Pilot Review: Bates Motel

Bates Motel (A & E)
Premiered March 18 at 10pm

Like the forthcoming NBC take on Hannibal Lecter, it’s impossible not to watch this show without referring back to its source material. Anyone who saw this pilot is surely familiar with Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 classic “Psycho,” which was based on Robert Bloch’s 1959 novel. Prequels always come loaded with potential problems, namely that it’s hard to create a compelling narrative on an episodic basis that has a predefined end point. The haunting shots of the motel and Norman calling Norma “mother” repeatedly are the two most prominent instances of excessive allusions to the future of this universe, which become tiresome since the show needs to develop an energy of its own in order for it to be sustainable. It’s intriguing that this show is set in the present day with cell phones and other modern inventions that make the notion of a roadside motel less intimidating on one hand, yet features characters who seem like they’re from a wholly different era, namely the girls who fawn over Norman simply because he’s a new kid and Vera Farmiga’s Norma, who hardly seems like a twenty-first century personality. I’m curious about the Bates son who isn’t entirely loyal to his domineering mother, and I wonder when and how he’ll show up. In terms of casting, this is exactly the kind of role that Freddie Highmore should be taking on, and I hope that he’ll have more to do than sheepishly follow his mother and vomit at the sight of blood. Farmiga is decently effective as a monster mother capable of manipulating her son, and it’s an involved and determined performance. I do wish that Nestor Carbonell would stay away from standard police roles like the one he has here and had in “Ringer,” instead focusing on meatier parts like his gigs on “Lost” and “Psych.” Portraying lonely people who shut themselves off from society does, however, have the potential to create a lonely show, one devoid of too much compelling material. The brutal rape of Norma and her stabbing of her attacker made for a bold, disturbing scene which sets a tone for the whole show, one of quiet, moody creepiness. I do hope that the next installment will demonstrate the show’s staying power, but I’m not convinced that it can.

How will it work as a series? It’s going to be a while before Norman is driven to kill his mother, so as long as the series runs he’ll have to be pulled away more and more from social life and into his mother’s controlling arms, which may make for an alienating and uncreative experience. The attack on Norma foreshadows dark times ahead for the Bates family, as if their predicament wasn’t bleak enough already.
How long will it last? The premiere numbers were strong, and this show has plenty of hype that could help this network define itself as a successful producer of original television programming. I’m not sure that the show’s ratings will last throughout the season, but I think this show might benefit from the kind of early pick-up designed to bolster the show’s chances even if it doesn’t deserve it.

Pilot grade: C+