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“Bates Motel” is a contemporary prequel to the genre-defining film “Psycho,” and gives a portrayal of how Norman Bates’ psyche unravels through his teenage years. Fans discover the dark, twisted backstory of Norman Bates and how deeply intricate his relationship with his mother, Norma truly is.
I am really loving the character arcs that are transpiring on “Bates Motel: Season 3.” We have watched, from the beginning, a very young and insecure Norman and his overly-protective mother stand by each other’s sides no matter what obstacles came in their way, whether it was happening to one or both of them but the tide is turning and we are getting our first glimpses at the Norman Bates that is to come. In last week’s episode, titled “A Death in the Family,” after a young beautiful woman named Annika (Tracy Spiridakos) checks into the motel, Norman is caught peeking in her back window as she is undressing by Norma and she very angrily warns him that it can never happen again.
When Annika doesn’t appear for two days, Norma becomes concerned and after entering her room, she finds an invitation on her bed to a very exclusive club on the outskirts of town. When she finds out that Norman was the last person to be seen with her, she takes the invitation and poses as Annika to see exactly what kind of club it is only to bump into someone she knows. Meanwhile, Dylan (Max Thieriot) and his father Caleb (Max Thieriot) meet their intimidating new neighbor Chick Hogan (Ryan Hurst), who invites himself onto their property and begins telling them how they should act and what they can and cannot do out in the woods, much to Caleb’s chagrin.
Norman and Emma (Olivia Cooke) talk about moving to the next step of their relationship, intimacy, which apparently makes Norman very uncomfortable and causes Emma concern because of his reaction. Vera Farmiga gets an opportunity to showcase her comedic talents at the exclusive Arcanum Club and it was a welcome relief from the serious and contemplative emotions that occur in each episode. We all know the eventual outcome as we build up towards the inevitable events in Hitchcock’s masterpiece but watching the circumstances and everyday occurrences transform and shape both mother and son into the people they will become, makes you wish that things would work out differently.
Watch an all-new “Bates Motel” tonight at 9pm ET/PT on A&E
