"Bates Motel" Season 5 revolves around the story of Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) running the Bates Motel on his own after the passing of his mother, Norma Bates (Vera Farmiga). This prompts Norman to grab supplies from a paint store where he meets Madeleine Loomis (Isabelle McNally), the owner of the shop who reminds Norman so much of his dead mother.

Although there was no appearance from Rihanna as Marion Crane in Episode 1 of "Bates Motel" Season 5, we got to see a bizarre take on her lover. In Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho," Marion's boyfriend was a hardware store owner named Sam Loomis (John Gavin). In "Bates Motel," we meet a paint store owner named Madeleine Loomis who looks very much like Norman's mother. According to Vulture, the use of the Loomis name is very clever as it takes something familiar and spins it off in a new direction. Den of Geeks also notes how Isabelle McNally looks similar to Vera Farmiga. For them, the people behind the show did an excellent job with the casting.

The premiere of "Bates Motel" Season 5 featured a lot of scenes in which Norman and Norma arguing over the situation they are in. Norma insists that it is Norman's fault why they are in the mess they are in and that they should just embrace it. Norman can also be seen entering the basement to visit her mother's taxidermied corpse in the night.

While Norman and Norma are the focus of this season, Episode 1 of "Bates Motel" Season 5 still set aside some time for the rest of the show's cast. Dylan Massett (Max Thieriot) and Emma Decody (Olivia Cooke) are now married and celebrating the birth of their first child.

Meanwhile, Sheriff Alex Romero is still in prison after being busted for being a corrupt cop. Romero is still looking to avenge the death of Norma. It seems as though he will be one of the main antagonist of Norman this season.