Bates Motel Season 5 Episode 6 Review: Marion
Lisa Babick
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Well, that was an interesting twist.
Marion Crane took her shower on Bates Motel Season 5 Episode 6, but the ending wasn't quite what we were expecting.
I was okay with it. Were you?
I'm glad that Norman let Marion go because this whole hour wasn't about Marion Crane at all.
Sure, the last couple of episodes were a nice nod to the Alfred Hitchcock's film, but wouldn't we have been disappointed if it happened exactly as it did in the film?
The twist at the end was exactly how it should have ended. Norman and Mother had a formed a new partnership. There needed to be some sort of balance. Norman didn't want to kill beautiful women anymore, but bad men who hurt women? Why not?
Sam Loomis was a bad man. Not only did he cheat on Madeline, who Norman has a huge crush on, but he cheated on Marion too, who in Norman's eyes was not only beautiful but nice, too.
It didn't matter to him what she did and why. Though I think he could understand the why behind it all. But he didn't care. He wanted her to go and live his life. He wanted her to leave before Mother showed up.
Norman: It's hard to be lonely. But it's also hard to love people. I think that that's the trap.
Marion: Trap?
Norman: Yes. The little private trap that everyone lives in. You need people, but that need can destroy us. Once you care about someone it rules you. And who even knows at the end of the day if that person is who you really think they are? Or if they're even real at all?
What a manipulative woman Mother is, though, isn't she?
When she was fighting with Norman in the kitchen the first time, she knew exactly what she was doing. She was purposely messing with his mind.
He knew she wasn't real. He knew he was just imagining her, but she wasn't going to let go. She even told him he wasn't going to maneuver his way around her.
Later, after Dylan called, she threw a very real and very nasty temper tantrum.
Did anyone else see that snarky little smile on her face after she forced him to open her eyes and LOOK AT HER?
She won and knew she won.
And that's what this hour was really about. Not Marion Crane or Sam Loomis or even Madeline. It was about Norman and the chaos taking place in his mind.
I absolutely loved that first kitchen scene when he was trying to make a sandwich for Marion. The dialogue was spot on. And can we talk about the little slam against crazy heads of state?
Mother: What kind of game are we playing tonight, Norman?
Norman: It's not a game. I'm insane. Can't keep things straight. I forgot that I cleaned up.
Mother: You're mad because I left.
Norman: I'm not mad. Except in a British sense of the word like the Mad Hatter. In that way I am mad. But the world is full of mad people that function, many of whom are heads of state so I think I can manage running a motel.
Mother was fighting for control, and she was not happy that he was aware that she wasn't real.
She was his imaginary friend that he'd made when he was a child to help him get through the difficult times. She'd always been there for him so why would he think it'd be okay to cast her aside now?
He gave her life, and through the years, she became her own person in his mind. And because of all the crazy that took place throughout the years, she became as real as you and me.
She was his friend. She talked to him. He talked to her. She made everything better. Just like a good friend (or mother) would do.
Yes, it was incredibly creepy hearing her talk to him about how she was formed, but it was something he needed to hear.
He was never going to get rid of her. No matter how hard he tried, she wasn't going away, so his mind had to come up with some sort of reconciliation.
And what better way to sort it all out than to form a partnership? It's crazy, right? But it's also perfectly Norman.
There is no more trying to fight it. She's going to direct him, and he's going to listen. For the most part. She knows his limits, and I really believe she's going to play by his rules.
Norman: I'm not confused. I think for the first time in a long while I'm actually starting to have some clarity.
Mother: Nothing like a crazy person announcing their own clarity.
At least that's what I think. I could be wrong and she might very well take complete control, killing everyone she thinks is a threat...especially beautiful women. But I truly think that stage is over.
It's a new beginning...for both of them.
What did you think of "Marion"? Did you like the twist? What about Norman's new partnership with Mother? Will killing take away the pain like she said?
The series is almost over so if you need to catch up, you can watch Bates Motel online right here via TV Fanatic.
