SummaryThe relationship between 17-year-old Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) and his mother Norma (Vera Farmiga) is explored in this contemporary prequel to the movie "Psycho."
SummaryThe relationship between 17-year-old Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) and his mother Norma (Vera Farmiga) is explored in this contemporary prequel to the movie "Psycho."
Their [Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore as Norma and Norman Bates] scenes together vibrate with awkward energy and pent-up rage, even in seemingly simpler moments, like an afternoon driving lesson--what could possibly go wrong?!--and an audition for a local musical. The scenes without them, though, can be serial momentum killers.
There’s not a lot going on in Bates Motel--a couple of murder mysteries, the slowly evolving picture of Norman’s true nature--and there’s no guarantee that the show will be able to keep its delicate balance of humor and spookiness, without pushing Norma and Norman into caricature. For now, though, it’s inherited the “Dexter” mantle as the serial-killer show to watch.
Many of Norma's freak-outs have a black streak of over-the-top humor, and it's in those moments that Farmiga and the show shine. The dramatic material, especially that involving the young cast, still feels slight and unengaging to me.
Despite the considerable craft that has gone into creating a world designed to take on a life of its own, it’s difficult to see how the serialized narrative can run much longer without beginning to muck up its own Hitchcockian mythology.