Bates Motel: Season 4

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Universal acclaim based on 98 Ratings

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8.4

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8.4	User Score Universal acclaim based on 98 Ratings

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Bates Motel

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Season Details & Credits

A&E | Season Premiere Date: March 7, 2016

Starring: Nestor Carbonell, Vera Farmiga, Freddie Highmore

Summary: The fourth season of the series picks up from the end of last season with Norma seeking to get help for Norman.

Genre(s): Drama, Suspense

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Season 4 Episodes

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S4:E10. Norman
Air Date: May 16, 2016
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S4:E9. Forever
Air Date: May 9, 2016
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S4:E8. Unfaithful
Air Date: May 2, 2016

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Ken Tucker

Mar 7, 2016

It’s completely engrossing to witness Norman’s blossoming psychosis, which is frightening in a non-horror-story manner, even as Norma’s prickly personality provides Bates with regular, welcome moments of unexpected funniness. Read full review

Collider Allison Keene

Mar 4, 2016

Bates Motel, more than anything, remains moody and atmospheric, and walks the line between the interplay of delusion and reality very well (especially for a show that’s been doing it for this long). Read full review

Mitchel Broussard

Mar 7, 2016

Season 4 of Bates Motel is silly and odd--such is the world of White Pine Bay, although Twin Peaks this ain’t--but none of the show’s drama feels superfluous. There’s real momentum to the opening episodes. Read full review

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User Reviews

meetsampark

Apr 1, 2016

Best season yet. I've loved this show from the beginning but it just keeps getting better and better. I love you Vera Farmiga!!! And Freddie Highmore channels Anthony Perkins/the adult Norman with unbelievable precision. Aside from the superb acting by the entire cast, what I love most aboutBest season yet. I've loved this show from the beginning but it just keeps getting better and better. I love you Vera Farmiga!!! And Freddie Highmore channels Anthony Perkins/the adult Norman with unbelievable precision. Aside from the superb acting by the entire cast, what I love most about this show is the writing. The characters are all portrayed with subtle humor and empathy no matter what their flaws may be. It would be very easy to go over the top with Norman's increasingly obvious mental health problems, but instead they are handled thoughtfully and realistically. Bravo to everyone involved with the creation and production of this show.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

Jdank

Feb 7, 2021

Bates Motel finally decided to step up and take the show to another level. Everything with Norma and Norman has always been fantastic but now we are really hitting home runs that we get to focus on it without the other distractions

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

roinujrino

Mar 15, 2016

The show has never been better. Vera Farmiga is just... Awesome! The plot has evolved and everything better than the others seasons. Norman is so crazy!

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

WorldofLucky

Jun 12, 2018

I have to say this is the biggest surprise of a tv show that I have had. Far better acted, written, and was far more interesting then I ever would have given it credit.

When I originally saw teasers and trailers for the show I assumed that it was going to be A&E's copy of a teenage CWI have to say this is the biggest surprise of a tv show that I have had. Far better acted, written, and was far more interesting then I ever would have given it credit.

When I originally saw teasers and trailers for the show I assumed that it was going to be A&E's copy of a teenage CW show with teen angst and drama. I had absolutely no interest after catching the first episode because it dealt with Norman at a new high school. I was entirely wrong about the show.

I had assumed it was only a teenager show mostly because the actor looks like, and it is a young Norman Bates, and they focused on his mom a lot in the beginning, but for some reason I assumed she wouldn't be a lasting character. I mean how do you make Norma Bates, AKA "MOTHER!" a regular character. Not only is she a regular (and she is there on screen until the last episode), she is on the same level as Norman and they are both great characters, acted by very good actors.

There is of course a lot of drama, violence, death and insanity, but that is expected from a reboot prequel of the original movie "Psycho". It hit all the notes for me, including the surrounding characters, unexpected reveals and even though several key facts about Norman are changed it is definitely Norma Bates.

The only thing I hesitate on, and this isn't a poor reflection it is still great, I would have handled the last 3 or 4 episodes differently. SPOILER ALERT: I would have not had the final 3 or four episodes end the way they did, wrapping up the storyline 100%, instead I would have changed a couple of things that would allow it to end, right about where the movie started. That however isn't a bad thing, just a style thing.

Pros: Excellent acting, writing, and kept my interest over the five seasons, even if I cringed sometimes.

Cons: I stylistically would have wrapped it up at a different point, but that is purely a dramatic choice.

I am really glad I did start watching it, and I encourage others to give it a try.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Thilus

Aug 6, 2016

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The amount of bulls**t! I loved watching this series, the toxic relationship between Norma and Norman Bates, up until the season 4 finale. The ending is so unbelievabe and silly that it ruins all the hard work the creators put into the series.

SPOILERS AHEAD!
In short, Norman kills his mother, and almost kills himself, thrugh carbon monoxide poisoning. Police officers investigate the accident, deeming it a possible murder-suicide. And from here on it gets absolutely ludicrous, because no-one, not even one police officer or the detective in charge of the investigation, are suspecting Norman, who would have been suspect numero uno! Period. Instead they do absolutely nothing! NOTHING! They did not check why the old furnace was working, when they had a recently fixed central heating. They didn't check who might have lit the furnace in first place, when the guy who fixed the central heating just recently WARNED THEM that the old furnace might be lethal. They did not check how it came to happen that Norma and Norman were gassed (and it happened only because Norman shut all the vents apart from the one in Norma's room). If they did, it would be painfuly obvious that Norman was the one responsible, and the dude would end up in a slammer, or better yet in an asylum, but the creators decided to make idiots out of the audience. And the only person that is interested in solving the mystery is the local sheriff. Don't you think he would be pushing for the state police to look at the case from different angles? No, instead he just goes to the hospital and threatens Norman on the occasion and then punches him in the face on another one. Somebody might say, "Well, they suspected suicide". So, f***ing, what? You might think the police is sloppy, but that wouldn't be the case. That would be just plain negligent. One time there was a kid on my street who died of alcohol poisoning. The police closed half the street, asking around the neighborhood to eliminate the possibility of foul play, before it was deemed an tragic accident. Another time somebody devastated the car of a girl living down the street. It was reported, and a CSU officer came by to dust the car for prints. So, no, I don't think that the police would just leave this case alone if they had ANY suspicions about it. So I'm sorry to say this, but this is utter horses**t! I am incredibly dissapointed in how the season 4 ended, and I will definitely stay away from the next season. If you have any self-respect, I'd suggest you stay away from it as well. If you want to be treated as an idiot, then please, be my guest.… Expand

3 of 7 users found this helpful34

Seasons & Episodes

69

Series Overview
Season 5

81
- Season 5 Overview
  Air Date: February 20, 2017
Season 4

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- Season 4 Overview
  Air Date: March 7, 2016
- tbd
  S4:E10. Norman
  Air Date: May 16, 2016
- tbd
  S4:E9. Forever
  Air Date: May 9, 2016
- tbd
  S4:E8. Unfaithful
  Air Date: May 2, 2016
- tbd
  S4:E7. There's No Place Like Home
  Air Date: April 25, 2016
- tbd
  S4:E6. The Vault
  Air Date: April 18, 2016
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  S4:E5. Refraction
  Air Date: April 11, 2016
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  S4:E4. Lights of Winter
  Air Date: March 28, 2016
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  S4:E3. 'Til Death Do You Part
  Air Date: March 21, 2016
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  S4:E2. Goodnight, Mother
  Air Date: March 14, 2016
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  S4:E1. A Danger to Himself and Others
  Air Date: March 7, 2016
Season 3

72
- Season 3 Overview
  Air Date: March 9, 2015
Season 2

67
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: March 3, 2014
Season 1

66
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: March 18, 2013