Season 3 of Bates Motel has some of the same problems as Season 1, but because of the amazing acting and my attachment to the central characters, I’m willing to sign a waiver. Unfortunately everyone except Emma is criminal and corrupt. Once again there is a serious endemic problem rooted in sexual exploitation and murder, which is superficially used as a plot device so exploited women get to be exploited in the story and by not being treated as fully human characters.
Season 3 is more self-consciously prequelly than any previous season. Norman is so gonzo that even his mother is done. I think that his face may be on the town sign as a warning to all visitors. I’m not sure how he will continue to act with impunity as a grown man. As a young man, it has become pretty obvious that Norman isn’t right.
So why do I stick around? Vera Farmiga and Nestor Carbonell make every episode riveting, and when they are in the same scene, I put my critical brain away and just let the excellence wash over me. Episode 6 & 7 are heart-breaking as Norma forces herself to deal with a lot of things head on and gets some elusive temporary happiness after surreal levels of self-sacrifice. We learn more about the sheriff than ever before. Carbonell has to be vulnerable and ruthless to still be sympathetic, and he succeeds. He may be one future self for Dylan if Dylan ever stops dabbling on the wrong sides of the track. Side note: consequences are so haphazard that I’ve given up consistency. Shoot a man in broad daylight-no problem. Norman kills someone-cover up. I really don’t want a romantic relationship between Norma and Romero, Bates Motel. Dylan and Emma get some nice screen time that further develops their characters.
I think that the major takeaway from Season 3 of Bates Motel is Norman is no longer a sensitive boy who snaps. He is a resentful teen annoyed by the confinements imposed by his worried mother and his denial of his darkest desires. He is now a danger to everyone. I think that we can guess how Norma ends up a well-dressed skeleton in Psycho.