Sam Bates

Samuel "Sam" Bates is a character in the TV series Bates Motel - the contemporary prequel of Alfred Hitchcock's psychological horror film Psycho. He appears as the abusive husband of Norma Bates and father to her son Norman Bates, and ends up dying at the hands of the latter.

He was portrayed by David Cubitt.

History
Sam Bates is an abusive alcoholic who beats his wife Norma, and has been known to be abusive towards their son Norman. He seemed to get drunk and attack them on a regular basis to the point where Norma would take Norman and hide in the closet, telling her young boy that they were playing hide and seek form their father. It is revealed in the later seasons that Norma did try to leave with Norman, but could never find her other son Dylan who was never home, so they kept driving around the neighborhood trying to find him. Sam caught them and threatened them at gun point, insisting that he would kill all of them at once, including himself. Norma begs forgiveness, so Sam takes them into their room where he rapes her through anal sex on the bed, with Norman hiding underneath and holding his mother's hand as the rape continues. It's implied that this scarring moment is what lead to Norman's Dissociative Identity Disorder.

One day, Sam gets into one of abusive moments and starts grabbing Norma in their living room when she makes an off-cut remark about him cheating the state in disability allowance and it is implied that he cheats on Norma. In the next room Norman overhears the commotion, and begins to blank out. In an almost hypnotic daze, Norman unknowingly strikes Sam across the head with a coffeemaker, killing him instantly. Norma puts Norman to bed, and sets up the death to look like a household accident. Norman later awakens and discovers his father dead, much to his distress.

Norma got money in Sam's life insurance and used it to buy a motel with Norman. Her other son Dylan (and Norman's half-brother) initially believes Norma is responsible for the killing, but she reveals that Norman committed the crime, but knew that he was not aware due to going through a trance. This is the reason Norma decided to keep Norman close to her and keep an eye on him.

Personality
Sam could be considered the very worst villain of the series given it was his abusive nature that lead to Norman's mental illness. He was a cruel, heartless, and abusive man whose behavior only worsened with his alcohol addiction. He was also and expert manipulator, given he could fake being a loving father/husband and around others, which cause people to actually mourn his death after it had happened.

Although despite his ruthless behavior and constant abuse of his family, Sam did seem to love Norman to some degree-given one time when he passed out on the kitchen table drunk, he woke up caught Norman getting a glass of water and gave him a hug, telling him he loved him.

Trivia

 * Sam's villainy is exclusive to Bates Motel and ignores what was established in the Psycho film sequels. In Psycho II and III it is revealed that Norman's mentally unstable aunt Emma Spool murdered his father and kidnapped Norman as a baby. In Psycho IV: The Beginning (which acts as a sequel/prequel involving flashbacks to Norman's childhood) he was stung by bees.
 * His name is a possible nod towards the character of Sam Loomis from Psycho (who would later appear in the show's 5th season).