It feels like if anyone can shake Norman out of this and bring him back to his senses, it’s Emma. That’s why it’s so sad to hear her saying that she doesn’t think she’ll ever be able to look at Norman again without attempting to kill him. The episode skirts around that cathartic reckoning between Norman and Emma that’s maybe even been hinted at since the very first episode, simply because Norman has gone too far and done too much damage. Emma can’t bear the burden of trying to save him. When Emma finally does muster the strength to pay Norman a visit before leaving all of this behind, she’s cheated by talking to Norma through the entire encounter (also, that scene in question totally misses a great opportunity to go with Norman’s “I wouldn’t even harm a fly” line from Psycho…Just saying).

It’s also beyond beautiful to see Dylan and Emma helping and leaning into each other through this messed up, broken situation, yet still ultimately falling into different mentalities. This is sort of an impossible situation to reconcile. Emma understandably wants Norman in prison and justice for her mother, while Dylan just wants to see Norman get the right help, whatever that ends up meaning. We may not get to see much into the future of Emma and Dylan’s relationship post-Norman, but I hope that they’re somehow able to rise above all of this. I’m not optimistic about it though. What’s even sadder is that after Madeleine’s dressing down of Dylan, he might spend the rest of his life in doubt over the fact that he could have done something to prevent all of this.

Even though Emma might have already written Norman out of her life, it’s a little shocking to see her burial plans for her biological mother get derailed by her need to pay respects to Norma. Emma’s perception of her relationship with Norma was obviously very different than what Norma thought of things, but it makes for an incredibly bittersweet, confusing moment in an episode that’s full of misplaced grief and sympathy. Emma might not blast Norman with rage during their face-to-face, but she is able to cleanse herself through talking to Norma.

While Dylan is still ultimately in camp “Save Norman,” the episode also creates tension by the growing forces that are mounting against Norman. Romero is going for broke at this point and has never been more determined to end Norman. Also, just how chilling is it to see the Bates property littered with forensic agents, like ants? As people scour for evidence, Sheriff Greene pokes through every nook and cranny of Norman and Norma’s formerly sacred fortress of solitude. It’s a jarring visual to see this closed off space suddenly so open and exposed. It’s a perfect visual representation of this “everything out in the open” mentality of the series’ final episodes. It’s also jarring material because it feels like the sort of stuff that should be in the epilogue of the series since that’s where the placement of this content’s equivalent falls in Psycho. While this curiously might be one of Bates Motel’s shortest entries, only clocking in at 38 minutes, there’s still a whole episode left here. The show continues to have fun playing with the audience, making them try and figure out what’s going to be the angle that fuels the final episode.

Norman also finds himself facing the bitter irony that if he doesn’t want to face consecutive life sentences in prison, then he has to embrace the fact that he’s mentally unwell in order to get off on an insanity plea. The only catch is that this isn’t some quick solution that gets Norman back into his home and living happily ever after with his psychosis. No, it’s a future that sees Norman being constantly poked and prodded until every shred of Mother is torn out of him. This is a reality that seems even worse than prison in some respects to Norman, especially now that Norma is the one that’s calling the shots (it’s a great moment where Norman goes onto to Julia about how “being a mother is an impossible job to win”).