In 1960, Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho captured the imagination of cinema audiences and never really let it go. Some 50+ years later, show runners Carlton Cuse & Kerry Ehrin use those same general Hitchcockian tenets--the motel, the house, the mother/son relationship, etc.--as well as some new material to craft a really solid (sometimes outright spectacular) first season of Bates Motel.
For a very basic overview, Bates Motel tells the story Norma Bates (Vera Farmiga) and son Norman (Freddie Highmore) trying to start a new life in the White Pine Bay motel business after the death of Mr. Bates. What they don't realize is that White Pine Bay has more instability within it than harbored by the crazy Bates family itself!
A key point right off the bat here: there is no clear explanation for how (or if) this series fits into the "Psycho canon". It clearly is riffing on Hitchcock's original themes/locales--yet it is set in a modern environment. As such, both "reimagining" and "Psycho prequel-of-sorts" are still on the table for viewers.
The series also introduces much original material into the fray. Norman's brother Dylan (Max Theriot) plays a key role, as do the two teenagers--Emma (Olivia Cooke) & Bradley (Nicola Peltz Beckham)--caught in Norman's romantic web. WPB sheriff Romero (Nestor Carbonell) and high school English teacher Miss Watson (Keegan Connor Tracy) also factor heavily into the proceedings. From top to bottom, a remarkable cast of which almost all went on to bigger and bigger things as their careers progressed.
Truth be told, the plot mechanics of this first season are a little shaky (hence the 8-star ranking that could have been higher). The main ideas sort of just bop around from one mystery to another and the stakes never feel extraordinarily high or meaningful.
Fortunately, the character work here is so immaculate as to overshadow most plot concerns. If you've never seen Psycho, Bates Motel is still a treatise on messed up family dynamics and the havoc they can cause both inside and outside the home. If (like me) you've seen Psycho more times than you can count, you'll be amazed at how chillingly accurate or interesting some of the character angles are here. This is of course especially true in the centerpiece Norma/Norman relationship--as terrifically sad as it is utterly terrifying to comprehend.
All in all, this first season of Bates Motel is a solid success no matter how you look at it. While perhaps not an all-time classic after just ten episodes, all the underpinnings are present with considerable room for growth.
For a very basic overview, Bates Motel tells the story Norma Bates (Vera Farmiga) and son Norman (Freddie Highmore) trying to start a new life in the White Pine Bay motel business after the death of Mr. Bates. What they don't realize is that White Pine Bay has more instability within it than harbored by the crazy Bates family itself!
A key point right off the bat here: there is no clear explanation for how (or if) this series fits into the "Psycho canon". It clearly is riffing on Hitchcock's original themes/locales--yet it is set in a modern environment. As such, both "reimagining" and "Psycho prequel-of-sorts" are still on the table for viewers.
The series also introduces much original material into the fray. Norman's brother Dylan (Max Theriot) plays a key role, as do the two teenagers--Emma (Olivia Cooke) & Bradley (Nicola Peltz Beckham)--caught in Norman's romantic web. WPB sheriff Romero (Nestor Carbonell) and high school English teacher Miss Watson (Keegan Connor Tracy) also factor heavily into the proceedings. From top to bottom, a remarkable cast of which almost all went on to bigger and bigger things as their careers progressed.
Truth be told, the plot mechanics of this first season are a little shaky (hence the 8-star ranking that could have been higher). The main ideas sort of just bop around from one mystery to another and the stakes never feel extraordinarily high or meaningful.
Fortunately, the character work here is so immaculate as to overshadow most plot concerns. If you've never seen Psycho, Bates Motel is still a treatise on messed up family dynamics and the havoc they can cause both inside and outside the home. If (like me) you've seen Psycho more times than you can count, you'll be amazed at how chillingly accurate or interesting some of the character angles are here. This is of course especially true in the centerpiece Norma/Norman relationship--as terrifically sad as it is utterly terrifying to comprehend.
All in all, this first season of Bates Motel is a solid success no matter how you look at it. While perhaps not an all-time classic after just ten episodes, all the underpinnings are present with considerable room for growth.