'Bates Motel' recap: 'Dreams Die First' 

has given us some juicy references to its source material: Norman’s budding interest in taxidermy, the origin of that trusty peephole between the motel office and Room 1, and, of course, Norman in a wig and dress, acting like his damn mother and murdering people

has been flying blissfully fast and frequent with those ostrich-size

easter eggs, but up until this point, those references have only served to build upon what the series was always intended to be: a prequel to

set in the modern day (given, it’s a modern day where peter pan collars are much more prevalent). But as of Monday’s episode, starting with the moment Sam Loomis zips Marion Crane back into her business-professional wear, we’re officially dealing with something new: a full crossover into the plot of

, does this hour drive that home in some unexpected ways.

Of course, Marion Crane and her suitcase full of cash don’t mean that season 5 of

; merely that the TV series has now officially crossed narrative streams with the film that came before it. It’s great fun to see a modernized recreation of the moment Marion Crane decides to steal a bunch of money: $40,000 is now $400,000; Marion’s occupation has shifted to notary public; oh, and did I mention that Janet Leigh’s iconic role is now being played by

reveals what Norman Bates and Mother have been getting up to

Let’s just say, we’re not in 1960 anymore, Juno.

Following last week’s Final Look, the opening scene of Monday’s episode is the perfect combination of suspense and clarity: The camera opens on that oh-so-familiar picture of Norman lying in his mother’s bed, but as the camera pans up from the ground and over his shoulder, we see that Norman is still without Mother. When Norman doesn’t find her elsewhere in the house (following a quick trip to the bathroom to vomit and inspect what appear to be scratches on his shoulder), he spots a book of matches from White Horse Bar next to a telltale pack of cigarettes. We’ll soon find out that though Norman’s been missing Mother, she hasn’t exactly been missing altogether…

But first, the delightful Sheriff Greene would like to have a not-at-all-stressful chat with Norman. In her office, she tells Norman that they’re looking for any leads possible to capture Alex Romero, and given their contentious history, she thought Norman might know

reason Romero might have been directing his former prison-mate Joe Blackwell toward White Pine Bay. Norman’s all,

Mmmmm, can’t think of anything, sheriff, he’s just a lonely, unhappy man I used to know.

Sheriff Greene is very calm and understanding with this young man’s who’s still mourning the loss of his mother, and then it’s time to cut the s—: “What about the visit you made to him 24 hours before he escaped?” Oh,

? That was “a deeply unsatisfied experience, massive mistake,” according to Norman. Romero just stared at him and said nothing: “He looked like a madman, if I’m being honest.” It should be noted that Norman is a disheveled mess, sweating and guzzling water for this entire encounter. The sheriff doesn’t ask any more questions but suggests that Norman might have provoked Romero in that visit. It seems within the realm of possibility.

Norman arrives home screaming, “Mother!” but she’s still not there, so it’s time to check into this White Horse Bar. On the phone, the bartender tells Norman that, yeah, Norma was there last night (

) and she left her car in the parking lot all night. So I guess that settles what Norman’s look directly into camera meant last week: Mother had entered the building. A little more ambiguous is the bartender’s response to Norman asking if she was accompanied by a man at the bar: “You mean did she leave with a man? Probably.” I. Am. LISTENING.

Soon after the news that Mother’s car is parked at some random bar, Madeleine calls to apologize to Norman about their friend-date-turned-makeout-session and ends up offering to drive him to his car (it was stolen, you see). He’s a mess on the ride over, but he’s trying to stay calm while Madeleine explains that she doesn’t want Norman to think the dinner was a setup. Norman tells Madeleine he doesn’t judge her; he just thinks she needs to talk to her husband. He says that a number of times, in fact, and by the time they make it to the bar, Madeleine is wondering why he’s so insistent upon her talking to Sam.

Norman finally ‘fesses up that he met Sam before he ever met Madeleine, when he checked into the Bates Motel with another woman. Madeleine is upset that Norman would have known this whole time and not told her, and that anger quickly turns into denial. She says maybe Norman is just trying to push her and Sam further apart, and he needs to get out of her truck. Norman tries to say one more thing, and has Isabelle McNally ever looked more like Vera Farmiga than when she flipped the switch and screamed, “GET OUT OF MY DAMN TRUCK!”

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