Impressions: BATES MOTEL Season 4 Begins with the Series’ Most Disturbing Episodes Yet

Norma Bates (Vera Farmiga) has tried desperately to control her son and his blackouts throughout the first three seasons of Bates Motel. Although she definitely gets an “A” for effort, Norman has proved to be much more deadly than imagined, and a few unfortunate people have discovered this fact firsthand. With Bates Motel returning to A&E tonight, Daily Dead had the opportunity to watch the first two episodes of the fourth season, and at least one thing is certain: as creepy as he has been in the past, Norman has never been more dangerous—or fun to watch—than he is right now.

The violent end to Bates Motel’s third season is a tough act to follow, but Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin use that malevolent momentum to jump start the fourth season and send it further into the dark depths of Norman’s mind. Viewers have seen Norman’s psychotic side before, but Freddie Highmore takes his character to new transformative heights in the Season 4 premiere. It’s a scary good performance, especially since Norman is convinced that it’s his mother and not him who is guilty of foul play, due to the manipulative nature of his blackouts.

While his mother isn’t entirely innocent of questionable acts, Norma has gone to Hell and back to keep her son safe and never far from under her roof since the series’ first episode. But the stress of constant cover-ups and inquiries has worn down on Norma. As much as she wants to watch old movies and eat home-cooked dinners with her son, she realizes now more than ever that she can’t give him the help that he needs. In the early episodes of Season 4, Farmiga gamely dives into Norma’s dilemmas and effectively evokes her heartache and growing fear. Viewers might not agree with everything Norma has done in the past, but it’s difficult to not be scared for her life in the present.

It’s also hard not to be nervous for Emma (Olivia Cooke), who is about to undergo surgery in Portland for a lung transplant thanks to the efforts of her new romantic interest, Norman’s half-brother, Dylan (Max Thieriot). The operating room offers a different set of horrors that will have some viewers holding their breath along with Emma, as her future with Dylan and her very existence on this Earth hinges on a critical and delicate procedure. Dylan and Emma’s romance is one of the sweetest parts of the show and a huge glimmer of hope amidst the gloominess of White Pine Bay. Seeing their future threatened is almost as nerve-wracking as what goes on in the Bates’ basement, and as per usual, Thieriot and Cooke knock it out of the park when it comes to creating sympathetic characters.

Back in White Pine Bay, another person is undergoing a big change of his own, as Sheriff Alex Romero watches a part of his life literally sink away. Fans of Nestor Carbonell’s conflicted character are in for a big treat, as Romero is forced to make some pivotal decisions early on in Season 4 that challenge his way of life and provide Carbonell a platform to show his range as an actor. Seeing how Romero factors into the Bates’ lives moving forward is going to be one hell of a viewing experience.

There’s a palpable sense of dread in these first Season 4 episodes, and it feels like a new beginning for the show. Norman is coming into his own as a killer with a double-sided personality, and Highmore is at his most chilling right off the bat this season. The result is more fast-paced storytelling and potentially less people checking out of the Bates Motel. Whether you're eagerly awaiting the Season 4 premiere or stopped watching the show during previous seasons, you'll want to book another reservation at Bates Motel tonight. It’s a great time to visit White Pine Bay.

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Bates Motel Season 4 premieres tonight at 9:00pm EST on A&E.