"Death" Comes Again to BATES MOTEL

Article originally published as BATES MOTEL Review on Seat42F.

This article contains light spoilers from the season premiere.

BATES MOTEL begins its third season on A&E with “A Death in the Family.” Don’t worry, it’s not one of the main characters who has passed. But the death is important because it affects one of the players deeply, and helps shape a likely season-long or longer arc, providing some rich acting opportunities.

I liked Bates Motel from the beginning, but it’s really taken awhile to find its legs. By necessity, Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) can’t start out being a total psychopath, yet there are many hints, some very blatant, about who he is becoming, and he’s more than hinting at his tendencies. The series will have to end with all the other main characters dead or having abandoned Norman, so there is no happy ending to be had. This is a madmen’s descent into total craziness.

“A Death in the Family” lets us feel that very strongly. When a new guest (Revolution’s Tracy Spiridakos) comes to stay at the motel, Norman is very odd around her. When a new school year starts, he resists it the way a small child would. When his mother sets a boundary, he is indignant and petty, but eventually gets what he wants. This is a boy no one is helping escape his destiny, and he’s becoming more and more comfortable with his oddities. It’s a wonder the townspeople, especially those who would remember him from high school, aren’t more leery of the small business owner during the movie this series is a prequel to, as his antics get quite public.

There is one scene in particular that illustrates who Norman currently is. He makes a decision that would seem quite natural for any other teen, but that feels creepy or worse from him. Based on the dialogue uttered by the other character in the scene, it seems like Norman may be seeking control. His actions are definitely much, much more selfish, rather than those a normal person would have in this situation. He’s manipulative and not attuned to others’ feelings. This is brought out even more when he then does something that runs counter to this decision later and he doesn’t notice. This is a pivotal moment for BATES MOTEL, likely signaling the impending doom of someone because Norman won’t be able to get out of them what he seeks, and this person probably won’t realize the true extent of the danger they are in until it’s too late.

Highmore continues to bring something special to this part, and I hope it doesn’t keep him from getting other work after Bates Motel. At this point, I can’t imagine anyone else in the role Anthony Perkins made famous. Highmore has that mix of terrifying monster and naïve innocence that make his character so compelling, even if one wants to stay far away.

It’s interesting that Norman goes so dark at a time when his home life is going so well. Norman, Norma (Vera Farmiga), and Dylan (Max Thieriot) are living in relative harmony, the latter two being respectful of one another and even offering assistance and advice. Of course, they both also have their own things that they focus on, which is how Norman slips through the cracks, but really, how much attention does a normal eighteen year old need? It’s only because Norman is so different, and his family can’t see it through their affection for him, that he is further lost to them.

There’s also development on the local drug plot, which involves Sheriff Romero (Nestor Carbonell) and Dylan. I am relieved that this is a comparably small portion of the hour, though, with it certainly not being Dylan’s primary plot. For any serial drama to make a certain number of episodes a year, there are usually some subplots less interesting than others. The drug trade is one of the lesser ones, but as long as it’s not focused on too much, it doesn’t really hurt the show.

Like I said, I like BATES MOTEL, but “A Death in the Family” may be the most interesting episode of the show aired since the pilot. It does some really neat things with some of the characters, and feels like it’s moving the story into the next, more murderous stage. I think there is a very limited lifespan this show should go, maybe four or five seasons max, but season three looks to be a very good one to watch.

BATES MOTEL airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on A&E.

The "Truth" About BATES MOTEL

Article first published as TV Review: 'Bates Motel' - Season Finale on Blogcritics.

A&E’s Bates Motel wraps its second season this week in “The Immutable Truth.” Dylan (Max Thieriot) races to find his brother, Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore). To do this, Dylan must enlist Sheriff Romero (Nestor Carbonell) to help, a choice Dylan makes even though he just murdered a man and must admit it to the officer. However, the two men locating Norman is only the beginning of the trouble, and it seems certain someone in the family will end up in jail.

“The Immutable Truth” is probably the most intense episode of Bates Motel yet. Things have slowly been building to a head, and they reach it here. The show often has murder and suspense, but never so much at stake and so close to the edge as this week. It’s a gripping hour, sure to satisfy viewers who have been waiting for just such an installment.

It also features Norman at his craziest. This week, he is coldly making a list and planning on killing himself, hallucinating his mother, Norma (Vera Farmiga), and passing a lie detector test by convincing himself the truth is something it’s not. This is a portrait of a psychopath, drawn out much more obviously than ever before on Bates Motel, putting together all the strange pieces of Norman.

The direction of “The Immutable Truth” deserves much of the credit. From a shot of the stuffed owl Norman hangs in the house, to scary glimpses through the dark, to Norman’s creepy face, each camera angle is chosen deliberately for maximum effect. This is a horror staple, of course, but when done right, can convey scariness even when there’s nothing inherently scary happening, and Bates Motel makes good use of this.

There is now a sense of dread hanging over Norma and Dylan not quite clear before. Norma wants to flee the country to protect Norman, as she has been trying to cover up his misdeeds for awhile, explaining her own irrational actions. Dylan wants to get Norman help, knowing that Norman is not mentally stable. Both are united in their desire to be there for Norman, but this just puts them squarely in danger, as no one can save Norman, which we know. Will Norman kill one or both of them himself?

At least Norma and Dylan have each other, comforting for the moment. There is a real turning point when Dylan saves Norman, which prompts Norma to express her love for her estranged son, even buying Dylan a plane ticket so he can leave with them. They end up staying put, but that bond, ever fragile, has been strengthened in “The Immutable Truth,” growth earned through trial and tribulation.

One wonders how Romero will now act towards the family. He is convinced Norman is innocent, but he knows Dylan is guilty. He does help Dylan cover up the deaths, believing Dylan to be the right person to have in charge of the city’s illegal drug trade, vital to the area’s survival. But will Romero be keeping closer tabs, trying to exert influence? Or will he be a staunch ally, determined to keep their secrets safe as long as they don’t bring more trouble? He’s not a bully, he’s a compassionate man, but his moral code is hazy.

My one complaint about this season finale is the way bodies drop to the floor as if checking off a list of the year two recurring players. The show doesn’t need Nick Ford (Michael O’Neill), Jodi (Kathleen Robertson), and Zane (Michael Eklund) to come back, so it just kills them off. I’m almost surprised Christine (Rebecca Creskoff) doesn’t wind up dead just so the series can start fresh again in 2015.

Still, “The Immutable Truth” is a pretty darn good way to end the season, both for the emotional levels taken in the character dynamics, and the way Norman is rapidly becoming the monster film fans know him to be. I don’t know how many more years Bates Motel has left in it, but at this point, it could build to a natural ending any time A&E is ready for it to do so. No rush.

Bates Motel has been renewed and will air its third season next year.

I've "Not Forgotten" BATES MOTEL

Article first published as BATES MOTEL Review Season 2 on Seat42F.

A&E’s BATES MOTEL has been “Gone But Not Forgotten,” but now it’s back with a second season. After a brief, dark opening, the show picks up four months after the events of last year’s finale. Miss Watson’s (Keegan Connor Tracy) murder remains unsolved, and Norma (Vera Farmiga) wonders why Norman (Freddie Highmore) seems so obsessed with his former teacher. Meanwhile, Bradley (Nicola Peltz) is being released from a mental hospital after trying to kill herself (the aforementioned prologue), and now that she’s out, she isn’t about to just return to the life she lived.

It’s kind of sad to see Bradley turn into such a different person. Surely it’s fun for Peltz to play, and she does just as convincing a job with bad Bradley as she did with good Bradley. But the sweet, popular girl that everyone liked, even those whose love interests looked at Bradley a little too long, has been replaced by someone completely self-destructive. This means that one of the two lights on the show has dimmed considerably, a regrettable thing in a dreary drama.

That being said, the hallmark of a good character is growth, and for Bradley, she’s going through quite a bit of it. Realizing she didn’t really know her father and now won’t get the chance to, she is determined to uncover his lies and get revenge for his death. This is a stronger, more determined Bradley, and if she goes a little off the rails, or even a lot, well, there’s plenty of time left for redemption.

There is still some hope for Bradley. A couple of times in “Gone But Not Forgotten,” we do see glimpses of the old Bradley. So if she survives her coming ordeals, which are kicked up quite a notch by the end of the hour, there is still some chance that she can recover herself. But that’s a real ‘if’ in a show like this.

Norman does offer to help Bradley, but is he in a position to do so? He’s got his own serious problems. We don’t know for sure if he killed Miss Watson, having only seen him in her house and then running through the rain while she lay dead. However, it seems like a solid bet since Norman has a history of blocking out the memories of killing people, such as his own father. “Gone But Not Forgotten” doesn’t clear up the mystery. It seems destined to hang around awhile, much like last season’s murder.

Norma seems relatively sure Norman did the deed, and equally determined not to let her son find out. I know she wants to be a good mother and protect Norman, but is covering up his crimes the way to do it? Shouldn’t she be trying to get her boy help so he can move past his homicidal tendencies? Or does she worry he’s a psychopath and really just not know how to deal with that, and so buries her head in the sand to get by?

Norma spends much of this premiere fighting against the bypass, now starting construction, which will draw business away from their motel, which seems to be doing OK for now. This is an important cause to her livelihood, but I’ve got a feeling that she pours herself into such things to avoid processing what Norman does. She’s selfish at times, but knowing Norman has killed has to affect her more than she lets on, and keeping active will prevent too much quiet introspection.

We get less of Dylan (Max Thieriot) and Emma (Olivia Decody) in the first episode back, but that makes sense, since Bradley, Norma, and Norman have enough important story to fill the installment. Dylan is still fighting his feelings for Bradley, out of respect for Norman, while working the pot business and Emma is still pining over Norman and being jealous of Bradley. So they’re status quo for now.

BATES MOTEL does a nice job of setting up suspense, then letting it play out in unexpected ways. Sherriff Romero (Nestor Carbonell) is investigating what happened to Miss Watson and he’ll probably eventually get to the truth. But there’s no rush, other threads continue, and any breaks in the case will likely happen when we least are looking for it. It’s not as high quality as some other shows, as it does sort of stick to a formula, but the writers do know what they’re doing and it’s quite enjoyable overall.

The only question I’m left with is, as much as Norman seems to keep getting involved in shady stuff, how will he eventually be the unassuming motel proprietor? Will everyone that has reason to be suspicious of him eventually die, finally allowing him to fade into the background of the town? He does seem to keep bringing more trouble on himself, though, and as Norma won’t be around to deflect attention forever, there has to be some good tie up that makes sense at the end. Maybe, by the time Norma dies, the evidence will all point towards her and, for some reason, Norman will accept that?

BATES MOTEL airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on A&E.

Check Into BATES MOTEL

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: 'Bates Motel - Season One' on Blogcritics.

Horror is a very popular genre on television right now, with The Walking Dead crushing in the ratings, American Horror Story earning accolades left and right, and Hannibal being just plain awesome. Earlier this year, A&E, a network not known for anything but formulaic, procedural dramas, decided to enter the ring with Bates Motel, a prequel to the classic Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho. Imagine my surprise, then, that Bates Motel is every bit as worthy of praise as its peers.

Bates Motel is set in the modern day, and thus inspired by, rather than confined to, the film. The setting looks identical to that which viewers are familiar with, and some clothing and hairstyle choices are pulled straight from the source material. It pays homage quite clearly, though later episodes really take some license to go their own direction.

The reason to give a prequel story like this a chance, and the method through which it soars so well, is that it is made by producers of Lost and Friday Night Lights. These two amazing shows knew how to do character development and slow-burning plots, and they apply it here again. Combine this with a thoroughly creepy tone and place, you have a heck of a TV show. Plus, the cast is terrific.

As the story begins, Norman (Freddie Highmore, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Finding Neverland) moves with his mother, Nora (Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air, The Departed), to a run-down motel in a small town after the suspicious death of his father. Here, the seventeen-year-old boy tries to build a normal life for himself with friends (Olivia Cooke and Nicola Peltz), but is hampered by his controlling mother.

Yes, Norma is exactly what we’d expect her to be, having seen the old movie, or even just knowing she named her son after herself. She’s harsh and unfeeling, despite her assertions of love. She holds Norman a prisoner as much as a son, and even involves him in her murderous schemes, or at least covering them up. She is manipulating and shaping him into the killer that he himself will become, and making sure she sinks claws into him that will stay attached far beyond her death.

Not that Norma is the only dangerous thing in town. It’s hard to trust Sheriff Alex Romero (Nestor Carbonell, Lost), even after Norma worms her way into the arms of his Deputy, Zack Shelby (Mike Vogel, Under the Dome). Pot fields and sex-slave rings abound. Creepiness is everywhere.

Norman’s path isn’t completely lost yet. He’s a nice, obedient boy, most of the time, and he has an older half-brother, Dylan (Max Thieriot), to look up to. He also has a teacher, Miss Watson (Keegan Connor Tracy, Once Upon a Time), that sees untapped potential within him. There is always the slim chance he might get out of this story without being ruined, though I doubt that would satisfy the fans.

High definition is a must for this series. Given the dark tone, there are plenty of shadows and muted colors. This blu-ray release does a fantastic job of showing off the blacks and layers within in 1080p. It’s nice to get such crispness from such richly detained sets and props. The soundtrack is well mixed in DTS 5.1. If a production is going to go this much trouble to deliver a high quality release, both visual and audio, it is worth it to seek the best picture and sound available.

The special features are unfortunately few. There are deleted scenes, of course, and a really cool Paley Center Panel included. For those who buy the initial release, a few of Jiao’s (Diana Bang) neat sketches are tucked in. But that’s it, no audio commentaries or behind-the-scenes extras, sadly.

Bates Motel: Season One is on sale now.