If You're Not Watching 'Bates Motel' Now Is Probably a Good Time to Start

By Courtney Enlow | TV | April 8, 2015 |

Bates Motel is a show that’s flown pretty under the radar in its three seasons, likely because it’s taken quite a bit of time for Norman Bates to go from semi-weird, awkward teen with some mommy issues to the murderous, REALLY mommy-issued Norman Bates we know and love. But he’s here now and he’s smelling his mom’s dress and if you’re going to watch, now is the time.

After two full seasons trying to make anyone care about this small town’s drug trade, the most useless of B-plots when we’re just waiting for a teen boy to murder all the people and talk to himself like he’s his own mom, they’ve found a way to get me to care: make Ted Chaough himself Kevin Rahm the season’s big bad. He’s smiling a lot while having people killed and he’s the leader of some manner of mystery club with taxidermy and orgies and it’s GREAT.

And Vera Farmiga? Do I even need to tell you hard she kills it every single episode? There is literally nothing better than when Norma Bates loses her shit. It’s funny and heartbreaking and kind of terrifying and wonderful.

Though she’s even better not losing her shit.

And if you don’t desperately want her to get with Sheriff Romero and his beautiful eternal eyelashes, I don’t understand you.

We’re only five episodes into this season so you have time to get caught up. Then you too can join me in counting down the moments until we all die a little when Norman and imaginary-mind-Norma totally bang and waiting until either Norma or Norman (or tragic/hot/other son Dylan) kills Norma’s rapist brother/father of Dylan (a lot happens in this show) and gleefully clap because the show is trying to make him a sympathetic figure. But first we have to figure out where Norma is going. Norman is not happy about it.