“Bates Motel” returned with a slight bang on March 9, setting up a nice return for the Bates family and everyone involved. It is obvious the writers are getting closer to the plot of the 1960 film, “Psycho,” to which the series is a prequel.
There was not too much action in the premiere, but it is a good lead for things to come. Norma is still worried about the events of last season, in which she discovered how truly fragile son Norman’s mental state really is.
However, she is quite the enabler as she lets Norman sleep in her bed every night, resulting in some awkward cuddling between the mother and son. Norman’s brother, Dylan, finds their relationship strange, but has other things to worry about, as his father/uncle is back in town.
Norman decides he and Emma should start dating. That is before he creepily stares into the bathroom of motel guest, Annika, and is almost put into the trance seen in earlier seasons, when he gets physical with a woman.
It was interesting to see how Norma tiptoes around Norman. She admitted to Dylan she knew their relationship was weird, but was easily convinced by Norman to start sleeping in her bed again and used her mother’s recent death as an excuse to justify her decision.
It is possible she is afraid of Norman, seeing his psychotic breaks in Season 2, and is afraid for others to see him in that state. This could be a problem for Emma, who is eager to have Norman as a boyfriend.
Norman is still haunted by the teacher he killed at the end of the first season, and it will be interesting to see where the writers take that storyline and how it will affect Norman’s already crumbling mentality.
Seeing as it is getting pretty far into the series, everyone is anxiously awaiting when Norman will finally snap and turn into the true psycho.
“Bates Motel” airs every Monday at 9 p.m. on A&E.

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