Was Norma’s death always going to be carbon monoxide poisoning or something that gentle?
Ehrin: Seeing that Carlton and I have always wanted to tell this weird love story between a mother and a son, the instinct was to do something against what you might imagine, him flying into a rage and being jealous or something. His love for her was really pretty pure. Down to the last beat of episode nine, in his weird deluded way he had the best intentions. We wanted to do something that had a little bit of gothic romance to it that was not just violent or destructive but also has some beauty to it, some heartbreak, some romance and some tragedy. And the tragedy is that had these two people had some sort of help in their life, some sort of enlightenment or therapy — especially Norma — things could have been different. So this was the ending of that story that gives it a little bit of a Romeo and Juliet vibe.
How hard was it for each of you to let that character go?
Ehrin: Super hard. It was hard writing that script and emotional. I went up to the set for that last scene and I actually got so physically ill that I couldn’t be there. My body just wouldn’t let me do it. You spend all this time with a character, it’s hard to imagine when you don’t do that for a living and don’t know the hours you spend with the characters going through these things with them. But they’re very, very close to you.
Ehrin: Seeing that Carlton and I have always wanted to tell this weird love story between a mother and a son, the instinct was to do something against what you might imagine, him flying into a rage and being jealous or something. His love for her was really pretty pure. Down to the last beat of episode nine, in his weird deluded way he had the best intentions. We wanted to do something that had a little bit of gothic romance to it that was not just violent or destructive but also has some beauty to it, some heartbreak, some romance and some tragedy. And the tragedy is that had these two people had some sort of help in their life, some sort of enlightenment or therapy — especially Norma — things could have been different. So this was the ending of that story that gives it a little bit of a Romeo and Juliet vibe.
How hard was it for each of you to let that character go?
Ehrin: Super hard. It was hard writing that script and emotional. I went up to the set for that last scene and I actually got so physically ill that I couldn’t be there. My body just wouldn’t let me do it. You spend all this time with a character, it’s hard to imagine when you don’t do that for a living and don’t know the hours you spend with the characters going through these things with them. But they’re very, very close to you.
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TVLINE | Why kill off Norma with one more season still to go?
CARLTON CUSE | We wanted the final season to allow us to do our version of the Psycho lore. We will be colliding with certain events in the narrative of the film, but it would be boring to just recreate Psycho.
EHRIN | The obsessive love of Norma is what the show is going to be based on. It’s the heart of what drives it. That is going to be hugely important in Season 5.
TVLINE | And just to be clear, Vera is not leaving the show, right?
CUSE | Vera’s still very much a part of the show, she just has a slightly modified role.
TVLINE | Was that the last we’ll see of Dylan and Emma?
CUSE | No.
EHRIN | No way. We love them
CUSE | We very much have a story planned for them next season.
TVLINE | So, I have to ask. Is next season really the final season? Because A&E hasn’t confirmed that it is…
EHRIN | It’s our final season. [Laughs]
CARLTON CUSE | We wanted the final season to allow us to do our version of the Psycho lore. We will be colliding with certain events in the narrative of the film, but it would be boring to just recreate Psycho.
EHRIN | The obsessive love of Norma is what the show is going to be based on. It’s the heart of what drives it. That is going to be hugely important in Season 5.
TVLINE | And just to be clear, Vera is not leaving the show, right?
CUSE | Vera’s still very much a part of the show, she just has a slightly modified role.
TVLINE | Was that the last we’ll see of Dylan and Emma?
CUSE | No.
EHRIN | No way. We love them
CUSE | We very much have a story planned for them next season.
TVLINE | So, I have to ask. Is next season really the final season? Because A&E hasn’t confirmed that it is…
EHRIN | It’s our final season. [Laughs]
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