TV Review: Bates Motel
Mar. 27th, 2014 12:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowfireflameHere’s a show I haven’t heard anybody talking about: Bates Motel, of which season 1 is up on Netflix and season 2 is currently airing.
The premise of Bates Motel, if it’s not entirely obvious, is that it’s a prequel to the events in Alfred Hitchcock’s movie Psycho, except set in the modern day. So basically how Norma Bates and her son Norman came to be owners of this seedy little motel, and all the creepy events that transpire in the little town they reside in.
Think about that (uh, major spoilers for Psycho, for those of you who still feel safe while showering): as a prequel, we already know that Norman is going to end up completely out of his mind, dressing up as his possessive mother and murdering beautiful women in the shower. But in this show, seeing how he got there is fascinating and very well done. Mmm, backstory.
While the brilliant Vera Farmiga’s Norma Bates is undoubtedly the protagonist, I would say that there are three main characters: her, her son Norman, and her other son (his half-brother) Dylan.
Dylan (played by Max Thieriot) is interesting because he’s an original character (I think) and acts as the voice of reason in the series, but in an amusing and often endearing way. Also, you know, he’s really hot, a detail that is actually used as a plot point.
The 17-year-old Norman Bates is played by Freddie Highmore. You remember Freddie—the adorable British child actor in every kids’ movie, particularly Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. And he is a superb casting choice, bringing that innocence and sweetness to this role—to somebody we know is going to grow up to be a terrifying, murdering psychopath. Delicious.
And then there’s Vera Farmiga’s Norma Bates (great choice for a first name), who portrays a very damaged woman who’s doing her best to hold everything together. I love what she’s done with this character: she could have been characterized as a total evil witch, but instead she’s gone the other way. She’s so normal, she seems like such a normal mom trying to do her best for her son, but little things give her away as having darker secrets. Still, she’s always understandable and extremely sympathetic. All the characters are. That’s part of this show’s brilliance.
The supprting characters are almost as interesting as the leads, and I knew many of them from other roles. They include a lovely girl with cystic fibrosis (played by Olivia Cooke), which makes her carry around an oxygen tank on wheels (decorated cutely!); the cold sheriff, played by the guy from Lost who looks like he’s always wearing eyeliner (Nestor Carbonell); the sexy deputy with secrets, played by the hottie who plays Barbie in Under the Dome (Mike Vogel); and the hot girl who was Katara in the horrible Last Airbender movie (Nicola Peltz, who will also be in the new Transformers movie with Mark Whalberg).
What I like about the show is that it can go in any direction, it’s not afraid, and then it does go there. Like, wherever you think, it’s going, it is going there, but more surprisingly than you had predicted. I’m serious, there are some major trigger warnings for this show, like rape, murder, sexual slavery, violence, dead animals, taxidermy, implied incest, and just general creepiness.
But weirdly enough, it never seems that dark. Unlike other well-made shows that have very scary elements (like, for example, Hannibal and Luther), there are also lighter, more human moments that actually serve to make the darker moments stand out more. School dances. Genuine hugs between mother and son. Good people being generous with their time to help others. But the best thing happens with those happy moments: you start questioning them, wondering if they’re real or what terrible thing is hiding around the corner. It left me unsettled but also wanting more. Great stuff.
The premise of Bates Motel, if it’s not entirely obvious, is that it’s a prequel to the events in Alfred Hitchcock’s movie Psycho, except set in the modern day. So basically how Norma Bates and her son Norman came to be owners of this seedy little motel, and all the creepy events that transpire in the little town they reside in.
Think about that (uh, major spoilers for Psycho, for those of you who still feel safe while showering): as a prequel, we already know that Norman is going to end up completely out of his mind, dressing up as his possessive mother and murdering beautiful women in the shower. But in this show, seeing how he got there is fascinating and very well done. Mmm, backstory.
While the brilliant Vera Farmiga’s Norma Bates is undoubtedly the protagonist, I would say that there are three main characters: her, her son Norman, and her other son (his half-brother) Dylan.
Dylan (played by Max Thieriot) is interesting because he’s an original character (I think) and acts as the voice of reason in the series, but in an amusing and often endearing way. Also, you know, he’s really hot, a detail that is actually used as a plot point.
The 17-year-old Norman Bates is played by Freddie Highmore. You remember Freddie—the adorable British child actor in every kids’ movie, particularly Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. And he is a superb casting choice, bringing that innocence and sweetness to this role—to somebody we know is going to grow up to be a terrifying, murdering psychopath. Delicious.
And then there’s Vera Farmiga’s Norma Bates (great choice for a first name), who portrays a very damaged woman who’s doing her best to hold everything together. I love what she’s done with this character: she could have been characterized as a total evil witch, but instead she’s gone the other way. She’s so normal, she seems like such a normal mom trying to do her best for her son, but little things give her away as having darker secrets. Still, she’s always understandable and extremely sympathetic. All the characters are. That’s part of this show’s brilliance.
The supprting characters are almost as interesting as the leads, and I knew many of them from other roles. They include a lovely girl with cystic fibrosis (played by Olivia Cooke), which makes her carry around an oxygen tank on wheels (decorated cutely!); the cold sheriff, played by the guy from Lost who looks like he’s always wearing eyeliner (Nestor Carbonell); the sexy deputy with secrets, played by the hottie who plays Barbie in Under the Dome (Mike Vogel); and the hot girl who was Katara in the horrible Last Airbender movie (Nicola Peltz, who will also be in the new Transformers movie with Mark Whalberg).
What I like about the show is that it can go in any direction, it’s not afraid, and then it does go there. Like, wherever you think, it’s going, it is going there, but more surprisingly than you had predicted. I’m serious, there are some major trigger warnings for this show, like rape, murder, sexual slavery, violence, dead animals, taxidermy, implied incest, and just general creepiness.
But weirdly enough, it never seems that dark. Unlike other well-made shows that have very scary elements (like, for example, Hannibal and Luther), there are also lighter, more human moments that actually serve to make the darker moments stand out more. School dances. Genuine hugs between mother and son. Good people being generous with their time to help others. But the best thing happens with those happy moments: you start questioning them, wondering if they’re real or what terrible thing is hiding around the corner. It left me unsettled but also wanting more. Great stuff.
