Then we have Troy showing up again like a bad penny. Exile seems to be just what he needed. Time to come up with a plan of revenge. He surprises Nick, popping up at his cabin in the middle of the night. He speaks of a “reckoning” headed toward the ranch. A beast like none ever seen. Troy says that he’s doing Nick a favor giving him a heads-up about the biblical proportions of the reckoning, and he’d like for Nick to make sure that Jake is there. He wants them to see his plan. He’s definitely a few eggs short of a dozen, and he disappears into the night.

In the morning, Nick alerts Jake that Troy is back and he has a plan for revenge. Jake and Nick set out in a pickup to find out what Troy is up to. Nick notices a huge cloud of dust in the distance. Jake pulls over, and the two jump out. Below in the valley, they see Troy with a rocket launcher. He’s deliberate with his shots; a horde of undead is following the explosions –  right to the ranch. Jake has his gun drawn, ready to put his brother down like like a wounded animal. Troy manages to squeeze off one more shot before Jake is all over him, hitting him repeatedly.  Troy’s shot is heard at the Ranch. Nick tries to warn Alicia over the walkie-talkie but the connection is poor. She did catch the word “horde”, and runs to tell Ofelia. Jake has his revolver pointed at his brother. Nick warns Jake that he will never recover if he shoots Troy. Jake pulls back the hammer and Nick jumps in and knocks Jake off of Troy. Jake tumbles down the hill, with a coming-out-of-nowhere walker tumbling after him. Jake is bitten on his forearm. He asks Nick to cut off his arm before the infection has a chance to spread.

Ofelia, Alicia and Crazy Dog try to figure out their next course of action. Crazy Dog isn’t ready to hand over the arsenal, but Ofelia convinces him. This is definitely a bullet situation. Nick is driving the pickup at breakneck speed trying to get ahead of the horde and back to the Ranch where Jake can get medical attention. Troy is in the truck bed, holding Jake against him. Jake, already weakened by the anthrax, is waxy pale and fading fast. The ranchers grab weapons and line up all of their vehicles, hoping to steer the horde away. Nick is forced to watch from the hilltop as thousands of the undead descend on the Ranch. Jake has died. Nick advises Troy to put him down. Troy feels that he was the one who was supposed to die. Nick tells him to kill himself if he wants to die. He drags Troy by the collar to show him what he has done. The ranch is overtaken.

Alicia gets the crowd safely into the storm-cellar-turned-pantry. The pressure from the horde has toppled a few vehicles in the blockade, and Alicia, Ophelia and Crazy Dog fight off as many walkers as they can, then join the other ranchers in the pantry. Tribe members and ranchers alike huddle together, united in their fear. On the hill, Jake is turning and Troy has to kill the thing that was his brother. There is no time for grief. Nick must find a way to save the Ranch, and he’s dragging Troy along with him. For better or worse.

Fear The Walking Dead airs on Sunday Nights at 9/8c on AMC

Maddie continues to try convincing Lola. She says that she knows the dam has been under attack, and they could make a mutually beneficial trade. Lola stands her ground. She’s as stubborn as Madison. Daniel speaks with Walker about Ofelia, and he’s sad to hear that she is a soldier, a hero for poisoning the guards at the ranch. Maddie and Victor have a chat. Victor asks Maddie to think about her wants and needs, never mind her kids. Maddie says that she was raised in the country and the ranch is where she feels like she’s home.

Daniel tries to convince Lola that a trade for weapons is what they need. The angry locals will only become more violent, putting her and all of the dam workers in danger. Lola stands her ground. In the morning, Daniel and Victor talk about possible solutions. Daniel warns Victor not to cross him. Walker leaves the dam on foot, angry and vengeful. He’s headed back to the ranch to begin forcing residents out. Maddie’s at a loss. It’s all slipping away. She and Victor begin their journey to the ranch. Before they leave the dam gates, one of the tankers explodes. Hmmm… Victor, was that you?? The townsfolk march toward the gate, chanting for Lola’s death. Dam workers rush to secure the fence. Now Lola’s ready to talk turkey. The weapons are certainly more appealing now. Maddie and Victor are given a full tanker as a show of faith. They plan a meeting at the trading post in five days, and Daniel makes it plain that he expects to see Ofelia there. Walker is happily surprised on the dusty road when the tanker pulls up to him. He hops in with a bemused smile. Snake or not, Victor Strand is one smooth cat.

Nick and Alicia learned the unpleasant end to Maddie’s drunken, abusive stepfather.  Easy-peasy, a bullet to the brain while he’s passed out. He had raised his hand to her mother for the last time. Maddie’s past is emerging, and I think she has a lot more to reveal. Nick and Alicia are somewhat surprised by their mother’s admission, and wonder what else she has to tell them. Alicia is forced to step up by necessity. Jake is still pale and weak from the anthrax poisoning. Alicia’s relied on to take charge while Maddie and Walker are away. Nick is adorable with his shorter hair, but he’s still a bit of a wildcard. He’s finding his way through the new world, but unsure of his place, yet still fearless, even in the face of madness. Well, perhaps not so much with Troy.

There’s tension in the air as the members of the ranch let Walker (Michael Greyeyes)and his tribe into Brokejaw. Jake and Walker work to unify the group, in hopes of standing together in the face of the outside world. Not everyone is on board. Jeremiah–a bigoted, self-righteous man, sat back all these years waiting for war to ensue. He had no respect for the “brown people” and even passed by a sunburned, dehydrated Ofelia in the desert because of her color. He spread his poison throughout the community, now the trust is broken on both sides. Jeremiah had no respect for his own sons, either, and they knew it.

A young man enters the tent where everyone is gathered for a meet and greet. He is angry, misguided and armed. He shoots wildly but is taken down quickly by Crazy Dog. His throat is crushed during the struggle and he is expected to die.

This prompts Walker to demand the second key to the artillery from Jake. He intends to keep the peace. Madison insists that Jake do as he is asked for the good of the group.

Troy is in his father’s cabin when Walker, Maddie and Crazy Dog (Justin Rain) stop by looking for weapons. Troy wants everybody out, and pulls out a pistol and fires it as a warning. Walker and his men are outside, ready to take action.

Troy hands Nick a rifle and insists he stand with him and fight. Troy wants to play sniper. He starts shooting wildly and Nick takes cover while all hell breaks loose. The pair hole up on the second floor. Nick is just trying not to die up there.

After much gunfire is traded, to stop Troy in his tracks, Nick tries to wrestle him down. He tells Troy that Jeremiah’s death was no suicide, he killed him. A stunned Troy lowers his weapon, and is taken into custody along with Nick. Guilt by association. Troy is exiled the hard way, fighting Maddie the whole time. Maddie must strong-arm him to get him moving. Meanwhile, Nick is confined to “the box” for his part in the ambush.

Madison and Walker discover the water supply is dangerously low. Alicia is asked to ration everyone to two gallons a day while Maddie and Walker head out to the trading post. On their way out, Maddie stops by the box and gives Nick a bottle of water, promising her return. She and Walker head out in the tanker.

Daniel has taken over the dam and he is running the show with Lola Guerrero (Lisandra Tena) by his side. He asks Lola to take over, he’s still searching for his Ofelia. They take a tanker of water out daily to give water to those in need.

One hot afternoon, angry crowds storm the truck, they want to take over the dam. Daniel took it by force and now they want to force him out. Stones are thrown and Lola is hit. Daniel is forced to return to the dam.

At the Ranch, the locals gripe about the rations. Alicia steps in and tells them to leave if they don’t like it, and see how much worse it is out there. She and Maddie plan to stay in touch by CB radio.  Walker and Maddie stop for the night. They build a fire and talk. While Nick is sleeping off the strain of his time in the box, a posse of Troy supporters have decided to elect Nick as head of the resistance. Huh?  He’s barely awake, and he’s handed the last free gun on the ranch. They promise to meet with him again the next day. What the hell, he got caught up in Troy’s crazy and now he’s the chosen one?

Walker and Madison arrive at the trade station. Inside is a bazaar of people trading and bargaining. Maddie and Waker must turn in their weapons and Cb radio in exchange for admittance.

Back at Brokejaw, Alicia mentions that there’s been double-dipping going on during the rations. She’s met with resistance and hostility. The Posse of Troy are griping about the double-dipping and sharing what they claim is their land. Alicia confronts Nick about the Posse. He has no idea why he’s been chosen. Alicia knows it was Nick who killed Jeremiah, and wishes she could have been there. Alicia feels like they must keep working to gain their mother’s love, but Nick will always be  the favorite. Alicia is trying hard to keep the peace, but would rather leave the tough stuff to her mother. Or Jake. She seems tired and overwhelmed.

At the trade bazaar, Maddie says she needs 10,000 gallons. The woman at the table scoffs at the amount of water. She says she might be able to get 5,000, but for what in exchange?

Walker has a roll of coins, promising more. Maria sees the huge coins and is instantly more agreeable. A kerfuffle attracts Maddie’s attention. It’s Victor Strand being roughhoused by a couple of goons. While was Madison was finding her family,  Strand found the abandoned Abigail, listing to the left, slowly sinking. Once on board, he found a few of his favorite things. He sipped a bottle of Dom and played with the cb radio. He was surprised to receive a transmission from a cosmonaut out in space. The poor man knew the earth had gone to hell and there was no way for him to get home. Once that signal was lost, Victor seemed to feel all the loss he’s suffered. After a good cry, he grabbed what supplies he could and then set Abigail ablaze, He went on his way with a smile, and now here he is, a the bazaar.

Alicia has run into trouble at the well. She has to admit that there’s not much water left which causes a melee.  Then Ofelia and Crazy Dog arrive at the well with guns. Nick has a gun as well, which he fires to get the crowd’s attention. Each side wants to get their ration first. There’s an uneasy peace.

Maddie wakes to find that Walker has gone somewhere. Victor doesn’t know where Walker went, but he wants to know what Maddie makes of him, and how she’s been. He’s glad that she’s found her children. Victor gives Madison a much needed shoulder to lean on. He’s missed his friend. Walker comes to the door, prompted by a gun, saying they will killed along with their friend. Victor has to stay and work off his debt, and he wants Maddie to go back to her children.  She doesn’t want to leave him there. Victor assures her he’ll be okay as he’s lead out with the rest of the chain gang. Maddie watches as Victor is shackled outside the gate, left to fend for himself against approaching walkers.

Walker is anxious for the exchange, but Maddie has used the money to pay Victor’s debt instead, she believes there must be a better, long-term solution to their water problem.

Victor has some connections at the dam, perhaps not his biggest fans, but a plan for an unlimited water supply. Walker is dubious, but his money’s gone, so why not?

At Brokejaw, Alicia notices a group in the field below. They have divining rods. The posse is watching the women dig where they sense water. Ofelia and other tribe members watch as Nick approaches the group and grabs a shovel. Let the posse watch that!  More and more come to help.  Perhaps there can be peace after all.  At the very least, water.

Dylan’s torn when Emma tells him about her conversation with Caleb, but ultimately, he’s relieved. How is he supposed to explain Uncle-Dad to little Kate? Caleb has left a note and is gone.

With nowhere to go, Caleb takes a bus to White Pine Bay. He bangs at the door of Norma’s house, calling her name. He gets inside through an unlocked back door. He’s confused by how dirty everything is. Norma was always so neat. Dirty, dusty dishes are piled up, egg shells and empty cartons litter the floor. He goes upstairs still looking, but no one’s there. He’s walks outside feeling ill-at-ease.

Alex starts a fight in the prison kitchen. He has a concussion and may need to be relocated. Closer to Norman perhaps? He has a score to settle. Norman doesn’t know how lucky he is that Alex is locked up. And now Caleb’s in White Pine Bay. I didn’t expect to see him so soon.

In town, Norman sips coffee in a cafe across from Madeline’s store, watching her. Norman hides behind a newspaper when she notices him and comes over to say hello. He tries to act surprised. Madeline sits down and tells Norman she’d like to set him up with a friend of hers. He’s not too interested until Madeline’s husband walks in. It’s Sam Loomis, alias “David Davidson”. Norman stares at Sam while Madeline prattles along about her friend and a double date. Hey, how ‘bout tonight? Why the hell not?

Norman arrives home to find Norma practicing her French on the hi-fi. He tells his mother he knows that Alex is trying to hurt him. A sly Norma says she can handle him.

Chick is at the door, stopping by to check on Norman. Norma can’t stand him and finds him annoying, so she makes herself scarce. He’s brought a box of apples, and a business proposition. Norman suggests they go into the basement, and an apple-chomping Chick follows right along.  He has a bird in a sack, and is interested in Norman’s taxidermy skills. Chick says he really needs money. He is unable to support himself since Caleb’s beating. Chick says he can supply the subjects, Norman can stuff ‘em and they can share profits. Norman agrees and they share an uneasy truce.

Caleb checks in at a local motel. He hears of Norma’s death from the desk clerk. He’s stunned and hurt. He can’t understand why Dylan didn’t say anything.

Sam Loomis stops by the Bates Motel to warn Norman to stay out of his business. Norman acts pious and tells Sam he isn’t showing much respect to his wife. Oh, if Sam only knew about you, Norman…

Caleb goes to find Norma’s headstone. His heart is broken and he falls to his knees, sobbing. There are no words for his grief. Tissue break… okay.

Back at the Bates house, Norma is suspicious about Norman’s double-date. Norma is worried because she won’t be there to help him. She’s sarcastic and sly, and today, she is bored. She’s decided to take up smoking.Why not? She’s dead. Norman is against the idea and hopes she won’t light up again, but he’s got a date to keep. The foursome have dinner in town. Norman has a lot of pointed questions for Sam. Sam’s out of town a lot, doing exactly what? He works in Seattle? So far from home? Sam says the hardware store is Melissa’s baby. Norman enjoys playing this cat and mouse game with Sam. Every question seems to poke a hole in Sam and Melissa’s marriage. Norman’s date learns of Norma’s suicide and gives Norman her condolences. Still sticking with that suicide story, eh, Norman? In the men’s room, Norma pops up in a sleek black outfit and hat and asks Norman a lot of questions about his date. Norma is so different now. Her outfits these days are less and less “motherly”. They are sexier. I suppose that’s how Norman sees her in his fractured mind – she’s more conspirator than mother. Norman isn’t glad to see her and insists she go out the bathroom window and wait for him in the car. Once he joins her in the car, she is livid. She can clearly see that Melissa resembles her, only younger. Norma decides she needs a drink, and Norman follows her into the pub. They chat with the bartender. What’s interesting is that it’s a three-way conversation with the bartender, Norma and Norman. They never miss a beat. Well done Freddie and Vera! The Bates are definitely morphing into some kind of psycho-sexual deviant.

In another pub, Caleb runs into Chick. Chick goes against all sensibility and asks Caleb how his son with Norma is doing. Hasn’t his ass been kicked enough already? Chick feels bad when he realizes Caleb just learned about his sister’s death. Caleb steps outside for some air. He knew Norma was being consumed by Norman, and he told her Norman is dangerous. He’s still reeling thinking about Norma. His beloved Norma. Right or wrong.

Norman’s back home after his date. He’s entering Mother-mode and goes into Norma’s closet to find something cute to wear. Caleb is right behind him in a taxi and smashes his way into the house, screaming for Norman. He knows Norman is responsible and wants Norman dead. Join the club, Caleb. He goes into the basement and finds Norma’s shrine. He stands there in shock. Norman comes up behind him and whacks him in the head. It’s not looking good for Caleb. It’s not like Norman can let him go.

Norman is full-Norma now. The dress, the blonde wig… the lipstick. And my, what bushy eyebrows you have, “Norma”!  Of course Chic is there, he’s always there. He stares at Norman with awe and disbelief. Norman says girlishly, “Well, now you know Chick, I’m still alive.”

I don’t think knowledge is power in White Pine Bay.

Bates Motel airs on A&E Mondays at 10pm/9c

Norman heads to town to look for some paint to spruce up the motel. Village Hardware is under new management, and Norman walks in to look around. The owner, Madeline Loomis (Isabelle McNally), a pretty blonde, looks a lot like Norma. I don’t feel confident that she will be in too many more episodes, but you never know. Norman chooses a few paint samples, and pulls out his wallet to pay. He opens it to find that it isn’t his wallet, it belongs to a man named Jim Blackwell. Norman mumbles his apologies and promises to come back when he has his wallet. Back at home, Norman asks Norma if she’s seen his wallet, she says she last saw it on his dresser. She suggests putting Blackwell’s wallet into the motel safe. Just in case someone comes looking for it – Ha! Norman decides to check his blackout log.

Dylan and Emma are thriving in Seattle, and now have a baby girl. When Norma died, Norman told Dylan that Mother wanted to cut all ties so they have had no contact. It’s Emma’s birthday, and there are lots of friends there to celebrate. The doorbell rings and Emma answers the door to find Caleb, looking more pitiful than ever. His face just makes me sad. He looks like he needs a hug. He says he followed Dylan and Emma on Facebook, saw the baby, and felt the need to reconnect with family. Caleb asks to hold baby Kate, and Emma gives a nod that it’s okay.

Alex is still in the federal penitentiary, working on his prison muscles, still angry as hell. His parole has just been denied, but he still wants Norman dead and jail won’t stop him. He repeatedly makes calls from the prison phone, but he gets no answer. What are you up to, Alex?

Back at the motel, Norman scans the registry book, searching for Jim Blackwell (John Hainsworth). He’s not registered. Norman looks through the wallet and finds a receipt. The date matches the date of one of his recent blackouts. Surprise, surprise.

He’s also received a bill for Luminol and is arguing the charge with the merchant on the phone. While Norman’s on the phone, a man enters, wishing to rent a room for a few hours. A smarmy Norman explains that the motel doesn’t operate that way, and makes the guy pay for an overnight stay. He registers as David Davidson (Austin Nichols). Norman gives him Room 1, right next to the office. He looks outside and sees the man helping a woman out of the car and into the room.  Norman hurries into the back room to the peephole he made under a painting on the wall. He watches the couple make love and decides it’s a good time for some pocket pool. The phone rings, and Norman buckles up with one hand and answers the phone with the other. It’s Norma on the phone asking him what he’s doing. Geez! Busted by his mother from beyond the grave!

Later, Norman heads up to the house for dinner. He asks Mother about a bill for Luminol. Norma knows nothing about it.  He says that he hates having blackouts, but dismisses Norma’s suggestion that he start taking his meds again. Norma notices the paint swatches, and is very curious about Madeline Loomis. Norman bristles at the interrogation, asking Norma what her problem is. Norma rants about the sacrifices she’s made just to keep Norman safe and happy.  Alive or not, Norma is angry. She reminds Norman of their “agreement”; she pretends to be dead so she can protect him. Oookay, so how ‘bout those meds? That night, a restless Norman gets out of bed without waking Norma. He sneaks out of the room and heads to the basement. He sits at the feet of the real Norma, resting his head on her lap. Poor dead Norma is wide-eyed and propped up in the macabre shrine that Norman created for her.

The next day, Norman finds the motel safe open, just as Madeline Loomis stops by with some paint samples. Norman has his wallet this time and pays Madeline before walking her to her car.  She invites him to a meeting in town for small business owners that evening. Norman sees Mother watching from a window in the house.

Dylan tells Emma that Caleb risked his life to get the money for her transplant. He doesn’t feel that he can turn him away. Emma speaks to Caleb privately later that evening. She is so very grateful to Caleb, but she has to protect her man. She tells Caleb to keep it moving. She fears Caleb’s presence will complicate Dylan’s relationship with his daughter. Sad Caleb agrees to go. Now Emma is the one looking out for Dylan. She is strong in so many ways now.

And none of them know about Norma.

Norman decides to attend the small-business meeting despite Mother’s objections. She doesn’t want him to use the car, but he decides to go anyway. Before he can back out of his parking space, Mother is behind the car. Boy, she’s quick for a dead woman!  She’s angry and drags Norman back to the house by his ear. She hustles him into the house and down into the basement to the freezer. She opens the freezer to show Norman why he needs her. Jim Blackwell is in there, wrapped in a shower curtain. Norman has flashes of Jim coming to the motel looking to hurt him, and Norma slashing at Jim, blood everywhere. They load Jim into the trunk of the car, and then into a rowboat. Once they’ve rowed out far enough, they lift the body, ready to throw it overboard. Jim’s cell phone begins to ring, and Norman decides to answer it. It’s a recording, asking Norman to accept a call from a federal correctional facility. Norman presses 1 to accept the call. He listens silently. It’s Alex, trying again to reach Jim. Unfortunately, Jim is indisposed. Well, now we know what Alex is up to.

Bates Motel airs on A&E Mondays at 10pm/9c

Although I knew Norma’s death was imminent, it still shocked and dismayed me. It felt too soon! This night, we meet in front of the motel. The strobe lights of emergency vehicles turn faces red, then blue, then red again. Norman lies dazed on a stretcher, not sure what’s happening. He sees another ambulance but no sign of Mother. He’s taken to the Emergency Room where he’s assessed and released. When he asks the nurse who will be taking him home, she has to break the news that his mother has died and she’ll need to summon an orderly to make transport arrangements. Norman’s face is blank. Alex arrives to pick Norman up from the hospital so they can have a little chat, then head home, or somewhere.

First chance he gets he grabs Norman by the throat and slams him into the wall, shaking Norman like a ragdoll and telling him he’ll make sure that he pays for what he has done. You don’t want to incur the wrath of Sheriff Romero. (Right, Bob Paris?) Alex is angry enough to kill Norman who’s been a thorn in his side since day one. Norman shrugs off Alex’s grasp and advises Alex that he’d best stay away from the funeral, it’s private.

Alex is disgusted and I’m disgusted. What the hell, Norman?? Once home, Norman sits and eats alone with a place set for Norma. Her empty chair is sad to see. It doesn’t give Norman much of an appetite, either.

Norman goes upstairs to Mother’s room and lies in her bed, holding her pillow, talking to her as if she was there. Freddie Highmore’s opened up Norman’s bag of tricks and surprises you by drawing emotions out of you that you hadn’t even considered. I’m so very sad that Norma’s gone, and I’m sad for Alex and Dylan and even Norman, too. How will Caleb handle it when he finds out?

Alex goes to the morgue, tearfully demanding to see his wife’s body. Against morgue policy, he’s allowed to open the drawer she’s in and slide her out. He takes her hand and slides her wedding band back onto her finger. He kisses her and tells her how much he will always love her, and his tears wet her face. I’m trying to watch through tears. She’s really gone!

At home, Norman talks out loud to Mother while in the bathroom, staring into the mirror. He begins to methodically throw his psychiatric meds into the toilet. He’s interrupted by the ringing phone. It’s the White Pine Bay funeral director who, after extending his condolences, asks that Norman stop by to arrange the service and to bring a dress for Mother to wear. The funeral director asks if he should also contact Norma’s husband. Norman says he will handle all arrangements, goes home kicks the crap out of the 60” television Alex purchased, knocking it half way down the front steps.

A woman pulls up to the motel. She’s detective Chambers from the Oregon police. She has some questions for Norman. Don’t we all? He tells her how he lay in bed next to Norma and they fell asleep. Then he rants about how much disdain he has for Alex Romero. He’s still bitter about Norma’s marriage. Norman fusses with the bedcovers while he talks. He holds up a blue dress and asks the detective what she thinks. The detective can tell he’s not dealing with a full deck, says it’s a nice dress and decides to see herself out. Good move, Norman’s got that look in his eyes again.

Norman sits in the waiting room at the funeral home. The funeral director’s son leads him into the office. He has to decide about embalming, open or closed casket, the service, her eulogy. Norman pleads to see Norma. He’s told it’s not a good idea to view the body while it’s still in the prep room, but they make an exception. Norman touches her cold face, then slides her wedding band off while holding her hand. He hallucinates that her eyes flash open for a moment, and must excuse himself. Those tears have finally started to fall a bit.

Alex stops by the furnace supply and repair shop, where he purchased the new furnace for Norma. He asks the installer if Norman was present when Mrs. Bates was warned about the carbon monoxide from the old furnace. Alex roughs the old man up for an answer. The poor guy stammers that he thinks Norman was there.

Back at the house, Norman rushes inside, thinking he hears Norma playing piano. He’s disappointed to enter a dark and empty house. Juno runs down the stairs to greet Norman. Uh-oh, a jumping Juno is never a good sign. Stuffed, mounted dogs don’t move in my world. I think we’re in crazy town again. Dylan calls Norman to let him know he’s decided to stay in White Pine Bay for a while to give him the support he needs. Norman says that he thinks Mother would have wanted them to sever ties. Dylan is speechless and they end their call. Again, what the hell, Norman?

It is the morning of the funeral, and Norman sits alone in the church. He tells the funeral director that there are no guests attending, so the service can start. Norman reads a glowing eulogy, that suddenly turns into a rant about God and his sucky Divine Plan. I had to clean that up a bit. Alex walks in and Norman tells him to get out, but not before smugly handing him Norma’s wedding ring. Alex clocks Norman using every bit of the anger he’s been holding back. Yeah, Alex, knock his block off! He’s removed from the church by the funeral director’s son, and heads to the police station where he angrily barges in to grab his gun. He’s half-mad with grief and anger. As Alex leaves, he walks right into the arms of DEA agents who bust him for perjury. After all, he did tell a federal agent that he had no personal relationship with Rebecca Howard. That Rebecca is like gum on your shoe, a sticky mess that’s hard to get rid of. The DEA probably saved Norman’s life, though. Damn!

Norman is having an argument in Norma’s bedroom, demanding that she make herself seen already. It’s too hard on his own, what is she waiting for? He drives to the cemetery, shovel in hand and begins to dig. He reaches the casket and pries it open. Norman’s so glad to see Norma. He holds his mom’s corpse and kisses her, and then puts her in the car. At home, he brings the body up the long flight of stairs. A barking Juno greets them at the door. Norman puts her on the sofa and tells her that it’s safe for her to open her eyes now, but she won’t. A little quick-bonding glue and some ingenuity, and those now opaque baby blues are eternally wide open. Egads! Norma is in a permanent state of ghoulish surprise. Norman keeps begging her to look at him.

There’s a knock at the door, and Chick is there with a casserole and words of sympathy. As usual, Chick lingers. He moves in close to look at Norman, telling him how sudden and difficult death can be. He asks Norman if he really understands that Norma is dead. One nut to another, he can see Norman’s not wrapped too tight. Chick promises to stop by every few days to check on Norman, then shuffles out the door. Norman tries to pull himself together, staring into Norma’s dead blue eyes, again begging her to look at him. So alone and confused, he begins to cry. He kisses her cheek and runs upstairs. He grabs the gun in Norma’s nightstand and puts it in his mouth but before he can pull the trigger, he hears the piano playing and Juno barking. Hey! The gang’s all here! Norman walks down the stairs into the living room to find Juno dancing around happily, and Mother playing piano in her Christmas finery. The decorations and lights are up and Norman is stunned and overjoyed. Norma smiles at Norman and pats the piano bench. She plays “I’ll be Home for Christmas” and he puts an arm around her waist. The changes Norman’s about to undergo are intriguing. It’s sad to lose Norma, but we know she’ll never truly leave us. She promised.

Things are going to get really crazy, be ready!
Bates Motel will return for Season 5
tonight on A&E
at 9/8c

A fresh Hell, indeed. This situation is deteriorating rapidly. Police retrieve Flora’s jacket from the treetop. The officers seem dubious of the Millers’ constant calls. Matt knows they think he, Shelby and Lee are nuts, and he wonders if they could be in cahoots with the hillbillies. Police dogs and volunteers with flyers search the woods in grids. Shelby hears Lee screaming and runs to find her staring in horror at Flora’s doll whose head and legs were replaced with those of a piglet. An horrific new spin on Mr. Potato Head! Matt catches up to Lee and Shelby. As the search continues, the three find a small, rundown vacated house.

And now we come to the reason why so far, for me, AHS season 6 has been more disturbing and at times, harder to watch than “Asylum”. They search the house and find nothing more than animal parts, maggots and flies. Smells pretty bad, too. Strange noises are coming from the barn. They go outside toward the noise, and the yard is strewn with dead piglets, so, hey, let’s go in there! No Flora, just two inbred subhumans suckling on a sow which may be dead. They can speak only one word: Croatoan. They’re gray with dirt, their mouths ringed with milk. Gag! The police take the two abandoned Polk boys to the station and clean them up. They just repeat: Croatoan. At least they got a good scrubbing out of the deal. Mason bursts into the police station angrily demanding answers. (Now that’s fiction!) He joins the search which continues into the night. Everyone is running on fumes, so the Millers, and Lee and Mason head back to the house. Mason immediately gets in Lee’s face, accusing her of kidnapping and hiding their daughter.

Matt steps in when Mason gets a bit too physical and he storms off. Lee, Shelby and Matt try to get some sleep, all of them asleep before their heads hit their pillows. Soon after, Matt’s cell rings. It’s the police, they’ve found something. At the scene they find a body, bound to a wooden circle, burned beyond recognition. A ring recovered from the body is Mason’s. Another crispy critter. That morning, Matt sees he missed two security alerts on his phone in all the chaos. There’s video of Lee leaving during the night and returning hours later. Lee denies taking any part in Mason’s death while Matt knows Lee has reasons to want Mason out of the picture. Permanent loss of custody? Hmm. Lee swears she didn’t go anywhere. Shelby joins in, so no one noticed a peculiar little man strolling into the open front door sporting a cane. He says his name is Cricket Marlow (Leslie Jordan), and spirits summoned him to help their family. I would have just punted him out the front door. Nice to see Leslie Jordan back on AHS. His last appearance was during AHS:Coven, where things didn’t work out so well for him. Cricket’s a nationally-known psychic specializing in locating the missing. (Shelby Googled him and found out he was telling the truth.) He struts and clicks around the house, tapping his cane occasionally. He goes directly to the small closet where Flora went to play with “Prescilla”. Hmm, seems he knows his stuff.  He finds Priscilla’s bonnet inside and says he senses that Flora is still alive. He suggests they hold a seance, contact the entity in charge. They sit around a table, a huge, black candle in the center.

He recites incantations of protection, but is no match for “The Butcher”, Tomasyn White, portrayed by a favorite of mine, Kathy Bates. She speaks with a wonderfully rich brogue but does unspeakable things. And there’s one worse than her to come.

Back to our seance. I guess Tomasyn has had enough of Cricket’s protective blather and throws her cleaver directly through the center of the black candle. They all see the candle split, but Cricket is the only one who can see who threw it. The psychic attempts to stem her anger by shouting “Croatoan”. She answers by blowing out every window in the room. Glass flies everywhere and Tomasyn screams that this land is soaked with the blood of her colony and she’ll destroy all trespassers.

Okay, that would be more than enough for me, but we still haven’t found Flora! Cricket offers to help for $25K, and Matt is ready to toss him out by the seat of his pants! He heads to the door and whispers to Lee that “Emily says ‘hi’”. The next day, Lee pays the $25K. Emily was Lee’s daughter, born when she was 17. She was stolen from Lee’s car when she left to run a quick errand.

Cricket’s plan of attack is knowing all there is to know about the enemy. Tomasyn White was the wife of John White, governor of the colony. Their land of plenty was drying up. When John decided to return to England for supplies, he left his wife in charge. Soon, there were grumblings of a mutiny; the food was scarce and Tomasyn was a vicious governor, using human sacrifice in in hopes of the return of plenty. Didn’t work, though. The colony decided to banish their leader, binding her in a spiked, iron head-cage tethered to wrist shackles. Her own son, Ambrose (Wes Bently), applies the lock and Tomasyn is tossed into the woods. Lost, scared and starving, she feels close to death. The squeals of wild boar terrify her, but this night there was a squeal of pain. The SoulTaker (Lady Gaga) has come to free Tomasyn and add her soul to her collection. She promises the governor a return to power, the entire colony at her heel. The headgear falls off, and Tomasyn eats the still-beating pig-heart. She returns to the colony refreshed and restored. Soultaker promises to return Tomasyn’s power then she offers her the still-beating heart of a boar, which Tomasyn eats. Nothing like fresh pig heart! Cleaver in hand, she returns and kills every colony member. Tomasyn kneels and yields to The SoulTaker. Her throat is slit and she rejoins her colony. Now they will do her bidding! The land they claim is the land the Millers’ house is built on. This can’t be good.

American Horror Story airs on FX, Wednesdays at 10pm/9c

Shelby is running, running away from the scalped man, away from the strange forest, but still lost. There are torches glowing ahead. She peers from behind a tree. A witch (Kathy Bates) is preparing for a sacrifice. Surrounded by her followers, she speaks incantations. By the light of the torches, Shelby sees a man bound hand and foot. He’s been accused of stealing. The group places a hollowed-out pig’s head (so that’s what happened to the rest of porch pig) over his head and proceeds to bind him over a fire pit, where he’s roasted like a rotisserie chicken.

Shelby is horrified, and is spotted by the witch, who demands that her followers seize her. Scared out of her wits, she runs as fast she can, and winds up in the road, almost struck by Lee’s car. She faints and Lee takes her to the hospital. When she regains consciousness, the police come to speak with her. She tells them what she witnessed, but of course they could find nothing. Shelby is tested for hallucinogens. Matt arrives at the hospital and promises Shelby they’ll find another place to live. Shelby’s angry, she blames the hillbillies for staging an elaborate hoax (I don’t think they’re that smart) and says she will not be scared out of their home. They’ve invested too much to just walk away. What!? Shelby’s the one who didn’t like the house in the first place! Maybe she is on drugs.

Meanwhile, Lee prepares for her bi-weekly visitation with Flora, though she is uneasy about bringing her to the house. Once settled in, Flora confides in her mom about a new friend she met in the house, Prescilla (Estelle Hermansen). She tells Flora she’s tired of all the blood – never a  good thing to hear.  A window shatters in another room and Lee investigates. She finds a vase of daisies, and a bonnet scattered among the broken glass. Lee ought to exit stage-left at this point. Hasn’t enough happened already?? This house makes “Murder House” look like a five-star hotel.

That night, Matt and Shelby are awakened by the squeals of a pig. Shelby is pissed off and ready to fight for her home. She and Matt grab flashlights and head into the woods. They find the fire and what’s left of rotisserie man. They call the police and finally have some evidence of their claims. The officers grant the Millers 24-hour police protection until they can figure out what’s going on.

That night, a ringing phone wakes Matt. He runs downstairs to answer it. There’s a woman’s voice, weak and pleading for help. Matt notices the phone isn’t plugged in (c’mon, time to go) then hears voices coming from another room. He sees two nurses, sisters Bridget (Kristen Rakes) and Miranda (Maya Berko) treating an elderly patient cruelly. They accuse her of not taking her medicine and shoot her in the head. They spray paint a huge, red M on the wall. M for Margaret (Irene Roseen). They laugh and laugh. Matt runs outside to the squad car on duty, and tells the officer what’s going on in there. Of course, there’s no evidence.

The next day, Lee’s ex, Mason (Charles Malik Whitfield) comes to pick up his daughter after her visit. She’s hiding, it’s her favorite game. She’s found in a closet under the stairs, talking to Prescilla. Flora says she was going to give her favorite doll to Prescilla so she wouldn’t kill them all, saving her for last. Well, that’s all Mason needed to hear. He swears Flora won’t be coming back to that house, and he’s calling the judge about the custody agreement. This pushes Lee over the edge and she loses her sobriety. Later, Matt and Shelby find Lee liquored-up and slurring her words. Matt helps Lee to bed. Passed out in her room, she’s soon flanked on both sides by the laughing nurses. Lee is startled out of her stupor by the presence she feels in her room.She heads out into the hallway to find bloody parts of something wiggly nailed to the wall and squirming. Lee is terrified, but the bloody nightmare vanishes. She turns to face the mirror in the hallway, and sees a bloody pig-man standing behind her in her reflection. She tries to pull herself together.

Matt has joined Shelby at a downstairs window. Shelby sees a young girl across the yard. Matt sees her, too. They head outside to where the girl was standing and find a storm cellar.  It’s deep and dark, so Shelby and Matt decide to climb down the ladder. Of course they do! Down in the storm cellar, it’s clear someone made this their home. They find a video recorder and take it into the house to watch what’s been recorded. It’s the former resident of the house, and then the storm cellar, Professor Elias Cunningham (Denis O’Hare). The man is clearly scared out of his wits.Teetering on the edge of sanity, Dr. Cunningham says the forces in that house injured him and drove him out. He zooms in on an extreme close-up of the scratches on his neck. This doc’s a mess. He tells the rambling story of the nursing home where two nurses took pleasure killing their elderly charges and after leaving the nursing home, the sisters set up shop in the house so they could continue their atrocities, using the letters of the unfortunate patients’ first names to spell out MURDER, spraying each new letter on the wall.

Dr. Cunningham insists something in the house stopped them.The nurses got as far as MURDE. Eventually the wall was covered with wallpaper to make the house marketable but the letters would bleed through any attempts to cover them with paint. The doctor reacts to sounds from behind him, there are sounds of a struggle, he screams, and the tape ends. Matt finds the suspect wall, and peels the wallpaper back. MURDE is clear as day. Well, that did it; the Millers finally want out of that house. They haggle with the loan officer, wanting out of their contract and accusing him of misrepresentation. They did their homework and verified what Dr.Cunningham said on the tape. The loan officer says they took the house “as is” and there’s no way to break their contract. Okay, now the Millers are getting with the program; they’ve seen enough horror for two lifetimes. During all this, Lee takes it upon herself to go and pick up Flora. She desperately misses her daughter – enough to commit a felony. Matt  tries to reason with his sister. Mason calls the house, furious. Shelby talks him out of involving the police, and he says he’s coming to pick her up. While doing her homework, Flora sees her friend ”Prescilla” outside and goes out to meet her.  When Lee goes to get Flora ready for her father, she’s nowhere to be found. Shelby, Matt and Lee search the house, then the woods for her. Lee screams when she sees Flora’s jacket hanging from the very top of a dead pine tree. What fresh Hell is this?!

American Horror Story 6 airs on FX, Wednesdays at 10/9c

Lily Rabe returns to AHS on FX as Shelby Miller, a yoga teacher, happily married to Matt (Andre’ Holland), a pharmaceutical salesman. Rabe and Holland give a first-hand account of their experiences as Sarah Paulson and Cuba Gooding Jr. re-enact the story.

The L.A. couple, madly in love and recently pregnant, are out celebrating Matt’s promotion and the little bun in the oven. They are perfectly happy in LA. Strolling home one evening,  Shelby is pushed to the ground as Matt falls victim to the Knockout game.  Shelby loses the baby and the two decide to leave the city life of LA and move to North Carolina. They’re charmed by an empty house they find on Roanoke Island and win the auction, angering the local hillbillies.

Lot Polk (Chaz Bono!) his brother Cain, (Orson Chaplin) and Papa Polk (Grady Lee Richmond) are definitely “Deliverance” material, and they fume after being outbid by them city-folk. The auction began at $10k; that right there would raise my hackles.

Once Shelby and Matt move in and begin renovations, the fun really begins. The couple are canoodling but are interrupted by a loud thud. Matt goes downstairs to investigate. There are trash cans and debris strewn across the yard. As an added bonus, there’s a mutilated pig, dead on his doorstep. Matt has been overly protective of Shelby since she lost the baby, so he buries the pig, but doesn’t tell her about it. I would have rented a U-Haul that very night!

Matt thinks it was the the local yokels — bigots who don’t believe in interracial relationships. I don’t think they believe in toothbrushes or soap, either. The next morning Shelby hears the sound of hailstones, tap-dancing on the roof and windows. She steps out onto the patio to watch the hail fall. Her palm out to catch a few hailstones, Shelby’s horrified when she realizes it’s raining human teeth. (Get out!) When Matt gets home, Shelby tells him what happened, but when they look on the patio, there’s nothing there. Matt chalks it up to stress from the miscarriage. He has to leave town on business, and Shelby insists she’ll be fine alone. She looks forward to some time alone, a break from overprotective Matt. Later that evening, she pours herself a glass of wine and heads out to the hot tub. A relaxing soak turns to terror when something forces Shelby underwater. As she struggles, she sees a shadowy figure and torches circling  the hot tub. (Get OUT!) As soon as she’s free she calls the police and Matt, who races home.The police see no sign of any torches or footprints around the tub and seem a bit skeptical of Shelby’s story. Matt asks his sister, Lee (Angela Bassett) to stay with Shelby while he’s out of town. Shelby and Lee don’t like each other, but try to get along for Matt’s sake.

Lee (whose story is narrated by Adina Porter) was a police officer, with a degree in Criminal Psychology. After being wounded on the job, Lee became addicted to pain pills. Her addiction ended her marriage and limited custody of her daughter. She works hard at maintaining her sobriety and asks Shelby not to drink while she stays with her. Before leaving town, Matt installs a security system that he can monitor what’s going on using his cell.

That night, Lee’s awakened by the sound of an empty wine bottle rolling into her room.  She accuses Shelby, who swears it wasn’t her doing. Noises in the house draw the women down to the cellar. There’s a television on, a disturbing videotape playing, showing someone in terror. The power goes out, and Lee and Shelby are spooked enough to stay in the basement. On his phone, Matt sees the house, and people walking through the yard carrying torches. He races home. So, how ‘bout that U-Haul?

When the women go back upstairs, they find vines of twine woven up the spiral staircase. There are straw figures and rudimentary crosses woven in. Once Matt arrives, Shelby shows him what she and Lee found. Matt chalks it up to the locals trying to scare them out of the house.

Shelby is furious that Matt isn’t taking things seriously and drives off into the night.  Another great idea! Matt calls Shelby’s cell repeatedly, but she drives on. Reaching for her phone, her momentary distraction causes her to hit a woman in the road. Shelby jumps out to see if she’s injured, but the woman takes off into the woods. Shelby grabs her flashlight and runs after her. Shelby runs until she’s lost her way. In the trees above, she sees the same twine vines with the straw figures and continues running. She falls on the ground and it begins heaving under her. A scalped and bloody man falls in front of her. Something is chasing him. Shelby screams and screams.  We end Chapter 1. I’m looking forward to Chapter 2. I love the idea of using historical facts to crank up the terror.

To this day, no one knows what happened to those colonists in 1590.

American Horror Story : “Roanoke” airs on FX Wednesdays at 10/9c

Our return to Mexico has shed some light on the gentle soul of Nick. After deciding not to leave the Abigail estate with his family, he spends days looking for shelter and water. The few people he encountered along the way were suspicious, scared and hostile. He finds kindness in the home of a woman, Sofia (Diana Lein) and her son, Juan (Moisses Arath Leyva). She’s leaving to find Juan’s father (likely a really bad idea) and supplies Nick with some food and water before they part ways.

Sofia advises Nick to head for the mountains.

He wanders miles of deserted road, scavenging what he can from abandoned cars. He finds shelter in an empty house, lights a fire and falls asleep, dreaming about one of his court-mandated stays in rehab. In the dream there’s a girl, and she was able to get him to talk about his father. Nick was so angry with his father he could barely speak. He eventually says that his dad came home every night, but wasn’t really there for the family. He spent most of his time at home holed-up in his office, though Nick really needed him. These wounds are still fresh. Who was supposed to show Nick how to be a man? My heart breaks for him, even dreaming, he seems to be holding so much inside.

His dream is interrupted by a Spanish-screaming, baseball bat-wielding woman, who chases him into the night. Guess not everyone’s a fan of Nick’s gore-suit. Food and water soon run out that next day, and the highway is a long and hot. As night falls, a shivering Nick drifts off and dreams of rehab again, and the terrible day Maddie came to tell him his father was killed in a head-on collision. Nick was brokenhearted.

Two barking wild dogs are Nick’s wake-up call this time, and he’s bitten on the leg before climbing on top of a small bus. A large herd of the infected is drawn to the sound of the dogs. Also approaching is a vehicle full of hoots, hollers and gunfire. It’s a band of Outlaws — the infected are their sport. The herd turns toward the Jeep. Nick snags a belt from a passing walker to use as a tourniquet and blends into the herd. The undead continue toward the noise of gunshots. Nick’s cover is blown once he locks eyes with one of the men. He limps into the hills, dodging bullets.

The dogs are a tasty snack for the remainder of the herd, as are some of the unlucky Outlaws. Sunburned and dehydrated, the sun beats down on Nick and the thorns of the cacti join in the assault. He tries to get water from a piece of cactus by eating it. It sickens him, so he instead opts for an Idi Amin cocktail of his own urine.

Maybe Nick’s will to live is much stronger than we thought. As he walks with the herd again, he begins to hallucinate, and some of the infected turn into familiar faces. They speak to him and confuse him. A group of Lookouts watch this from a distant hilltop, and see Nick through their binoculars. It’s clear he’s not one of the infected, but they don’t know what to make of him. His last ounce of energy gone, Nick collapses on the road. Unconscious, Nick flashes back to his time in LA with Gloria (Lexi Johnson). They’re in the church, and Nick is reading her passages from a book he’s reading, Winesburg, Ohio. She promises him she’ll read it the next day, but we know that day never came.

A drenching rain revives Nick and literally saves his life. He manages to make his way to a small town, now called “El Colonio. It’s full of survivors trying to make sense of the new world. He meets Alejandro (Paul Calderone), formerly the town pharmacist, now the town doctor. He cleans and dresses the dog bite, but Nick is morose. His will to stay alive is broken. He tells Alejandro he wants to be “where the dead aren’t monsters.” Still, it seems Nick may have found a home, at least for now.

Once he steps outside into the courtyard, he sees children laughing and kicking a soccer ball. The ball rolls over to him, and he kicks it back gently. He smiles that beautiful smile. I think this has been Nick’s first smile in a long time.

Fear The Walking Dead Airs on AMC Sundays at 9/8c