'Bates Motel' Season 3 Spoilers, Plot News: Did Norman Kill Annika?
"Bates Motel," the TV series that serves as a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock's thriller "Psycho," kicked off Season 3 with its premiere episode "A Death in the Family "on Monday.
The episode started with an unsettling scene: Norman (Freddie Highmore) and his mother Norma (Vera Farmiga) spooning in bed. Norman, 18, spent the entire summer hiding at the Bates Motel with his mother. He didn't want to go to school but Norma forced him to.
One day at lunchtime in school, Norman had a mental breakdown, hallucinating about his dead teacher, Miss Watson (Keegan Connor Tracy). He ran out of school and quashed any chances of making any friends at White Pine Bay.
Meanwhile, Dylan (Max Thieriot) wanted to go legit, by himself, after the drug war in Season 2. Gunner (Keenan Tracey) begged him to let him help out. Sheriff Romeo (Nestor Carbonel) wanted Dylan to head up the local industry, but Dylan turned him down.
The sheriff gave him a warning that he won't be able to protect him from any issues. Dylan's Daddy/Uncle Caleb (Kenny Johnson) showed up, asking if he needed money. Caleb said he inherited the money, but Dylan didn't want it.
Caleb stuck around though, revealing he had a crazy mom and a violent dad and that he and Norma only had each other.
A new customer came to Bates Motel in the person of Annika Johnson (Tracy Spiridakos), and Norman immediately liked her. Because of what happened in school, Norma offered Norman the position of Motel Manager and that he would just be home-schooled. This gave Norma more time to focus on her own studies.
Norman started spying on Annika, even looking through the window and watching her undress and take a shower, very reminiscent of the "Psycho" scene when Anthony Perkins as Norman watched Janet Leigh as Marion undress. In the TV series, Norma caught Norman ogling at Annika and dragged him back to the house.
Emma (Olivia Cooke), whose lungs became weaker, had also started home schooling. She and Norman got close. After a bold declaration from Emma, Norman decided they should go out. As both were inexperienced at sex, theirs was an awkward start.
Norman also started bonding with Annika. While driving her car with Norman onboard, Annika confided to him that she worked in parties for wealthy men, admitting that she provided sex, and that sometimes it felt good. At that point, Norman asked Annika to take the next turn. The episode ended with the car pulling over at the Bates Motel, and out came Norman, but without Annika.
Did Norman kill Annika? We shall find out in Episode 2, won't we?