11 Most Shocking Bates Motel Moments So Far

There's going to be no-one left in White Pine Bay soon...

Since 2013, horror fans have had the pleasure of watching three seasons of Bates Motel, starring Freddie Highmore and Vera Farmiga. As each season has progressed, the story lines have gotten deeper, more dramatic and more mind-bending: providing hours of television perfection as long as you enjoy spending your time with blossoming psychopaths. Based on Hitchcock's classic, Bates Motel delves into the character's backgrounds, charting Norman Bates' transition from normal(ish) teenage kid to full-on, murderous villain with severe mommy issues. The show began with the death of Norma's husband, and ended with the bloody murder of Bradley Martin, book-ending Norman's development with shocking moments. Shocking moments are the name of the game here. As season four approaches in 2016, fans can expect a further upturn in the shock value of the show, so now is the perfect time to revisit the most jaw-dropping moments of the show so far. And no, not all of them are how good Highmore looks in a dress.

11. Caleb's Apology

When Caleb appeared in town after tracking down Norma and Norman, no matter how many flaws she has, it was hard not to immediately be Team Norma over Chim. You expected him to be aggressive, violent and potentially harmful to Farmiga's character. But then they started spending time together, playing the piano and despite the big reveal about Dylan being the result of Caleb and Norman's incestuous relations, Caleb's character transformation was completely shocking. Hell, the guy raped his sister when they were children, so few were really expecting him to be anything other than a monster. Caleb's determination to do right by the Bates family followed by his emotional apology to Norma was completely unexpected and his exit was frankly pretty disappointing.
Contributor

Lover of Tolkien's world, Harry Potter and baked goods. A camel once put his head on my shoulder and it was the best day ever. sara@whatculture.com