NEW SHOW: Bates Motel

I'm not one for horror movies, so I was a little hesitant to try out the pilot for Bates Motel, a new show debuting on A&E tonight. The first episode begins after Norma's husband has died, and she moves her teenage son, Norman, to coastal town where they plan to run a small motel. Though the original Psycho was set in 1960, this prequel takes place in modern day, evidenced by seeing the teens with iPhones. I can honestly say that I was captivated by the first installment of this ten-episode run, though I'm not sure I'll be able to make it through to the end - there's already quite a bit of blood and several creepy moments, which you can read more about below. Regardless of whether or not you're a Hitchcock fan, let us know if you'll be checking out this 10pm Mondays show! (and, for a little behind-the-scenes-type trivia, check out our TCA post about this new show!)

Bates Motel "First You Dream, Then You Die" (S01E01): About six months after the death of his father, 17-year-old Norman is surprised to find out that his mother has purchased a seaside motel. [that is definitely pretty random!] His older brother, Dylan, is also shocked, as Norma didn't even tell him that the family was moving from Arizona. [yeah, I'd be disturbed, too.] Norman's first day of school is a little rough, but he confides in a teacher that his mother is impulsive, so they move a lot. She encourages him to get involved, so he joins the track team.

Joe Lederer

Unfortunately, Norma doesn't like the idea that he'll have practice and meets all the time, which will make more work for her with the motel. [selfish woman!] Later that night, Norma won't let Norman "go to the library" with some girls from school, reasonably saying that they're still settling in and such. Norman fears that she'll always forbid him to socialize, so he sneaks out a few minutes later. Of course, they don't go to the library but a house party with weed and alcohol. [when his mother is washing dishes, there are more chairs at the table - six instead of four.]

While Norman is gone, Keith Summers, whose family used to own the property, breaks into the house and rapes Norma. [I was a bit taken aback, to say the least!] Keith, who has been by to verbally assault Norma before, claims that everything in the house is actually his. When Norman returns home, he strikes the guy with an iron, and Norma then repeatedly stabs him. [I should have been prepared for that... but I was not.] She doesn't want the news to get out, as it will ruin the business, so they wrap up the body in a comforter and put it in a tub until they can come up with a better plan. [... and now I completely believe that this woman is disturbed.] But, as they move the body into one of the bathrooms, they stain the carpet with blood, so they have to stay up late and pull the carpet out of that room and the matching rooms so nothing looks out of place. [she's not an idiot...] As they do this, Norman finds a journal with Asian character writings and some sketches. The images are similar to what Keith did to Norma, puzzling Norman. [and me, really.] The police show up because they weren't aware that anyone had moved into the motel yet, and an officer even uses the restroom with the body, not noticing it behind the shower curtain. [yeah, I was on the edge of my seat, let's not lie.]

The following night, Norma and Norman put the body in a trunk, then row a boat out into the middle of a lake and dump Keith. Norma is more upset, however, about a new bypass being built, as the motel won't be seen by all the cars driving through anymore. She angrily blames the real estate agent for not sharing that information. [while she has every right to be angry, it's not 1960, and the internet is full of information about upcoming roadwork, so she could have figured it out with a little research...]