Hands up who thinks a TV series prequel of one of the greatest films ever made is a good idea? Not many showing. Fortunately Bates Motel is blessed with fantastic scripting, tremendous leads and fittingly some tremendous music.
Episode one does what all good shows should do by welcoming us into the world of the characters and leaving us salivating at the end with a lovely little cliffhanger. Norman is recreated with wonderful restraint by Freddie Highmore, most well-known for CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY and NEVERLAND; whilst Mother, or Norma to everyone else, is played unnervingly realistically by Vera Farmiga. The rest of the cast is padded out by reliables including Nestor Carbonell (THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY) and Mike Vogel (CLOVERFIELD).
Sure we may know how the Bates story ends up, but Bates Motel’s first episode points to a series of intrigue and character. Feel free to stay but don’t use the showers!
Bates Motel will be showing on The Universal Channel every Thursday from September 12th at 9pm
