Think you have seen enough craziness in the first 3 seasons of A&E’s “Bates Motel”? Just wait. Season 4 of the contemporary prequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho premieres Mon at 9pm with 10 new eps and things will go from bad to worse to awful. Very awful, as Norman’s continued downward spiral makes Norma increasingly fearful and desperate for help. “This season lives very much more in the psychological terrain of Psycho. Norman is navigating in a world where realities are increasingly merged. His relationship with his mother is as intense as ever, but more strained as a result. Perception and reality are key elements in the storytelling. The velocity of Norman’s dark journey is full throttle. We have our foot on the gas,” exec producer Kerry Ehrin told us. While the main characters are up to no good, at least most of the time, the story was told in a way that makes you engage and even root for them. And that’s what the production team wants to achieve. “We want to give people a great ride but also to affect them emotionally and intellectually. We want to challenge preconceived notions of what a “horror” prequel “should” be. Along with genuine suspense and thrills there is a mission to do it in the best, most intelligent, most sophisticated way possible,” Ehrin said. Like previous seasons, the mother-and-son relationship will be the main focus of the storytelling. “As Norman falls deeper into his disorder it stands to reason that his state will, of course, impact his relationship with the most important person in his life—the person who loves and cares for him beyond anything. As Norma sees who her son is, she has to fight her own instincts to protect him,” said Ehrin. The new season features changes for other characters as well. Norma’s love interest Sheriff Romero’s private life has always taken place off screen. “This season that will change and we will meet a woman who has been involved in his life,” Ehrin said. – Joyce Wang –

Originally published at: http://www.cablefax.com/programming/path-to-psycho#sthash.KRpQgT3S.dpuf