Bates Motel premiered last night (Mon. 18th) on A&E!

[Scatter]

But, you see, Scatter, without Norman and Norma and everything Hitchcock, this series is awful.  That is the point.

Then, by definition, it's awful WITH them. Are you seriously saying that the series is acceptable simply because they aren't named Daniel and Danielle? And from what I've heard, there is no "everything Hitchcock" about it.

[Monsters For Sale]

I would rather the action was taking place in an earlier time - without cell phones, computers and such.  I guess that is just my preference.

I would also rather they had not introduced drugs and mini-drug lords.

Even a very small town could have plenty of intrigue involving something as simple as Chamber of Commerce/town elders and crooked land deals with underhanded re-zoning and profit windfalls.  It could even tie in to the re-direction of the highway that destroyed the motel's financial viability.

One big re-zoning scheme in past years was for city officials to quietly form a land holding group, buy up a huge tract of worthless land as close to the built up town as possible.  Then they would level all the hills and dig a huge pit from which they would sell all the dirt as fill to construction companies, the highway department, etc.  The city elders would re-zone the land for use as a dump.  Then disposal companies (usually owned by the same elders) would be charged to fill it back up with garbage.  Anyone wanting to remove recyclables was charged for rescuing usable items. When it was nearly full, they would top it off with some of the original dirt that had been held in reserve.

Then the elders would re-zone the land for subdivision and a construction company (owned by guess who) would build new housing tracts for the town which had been expanding outwards toward the dump in the intervening years.

These same elders would lobby very heavily to have new highways redirected in their favor - screw the small motel on the other side of town.

See?  Plenty of opportunity for small town intrigue and reasons for Norman to hold bad feelings toward the townies.  No need for drugs.

Even today, we sometimes see news stories about people who discover nasty, black sludge bubbling up in their yard
and learn that their house was built over and old dump.

I will hang in there for a while just to see more of the relationship between Norman and his mother.  I think the mother character is much more interesting to me than the young Norman.

[FACTO2]

I think you guys dissect a little too much.  You spend that much time thinking about everything that's wrong with a show you stop enjoying the show for what it is. 

I do think the whole drug thing is a bit silly.  I mean, come on, marijuana's gonna be legal in CA in the next few years, just like in CO. 

[Monsters For Sale]

I just would have preferred they keep the plotting to small town skullduggery.

The introduction of a drug cartel and international sex slave trafficking seems so overboard.

I will watch the next few episodes to give the show a fair trial.

[Count_Zirock]

I just would have preferred they keep the plotting to small town skullduggery.
The introduction of a drug cartel and international sex slave trafficking seems so overboard.
I will watch the next few episodes to give the show a fair trial.

That's pretty much my take on it, too.

Hannibal is good right out of the gate. Why did you hate Hannibal Rising specifically? Just curious. I watched it expecting nothing. So, by the time it was over I was actually entertained.

Well, I read the Thomas Harris book, and felt it was pretty weak. And, the film adaptation left out some pretty interesting stuff.  (I thought it was a big mistake to write out the uncle that brings Hannibal to post-War France.) So, it was an even weaker version of fairly weak material, to begin with. I also didn't care for the actor playing Young Hannibal. He was unconvincing as a younger version of Hopkins' Lecter, and just wasn't very good, overall.

[aura of foreboding]

Then, by definition, it's awful WITH them. Are you seriously saying that the series is acceptable simply because they aren't named Daniel and Danielle? And from what I've heard, there is no "everything Hitchcock" about it.

Scatter, I'm saying that the story without the Psycho characters is awful.  The story with the Psycho characters is acceptable.  The whole drug lord thing and the sex trafficking thing, as everyone else has said, are awful.  But because Norman and Mother are here, and they are such interesting characters, the series keeps our interest - at least for now.  So, no, the series is not "awful" with them.  I mean, you really have to watch it to see what I'm saying.  Because, if you watch the first episode, you'll get it.

I just would have preferred they keep the plotting to small town skullduggery.

The introduction of a drug cartel and international sex slave trafficking seems so overboard.

I will watch the next few episodes to give the show a fair trial.

I agree with this completely. 

I think you guys dissect a little too much.  You spend that much time thinking about everything that's wrong with a show you stop enjoying the show for what it is. 

I do think the whole drug thing is a bit silly.  I mean, come on, marijuana's gonna be legal in CA in the next few years, just like in CO. 

I agree here as well.

[Haunted hearse]

I saw one episode, and it was enough not to wish to continue.  If I want to see the iconic house, there's the films which had Tony Perkins in them.  I really don't see the need to watch an actor (no matter how talented) chanelling Tony Perkins, when I can simply see Tony Perkins in one of the older "Psychos".  For those of you who like (or love) the series, enjoy.

[aura of foreboding]

I saw one episode, and it was enough not to wish to continue.  If I want to see the iconic house, there's the films which had Tony Perkins in them.  I really don't see the need to watch an actor (no matter how talented) chanelling Tony Perkins, when I can simply see Tony Perkins in one of the older "Psychos".  For those of you who like (or love) the series, enjoy.

So if we were given a series that was perfectly Hitchcock, which this is not, and had an actor channeling Perkins, you would not want to watch it? 

See, I feel that if the story was different and many of the elements were closer to what we'd expect of a "Psycho" series, more people would be open to the talents of the two main actors - which I honestly feel should not be undermined by the story arc. 

The same, of course, could be said for Dark Shadows.  That cast was one of the best assembled on-screen.  It would have killed had the script and direction been good.  So I get not liking it because of the sub-par elements, but if it was done 100% right, would there still be hold-outs?  I wonder...

[zombiehorror]

The show has worked for me so far and while it is cool to see the house and the spirit of a young Perkins for us Psycho fans, it is just not enough for the wider audience that any network is going to be looking to attract!  So they threw in all the other crap and guess what, it worked (well ratings wise)....well so far it has!  After the third episode the show is still pulling in some 2 million viewers!

It'sad to say but the story of Norman and his mother by themselves probably would have been canceled already.  As some others have said, I'll take the good with the bad and continue to enjoy the show but then again I can't say I've ever seen a 100% perfect film or tv show.

[Anton Phibes]

I think Hollywood and television are both out of ideas. Its why we keep getting re-makes and re-interpretations of things....and quite possibly why tv is dominated by "reality tv" crud.

I hate to sound like an old foagy(because I am only 43), but look back on some tv shows from the past vs. now. Big Valley, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Star Trek, Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, Addams Family, Lost in Space (until it turned into Sesame St.), I Love Lucy, Bewitched---those shows were great compared to now. Heck, you dont even have to go back that far really. X-Files and Millennium were pretty good shows too.

Comics are the same way.

I think something has happened to our creativity and imagination. We watch mostly mediocre things now, read mediocre things now, and it takes something really stellar to come along and kick us in the head to remind us that we can still think of awesome new things when we arent being---lazy.

Bates Motel might turn out wonderful by the time its over---but I kind of doubt it.

[MDG]

...Comics are the same way.

... We watch mostly mediocre things now, read mediocre things now, and it takes something really stellar to come along and kick us in the head to remind us that we can still think of awesome new things when we arent being---lazy.

I think I stopped watching TV and reading new comics because of the soap operaization of everything--even movies. Nothing is a complete story--it's one piece of a series (or "franchise") that barely attempts to stand on it's own merits.

I was never like some of my friends who read comics who were like, "I'll pick up the first six issues and see if it's going anywhere." TV is the same way... watch four or five episodes to get sucked in, then keep watching until ultimately disappointed. Well, with Netflix, and later Roku, Hulu, Creepster, even YouTube, I'd rather spend that three or four hours watching (or re-watching) a movie (usually older), good or bad, that is it's own thing.

[charp13]

I just read that A&E renewed Bates Motel for a second season.

[Haunted hearse]

So if we were given a series that was perfectly Hitchcock, which this is not, and had an actor channeling Perkins, you would not want to watch it? 

If that was the case, I wouldn't have watched the one episode.  It only took the one episode, by the way, to know I had no interest in continuing.  "Psycho 4" had someone playing the young Norman Bates, and I liked that.  but then again, it would have been ridiculous for Anthony Perkins playing a 15 year old.  I also saw the Vince Vaughn movie once in the theatre, and if it was something that bore a repeat viewing, I would have bought it on video.  I'ld even buy the "Bates Motel" pilot if that became available, becuase I didn't hate that as much of some of the folks here (Of course, I'm a huge fan of "Harold and Maude", and Cort wasn't attempting to channel Norman Bates, so it wasn't a problem for me)  Maybe someday, someone will make something "Psycho" related that I would want to see a second time, but as far as the A&E series is concerned, I'm glad that some are enjoying it, I'm just not among them.

[aura of foreboding]

If that was the case, I wouldn't have watched the one episode.  It only took the one episode, by the way, to know I had no interest in continuing.  "Psycho 4" had someone playing the young Norman Bates, and I liked that.  but then again, it would have been ridiculous for Anthony Perkins playing a 15 year old.  I also saw the Vince Vaughn movie once in the theatre, and if it was something that bore a repeat viewing, I would have bought it on video.  I'ld even buy the "Bates Motel" pilot if that became available, becuase I didn't hate that as much of some of the folks here (Of course, I'm a huge fan of "Harold and Maude", and Cort wasn't attempting to channel Norman Bates, so it wasn't a problem for me)  Maybe someday, someone will make something "Psycho" related that I would want to see a second time, but as far as the A&E series is concerned, I'm glad that some are enjoying it, I'm just not among them.

The Vince Vaughn film was a disasterpiece.  At least we can ALL agree when something is really bad.   

[Monsters For Sale]

I was a little disappointed by tonight's episode 4. 

It looks like Norman got laid.  A near-sexual experience would have seemed more in keeping with the character.

I also didn't care for the rapid-fire explanation of what had happened to the previous owner that Norman gave to his brother - and his brother's very flat reaction.  It would have seemed more fitting to have Norman begin the story and do a dissolve to his brother's reaction at the end.  That would have left the viewers uncertain about just what all Norman had revealed to him.

Am I the only one who thinks there are too many plot elements and the whole narrative is moving along too rapidly?


I will stick in there for a few more episodes.



For ebook users, iTunes has a free download of the sketchbook that Norman found:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/bates-motel-on-a-e-jiaos-story/id623432721?mt=11