When Bates Motel first opened its doors to audiences in 2013, we all knew that we’d be watching young Norman Bates make the slow and twisted transition from seemingly normal teenager to a crossdressing murderer. And it looks like Season 3 is where that metamorphosis will get turned up to 11, as Norman’s fascination with his mother Norma hits uncomfortable new heights. Check out the latest Season 3 trailer below.
Ho. Ly. Shit. Right? I mean, where do we start? When we last saw Norman Bates, he was passing a polygraph test concerning the murder of Blair Watson, and he was doing it by flipping his personality over to that of Norma. And as we can tell from this trailer, his ability to think like his mother just isn’t enough, and he wants to know her…on the inside. I feel like I need to take a shower after saying that. (Or maybe just a bath with the curtain open and the door locked.)
When he isn’t trying to watch Norma strip naked, as he appears to be doing through a window, he’s busy being the one trying to take her clothes off, like so.
But is he really trying to see his mom naked, or is he more interested in just putting her clothes on his own body?
I suspect trying to deduce Norman’s motivations at this point is a fool’s errand, similar to Dylan’s quest to turn the Bates family into something resembling normal. We don’t really get a sense of any other overarching plot for Season 3 beyond Norman’s growing obsession, and how Norma and Dylan are reacting to it. Dylan is more vocal with Norma about not letting Norman sleep in bed with her, and she seems to understand, as we watch her reprimand Norman a couple of times, fearful for her own life.
Of course, it’s her fault for making Norman manager of the motel. (Hearing him say, “Alrighty, Mother, I’ll be your hotel manager,” is the most disturbing part of the trailer to me.) It’s obvious that Norma is going to be around for longer than just one more season, given the show’s success, but I honestly have no idea what the long game is for Bates Motel, or how far into Norman’s life it’ll go. But that’s definitely part of the fun.
Check out one of the earlier Bates Motel teasers, which also hints at Norman’s increasing desire to become his mother.
Bates Motel will return to A&E on Monday, March 9, at 9 p.m. ET. Now who could that dead body be?
