The series is over, therefore there are spoilers below.
The highly successful 'Bates Motel' took America by storm throughout all five seasons, constantly attracting new viewers as time progressed (I began the series right before season 5 aired). This is a great occurrence to happen to modern society as viewers got a real look into mental health and the seriousness of it.
'Bates Motel' is an American psychological horror drama that's a contemporary prequel of Hitchcock's 1960's film 'Psycho'. The film was based on Robert Bloch's novel 'Psycho'. The show depicts the lives of Norman Bates and his mother Norma Bates prior to the events portrayed in the film. Some aspects were changed for the television show, such as the setting which is White Pine Bay, Oregon opposed to Fairvale, California. Also, the show is set in modern time opposed to the 60's.
Most viewer's favorite star was either Norman who suffered from Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder) or Norma who suffered from Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP). Either way, viewers had favoritism of someone who was mentally incapacitated by their disorder, which shines a new light on mental health. People can be extremely likable, yet suffering inside.
Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is a condition that involves disruptions or breakdowns of memory, awareness, identity, or perception. Norman is a prime example of DID shown through his reoccurring blackouts. He has these intense moments where he loses all memory and awareness. During these blackouts his awareness of identity is lost when he then takes on the persona of Norma. During Norman's time as Norma, his whole perception of reality is lost and perceived internally as his mother. It is not until the series is coming to an end that others perceptually identify him as Norma and see his disorder in full effect. The main cause of DID is believed to be severe and prolonged trauma experienced during childhood, including emotional, physical or sexual abuse, which we see through flashbacks of Norman witnessing his mother being raped.
On the other hand, Munchausen's is a mental health problem in which a caregiver (mostly a parent) makes up or causes an illness or injury under his/her care. The problem does not just extend to child care, which we see depicted through 'Bates Motel'. It can be done to a person with a disability, which Norman has. Norma disables Norman further throughout the series by blanketing his disorder to the public and his counselors, thus rendering his treatment unsuccessful. Norma had developed this disorder throughout her life, predictably beginning with being raped by her brother, John, which led to childbearing of her first child and Norman's half-brother, Dylan. The trauma of hiding this secret close to her whole life could have led to the extreme guardianship of Norman.
Throughout the series there is a prominent love story of mother and son that often blurs the lines from strictly maternal to romantic. Norman LOVES his mother more than anything in his life. He loves her so much that he feels he must take both of their lives so they're guaranteed to be together forever. Norma married the town's Sheriff, Romero, while Norma was in the mental institute. Norman first sees this in the paper and eventually witnesses it firsthand. He feels their relationship isn't as pure with Romero in the picture, so he takes action to guarantee their relationship remains in the afterlife. The plan of killing them both through carbon monoxide poisoning is disrupted by Romero when he attempts to rescue the both of them. Romero's act falls short when Norman is the survivor of the two.
During the last season is where we see Norman's disorder the worst it's ever been. He digs up his mother's grave and guards it in his basement. While she is dead in the basement, he is actively seeing her everyday and blacking out more frequently, assuming the role of Norma internally and externally. The writers did a great job of letting the audience witness these fictitious moments of Norman talking to no one, yet internally having a full conversation with a non existent being.
Norman feels like he has to guard his secrets as the plot thickens at all cost, thus killing more people. His most guarded secret (Norma) cannot be revealed and he will do whatever necessary to guarantee it is not.
During the final scene of the series Norman is killed by his half-brother/cousin, Dylan Massett. Norman attacks Dylan with a knife where Dylan is left with no choice but to shoot his brother, after several attempts to get him help, thus killing him. The ending is ambivalent in the sense of the sadness of Norman being killed by his brother and the weight that is put is Dylan on shoulders (who has been through Hell and back), but joyous in the sense of him being freed to his ultimate wish, to be reunited with his mother. This was the ultimate mercy killing as it was the best occurrence due to Norman's refusal to being institutionalized and his lack of empathy towards humans.
The saddest part of the ending is to take time to reflect on the fact that there are actually people out there like Norman. I can assure that 99% of DID sufferers do not kill anyone in their life, but their daily struggles are just as real. There is a HUGE problem with just assuming Norman is a "fucked up basket case" when in reality he was a person suffering internally. This is a problem that needs analyzed in the public eye as to not just write sufferers off, but rather help. Research is constantly being done, but the best treatment in the present is talk therapy. This is achieved through family therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and psychotherapy. In a lot of mental disorders, the answer is not medication, but rather talk therapy. Having someone to talk to is proven to have immense success in treatment, so helping those suffering by being there goes just as far as preparing a goody bag for a friend getting surgery. You literally have no idea (unless you're a mind reader, which you are not) the impact you have on someone's life.
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