Bates Motel: Unfaithful

"Unfaithful" is the eighth episode of season four of the psychological thriller series Bates Motel, and the thirty-eighth episode of the series overall. It was directed by Stephen Surjik with a script written by Freddie Highmore. It first aired on A&E on Monday, May 2nd, 2016 at 9:00 pm. Norman Bates may be back home, but its not all sunshine and roses. He gets a real stick up his ass about his mother's relationship to Alex Romero, and even tries to come between them. The Bates family goes Christmas tree shopping and Norman throws up. Rebecca Hamilton tries to get a flight back to Indiana, but is nabbed by the DEA. Dylan and Emma do the wild thing.

Synopsis
Norman Bates returns home. Things are very intense between Norma and he, as he now knows that she is married to Alex Romero. Norma continues to play it off as a fake marriage, but Norman suspects otherwise. Given how the only reason she married Romero was for the insurance, he decides to take matters into his own hands. He visits him at his office and tells him he is going to get a second job so he can get his own insurance. After which, he expected his mother and the sheriff to get a divorce.

When Norma learns about this, she freaks out. She tells Norman the truth about her relationship and emphasizes the fact that he is simply going to have to deal with these changes.

Norma invites Dylan Massett and Emma Decody over for one last outing before they take off for Seattle. Along with Norman, they all go Christmas tree shopping. Norman gets sick and vomits, possibly as a side effect of his new meds.

To smooth things over between Norman and Alex, Norma makes a huge dinner. Things are uncomfortable and awkward, but through the course of the meal, Norman explodes, and is openly hostile to both his mother and his new "step-daddy". He storms outside and begins chopping wood. Alex goes to confront him, but Norman wields the axe in a threatening manner. He then buries it into a piece of wood while screaming "I hate you".

Elsewhere, Dylan and Emma settle in for what should be their final night in White Pine Bay. Things get frisky between them, but Dylan is concerned that she might not be healed enough for anything rougher than kissing. Emma disagrees and the two make love.

Meanwhile, Rebecca Hamilton tries to leave White Pine Bay. While checking in at the airport, the ticketing agent notices a red flag come up on her computer. She reports this to her superiors, at which point Rebecca is arrested.

Crew

 * Scott Kosar - Producer
 * Erica Lipez - Producer
 * Christopher Nelson - Producer
 * Tim Southam - Producer
 * Jamie Kaye Wheeler - Producer
 * Tom Szentgyorgyi - Consulting producer
 * Justis Greene - Producer
 * Steve Kornacki - Executive producer
 * Alyson Evans - Executive producer
 * Vera Farmiga - Executive producer


 * Tucker Gates - Executive producer
 * Kerry Ehrin - Executive producer
 * Carlton Cuse - Executive producer
 * Cory Bird - Co-producer
 * Heather Meehan - Co-producer
 * Pete Whyte - Associate producer
 * Mark Wolper - Consulting producer
 * Roy Lee - Consulting producer
 * John Powers Middleton - Consulting producer

Notes & Trivia

 * Bates Motel was developed for television by Carlton Cuse & Kerry Ehrin and Anthony Cipriano.


 * This series is based on characters from the novel Psycho by Robert Bloch, and as portrayed in the theatrical film Psycho.


 * This episode is rated TV-14. It contains violence and strong language.


 * This episode aired in the United Kingdom on the Universal Channel on May 24th, 2016.


 * This episode had a viewership of 1.518 million people, which is up by .192 from the previous episode. It scored .56% in the 18-49 age demographic.


 * This episode aired on the same night as the "The Devil You Know" episode of Damien.


 * This is the first episode of Bates Motel directed by Stephen Surjik. It is his only episode from season four of the series.


 * This is the first episode of Bates Motel written by Freddie Highmore, who also plays Norman Bates on the show. It is his only episode from season four of the series.

Allusions

 * Reference is made to Bob Paris in this episode. He was the main antagonist from season three of the show. He was killed by Alex Romero in "The Psycho", which was also recapped in the season four premiere, "A Danger to Himself and Others".


 * Reference is made to Will Decody in this episode. Behind-the-scenes appearance. Will Decody is Emma Decody's father.


 * Rebecca Hamilton says that she is on her way to Indiana to tend to a sick mother.


 * The stuffed bunny rabbit that Dylan Massett keeps eyeing in Norman's room was a gift purchased by Audrey Decody for her daughter, Emma. Audrey's sudden inexplicable disappearance makes Dylan suspect that Norman killed her, which he did. It happened in episode 4x01, "A Danger to Himself and Others".

Appearances

 * This is the thirty-eighth appearance of Norman Bates.


 * This is the thirty-eighth appearance of Norma Bates.


 * This is the thirty-seventh appearance of Dylan Massett.


 * This is the thirty-seventh appearance of Emma Decody.


 * This is the thirty-eighth appearance of Alex Romero.


 * This is the sixth appearance of Rebecca Hamilton.


 * This is the second appearance of Special Agent Howard Collins. He appeared last in "Lights of Winter".


 * This is the first appearance of the DEA officer.


 * This is the first appearance of the ticketing agent.

Body count

 * No characters are killed in the course of this episode. However, Alex Romero comes close to getting an axe to the head after Norman Bates flies into a rage.