Bates Motel: Primer and Homebase

[eevilalice]

Welcome to the homebase for the A&E series, Bates Motel. Each week you'll find a thread for the newest episode, so we can discuss its twists and horrors together.

First, a primer.


Bates Motel is a modern day prequel to Hitchcock's Psycho, centering on Norman and his mother, Norma, as they move to the titular motel in a coastal Oregon town. Norma is hoping for a new start for herself and Norman after her husband's death, and buying and running the run-down motel is her plan. Of course, there are plenty of unforeseen complications, especially since the town has a touch of Twin Peaks strangeness and corruption to it.

I know what you're thinking. A Psycho prequel? Really? Two things should convince you to give the show a shot: its pedigree and its cast. Among others, the series is (executive) produced by Carlton Cuse (Lost) and Kerry Ehrin (Friday Night Lights). It both builds intrigue and mysteries while creating complex characters. And then it scares the crap out of you.

Cast/Characters (As of Season 2)

Vera Farmiga plays Norma Bates.



She's high-strung, cloying, yet honestly put-upon and sincerely caring. She's smart but vulnerable at times. You may not be able to stand her at all, and you may deeply sympathize with her, all within one episode.

Freddie Highmore plays Norman Bates.



Like Norma, you might feel sorry for Norman or be terrified or horribly creeped out by him in the space of a breath. Often he's simply a normal teenage boy by all appearances, crushing on girls, wanting his own space, sneaking out late at night. Buuut then there's the blackouts and weird stuff he keeps under his bed...

Max Thieriot plays Dylan Massett.



Dylan is Norma's other, older son, and Norman's half-brother. He's more of an outsider, and drifts into town and into their lives against Norma's wishes. He clashes with the family, especially when he urges Norman to live his own life, but he proves indispensable, too.

Olivia Cooke plays Emma Decody.



Emma is a smart, inquisitive girl in Norman's class who quickly develops an interest in him. She has cystic fibrosis and sees Norman's own strange health issues and outsider-y status as something akin to hers.

Nestor Carbonell plays Sheriff Alex Romero.



As sheriff, Romero and Norma butt heads as she struggles to accomplish what she wants with the motel and deals with, er, other complications. Given the town's penchant for ongoing shady activities, Romero is someone who is tough to read.


You can stream Season 1 episodes on Netflix, Amazon, and at the A&E site.

The second season begins Monday, March 3rd! Episodes air at 9/8c 10/9c.

Comments

Re: 2.05 The Escape Artist

[selenak]

Bryan Fuller seems to have enjoyed the shout out to him via naming the biologist who gives Norma the files "Bryan Fuller" and letting him look like the real BF to boot:




re: Norma's determination to fight the bypass - I think it's easy for us to see this as amusingly quixotic and/or foolish, but if one thinks about it, it really is an existential question for her. S1 established she can't sell the motel again. Which means that if the bypass happens (or rather: when the bypass happens, going by Psycho), the motel will lose its customers and Norma will end up completely broke. She'd have to start from scratch again, and as what? Cleaning lady? If she married as a teenager directly from high school, I doubt she ever had a job that would provide her with references.

Re: 2.05 The Escape Artist

[eevilalice]

I totally forgot about "Bryan Fuller"!

I understand what's at stake re: the bypass, and I'm not seeing Norma's current actions as quixotic. More like a progression. She has been more suspicious and skeptical in the past, with good reason, especially given what happened with Shelby. But she is being less suspicious now, and I think that's not only because of what's at stake for her. From the start of the season they've shown how much better life has gotten with the motel being booked (upping the stakes). Shelby's behind her, and we know how Norma likes to "move on" and shove the past down into a deep, dark hole. And now she's got what appears to be a decent woman seeking her friendship, despite her resistance. The most significant worries she's had (beyond the bypass) are personal (Norman and Mrs. Watson, but that appears to have been solved; and then her brother and Dylan...on the backburner for the moment).

Nick Ford lands in her lap; she goes to see him and he has A YACHT and personal assistants and guards...which should raise an eyebrow. He talks about how she can fight the bypass where he can't, going on about how nice and innocent a woman she is. He hooks her up with some guy who has a report ready to go. And then the councilman dies in an "accident." So, yeah, I do think Norma has been suspending her suspicions where she might not have before for a variety of reasons. It doesn't make her a fool, just back-up-against-a-wall and hopeful.