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Spine-tingling suspense is supposed to leave you breathless, uncertain of what's coming next.

Bates Motel Season 5 Episode 3 achieved that over and over again, as an insane game of cat and mouse began with Chick holding the cheese, urging Norman and Mother to make moves they'd find difficult without his presence.

If only we could leap onto one of the many time machines currently available on the telly to find out what in Hades is coming next. 

I don't know what your thoughts were after watching, but here were mine:

Did that really happen? What just happened? I want more! Oh my God!!!

The action felt so intimate not only in that few characters were involved, but the material was moving beyond measure.

Reactions were all over the map, from being overjoyed at seeing Caleb alive, to wonder at how Chick was manipulating the situation with Norman's insanity so brilliantly,...

Norman learned nothing from his treatment at the loony bin.

After watching Bates Motel Season 5 Episode 1, it's almost impossible to understand how he's a functional young man outside the confines of the motel property.

There's never been any doubt that Norman Bates was going to wind up a terribly mentally incapacitated young man, but he puts a whole new spin on crazy.

Somehow, Norman has managed to do things like buy shower curtains and log guests in and out of the motel. Sometimes he remembers doing it, others he doesn't.

Norman's lucid when he goes to town to buy paint for the motel, even telling his new friend, Madeline, that his mother passed away and he runs things by himself. But at home (and sometimes outside the house), he's living a dual life with and as Mother.

It's sometimes confusing for me, so it's bound to be impossible for poor...

Bates Motel delivers its best episode this season in the ominously titled The Last Supper...

This review contains spoilers.

3.7 The Last Supper

A title like The Last Supper is pretty damn ominous. Knowing it going in to the episode creates certain expectations, and in the build-up to the final dinner scene the tension just kept mounting. But as the makeshift family at the heart of the show sit and eat together it became clear that the title was a promise; but not for this episode. Because even without any explicit set-up for the chaos to come, the feeling that this may be the last moment of peace for these characters weighed heavily over the final minutes. And as Norman enters his mother’s room and caressed her as she slept, I started to think that maybe this was a chance for us to breathe before whatever comes next.

All that...

TV Performer of the Week is our new recurring series that focuses on one particular example of great acting in an episode from the previous week. New picks will post on Fridays. Fans of A&E's Psycho prequel series Bates Motel know that what has always made the show (now in its third season) a standout is Vera Farmiga. Her portrayal of Norma Bates is both dynamic and hypnotic, as she swings from moments of controlled determination to childlike helplessness. [caption id="attachment_423479" align="alignright" width="239"] Image via A&E/caption] "Norma Louise" was a rare episode where Norma and Norman (Freddie Highmore) were separated, as Norma took off to Portland to gather her wits after both Dylan (Max Theiriot) and Norman encouraged her to speak to her estranged brother Caleb (Kenny Johnson). Feeling betrayed by Norman taking Dylan's side, Norma (given this and other pressures in her life) grabs up her things and leaves, with Norman screaming after her.

The ghost of Psycho felt very present in this week's Bates Motel episode, which fantastic in parts and frustrating in others...

This review contains spoilers.

3.6 Norma Louise

Bates Motel has always been a tricky show to judge. Is it meant to be campy horror in the vein of the original films or twisted family psychodrama? Sometimes it succeeds at both, other times it fails miserably and that hit-and-miss nature makes it hard to tell which of the show’s split personalities is the important one. This week’s episode, however, was a huge success on both fronts and reminded me that on this show, for every Arcanum Club there’s a moment like the one that ended Norma Louise.

Caleb has always been fascinating because of Bates Motel’s history of clumsy, one-note villains (still very much in effect with Bob Paris). I really hoped there would be some deeper complexity to Caleb,...

Previously, on “Bates Motel”: Dylan’s stoner buddy Gunner unlocked the secrets of the MacGuffiny thumb drive, revealing it to be full of incriminating evidence against many of White Pine Bay’s most important members; Norma drafted Sheriff Romero to accompany her… Continue Reading →

The post Bates Motel: Recap of Episode 3.06 – Norma Louise; First Details on Episode 3.07 – The Last Supper appeared first on Dread Central.

A young guy tries to begin a new chapter in his life, a father desperately seeks a connection with his estranged son, and a mysterious mountain man with boar jerky offers a shady yet tempting gig. As Dylan, Caleb, and Chick, respectively, Max Thieriot, Kenny Johnson, and Ryan Hurst bring plenty of intrigue to the engrossing third season of A&E's Bates Motel. Ahead of the next episode's (titled "Norma Louise") premiere tonight at 9:00pm Est, we participated in an interview call with Thieriot, Johnson, and Hurst, who discussed Caleb becoming a sympathetic character, the idea of Emma and Dylan getting romantically involved down the line, what Hurst likes about Chick's ambiguity and wardrobe, and much more.

On how Dylan has changed since season one:

Max Thieriot: "It's funny, because when I first got the script, Dylan kind of shows up and he's really a prick. He shows...

The Collider Weekly TV Guide is a rundown of notable episodes, premieres, returns, finales, and opportunities to catch up on great shows (or cast an eye to the occasional TV train wreck). Here are the picks for the week beginning Monday, April 13th: Monday 4/13 Bates Motel, "Norma Louise" (A&E, 9 p.m.) -- Norma and Norman have seemingly gone their separate ways, which leaves Norman crazier than usual. Meanwhile, Dylan/Emma shippers take note; the two must work together to help a friend through a rough night. Turn: Washington's Spies, "Thoughts of a Free Man; Hard Boiled" (AMC, 9 p.m.) -- The 2-hour Season 2 premiere of AMC's under-the-radar series will see Abe attempting to infiltrate New York City. Tuesday 4/14 [caption id="attachment_435775" align="alignright" width="360"] Image via The CW/caption] The Flash, "All Star Team Up" (CW, 8 p.m.) -- The Flash returns with an Arrow crossover featuring Felicity and Ray, and the premiere of Ray's new Atom suit.

This week’s “Bates Motel” had one hell of an ending, right? Dying to find out what “Norma Louise” is up to in the upcoming Episode 3.06 now that she knows what Dylan and Norman have been keeping from her? Then… Continue Reading →

The post Images and a Preview Check In for Bates Motel Episode 3.06 – Norma Louise appeared first on Dread Central.

Previously, on “Bates Motel”: Norma attempted to unlock the secrets of the thumb drive Annika passed on before, well, Annika passed on – even involving Dylan to assist; a group of shadowy thugs descended upon the Bates Motel in search… Continue Reading →

The post Bates Motel: Recap of Episode 3.05 – The Deal; First Details on Episode 3.06 – Norma Louise appeared first on Dread Central.

Recently, A&E served up the new,official synopsis/spoilers for their upcoming "Bates Motel" episode 6 of season 3. The episode is entitled, "Norma Louise," and it turns out that we're going to see some very interesting and intense stuff go down as Romero faces a new threat, Norma considers moving away, and more! In the new,6th episode press release: "Norma will consider a life outside of White Pine Bay, leaving Norman in a vulnerable position. As Dylan and Emma bond over helping their friend through a rough night, Caleb is going to make a difficult decision and Romero will get confronted by a new threat." Episode 6 is set to air on Monday night, April 13th at 9pm on A&E. Stay tuned.

Fans of A&E’s Bates Motel have seen the dark sides of Norman Bates and his mother, Norma Louise, but the new comedically staged auditions of actors Freddie Highmore, Vera Farmiga, and others reveal the funnier side of the people who play the motel operators and the surrounding townsfolk of White Pine Bay. We have the mock audition video that was revealed at Comic-Con.

Entertainment Weekly unveiled the mock Bates Motel audition tape online that features Freddie Highmore doing a Spider-Man impression, Vera Farmiga busting out some Ukrainian folk dance moves, Olivia Cooke walking with an oxygen tank and trying to get a light for her cigarette, and Nestor Carbonell innocently sporting an “I Was On Lost” T-shirt and pointing out how similar he looks to Anthony Perkins. The complete second season of Bates Motel hits home media on October 7th.

“In season two of “Bates Motel,” executive producers...

Hitchhikers beware: Norman Bates and his mother Norma Louise are leaving White Pine Bay, Oregon, and hitting the road for a brief vacation in San Diego. The Sdcc Bates Motel panel, returning for its second year at the convention, has just been announced, and it will include the lead actors from A&E’s Bates Motel, which was recently greenlit for a third season.

Taking place in Room 6A on Friday, July 25th from 3:30pm – 4:30pm, the Bates Motel panel will feature Emmy Award nominee Vera Farmiga (Academy Award nominee for Up in the Air, The Departed), Freddie Highmore (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Finding Neverland), Olivia Cooke (The Quiet Ones) and Nestor Carbonell (Lost, The Dark Knight Rises) as they join key figures from behind the camera, executive producers Carlton Cuse (Lost) and Kerry Ehrin (NBC’s Friday Night Lights), as they engage in a “thought provoking panel discussion” about the show.

AMC has released a trailer for their brand new drama 'Bates Motel.' But make sure all the lights are on before you press play because it's creepy and oh so scary! Bates Motel is not the same Psycho that your parents grew to know and fear! It's a prequel series to the Alfred Hitchcock classic and it looks absolutely terrifying! The Premise Of 'Bates Motel' Troubled teen Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) and his mother Norma Louise (Vera Farmiga) take over the infamous motel after moving to a Northern California town where nothing is as it seems. The Masterminds Behind 'Bates Motel' On top of Freddie and Vera's presence on the series, the new drama will be executive produced by Lost mastermind Carlton Cuse and Friday Night Lights' Kerry Ehrin. Nester Carbonell, best known as the ageless Richard Alpert on Lost will also join cast alongside Freddie,...

Hide the butcher knives: There's a new Norman Bates in town! English actor Freddie Highmore has been cast as the budding serial killer in A&E's upcoming Psycho prequel Bates Motel, E! has confirmed. (TV Guide broke the news of his casting.) The 20-year-old actor, best known for his roles in family-friendly flicks like Finding Neverland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, will take an edgier turn in his latest project, an origin story for the infamous innkeeper who preferred to go about his killing while wearing Mother's clothes.  The cable series finds a sheltered 16-year-old Norman moving with his impulsive and oh-so-resourceful mom, Norma Louise (Oscar nominee Vera Farmiga), to a Northern...

A&E’s Psycho TV series has found its Mrs. Bates.

The Departed actress Vera Farmiga has been cast as one of the most notorious mothers in movie history. She joins A&E’s Bates Motel, a prequel to the 1960 Alfred Hitchcock film. “ is a phenomenal talent who has demonstrated incredible range and intelligence in a number of landmark film roles, and we couldn’t be more excited to have her join our project,” executive producer Carlton Cuse said.

The role’s official description downplays Mrs. Bates’ abusive character, who twists her son into a serial killer of women: “Mother of young Norman Bates.