Bates Motel Boss Dissects the Premiere's Unorthodox Marriage Proposal and That Psycho Climax 

‘s Season 4 premiere. Proceed at your own peril!

entered Season 4 with its foot firmly planted on the cuckoo accelerator.

The final moments of Monday’s premiere found Norman — freshly sprung from the local psych ward and fully embodying Norma — brutally killing Emma’s estranged mother Audrey in his own living room. Combine that with his recent murder of Bradley and it’s clear that The Unhinged One is well on his way to fulfilling his serial killer destiny.

Below, exec producer Kerry Ehrin offers an update on the show’s

timeline, while also weighing in on some of the premiere’s standout moments, including a certain whackadoodle marriage proposal.

Bates Motel Season 4 Poster: The Final Transformation Begins

has already been renewed through next season

]. How are you going to sustain this level of crazy for 20 more episodes?

that guy at this point. And there’s a lot of story to unfold with him in that place. Also, [these final two seasons] are like a piece of music. There will be parts that are super dramatic and accelerated and then there are going to be parts that slow down a little bit to create suspense. It’s really about balancing the whole journey so it makes a good ride. I think when shows get

you disengage from them. We’ve always been careful to keep it grounded so that you care about the characters.

TVLINE | How much fun are you having with Norman’s wardrobe this season?

] At the end of last season, Norman fully absorbed Mother. He

Mother when he killed Bradley. So this season has really been liberating to be able to deal with him as this new incarnation without restrictions.

TVLINE | Freddie Highmore continues to nail Vera’s mannerisms and movements.

Freddie is super-close to Vera [Farmiga]. And he studies her for those [scenes]. There was a moment [in the premiere] when he answers the door and Audrey is on the porch and he leans into the door frame that’s so reminiscent of Norma in Season 1 when she answers the door and Romero is out there. The thing that’s amazing about Freddie this season is that it isn’t like his performance is just about mimicking. He’s finding [a whole new] character. The work he’s doing this year is just superb.

TVLINE | It seems like he’s really enjoying this turn in the story.

Freddie is the happiest actor I have ever known. [

] He’s the first person on set and the last person to leave and he’s always in a good mood and passionate about the work. He’s especially excited about this part of the storytelling.

TVLINE | The admissions lady at the asylum really forced Norma — and the audience — to face the fact that she’s been a

In part, yes. It’s nice every once in a while to get a perspective on Norma because we are so on her side all of the time. [Her actions] are not necessarily healthy but they are relatable. She’s always trying to do the best that she can given the tools life has handed her. But when you just take a cold hard look at the choices she’s made, yeah, she’s definitely made some

choices. And the result is her son is in a county mental ward. That’s what makes that scene so heartbreaking — it’s a mother hearing the truth.

TVLINE | Romero is keeping Norma at arm’s length. Is that a direct result of him murdering Bob Paris?

Yes. Bob was a bad guy and he killed people, but he was set to go to prison. And that would’ve been a perfectly fine [punishment] for the crimes he committed. But Romero took things into his own hands because he wanted to make sure Norma was protected, and now it’s rocked him a little bit. He’s probably wondering, “Oh my God. I just committed murder for this woman. What do I actually

to her? I need to step back and get control of the situation.”

TVLINE | Speaking of Romero and Norma, that was probably one of the least romantic marriage proposals I’ve ever seen on TV.

] That’s Norma’s defense mechanism. That’s also the brilliance of Vera. She makes some really unexpected choices sometimes, and that was certainly one of them. It’s hard for Norma to put herself out there in a truly vulnerable way and say, “Hey, I like you. Would you please do this for me?” It’s all the stuff that’s going on underneath the scene that’s incredibly amusing, because they

both like each other. And they’re afraid of it.

] When she needs something to happen she’ll go after it.

TVLINE | Fair to say Audrey’s death, and Norman’s role in it, will put some strain on Emma and Dylan’s romance?

Audrey’s storyline is very much one of perception. As the season unfolds, the presence of Audrey — or lack [thereof] — becomes a telltale heart in the season. And where and when that information will pop up and who it will affect is a big part of the storytelling. Dylan has found this love with Emma, and the worst possible thing that could happen is that Norman has possibly killed her mother. That’s going to have a lot of implications.

TVLINE | I always imagined the show would end when Norman kills Norma. But the speed with which the story is now moving makes me wonder if a big chunk of that final season will focus on Norman’s life

Well, obviously that’s a huge question. And a good one. [

Freddie Highmore is terrifying but in the best possible way with this role. That last scene with Audrey was so well done because we knew he was ‘mother’ but she had no clue. I know a lot of people ship Romero and Norma but she clearly just wants to use him and has used him for her own gain. The last answer got me thinking because, doing a re-watch of the last couple of episodes of last season made me speculate that Norman would kill Norma by the end of this season and next season would be him switching in between being mother and himself but maybe not. Either way I’m loving this ride and it’s weird because this is the only show I really watch in this genre. I don’t think Dylan and Emma should have to suffer because of what Norman did. Her mom abandoned her(she still didn’t deserve that) and Dylan is not like Norma or Norman one bit, so I hope whatever happens they can make it through together. This is my yearly plea… Please writers, don’t kill Dylan!!!!

How is it possible that Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore haven’t gotten some major awards attention for their performances? They both continue to knock it out of the park. Awesome premiere!

Freddie Highmore had some enormous shoes to fill but I think Anthony Perkins would be proud of this kid!

This show gets better and better. Anybody want to place bets on whether or not Norma will still be alive at the end of this season?

Entirely possible she gets killed at the very end of the season, and all of next season will be Norman after Norma. Bates Motel really has overcome the inherent weakness of a prequel, in that we know how a prequel will end. But the writers of this show, along with the stellar cast, keep us guessing and completely invested in where the show is going even though we essentially know the final destination.

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