Norman said to him at the shallow grave "this will go quicker if you lend a hand" I knew just what was coming. Romero was going to lose it when he saw Norma's corpse, lose track of Norman, and would wind up dead soon afterward. I always liked Romero and hated to see him fall so far. But given that he did, I thought it was merciful to him that he died there a few feet from the women he loved. I always had a hard time seeing how he could fall for Norma though. I know, you can't choose who you fall in love with. But Romero hated people who lied to him. And Norma lied consistently. She could swear an oath and sign it in blood one minute and then break it the next. How he could stand her is beyond me.

I also expected the show to mirror the original story, i.e. for the show to end with Norman going away to a mental institution for his crimes, eventually to be released and for the events of the movie Psycho to occur. But that would have been too predictable, and already there were departures from the original story. In the movie Norman had not killed so many people.

I liked the pace of season five. I know some complained they found it rushed, but I thought it moved at about the right speed. The first four seasons plodded along by comparison, and that was OK also. The back story was developed slowly enough that it was possible to forget for a while where the story was eventually going to end up.

I really could not feel very sorry for Norma. She was damaged, but she was very aware of herself and her actions. She knew enough to know she was making bad decisions. She thought only of herself, and Norman. She was a habitual, defiant, manipulative, liar. And that was her choice. I have sympathy for Norman, especially because he grew up with Norma. Norman couldn't help but learn his mother's unhealthy behaviors. Norman's multiple personality issues and his loose hold on reality were more than enough to deal with. If not for his mother, Norman might have been able to get better, with help of course.

Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore were perfectly cast I thought, and both turned in fantastic performances. The range of emotions Vera displayed was impressive. Her portrayal of Norma was just incredible. She could be fiercely defiant, stubbornly lying, lashing out at someone, then almost instantly change into a tearful, pleading, clingy, needy, desperate personality, ready to agree to almost anything in order to manipulate someone (e.g. Romero) to agree to help her and forgive her lies. But after that person agreed to help, Norma could and sometimes did break her promise(s) and try to manipulate them once again. She felt no compunction about this. She switched back and forth seamlessly. Vera was amazing in how she played Norma.

And Freddie also did a fantastic job, he just did a great job showing us Norman.