Bates Motel premiered last night (Mon. 18th) on A&E!

[Anton Phibes]

I shall hold my critiques until after I see the season finale. I consider myself to be the show's harshest critic. Much like some here would be if the subject matter were a Michael Myers weekly tv series or TCM weekly series.

[geezer butler]

The ending of the last episode was brilliantly done. Some of the best series work for any generation of television.

thm

Totally agree. This show is great. Norman is finally owning his homicidal psychosis. I've said this before, but the pace of the show is fantastic. I think early on there was actually some hope for Norman. If he would have sought out mental health treatment earlier, and if Norma weren't so dysfunctional, I think there was some hope for him. I even felt bad for him at times. So overall I think the writers did a great job of showing how his descent into madness was a slow crawl and not inevitable. So it's tragic really.

But now it's game over. It seems like he realizes he's homicidal and there's no turning back. He knows that he won't stop killing, so in a perverse way the suicide/murder attempt represented his last bit of morality. He's thinking 'let's just end this now, because there's no way we get healthier, no way this works out, no way I stop killing, so it's better for everyone if we just end it peacefully.' Otherwise he knows more people will get hurt.

[aura of foreboding]

One of the quotes from Psycho that I remember most fondly is: "Norman found them dead together... in bed."

That being said, this was a fantastic sequence and more than makes up for the inconsistency.  We'll see if this is truly the end, but I would be happy if it were.  Then the next season could be devoted entirely to the making the new Mother.   

[aura of foreboding]

I also like how the house was used as the murder weapon.  That was a stroke of genius. 

[Lunkenstein]

Very powerful finale. Really tugged at emotions along with the disturbing scenes. This show has become a classic.

[Mord]

Brilliant! The acting reached a whole new level this season. I can't wait to see where they go from here.

[Anton Phibes]

Alright: here we go. Season 5 is going to be all about putting the genie back in the bottle, and making the series mirror Psycho a little more. But I am getting ahead of myself. Most of my buddies know how I feel about the program. Too rough, and too deviating from the source material.  The character who was most interesting to me for this particular series has now been arrested, after getting a few minutes to shine. All the supporting cast has split. We now have Norman living in fantasy land.

I must say....this was a weird episode. It actually spooked me a little. When he glued Norma's eyes open....and she was just staring....it was jarring.

As odd as this is going to seem: I was afraid of Norman....and yet felt sorry for him at the same time... being so broken. His little puppy running about the house barking (when we all know that Juno is gone), and Mother lying dead on the sofa.  This fear/sympathy hybrid is a feat that only Anthony Perkins had pulled off as Bates until the finale. Henry Thomas didn't do it in Psycho 4. Don't even talk to me about Vince Vaughn.

So--Highmore has done it. I hadnt felt this conflicted about an onscreen looney since Psycho 2. Kudos Kid..... you did good. From a jaded old Psycho purist: 5 star finale for season 4. Actually anxious to see Season 5....and not in rubber neck/train wreck lookey loo mode about the show.

[charp13]

Oooooh!  Yeah! The eyes...what a brilliant move!  I was so thankful the show continued past the funeral. It was perfect!  And poor Dylan.  It ended in a really good place. 

[Lunkenstein]

For me, one of the saddest moments in this finale is when Norman first returned to the house and it was so empty without his mother.  I know many of us have had that horrible feeling after we lose someone close.   

[the_horror_man]

As odd as this is going to seem: I was afraid of Norman....and yet felt sorry for him at the same time... being so broken. His little puppy running about the house barking (when we all know that Juno is gone), and Mother lying dead on the sofa.  This fear/sympathy hybrid is a feat that only Anthony Perkins had pulled off as Bates until the finale. Henry Thomas didn't do it in Psycho 4. Don't even talk to me about Vince Vaughn.

I completely agree. I was watching in horror and sadness. In my opinion, the entire scene with Norma on the couch and Norman wanting so much for her to return was one of the most brilliantly written and acted scenes I have ever seen on television.  This was a level very few shows will ever achieve.

thm

[geezer butler]

I agree with everyone---outstanding episode. Even though we knew Norman would kill Norma at some point, part of me still couldn't believe it.  And though Norman's a serial killer and deserved to get smacked around by Romero, I still kind of feel sad for him in a way. He never had a chance growing in a such a dysfunctional environment. I'm not excusing his anti-social behavior in any way, but I still feel sad for him and Norma.

[aura of foreboding]

Bates Motel went from being one of the sillest programs on TV to one of the best, if not the best.  That finale had me in fear, in tears, disturbed, and touched all at the same time.  Brilliant. 

[Lunkenstein]

Won't be very long now. The final season begins on 2/20/17. Can't wait.

[Gillfan]

http://www.blumhouse.com/2017/01/20/bates-motel-unveils-4-creepy-posters-for-final-season/

[Lunkenstein]

Man, those are creepy.