Bates Motel Season 4
In the penultimate episode, Norman attempts a murder-suicide plot that is foiled by Alex A&E

Bates Motel season 4 is finally reaching a point where Norman Bate's (Freddie Highmore) fatal intentions appear to take shape. The shocking outcomes of the penultimate episode of A&E's psychological thriller have set the stage for the fifth and final season of Psycho's adaptation series.

Warning: Spoilers ahead

Norman, who is suffering from a grave psychological disorder, returned to his home from the metal institute only to find out that his mother is now married to Romero. His return home has a severe impact on the mother-son relationship and in episode 9 he finds a vicious solution to his problems.

More about TV from IBTimes UK

In a bid to end both his life and that of his mother's, the unstable son of Norma (Vera Farmiga) fills the bedroom with carbon monoxide and goes for a forever nap with his mother. But his murder-suicide plot is foiled after Alex breaks open the door and drags the mother-son duo out of the makeshift gas chamber.

He revives Norman from his slumber but Norma's fate is still unknown as she remains unconscious throughout the rest of the episode. Her deep slumber has sparked speculations that the Psycho plot will be back on the series with only one season left. And this might be the end of Farmiga's character and the beginning of the terror of 'the Mother'.

Meanwhile, executive producer Carlton Cuse has teased that the outcome of episode 9 will lead the story towards the season finale and will set the plot of the fifth and final season.

"We hope the audience is compelled to watch 10 and get a lot of questions answered about what happened in nine," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "It also really plumbs deeper psychologically into where the character's been and it also sets in motion the fifth season. For Kerry and I, this is a plan that we started talking about the very first year of the show and was part of why we wanted to define the journey of the show as being five seasons. It's a show that has a defined beginning, middle and end, and we are now moving into the end game."

Bates Motel season 4 finale is titled Norman and will air on 16 May.