“Bates Motel” premiered last night on A&E. It seems that after the success of “American Horror Story” and “The Walking Dead,” horror is getting a second chance in the mainstream as a “legitimate” genre, and projects and pilots are popping out of the woodwork. This is not a complaint, mind you. When horror is done well, it’s my absolute favorite. And for the record, I don’t consider “The Walking Dead” (which I love) horror. It’s gory drama. But I digress.
The show opens with teen Norman Bates discovering the body of his father, and what would appear to be a giant set up for Mom’s character, in which she gives a knowing smirk after Norman runs to tell her the news. The show’s timeline is a bit confusing, as it appears to be taking place in the early 1960’s, but that would have made Norman quite young in the events of “Psycho” The show waits until act two to reveal that these events are unfolding in modern times. Norman has an iPhone and goes to a freaky drug party. His mom just happens to have a completely retro wardrobe and car. Eh, she’s quirky. Norman makes friends with the popular girls, his guidance counselor gets set up to be murdered in a future episode, and Norma kills a drunk and has a passive aggressive meltdown at the dinner table.
The Good:
- Vera Farmiga. I am very excited to see her play a sociopath, and I really hope that’s where the role is headed (see below – “the murky”). Her other television ventures have lasted no more than 12 episodes, and I could go on a diatribe about why female led action series don’t succeed, but I won’t. She’s a co-lead, and this ain’t action. And if AHS is any indication of trend, we are definitely ready for women in horror.
- Nestor Carbonell. You guys. Batmanuel is the sheriff. I’m totally in based on that fact alone.
The Unnecessary:
- A rape scene? Really? Television continues to use the only ploy it knows to throw a wrench in a woman’s psyche. It’s cheap, it’s irresponsible, and it’s lazy. Beyond this, we didn’t need an reason for Ms. Bates to descend into madness; the opening scene implied that she murdered her own husband. It would have been far more fun to assume she’s crazy than to witness a graphic scene with redundant purpose that tells us why she might be imbalanced.
- Can I just… Just… Why is it OK to vomit on television now? Just… OK?
The Meh:
- There was some clunky ass dialogue up in this piece. I found myself drifting during scenes with the teens, and some of the conversations between Norman and Mother were downright jaw-dropably bad.
- That kid is Buh-ritish. I knew while watching last night that his accent was off, and today I found out that he was Charlie Bucket in the Willy Wonka remake and also British. I am usually pretty easy with the suspension of disbelief, but this was distracting.
- The previews let us know at least three times that there will be a shower scene this season. Does no one believe in the art of subtlety anymore?
The Murky:
- The intro set up Mother as the sociopath, the middle act made her a weak victim, and the end set up Norman as the psycho. It’s a little convoluted. It feels like the show wants to confuse me so I will stay tuned, but I don’t really think that’s the best way to hook an audience.
All things said, it’s a pilot, and not necessarily the promise of what’s to follow in a season. I’ll give “Bates Motel” my standard three episode rule, but the pilot didn’t make me it must see television.