Season 4 of Bates Motel on A&E will premier Monday March 7th at 9 p.m. ET. Before the first episode airs we take a look back at some important things that happened last season. There are no easy days for the citizens of White Pine Bay.
Norman has been having hallucinations of Blair Watson. His mother decides to home school him for his final year of high school and Emma decides to home school with him at the motel. Norman’s brother Caleb visits after their mother’s death causing Norma to have a meltdown.
Norman decides to ask Emma to date him. He says it’s the right time. Emma has feelings for Norman but you can’t tell Norman’s reasoning since it’s really unclear what he’s feeling. Norman has been spending more and more time in the basement with his taxidermy.
Gunner is helping Dylan at the cabin. Dylan then starts hiding Caleb after Gunner is found hanging out with him by the fire pit. After his initial reaction which was telling him to leave, they start to become closer. Caleb is a big help at the cabin.
A strange girl named Annika appears at the motel in a sports car and stays in room 4. Norman is the only one who talks to her and finds out what she does for work. He is also the last one to see her before she disappears since he rides into town with her. Norma believes Norman may have something to do with Annika’s disappearance. Norman tries to nearly drown himself in the bathtub but Norma saves him. He thinks near death experiences may help him remember things.
A dead woman floats into the bay, but it isn’t Annika.
Sheriff Romero talks with Bob Paris, who runs the Arcanum Club and Bob threatens Romero’s job as sheriff. The Arcanum Club is a gentleman’s club made of very wealthy men around town. Norma found an invitation in Annika’s room for the Arcanum Club but Romero had seen her trying to sneak in and stopped her.
Norma starts taking courses at Community College. She meets James Finnigan, a therapist who works part time as a professor and he offers her someone to talk to.
Annika drives the car back to the motel after being missing for quite a few days. She stumbles out of the car with a fatal gunshot wound and pushes a flash drive into Norma’s hand. Sheriff Romero has been staying at the motel and is looking into the murder of Annika. Romero is suspicious of Norma.
Bob Paris starts threatening Romero’s job as sheriff if he doesn’t get the flash drive back. Norma gives the flash drive to Dylan who takes it to the cabin. Gunner is the only one who can open the files on the flash drive. The flash drive contains a financial ledger of the town’s illegal drug trade.
Norman follows Dylan to the cabin and finds Caleb staying there. He threatens to go back and tell his mother as Dylan pleads with him not to. When Dylan goes back to the house he finds out that Norman never said anything. They decide together to tell their mother. She doesn’t take to it well and storms out driving off somewhere for the night.
While Norma is gone Norman has a black out. This is the first time Emma sees him like this. Dylan finds him in the middle of the night in his mother’s robe cooking breakfast. He is even talking like he is Norma. Emma stays the night. Now Dylan begins to see how sick she really is.
Norma trades in her car. She buys new clothes. She goes to a bar then after getting drunk goes to the house of James Finnigan. She tells him how Norman killed his father. Meanwhile Romero gets shot and is hospitalized. Norma returns home the next day.
Bob has a crew outside digging the pool Norma wanted in part for exchange of the flash drive back to him. The hole is much deeper than a pool. He really is trying to send her a message. James comes trying to talk to Norma and talks to Norman. Norman hurts James then James leaves telling her Norman needs help.
Bob Paris gets James Finnigan and tortures him until he tells him everything he knows about Norma. Norma meanwhile has a family dinner inviting Caleb while Dylan invites Emma and Sheriff Romero also attends. Norman hates Caleb being in the house. Dylan is getting closer to Emma.
Romero finds out from Bob about Norma’s relationship with James and Norman’s involvement in his father’s death. He confronts Norma but she continues to lie to him. James leaves town and tells Norma to never contact him again.
Norma goes through Romero’s house looking for the flash drive. He comes home and ultimately tells her the DEA is investigating. The DEA notices Romero’s deceased mother’s name is on the financial ledger. He tries to explain his father wrote it.
Dylan goes on a dangerous job to get money for Emma’s lung transplant. Caleb goes with him. Caleb ends up saving Dylan and they head back home with nothing. Caleb then attacks the man who sent them on the job getting the money anyway. Dylan takes the money to Emma’s father. Caleb then disappears on Dylan.
Before Caleb disappears he stops at the motel to tell Norma that Norman had gone to his motel room where he was staying before and talked to him as if he were her. He thinks Norman has a problem. Norma visits a live in facility as an option for Norman. This he later finds out.
Emma is going to get a lung transplant and gets nervous and runs off. Dylan goes to look for her finding her at his cabin looking out onto the water. He convinces her everything will be alright.
Bradlely is back and Norman hides her at the motel. She finds out her mother has changed the entire house after her “death” and she wants to run away again after wanting so bad to come home. She convinces Norman to run away with her again. After robbing her mother’s house she gets ready to leave. Norman gets in the car with her after finding out his mother is trying to send him off. Norman has a blackout as they begin to leave White Pine Bay and Norma takes over his body killing Bradley. We finally see that he is his mother when he has a blackout.
