While there weren't any major surprises in this latest episode of "Bates Motel" -- the last before next week's season finale -- Norma did have her worst fears realized. While the sheriff doesn't seem that interested in helping her, Jake Abernathy made it very clear that he was the one who put Shelby's body in her bed. He also was determined to get the $150,000 he assumes she has.
Terrified for her life, Norma agreed to get him the money, but she doesn't have it. She'd spent the episode trying to see if she could sell the motel and move her family away from the craziness in town, only to find out that the highway bypass had cut the value of her property in half -- and that's if she's lucky enough to sell it.
IGN thought Jake popping up in Norma's backseat with a gun to her head "served up a nasty taste of panic. He is a truly worthy foe." TV Equals felt a little let down overall, though, offering an alternative arc for this first season.
"With only one episode left in the series, it’s a little weird that it doesn’t feel like we’re really ramping up to a big conclusion," they wrote. "Maybe if they spent [time] fleshing out the seedy underbelly of the town and building up Shelby as a possible villain, it would have made the shootout in the motel and Shelby’s death a lot more effective. Seriously, wouldn’t that have worked perfectly as a series finale?!"
See how the first season wraps on the finale of "Bates Motel" next Monday at 10 p.m. ET on A&E.
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