Bates Subject To Change.

 

The date was July 5, 1987, a Sunday night on NBC.  A young kid had popped a VHS tape into his very 1984 VCR to record an upcoming TV-movie.  The movie was entitled Bates Motel which was a continuation of the story of one of cinema's most notorious films, Psycho.  But something was different: There was no Norman Bates, no Anthony Perkins, no Master Of Suspense who had passed away 7 years earlier, no screeching strings by the great Bernard Herrmann, and the "star" of the show was one Bud Cort, an actor who had become synonymous with B-movies almost two decades earlier with the dark comedy, Harold And Maude.  

The kid with the VCR was yours truly, and while I was excited to see Chateau Norman open its doors once again since 1986's Psycho III, when all was said and done and the blood had dried, this TV-movie turned out to be a real dud. What an awful piece of dreck it was.   The plot involved an "heir" of sorts to Norman's motel and re-opening it to the public; all the while a ridiculous suicide subplot and a laughable tacked on Scooby-Doo ending made everything all the more unwatchable.

Witness the promo for the 1987 Bates Motel.  (Warning: just experiencing 1 minute of this may be like sitting in the front row of a Lady Gaga concert.)

Fast forward 25 years, and the A&E network announces a new drama series of the same name to air in 2013, with an executive producer of LOST attached to the project.  It plans to be an excursion into Norman Bates' teen years, his relationship with his mother, and set IN THE PRESENT DAY. 

Eyes roll and sighs abound.  What are TV executives thinking?  Really? How the hell is this going to work? Can't one of cinema's favorite psychopaths just be left alone? WWHD? (What Would Hitch Do?)

Then TV spots start appearing.  Casting news shows up on IMDb.  Charlie from Tim Burton's Chocolate Factory is cast as young Norman.  Vera Farmiga, who had already starred in two "troubled kid" movies, was cast as the matriarch Norma Bates.

As a teenager, Norman Bates enjoyed downloading his favorite environmental sound mixes: "Splashing Water and Showers: A Soothing Experience".

Interest was sparked.  Could there be something here?  Could A&E be adding something to their prime-time lineup that didn't include a befuddled and irritated Matt Paxton setting out to clean up trash-infested houses?  Maybe.  But would it work?  Producers state repeatedly that this will not be a remaking of Psycho, but rather a "re-imagining".  Yawn.  We've all heard that before.  

Finally the premiere for Bates Motel airs, and from this blogger's thoughts to the words on your computer screen: I'm glad they did it.

Is Bates Motel perfect?  No.  Is it better than the 1987 fiasco?  By a mile.  Is it interesting? Do you get hooked?  Absolutely.

It's funny because what we end up seeing has a range to a wide audience.  For us old folks who remember the 1960 film and how iconic it was, the show respectfully keeps that in tact, and for the younger viewers who have no idea who Alfred Hitchcock or Anthony Perkins were, it's a well-written character study of a troubled boy entering adulthood. (And better than anything you could ever see on Jersey Shore.)

British actor Freddie Highmore is perfectly cast as Norman (although in the first episode he seems to be struggling with his American accent, poor guy.)  He even LOOKS like a young Anthony Perkins, which makes you wonder if Perkins somehow had a (severed) hand in the casting calls from beyond the grave. Vera Farmiga proves that her character of Norma is going to be a key part of the series.  With her glaring eyes and knowing face, you know that there is something more to her than just being "mother".

Mother always made sure that Norman had her kitchen knives properly sharpened.

To be sure, it is awfully strange to see these characters interacting with the modern times.  Seeing Norman Bates listening to an iPod and attending a high-school party with rave music and beer seems quite unusual, but perhaps that is what we the viewers are supposed to experience.  There's a sense of uneasiness and everything is out of place.  We know that something is wrong.  Heck, it's NORMAN BATES.  There's going to be an awkward feeling.  And if the series is to follow events right up to the adult Norman portrayed in Hitchcock's movie, then shouldn't we know exactly what the outcome of the series is going to be? The question is, how will we get there and will the viewer stay for the ride?

It's hard to say, considering Carlton Cuse, a LOST executive producer is at the helm.  Will we get more questions than answers? Will Norman end up pushing buttons in an underground hatch?  Will a Smoke Monster kill somebody in the shower? Probably not, but that doesn't mean there's not going to be trickery around every corner.  All this notwithstanding, I'm ready for Episode 2.  This series oozes creepiness like chocolate sauce streaming down a shower drain.

Bates Motel, (2013)

Season 1, Episode 1

Grade: B+