Bates Motel: The Vault

"The Vault" is the sixth episode of season four of the psychological thriller series Bates Motel, and the thirty-sixth episode of the series overall. It was directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi with a script written by Scott Kosar. It first aired on A&E on Monday, April 18th, 2016 at 9:00 pm.

Synopsis
Doctor Edwards has another session with Norman Bates, who blacks out. Edwards gets to meet "Mother", who emphasizes the fact that there are aspects of Norman's history that she does not wish Doctor Edwards to bring to the surface. Specifically, a grisly incident when Norman was a child where he hid underneath his mother's bid as his drunken father violently raped his mother above him.

Norma Bates meets with Chick who continues to press her for information concerning the whereabouts of her brother, Caleb. Chick intends on killing Caleb, and tells Norma that if she refuses to help him, he will expose her sordid incestuous past with her brother to the entire town. Such a scandal would ruin her husband Alex Romero's career as the town sheriff.

Dylan Massett comes over to the house and tells Norma that he is going to be moving to Seattle with Emma Decody, who plans on getting advance treatment for her recent lung transplant. Norma is dumbstruck, but pretends to take the news well. She tries fielding Dylan for information about his father without letting on the true reason for these inquiries. Dylan has no idea where Caleb is.

Norma researches the matter on her own and tracks Caleb to a restaurant in Costa Rica. She telephones him and the two have a cordial, albeit uncomfortable discussion. Before hanging up, Norma tells him that he should reach out to Dylan. Caleb telephones Dylan and their conversation is equally brief. Late at night, Norma drives out to a bridge to meet with Chick. As they approach one another, she pulls out a gun and points it at his face. Chick says nothing and Norma keeps the weapon trained on him. She ultimately buckles however, admitting that she cannot betray her brother, but she cannot shoot someone in cold blood either. She screams at him, "So I'm screwed!" They both turn back to their vehicles and go their respective ways.

Dylan returns to the house to collect some of his personal belongings before the move. He finds a stuffed rabbit and a letter written to Emma Decody by her mother, Audrey Ellis. He pockets the letter and checks the motel registry for a check-in date: December 2nd.

Alex Romero comes home with Chick who has provided them with a replacement window. Norma is no longer going to pretend that Chick and she are mere acquaintances. She launches into a string of hateful comments before telling him to leave. Chick maintains resolve and gives her a kiss on the cheek before leaving. Afterward, Alex demands an explanation from Norma. She confesses about her past history with Caleb, and explains how Chick found out and was threatening to destroy them with this information unless she handed him her brother. Alex takes it all in, but his love for his new wife overcomes all obstacles - even this.

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 10th, 2016.


 * This episode had a viewership of 1.326 million people, which is down by .092 from the previous episode. It scored .49% in the 18-49 age demographic.


 * There are a total of eleven credited cast members in this episode.


 * Actress Olivia Cooke is credited in this episode, but does not make an appearance. She is referenced several times in this episode.
 * This is the first episode of Bates Motel directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi. He is also known for directing episodes of Sleepy Hollow.


 * This is the second episode of Bates Motel written by Scott Kosar. It is his first episode from season four of the show. Kosar is also known for writing the 2003 remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the 2005 remake of The Amityville Horror, and the 2010 remake of The Crazies.


 * This is the fourth appearance of actress Jaime Ray Newman in the role of Rebecca Hamilton.


 * This is the first episode of the series that Olivia Cooke has not appeared in.


 * This is the ninth appearance of Chick Hogan. It is his third appearance in season four.


 * This is the fourteenth appearance of Caleb Calhoun. It is his first appearance in season four.


 * This is the fifth episode of the series with Damon Gupton in the role of Doctor Gregg Edwards.


 * The letter that Dylan Massett finds at the Bates residence was written by Audrey Ellis, who was the mother of Emma Decody. She was murdered by Norman Bates while in "mother" mode in "A Danger to Himself and Others".

Quotes

 * Norma Bates: I can't get Caleb killed, and I can't kill you, so I'm screwed. I'm screwed! You got me! All I wanted was my frickin' window fixed, and now you're gonna destroy my frickin' life, so just go right ahead.Just go the hell ahead!!!

....
 * Norma Bates: Go ahead, tough guy. Do what you're gonna do. Break the woman in half. Because you know what? I'm not broken. I am still standing, so go ahead. Do your best, you giant lame asshole!

....
 * Norma Bates: When I was, um, a teenager... It was a long time ago, um... I slept with my brother. I'm sorry. God, I'm sorry to have to tell you this. Oh, it's horrible. I'm sorry. He's Dylan's father.
 * Alex Romero: The guy that I had dinner with?
 * Norma Bates: Caleb, yeah.
 * Alex Romero: Norma, you - you - you were young. It was a mistake.
 * Norma Bates: Mistake? It was not a mistake. It was a way of life. It happened for years. I loved him. Our home life was torture and we were all we had. I finally tried to stop it and, um, he got really upset and he raped me. You know how horrible it is to be raped by somebody you love? And I hate him. I hate him. I hate him, but I don't hate him enough to hurt him.

....
 * Norma Bates: It sucks because I can't hide. And I want to, but I can't. And Chick found out. He met Caleb when he was up at the farm working with Dylan. He - He just figured it out. And he has issues with my brother, and he was trying to find him, and he told me that if I didn't help him that he would tell you all of this, that he would spread it around town, and that he would humiliate you. So... So... I don't know. Just go pack your bag.
 * Alex Romero: Okay. Where we going?

Episode links