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Did ‘Bates Motel’ just cast Marion Crane’s lesbian lover?
On Thursday (Sept. 22), news hit that a new character has been added to the “Psycho” canon. We still have quite some time before “Bates Motel’s” final season hits the air. But, with the bombshell dropped at San Diego Comic-Con that found Rihanna filling the iconic shoes of Marion Crane, our curiosity has been at an all-time high as to how the Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) story will find its small-screen end.
Previously, we did some speculative casting for our dream Marion Crane actresses, with the guise that the woman would need to look a lot like Norma (Vera Farmiga). After all, it’s that similarity in appearance that sparks Norman’s desire to murder her in the shower. After speaking with EPs Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin back in July, we’re now of the belief that Season 5 of the prequel series will be doing things vastly different with that iconic scene.
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Rihanna is a very intriguing choice to play Crane. And with the addition of Isabelle McNally to the cast, it seems that we’ve now found our Norma Bates lookalike. What’s more interesting is, McNally will be playing a character not previously seen in the Hitchcock story.
According to TV Line, the actress will be playing the recurring character of Madeleine Loomis. For those unfamiliar with the original “Psycho” film, Crane was in a romantic relationship with a man by the name of Sam Loomis. The movie found Loomis struggling with debt, while also paying alimony to his ex wife. But there was no mention of a Madeleine in that equation.
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In fact, the only Madeleine to ever turn up in a Hitchcock story, was Madeleine Elster in “Vertigo.” The visual of Kim Novak falling to her death from the clock tower is an iconic one. But does her death in that film provide any clue to what will transpire for Loomis on “Bates Motel?” It’s possible, but more-so, the choice of character name may simply be an homage.
Still, when thinking of what’s in store for Madeleine Loomis in Season 5, it’s pretty safe to say that she’ll be the one who ends up in the shower on the receiving end of Norman/Mother’s knife. But, given the fact that Cuse and Ehrin are focused on disrupting the “Psycho” canon as we know it, something tells us Loomis may be more than just the ex-wife to Sam.
Better yet, it’s possible she could be romantically linked to Crane herself. What better way for Norman to hit a new murderous level than to witness Crane — whom he was attracted to in “Psycho” — engage in some sort of intimate relationship with a woman that has a striking resemblance to his dear beloved mother.
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We’ve previously seen his violent tendencies sparked by sexual stimulus. If they go this direction with the story, it’s pretty safe to say his rage would hit levels we’ve never seen before. For “Bates Motel” to take on that iconic shower scene, this would really help them flip that script completely and give audiences something they were never expecting.
“Bates Motel” Season 5 returns in 2017 to A&E.