Season four of "Batel Motel" is finally here! For all of us fans, this is a huge deal - season three ended on such a cliffhanger. Norman mentally transformed into his mother Norma, and killed Bradley Martin. Norman's guilt led to one of his infamous blackouts. It was so interesting to see the switch between Norman and Norma while he brutally murdered Bradley, and we as viewers for the first time experienced what it’s like for Norman when he has these “episodes.”
“Pull over. Mother would like to speak with you.”
This line gave me chills. Norman cannot separate himself from his mom, and Norma only feeds her son's psychotic behavior by not accepting the fact that he is mentally ill. Even though she knows he has murdered multiple people, in her mind, Norman is still her innocent little boy who can do no harm. This show truly demonstrates how powerful but also dangerous the human mind is. We believe whatever we want to believe until it becomes a reality. Of course, Norman is a psychopath, but in a sense we are all capable confusing lies with reality.
So, now we have moved to season four. Norman has fully made the transition into the mind of his mother. Crazy.
According to the producers, "Bates Motel" has been picked up for a fifth season as well. All of us fans could not be more thrilled! However, this begs the question, where will the show go from here? In an interview with Variety, executive producer Kerry Ehrin said about season four, “We think it’s the best one yet. Everything is firing on all cylinders. The writing is great. The performances are amazing. Vera and Freddie have topped themselves this year.”
This show has brilliantly told the story of Norman’s past. We are now beginning to witness the Norman Bates from Alfred Hitchcock's iconic 1960's film "Psycho."
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Kerry Ehrin explained that the creators purposely chose not to have the whole series hint towards "Psycho." However, season four is going to change in that regard. “I think this is the year that we earned the right to use more of that," Ehrin said. "If we had come out of the gate doing that, it could have been cheesy. I think it could have turned people off. Also, it felt like the first part of the storytelling was getting people to see that this is a different world than that movie. It isn’t at the movie yet."
So what do us fans expect from season four? A lot. It will be so interesting to see each character's development with Norman’s transition. Norma seems to not only realize that her son needs help, but that she can’t help him. Norma is letting go of her ability to try and control everything. In the end, it has caused more attachment issues for Norman.
I had the chance to ask another avid "Bates" fan, Brittany Weistling, about her thoughts on season four's progression as Norman has transformed into the Norman Bates we all know from "Psycho." She stated, “I think that the next big reveal will be Norma finding out about [Norman] not only dressing up like her, but in a sense embodying her. Also, I think Norma walking in on Norman committing a murder will be a big reveal to come.”
The very first time we as an audience truly saw the mental insanity of Norman was during his polygraph testing about the murder of Blaire Watson in the final episode of season two. Norman was able to pass the test and lie about her death, because he fully believed his mother was the murderer. In his mind, it was not his fault. And that is what truly terrifies us all.
It will be interesting to watch how this new season progresses. I was surprised to see such a dramatic transformation of Norman right off the bat in the first episode. It seems that the show has reached a climax, but that makes it so much more exciting to see what is to come in these next episodes.
What is going to happen to all these characters once they discover Norman for who he has truly become? I also wonder if Sheriff Romero and Norma’s “romantic” relationship will progress, and how Norman will deal with that. As we know from the movie "Psycho," Norman Bates kills his mother and her lover. How closely will the show follow this premise, and could Romero be that lover? This show has truly become one of my all time favorites, and I cannot wait to see how season four unfolds.
