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Heartwarming / Bates Motel

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  • There's something oddly sweet about Emma and Norman's first meeting.
    Emma: Don't cut it short, just 'cause it's embarrassing.
    • Emma giving Norman his first kiss.
  • Bradley visits Norman when he's at the hospital, wanting to see if he's alright, and to thank him for checking up on her at the hospital. While Norman insists that it wasn't a big deal, Bradley tells it meant a lot to her as none of her friends stopped by.
  • Norman taking Emma to the school dance, at least until she sees him looking longingly at Bradley and realizes he is still totally hung up on her
  • Dylan normally selfish when it comes to money and work, is trying to convince Norman that Norma is out of her mind. Just goes to show that he cares about his brother.
  • Another Dylan moment: teaching Norma how to use a gun and accidentally calling her mom. What makes it heartwarming is that Norma is really touched by it.
  • In a way, Norman's driving lesson with Norma in the season 2 premiere. Even though there was usual arguing.
  • Before leaving, Bradley writes a note to Norman, telling him that he's the greatest person she's ever known.
  • Before this, Bradley tells Norman that when she first met him, she knew there was something special about him. She's glad to see that she wasn't wrong.
  • Dylan's reaction when Norma reveals that she bought three tickets to Montreal and wants him to join herself and Norman when they flee there, then tearfully apologises for her mistakes in his upbringing and tells him that she wouldn't give him up for anything. Even though his expression barely changes, you can see the depth of his surprise and emotion. Then he hugs her.
  • In "The Vault," Chick seeing the error of his villainous ways and apologizing to Norma out of the goodness of his heart. He even provides her the repaired stain glass window he promised to give when they first met. Despite Norma's understandable distrust of him, Chick gives her a small kiss as a sign of care before agreeing to leave her alone forever.
  • Romero's reaction to Norma spilling the entire story of her abuse at Caleb's hands and Dylan's real parentage. After all the times she's been abandoned, finally, she's found someone willing to stay.
    Norma: So just go pack your bags, okay?
    Alex: Okay. Where are we going?
  • Everything about Norma and Alex's relationship for those brief, shining two weeks where they're together, they're happy, and they're in love.
  • Norman spares Marion's life, likely recognizing that while she did steal that money, she did it for love and is otherwise a relatively innocent woman who had the misfortune of being strung along by terrible men. Since he could feel Mother trying to take over, he makes the decision to save her from the horrors to come and tells her to flee as far as she can.
  • Norman fights off Mother to save Dylan's life, then calls the police and confesses to Sam's murder so that he will be arrested and Dylan will be safe. In spite all the trouble, tension, and secrets driving them apart, Norman loves his brother.
  • Despite the traumatizing events of having to kill his brother and seeing the body of their mother, the series ends with Dylan finally managing to carve out a happy life for himself with Emma and their daughter.
  • Despite also being a massive tear jerker Norman's final fate can be seen as this... especially if you believe he was deliberately goading Dylan in order to get him to shoot him. By this point the only possible happy ending for Norman was to be finally reunited with his beloved mother in death.
  • For those less sympathetic to Norman, Alex Romero's death. He's finally gone to be with Norma.

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