One of the first scenes we see is Bradley lying in bed completely naked while Norman gets dressed. Confirmation? I’m almost positive. They did have sex. He wasn’t hallucinating! Seeing Norman on cloud 9 while walking home that morning was nice. This was one of the rare times that we get to see Norman happy. However, this is short lived once Dylan tells Norman that Norma is in jail.
Norman and Dylan go see Norma in jail, but she doesn’t want any help from them at all. She’s super pissed and won’t even talk to Norman. Norman decides to search for the deed to the motel so he can post Norma’s bail. Her bail is a whopping $100,000. While searching for the deed, Emma shows up, apparently feeling better from her flu the episode before. In the next scene, Dylan asks his partner Ethan for $5,000 so that he can find somewhere good to live and take care of Norman. Ethan knows the risks of being in debt in this town and quickly waves Dylan off.
Meanwhile, Emma and Norma head to the bail bonds place. I love the line that Emma says to Norman after he thanks her for coming with him: “Well, if you can’t count on your friends to help bail your mother out of prison, then really…” While waiting for the bail bonds place to open, Norman and Emma begin to talk. He tells her about the Asian girl locked up in officer Shelby’s basement, but asks her not to say anything and that he must take care of his mother first. Out of nowhere, Emma kisses him and Norman just lets her do it. Obviously Emma is a good girl, but fragile because of her condition. I don’t want her to get hurt or her heart broken. On the other hand, Bradley seems like a good girl too. She’s also in a very delicate and fragile state at the moment. I don’t want her to get hurt either. Before Norman goes inside the bail bonds place, Emma asks him if Norma killed Keith and that she’d understand because he was a “pig.” Norman denies everything once again.
Norman waits outside with flowers for Norma once she’s released from jail. She tells him that she has “nothing to say to him.” Norma and Norman go to see a lawyer and Norma is unimpressed, even asking the lawyer, Rebecca, her age. Which in case you’re wondering, is 33. Norma doesn’t trust the lawyer and walks out with Norman trailing behind. During the car ride back home, Norma lays on the biggest guilt trip to Norman by saying things such as, “You don’t care about me,” and “You went out and got laid the night I was crying in my room, worried sick…” She asks him who he slept with, but Norman never answers. Why did Norma want to know? Would she harm Bradley for taking her precious son’s virginity? Norman finally admits that he’s scared of her and she doesn’t take this well, to say the least. She kicks him out of the car, 10 miles from home.
Norman’s skinny legs are saved when Dylan the hero shows up on his handy dandy motorcycle. During the motorcycle ride scene, there is beautiful camera work that shows beautiful scenery. Norman is actually seen with a smile on his face. Who would have thought that the estranged brother would give him the slightest bit of happiness? Dylan says some profound words about Norma to Norman:
“She lives for the drama. She’s an addict. The best thing is to walk away.”
“You don’t walk away from parents,” Norman tells him.
“Isn’t that the point? Leave the nest? I’m getting a place to live. Come with me.”
My first thoughts: Is Dylan in debt now? All he’s doing is trying to help Norman. I hope it doesn’t jeopardize Dylan’s safety.
To his surprise, Ethan decides to give Dylan the money so that him and Norman can have a place together. Ethan states that, “I know you’re good for it. You’ll pay me back.” Suddenly, someone that Ethan seems to know walks up to the truck that Dylan and Ethan are sitting in. Out of nowhere, this man shoots Ethan in the neck and runs away. Dylan carries Ethan to the hospital, but leaves shortly after so that no one finds out that he’s connected with the huge marijuana farm in town. Later, Norma and officer Shelby meet in an abandoned area. Here, Shelby tells her that he’s going to do all he can to help her. Shelby then goes to the station and switches the surveillance video off just long enough to steal the evidence from Keith’s watch. In the next scene, Dylan is seen driving around town at night. All of a sudden, he notices the same guy who shot Ethan. Dylan becomes enraged and literally runs the guy over with Ethan’s truck that he’s driving.
Norma receives a call from Rebecca the lawyer and finds out that the carpet fiber evidence has gone missing. Norman is desperately leaving Bradley a voicemail when Norma walks in and tells him about the evidence. She tells Norman that she’s pretty sure Shelby helped them out to which Norman replies, “What’s he going to make you do for this one?” Norman walks out of the house just in time to see Emma pulling up. They drive to a marina and Emma starts to tell him her important information that she’s found. Although, Norman isn’t quite paying attention because he keeps checking his phone – in hopes of Bradley texting him or calling him back. Emma questions him and Norman admits that he slept with Bradley. I’m shocked at Emma’s reaction. She wasn’t as upset as I thought she’d be. She basically tells Norman that it was nothing more than a hook-up, which Norman denies. Finally, Emma asks, “Did she change her relationship status?” When Norman says no, she adds, “Hook-up.” The topic changes when Emma tells Norman her discovery – that Keith Summers had a boat and she believes it would be a perfect place to hide the Asian girl. They manage to get inside the boat and discover a locked door. While giving me a heart attack, the door busts open and out pops the Asian girl. She’s real! Norman wasn’t hallucinating!
During the last scene, Norman and Emma take the Asian girl back to the motel. Norma is leaving the motel office when she notices a light is on and walks over to it. Once there, she discovers Norman, Emma, and the Asian girl. Norman tells Norma that this is the girl he saw in Shelby’s basement. Norma still needs convincing however, so she runs back to the office, grabs a newspaper with officer Shelby’s picture inside it, and shows it to the Asian girl. To Norma’s horror, the Asian girl confirms that Shelby is the man who kept her in his house and forced her to have sex with him.
Some things I loved:
-Emma busting open the door on the boat with her oxygen tank.
-Emma saying, “If I had an Asian sex slave, where would I hide her?”
-The brotherly moments with Norman and Dylan.
Things confirmed:
-Bradley and Norman DID have sex. He wasn’t just hallucinating.
-Norma can be a real bitch when she wants to be.
-Shelby is clearly bad. But does he have true feelings for Norma?
Loose Ends:
- * Will Norma confront officer Shelby?
- * How much trouble will Dylan be in?
- * Why is Bradley ignoring Norman?
- * Where will Emma, Norma, and Norman hide the Asian girl?
- * How pissed will sheriff Romero be once he finds out the evidence has gone missing?
