Never the twain shall meet my big behind!

It's as if people are lining up waiting to be Mother's next victim on Bates Motel Season 5 Episode 2, and someone who loved her dearly moved quickly to the head of the queue.

Caleb's future doesn't look very bright at this point, and his only hope of survival is his erstwhile friend, Chick. Will there be anything Chick can do to keep Caleb alive?

Not only is Norman balls out batshit crazy right about now, but he's also getting very ballsy in general. He's taking chances he wouldn't have in the past and has built this tremendous new confidence now that he's become one with Mother.

All the things she's doing are him, after all, and he's transferred a lot of Norma's better qualities to Mother.

She's itching to get out of the house. While Norman might not have been much of an explorer on his own, with Mother pushing his buttons, he's having no problem leaving her behind. I can only imagine it's some kind of survival mechanism for his own psyche as it rebels against what she represents for him.

Pretending to be dead isn't nearly as fun as I thought it would be!!

Mother

• Permalink: Pretending to be dead isn't nearly as fun as I thought it would be!!

The stronger she becomes, the more he's acting out as her to escape her, but in doing so, he's also becoming her. I would love to know what it all means, and if there was a psychological tome dedicated to the world of Norman Bates, I'd be flipping through it right now.

One of the potential victims up for bat is David Davidson aka Sam Loomis. Norman turned on his cocky charm inherited straight from Mother when he came face to face with that familiar fellow.

Sam: I don't have the patience to get through most movies. I guess I'm more of a doer.
Norman: What is it you're always doing, Sam?

• Permalink: What is it you're always doing, Sam?

It didn't escape Mother that Norman was becoming "one of those guys" who had a fetish for his mother by finding someone who looked just like her (10 years ago) attractive. The intricacies of Norman's mind are freakin' amazing.

Norman is learning French thanks to Mother's influence. He's even getting out of the house more frequently.

The one thing that saved him was finally learning to clean up much as Norma did when she was alive. If only the house had been a mess as it was during Bates Motel Season 5 Episode 1, Caleb might not be in so much trouble.

Emma fessed up to Dylan about why Caleb left, and I still do not understand her logic. 

She went so far as to mention the issues with her mother, who Dylan knows is likely dead at his brother's hands, and continued by saying how important it is that Katie is raised in an open and honest world. 

Poor Emma. She's living in a fantasy world much like Norman's, but without the wigs and makeup. You can't just erase your history, not talk about it and hope it disappears, then expect to call your world open and honest. 

That's lying by omission. 

What's super terrible is that if Caleb dies as a result of this fantasy land Emma has created, it's only going to create more pressure for the couple. Not to mention the lie Dylan is keeping about Emma's mother. Lies suck, but in the Bates family, there isn't much you want to sing to the skies, either.

Yes, I'm a sucker for Kenny Johnson's portrayal as Caleb, so when he fell to the ground sobbing at Norma's gravestone, I was gutted. Their childhood was an utter disaster, and they comforted each other in the only way that made sense at the time. 

Chick poking at the wound didn't help matters, but then Chick has an interesting perspective on things going on in his mind, too.

Even though she wasn't there, except in his mind, she was dead, but what did that matter? How is that different from any relationship? How much do we project onto our mates? And why the hell do we NEED so much anyways? Is happiness, in a sense, all just a creation of the mind?

Chick

• Permalink: Even though she wasn't there, except in his mind, she was dead, but what did that matter? How...

For a moment there, it was almost as if Chick was the author of this entire scenario. He's on the outside looking in, but his perspective is on point. He was speaking about Norman as if he could see him clearly, but Norman was acting as Mother in another gin joint.

That's why it's plausible Caleb could survive his ordeal, although now that he's providing Norman with animals for his art, it's probably a future more dim in expectation than him being stuffed and sitting beside his sister. 

That future, too, is implausible, because I can't think of anyone Norman would rather have less at Mother's side than Caleb. Well, maybe Romero. Caleb being forced into imprisoned cohabitation with Mother would drive Norman berserk.

Dead and stuffed or dead and buried. Are those the only two options for Caleb? Someone DID sit by Norma 

Chick: Holy shit.
Norman [dressed as Mother]: Well now you know, Chick. I'm still alive.

• Permalink: Well now you know, Chick. I'm still alive.

Chick was writing about it, but seeing it all in action was something else altogether. The confidence with which Norman spoke as Mother in front of Chick was frightening in its own right.

How does somebody earn that kind of trust from a madman, and more importantly, how do they keep it? Chick's a big guy, so it should be easy to overpower Norman if it came to that.

With his writings, though, Chick is probably pretty excited to be given the opportunity to study such a sick kid. Even watching him bash Caleb in the head may not bring to light the real danger behind Norman's condition. Because he's small and easily overlooked, Norman is a lot more dangerous as a result.

The person who is aware of that is Romero. It must have taken everything in his power to not to reach over that table during Norman's visit to choke the life right out of him.

Romero has plans, though. He threw himself right into the fire to prove his status as former law enforcement was a liability and put his life at risk. It worked.

Romero is being transferred to a lower security labor farm of some sort from which he will no doubt escape. 

Will he survive the madness at the Bates house? Romero has to be the hero of this journey instead of the movie's Sam Loomis, right?

Hell, I'd even settle for Chick. Someone who has money in the game has to be the one to toss Norman into the loony bin for a longer period of time. I don't want him to die, as I'll continue to hold out hope this series might continue sometime in the future.

That would be the ultimate win for fans. And for me. Let's not forget about me.

For now, watching Norman drift further and further into the world of Mother is a lot of fun, but it definitely sets me on edge. I've loved the side characters and their quirks far more than Norman, on whom I've kept a watchful eye.

What do you think? What's next for this doomed family and can you even believe it's possible Sam Loomis might STILL come to the Bates Motel with Marion Crane? Dude must be nuts himself. At the very least, he could warn Marion he knows the owner now.

Hit me up in the comments. This is getting so good!!!

If you're late to the party, you can watch Bates Motel online to catch up. Don't leave me at the motel party all by myself. Don't forget, Norma never did finish the pool!!

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.