'Bates Motel' Season 1, Episode 4: 'Trust Me' Recap

“Bates Motel”, season 1, episode 4, “Trust Me”

Continuing from the last episode, Dylan watches as his brother breaks into Deputy Shelby’s house. When Dylan sees Shelby arrive home, he helps his brother out by ringing Shelby’s doorbell, distracting him and giving his brother a chance to escape.

He asks Shelby for the location of the nearest gas station as Norman climbs out of Shelby’s basement, struggling. Once he was free, Dylan left.

Dylan waits for Norman at their house and confronts him when he runs home. He says that he was the one who rang the doorbell and saved him, but Norman dismisses him, saying he isn’t in any trouble.

The next morning, Norman swings by Emma’s house to walk to school. Her dad answers the door and tells Norman she’s sick and will be out of school for at least a week, but he’ll tell her Norman came by. As Norman leaves, he tells Norman that Emma has a crush on him, and that he should be decent to her because she’s not as strong as other people.

Deputy Shelby picks up Norma and starts getting handsy. He tells her he knows of a motel where they could get busy, and they rush to one of the rooms to get ‘acquainted’ before Norman gets out of school.

However, after they finish their romp, Dylan is waiting outside of the room and catches them. Norma introduces Dylan to Deputy Shelby, and things get tense. They leave.

Later, Norman is washing the windows of the Motel when he sees Bradley in the distance putting up a cross where her father had crashed. Norman approaches her and gives her his condolences. He wraps his arm around her as she cries.

In the kitchen, Dylan unloads some bags of groceries that he bought, much to Norma’s surprise. He confronts her about Deputy Shelby. She tells him it’s none of his business, and he tells her she needs to be careful and that he doesn’t trust him.

That evening, on his way home from the video store, Norman spots Shelby. He tries to hide his face and walk away faster, but Shelby spots him. He asks Norman what he’s doing, and he says he got movies for Bradley to cheer her up. Shelby tells Norman that he really likes his mom, so it would be nice for him and Norman to get to know each other. Shelby offers to take Norman fishing at his secret spot, and he tells Norman not to run from him next time he says hi.

Norman tells Norma that Shelby has an Asian girl trapped in his basement and that he is probably running a sex slave service. And he tells her about the book. Norma asks why he went into Shelby’s house, and he says it’s because she told him to. She tells him that she never said such a thing and that he has a tendency to hallucinate. Norman gets offended and leaves.

That evening, as Norma watches Shelby sleep, she sneaks out of his room and goes to investigate the basement. She finds the room Norman was talking about, but there’s no girl in it. Shelby sneaks up behind her and asks her what she’s doing. She tells him that she decided to snoop because she couldn’t sleep. She kisses him before he could ask any more questions.

The next morning, Norman asks Norma where she was all night. She says he went to Shelby’s and that Norman is just jealous. She tells him that he’s wrong about Shelby, and he tries to bring up the girl in the basement again. She tells him there is no girl and that he’s crazy, and that he needs to get ready to go fishing.

At the secret fishing spot, Shelby asks Norman about his father. Norman doesn’t want to talk about it, so Shelby tells him that he needs to start trusting him because he’s putting his job on the line for Norma. Norman tells him that he trusts him, which Shelby is happy to hear. Shelby gets an emergency call and has to cut their trip short. Norman doesn’t seem too upset.

Shelby goes to the lake and finds Detective Romero. They found part of Keith’s arm in the lake.

When he was heading home, Norman gets a text from Bradley asking to meet for ice cream. He goes to meet her, and she tells him that he’s the only person she can stand to be around and that she likes being with him. She then asks about the hand they found, and wonders whose it could be. Norman is visibly nervous.

He rushes home and tells Norma about the hand, and she tells him to calm down. The doorbell rings and it’s Shelby. He tells her that they need her to come down to the station for questioning.

In the station, Sheriff Romero asks Norma to explain what happened. She sticks by her story, and he tells her that he knows she did it, and that there are carpet fibers on the watch from the hand they recovered, and that they’ll match it to the carpet from the hotel. She tells him good luck. He asks her where they dumped the carpet from that night, and she says she thought they had a sample if they were going to test it. He says they don’t, not yet, so she says she doesn’t remember where it is.

Norman and Norma go to the dumpster where they dumped the carpet, and Norman doesn’t think it will still be in there. It’s not. She calls the company and asks where the dumpster is taken. They go to the dump, and find the gate is locked. Norma has a melt down and that Norman doesn’t understand how she’s had to put up with stuff her whole life, and that she “killed the crap” out of Keith because she was just so angry. It wasn’t self-defense.

At home, Norma sobs in her room and Norman goes out walking. He sees Dylan sitting at the Motel. Dylan offers him a drink, and he takes it. Norman opens up to Dylan, and tells him everything that’s happened with Norma and Keith. And about the belt. And why he broke into Shelby’s house. And about the Asian girl in the basement. Dylan says he’ll help Norman. Norman gets a text from Bradley, and Dylan asks about her. He tells Norman to tell her he’s coming over, and he does, but he panics. Bradley says it’s cool and for him to come over, and Dylan tells him to go have some fun for once. Norman does.

Norman arrives at her house and waits outside for her to let him in. Bradley asks if he wants to go to her room. She leads him there and tells him to sit on the bed with her. She grabs his hand and thanks him for being there for her. They kiss and have sex.

At the Bates house, Norma wakes up and goes into Norman’s room, but he isn’t there. She asks Dylan where Norman is, and he says he’s out with a girl. Norma isn’t too happy to hear it. Dylan says he hopes Norman is out getting laid because he goes through enough putting up with Norma. She says Dylan has no idea what he’s talking about, and Dylan says that Norman told him enough. Enough to get him taken away from Norma. She slaps him, and it turns into a fight. He pins her to the wall and she sobs. The doorbell rings, and she rushes to it, hoping it’s Norman. It’s not. It’s Sheriff Romero and Detective Shelby. Norma is under arrest for the murder of Keith.