Nothing Normal with Norma(n)

Holy smokes. Bates Motel. It’s too good.

It’s getting a little…shall we say, Psychotic?

There are only three episodes left before the finale of Season 3, which, after the past two weeks’ episodes, is proving to be favorite season yet. So I have to geek out at least a little about my fave TV show.

There’s so much to this season—the relationships between mother and son-borderline- husband-figure, brother and psycho-brother, brother and brother’s girlfriend, sister and brother-who-fathered-her-firstborn-son, and all other sorts of crazy nonsensical combinations are heating up—to a boiling point, which I’m sure will culminate in the season finale. Meaning, someone’s gonna die. Things will get bloody. They have to if Norman’s pace of one kill per season is to continue. This season, Norman may rack up an even higher death toll than usual. It is still a mystery to us whether or not he killed Annika Johnson. And let’s not forget about that bird he killed in Episode 6.

Against an exciting backdrop of dysfunctional and disturbing relationships, this season has me the most excited because Norman’s route to inevitably becoming Psycho has taken a nose dive. Here’s four times Freddie Highmore turned Anthony Perkins.

1. He peeped on a beautiful woman as she changed in her motel room.

Highmore

Perkins

Hard to tell the difference, isn’t it?

2. He ALMOST killed a man who had slept with his mother. (If you recall from Psycho, Norman eventually murders his mother and her boyfriend)

Norman v. Mother’s love interest #3. An intense psychological conversation that leads to…

…this

3. Now this one got me really excited—for the first time in the show Bates Motel, Norman became Norma. Not just internally, like he did a few times in Season 2 (those were also invigorating occasions), but EXTERNALLY.

You know, just killing and cooking breakfast.

4. Lastly, he made THE FACE.

“He wouldn’t even hurt a fly.”

But he just killed a bird. He’s got the face down pretty well, doesn’t he? Kudos to Freddie.

With so many suitors coming in hot for Norma (the Psych Professor, Cherif Romero, and—yikes!—her own brother), Norman has a plethora of candidates to choose from. Notice that my list does not include any females. A little out of character, you say? Yes, normally I would agree. A typical Norman kill is A) female B) sexually attractive—so much so that Norman feels the urge to peep in their windows, and C) one who fails to win Norma’s approval.

However, there are two times when Norman killed as Norman Bates rather than the other half of his personality, the overprotective “mother.” One occurred in the show (Season 1) when Norman killed Norma’s husband. So far, the reason we are given by the show is defense: Norma’s husband was abusive. However, might there have been more to it than that? Jealousy, perhaps?

Which brings us to the second instance, which didn’t take place on the show, but is in Norman’s Psychotic future: he kills his mother’s lover out of jealousy. From Seasons 1-3, we are seeing Norman transition from the meek, wannabe protective son to the jealous wannabe lover. Or perhaps the latter was there along.

So, my prediction is that, this season, Norman is going to abandon his typical female kill and go for one of the suitors this time. My prediction? It’s hard to say. I think that at this point, the Psych Prof is too obvious. I’m keeping my fingers tightly crossed that it’s not Romero.

Only three episodes left, and we will know for sure.

Hope you have a killer time watching!