‘Bates Motel’ Season 5, Episode 9 Spoilers: “Visiting Hours” – Norman Goes to Court for Murder, Death Penalty Imminent; Romero Takes Revenge

‘Bates Motel’ season 5’s episode 9, titled “Visiting Hours,” will follow Norman as he finally goes to court for a murder trial. It was revealed that if he is found guilty, he will get the death penalty. Meanwhile, Romero is out for revenge and isn’t willing to wait around for the justice system to do the work.

The synopsis for “Visiting Hours” posted on TV Guide reads, “Norman's (Freddie Highmore) legal problems worsen; Emma (Olivia Cooke) tends to family business as Dylan (Max Thieriot) gets caught between his past and his future; and Romero (Nestor Carbonell) enacts his plan for revenge.”

The penultimate episode is set to be a harrowing one for the series’ anti-hero, Norman Bates, as he goes to court for a trial for murder. Norman was taken into police custody after he confessed to Sheriff Jane Greene (Brooke Smith) that he killed Sam Loomis (Austin Nichols). The attempt to frame Sam’s widow, Madeleine Loomis (Isabelle McNally), also backfired and landed Norman and his alter-ego Mother (Vera Farmiga) in hot water.

Norman’s decision to confess to the authorities created some conflict with Mother. In the previous episode, she made Norman’s life a living hell as she shared his cell with him. She even violently knocked him out and hijacked his consciousness.

The promo hints that Norman and Mother have been charged with three separate murder charges for the deaths of Sam, Jimmy Brennen (Michael Rogers) and Audrey (Karina Logue). One of the scenes from the promo shows Norman and Mother in a court room as they are told by the judge that the maximum penalty for the conviction is death. It will be interesting to see how Norman and Norma will figure out a way to escape death row.

Dylan’s involvement in the court hearing remains a possibility as he believed that his brother was innocent and that his actions were the result of his current mental instability. He knew that when Norman had blackouts, he became someone else.

However, this may all change when Dylan finds out that Norman tried to frame Madeleine for Sam’s murder. According to International Business Times, Dylan may try to testify against his own brother in court, especially after Emma (Olivia Cooke) finds out that Norman was the one who killed her mother, Audrey Ellis (Karina Logue).

Meanwhile, Romero will be out for revenge, proving to be another threat for Norman. In the promo, Romero clearly doesn’t want to wait for the justice system to kill off Norman as he intends to do it himself.

‘Bates Motel’ season 5’s episode 9, titled “Visiting Hours,” is scheduled to air on A&E on April 17, 2017. It will be followed by episode 10, titled "The Cord," scheduled to be released on April 24.