Plot

Six months after the death of her husband, Norma Bates and her youngest son Norman relocate to White Pine Bay, Oregon where she has bought a small motel in a foreclosure sale. The place is run down but she hopes to make a go of it despite threats from the former owner Keith Summers and news that the town may build a bypass around the town.—garykmcd

After the sudden death of Sam Bates, his wife and son move from Arizona to Oregon in the hopes of starting a new life. Norma buys a rundown motel which she intends to reopen, but finds out that it's former owner is not going to let her have it so easy.—Lois Lane

Since his father Sam bates's death six months ago, confused, sensitive Norman is utterly exposed to his bossy, manipulative mother Norma, whose ultimate weapon is emotional blackmail. As a 'surprise adventure', his entire life in Arizona is uprooted when she buys a rundown desolate Oregon coastal highway hotel, foreclosed on local Keith Summers.—KGF Vissers

Norma Bates and her youngest son Norman relocate to White Pine Bay, Oregon a mere 6 months after the death of her husband Sam. Hoping for a fresh start, Norma has bought a small motel in a foreclosure sale using up most of her insurance money.—Carrie DeCosta

"Bates Motel" - "First You Dream, Then You Die" - March 18, 2013

Meet Norman Bates.. He lives with his mom. He's a little intense.

He stares intensely at the photos on the wall. At the pot on the stove. At his father's dead body on the floor of the garage surrounded by paint cans. At his mother Norma when he rouses her from the shower to tell her about her husband in the garage.

Norma, is also intense. She kisses and hugs Norman over his father's dead body and apologizes.

They pack up their stuff and hit the coastal highway. She wants Norman to be happy that they're moving but he's not really, but he's a pretty good sport as far as brats go.

They arrive at the Seafairer Motel and Norma asks what he thinks: of the little motel and the big, familiar, house behind it. He says it's crazy. She says it's not, they own a motel and it's going to be great.

She runs through the house throwing open the windows and telling him to imagine the space without all the crap in it.

She shows him his room and then hers, right next door. She seems excited. She says they've been through a lot and it's their chance to start over. He seems skeptical. She promises it will all be good.

Later that night he unpacks their stuff and gazes up at the imposing house and his mother through her window.

Norman waits for the bus listening to classical music on his iPod. He's surrounded by a quartet of girls who quiz him about his life. A pretty blonde pulls up and offers them all a ride. One of the girls gives him her number and they motor off to school.

At home Norma gets a call from her other son, Dylan, who is a little annoyed that she didn't tell him she and Norman moved. Their relationship is clearly not good. He asks for money. She hangs up on him.

In school, Norman stares at his new girl friend and chats with his English teacher who will also be his advisor. She says his test scores are amazing, but his grades stink. He says they move a lot and his mother is impulsive. The teacher tells him to put down some roots and join a sports team. His says his mom doesn't like sports. She says to try track since he looks like a runner. She places her hand over his and offers condolences for his dad and says she's here for him. He seems unsettled by this conact.

He heads home where Norma has dinner, including candle and flowers, ready for him. He tells her he tried out for the track team on the advice of Ms. Watson, since getting involved would be good for him. He needs her permission. She says they just bought a motel and wonders how she'll get it up and running without his help since it's everyday after school and on Saturdays. He says he doesn't have to do it. She says she doesn't want to be the mom who says no and then passive aggressively says she'll do everything herself like she always does and then pouts and says he should just eat his dinner.

The next day a grubby man arrives angry at them saying this is his family's property. He is angry at them but the truth is she bought it through foreclosure. She apologizes and says it must've been hard to lose it but it's theirs now. He yells some more and says she doesn't know this town or this property and what makes her think she can run this property? She says she can and if he bothers them again she'll call the police or shoot him herself. He says he fishes with the police and to go ahead and call them. He reiterates that this is his house and takes off. Norman wonders if she should have said all that. She says he's a pathetic loser slob and to not to worry about him.

The quartet of girls shows up, led by Riley, asking if Norman can come out to the library. Norma says there's too much work to be done. She says that he can go another time when they're settled. He gets angry and says it's always going to be like this, that she will always say no to him having friends. She says she's just looking out for him. He stomps off to his room and she says he should stay there for the night.

He texts Riley to wait for him at the bus stop and he sneaks out of his window. He brings his book and Riley giggles at him thinking they were going to go study. Instead they head to a fairly nutty house party with loud dance music, a disco ball, drinking, drugs, dancing, and general debauchery.

He wanders around in awe. He has a beer and stares longingly at the cool kids, and then specifically Riley. She smiles at him and says he's different. He says he may be but wouldn't know it since he has nothing to compare it to. She says he's like a beautiful, deep, still lake in the middle of a concrete world. She says he's weird good. They're about to kiss when her buddy Richard comes in and she introduces him.

Someone watches Norma through her kitchen windows. She hears a noise and looks out, seeing nothing. She walks away and hears another noise. Fred the drunken former owner comes in and attacks her. She grabs a knife and screams for Norman. Fred pushes her to the ground and comes at her with a box cutter. She screams and he puts tape over her mouth and cuffs her to the table face down. He says the house is his and so is everything in it. He rips down her panties as she continues to scream for Norman. He rapes her. Norman finally arrives her and hits him with an iron. He grabs the handcuff key and undoes her. They cuff him. The rapist rouses and she grabs her knife. He says to her "you liked it" and Norma stabs him to death. Norman comes in, freaked out. He says they should call 911 and claims it was self-defense. She says it will become public and then who will book a room in the rape/murder hotel. It will make her a laughingstock. She says they came here to start over and she's starting over. She asks where he was. He admits he snuck out and freaks out and wonders what they're going to do. She tells him it's going to be okay. They're going to use the linens from the hotel to soak up the blood and put the body in one of the tubs until she figures it out. She apologizes that this dirtbag raped her but he's not going to win. They take the body to the motel. He wonders if they should call for help. She says no one is ever going to help them and no one ever has. They dump the body in a tub.

They leave a stain on the carpet and she says they have to pull it up in all the rooms that have that carpet that way if anyone asks questions they can just say they're renovating. Under one of the carpets Norman finds a sketchbook with nude/sexy sketches.

The police arrive outside. They take a look at Norma's car and all the carpeting in the trunk. She heads out to talk to Deputy Zack Shelby and Sheriff Alex Romero. She says she's just updating and that she and her son just moved in. The sheriff thinks it's weird that they are Norma and Norman and that they're up until 2 redecorating. She says sons take their dads' names all the time and she had no idea of the time. The sheriff heads into the bathroom and Norma and Norman hold their breath. He pees and leaves.

The next day at school, Norman sits by himself and is unnerved. He notices blood on his sneaker and takes off to puke in a garbage can.

A girl offers him a mint. Emma has tubes in her nose for her oxygen tank and says she has CF so she knows a lot about puking. She asks if he's okay. He says he is.

Norma shops in town and notices a notice about the impact of something called the "Bypass" on White Pine Bay, which is apparently where they are. It looks like a highway bypass project is going to disrupt things in town. She doesn't look happy.

That night, which is of course, dark and stormy, Norma and Norman dispose of Fred.

They row out to the middle of a lake and dump the body. She complains that the bypass will be the new main road and no one will ever drive by the motel anymore. She says she sucks, everyone sucks, except Norman, and she's a terrible mother. "Look at what we're doing," she says. (Good point.) She says his birth was like God giving her a second chance and all she wanted was life to be beautiful for him and it hasn't been. He says she's everything to him and he doesn't want to live in a world without her. He says she's his whole world and always have been and "there's like a cord between our hearts", quoting "Jane Eyre." She says she loves him and he returns the affection. Then they dump the body.

The next thing we see is the Seafairer Motel sign being taken away as Norma watches, happily.

In his room, Norman looks at the sketchbook. It not only has nude sketches but sketches of woman being tied up, bound and gagged and injected. Norma comes to get him to show him the new, neon sign beaming "Bates Motel." She also tells him that the new bypass won't be happening, she'll think of something. She says as long as they're together, nothing bad can happen.

We cut to a woman, chained up in a room, tracks marks all up and down her arms and someone injecting her with something.