The most common variety of series based on films are sequels and prequels. They generally outline the original idea, which subsequently develops in accordance with the creative imagination of the show runners. Basically, the rethinking of well-known concepts in a distinctive format is unsuccessful, but examples are known when in the hands of talented authors the famous material is revealed from new angles. The Bates Motel series, the genre of which is a dramatic thriller, belongs to such television shows. Consider the main twists and turns of the plot about the series.
Based on the Psychosis
The premiere of the television prequel to the cult creation of A. Hitchcock, Psycho, entitled The Bates Motel (release date of the series is March 18, 2013), in a blink of an eye, gathered record ratings for the A&E channel, and the female lead Vera Farmiga (an American with Ukrainian roots) was awarded an Emmy Award nomination.
The first season of the dramatic thriller about Norman Bates’s childhood, adolescence and adolescence, his non-trivial relations with his mother Norma received a positive assessment, but left more questions than he provided answers. The scriptwriters intentionally did not immediately open all the cards. The five-season Bates Motel project is currently closed. The reason is not low ratings, but the fact that the history of the main characters has come to a logical conclusion.
Inspired by Hitchcock
Bates Motel is a television movie shot due to the popularity and success of a killer maniac who was prone to dressing in women's clothing. In 1987, for the Universal TV channel, screenwriter, producer and director Richard Rothstein shot the telelink of the same name, which is a spin-off of Psychosis. The main role in the project was played by Kurt Paul. And in Psycho 4: The Beginning, the image of young Norman was embodied by Henry Thomas. Norma Bates first appeared in the same film, the image of which was revealed by Olivia Cook. In previous sequel versions, the viewer only heard her voice performed by actress Virginia Gregg.
We can say that in the history of the world film industry and TV there were all the prerequisites for creating an independent product about the Bates family. Many viewers ask, it was generally necessary to rethink and expand the classic plot. In reviews of the Bates Motel series, fans of the genre clearly write that the series is the perfect prequel. Even viewers who are not horror buffs think so.
The story of the relationship between mother and son
According to critics in the reviews for the Bates Motel series, the artistic merit of the television movie is quite obvious. Their opinion is confirmed by the rating of the IMDb project: 8.20. The narrative allows us to trace how Norman Bates and his mother reached the point where they became defendants in the most famous thriller in the world. The creators under the vigilant control of Carlton Cuse made the project similar to most multi-series dramas, for example, Underground Empire or Breaking Bad. That is, the plot of the series “Bates Motel” is a chronicle of the relationship between son and mother framed by external disasters, one way or another affecting the life of this family.
Tension adds an introduction to the story of the eldest son of the heroine Dylan Massett and strangeness in the behavioral model of Norman himself. As in the revised Hannibal, where Mads Mikkelsen revealed the image of the notorious killer doctor, the screenwriters transferred the action of the television movie these days, which provided a chance for the modern public to identify themselves with characters invented more than half a century ago, which some viewers write in reviews of the Bates Motel series. However, this review was not appreciated by all reviewers. Many consider such a move unjustified and claim that modernization has deprived the project of historical charm.
In the style of David Lynch
The scene of the television movie "Bates Motel" (season 1) is the provincial town of White Pine Bay, lost in the vast expanses of Oregon. The prosperous facades of his buildings hide, like David Lynch's movie masterpieces, the dark secrets of the townspeople. Mother and son immediately encounter the ugly side of this “decent” place.
After they move to the inherited house, ex-homeowner Keith Summers breaks into them and rapes Norma. True, he immediately gets what he deserves, they beat him to death. This event provokes the beginning of a series of dramatic events, including the discovery of the corpse of the former owner, marijuana fields, public burning and other dark secrets, almost like in the disturbing and visually stunning Twin Peaks (2017).
Romantic lines
Despite the gloomy atmosphere, a romantic movie appears in the television movie. Norman falls in love with the same age as Bradley Martin (actress Nicola Peltz). Moreover, their relationship is far from platonic. The main character is unrequitedly in love with the daughter of the local taxidermist Emma Decody (Olivia Cook), who suffers from severe respiratory disorders (cystic fibrosis). In reviews of the Bates Motel series, viewers call the girl the most charming character. It was she who involved the young Norman in "fascinating" adventures, and her father aroused interest in the young man in stuffed animals. For a long time, Emma, rejected because of Martin, leaves no hope of picking up the key to the heart of her lover, not even suspecting his true nature.
Norma is also not deprived of male attention. She is sympathetic to local sheriff's assistant Zack Shelby. Sheriff Alex Romero (Nestor Carbonell) is known for his bias and austerity to strangers.
Norman's Obsession
It is in such an atmosphere that the personality of Norman Bates is formed. The first alarming signal about the gloomy state of the hero’s inner world is his attitude to the charming Miss Watson. The teacher with an unenviable fate was played by K. Connor Tracy. The red-haired young woman is a real obsession for Norman, although she, as a real teacher, only tried to unleash the potential of the student, to help him become a person. But do not get carried away with the retelling of the plot, since the scripted moves of the series are very exciting and unpredictable, it is better not to reveal all the secrets.
Key actors
The young Norman Bates on the screen was embodied by Freddie Highmore, who shone in T. Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, an epic about Arthur Luc Besson and G. Viesen's Homework. His game is worthy of praise, he does not copy the mannered lightness of Anthony Perkins, but by chance now and then sends to her. The role of Norma, which the audience sees in the Hitchcock masterpiece only as mummified, is played by the charismatic Vera Farmiga, who became widely known after the “Departed” by Martin Scorsese.
Both actors managed to create a chic acting tandem, to make their characters bright, unforgettable. Mother and son present a rather strange duet in which they even antagonize against each other. It is sometimes difficult to say which of their heroes is crazier.
Acting Ensemble
But not only key characters are able to be remembered by the viewer. In the Bates Motel series, the actors and roles are perfectly matched. For example, Max Tiriot (“Forbidden Mission”, “No Communication”) turned out to be an interesting character of Dylan Massett. He brings confusion to Norman's thoughts, constantly offering to break free from the yoke of a distraught mother. At the same time, it is easily involved in the dirty affairs of the criminal world of the town.
The intriguing image of Alex Romero perfectly worked for Nestor Carbonella. It immediately becomes clear to the viewer that the sheriff is playing some kind of difficult and incomprehensible game until a certain time.
The deputy sheriff looks even more unpredictable. At first, Norma sees Zak Shelby’s character as exceptionally positive, but later finds out about his secret.
Bradley Martin with a light hand Nicolas Peltz seems moderately spoiled and confused. She literally used Norman, first attracted to herself, and after intimacy she convinced that everything that happened was a terrible mistake.
Rock feeling
When watching a television movie, the audience does not leave an oppressive feeling of inevitability, since most know what Norman Bates will turn into over time. According to individual respondents, these forebodings evoke associations with the author of the novel Psycho, R. Bloch, an ardent admirer of G. F. Lovecraft, with whom he corresponded for a long time. Both writers in their works clearly show the presence of the irreparable nature of frightening events, which no one can prevent or change. Fatal destinies also exist in Lynch's Twin Peaks, with which the Bates Motel has a lot in common.
Model Series
In the fifth season of the project, a girl appears who is destined to become a victim in the canonical thriller Psycho, her role is played by Rihanna. Events smoothly fit the action of the original film by A. Hitchcock.
In general, despite the fact that the television movie has significant differences with the movie masterpiece, which F. Highmore brightens up with its flawless performance, recalling the former Norman, The Bates Motel is an impeccable example of a modern television series.