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the sweet, popular girl that everyone liked, even those whose love interests looked at Bradley a little too long, has been replaced by someone completely self-destructive.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.