This is it.
This might be the season in which we finally see Norman completely lose it.
Bates Motel, the contemporary prequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film, Psycho, might actually answer the question this time: How exactly did Norman go psycho?
Season two was our first look into Norman’s mental illness. We saw more of his blackouts, as well as his interactions with the figure of his mother, and how he exited his body when he killed his junior English teacher, Ms. Blair Watson.
Season three picks up at the end of summer, with Norman waking up on the first day of senior year, snuggled up next to his mother, Norma Bates.
While eating lunch alone at White Pine Bay High School, Norman begins to hallucinate and sees Ms. Watson sit next to him, eagerly welcoming him back to the town’s only high school.
As the hallucination goes on, blood begins to drip down Ms. Watson’s neck — the exact spot Norman slit after having sex with her.
When Norman confesses to his mother, she reacts by homeschooling him and promoting him to motel manager.
They then proceed to snuggle again — the show’s producers have successfully and consistently made the audience feel uncomfortable with the mother-son affection.
When Annika Johnson, an attractive escort staying at the Bates Motel, is brought onto the show, Norman can’t resist.
At this point, the show fully embraces its Psycho roots. Norman peeks through Johnson’s window as she makes her way to the shower.
One of Norman’s more obvious triggers is sex. But as if that weren’t psycho enough, seeing his mother’s struggle is another thing that make him black out, as his desire to protect her and make her proud is overwhelming.
This first episode also follows the subplot of Norman’s brother, Dylan, who is set for trouble.
Dylan has been the only one noticing Norman’s peculiar behavior, and his background in the town’s illegal drug distribution business makes him a target for many people, even Sheriff Romero, who helped protect the business that runs the economy at White Pine Bay, Oregon.
The audience can’t help but feel sorry for Dylan as he continuously deals with the fact that he was the product of his mother’s continuous rape by her brother Caleb, who didn’t stop until he moved out.
The final two minutes of the premiere have Norman ironically escorting Johnson to a restaurant. But when the Porsche they left in finally returns to the motel, Norman is the only one exiting the car.
Season three is set to answer many questions and raise some new ones as well.
The show’s acceptance of its roots will lead to disturbing revelations and clarity about Norman Bates.
Follow Mike Mendoza on Twitter @MikeWheresIke