“Bates Motel”–Season Four: A Masterpiece

“Bates Motel” continues to be A&E’s number one drama of all time. I think it is a modern masterpiece!

I’ve reviewed the first three seasons earlier this year (see my June 13, 2016 review, Bates Motel, Seasons 1-3: A Mother-Son Obsession) and thought there was nowhere else to go with the plot except to the classic Hitchcock film, “Psycho”.  I am so wrong. Continuing to push boundaries of what constitutes a dysfunctional, hypersexualized relationship between mother and son, in Season Four we see Norma (Vera Farming) and Norman (Freddie Highmore) play off each other’s damaged psyches in ways never seen in either cinema or television. As I’ve said before, Bates Motel “unveils the darkest side imaginable of a mother-son relationship gone berserk, familiarity dissolving into psychosis” not seen elsewhere. This controversial season takes us to where only the intrepid can bear to see such damage inflicted so ferociously on family. “Bates Motel” dares to touch the unspeakable in such a brilliant and fearless manner.

While I’ve touched upon obsessive love and fear between parent and child in my first novel, Things Unsaid,  “Bates Motel” is an even more controversial story. The twisted relationship between Norma and her son –the heart of this disquieting narrative—is gripping, unsettling, and disturbing yet also riveting in how far it takes family dynamics. A masterpiece of raw and primal screams.  

Note: Seasons 1 -4 are available on both Netflix and A&E’s website. Season 5 is in development