SuperReviews: Bates Motel S1, E1: First You Dream, Then You Die

The Psycho franchise has been dead since the failed 1998 remake. Now, it has been revived with A&E's newest ongoing series, Bates Motel. A modern take on the classic story, it shows Norman Bates as a teenager who has just moved into the motel with slightly psychotic mother, Norma. Now, let me start by saying, I am a HUGE fan of the Psycho series, and I was very excited for this show. We had seen nothing new in the Psycho franchise for over a decade, and I was glad that they were rebooting it. And did it live up to my expectations? It surpassed them!

Bates Motel takes a fantastic series that has a new approach to Psycho, but it still feels like the classic film we all know and love. It has great writing, and has great Easter eggs that hint towards the inevitable outcome of Norman Bates. It really pushes the boundaries of the television format. While I was watching it, there were a few parts where I was just like "how did THAT get on TV?!" While there is only one episode aired so far, if it continues like this, A&E could have a long lasting series on their hands.

The actors in this show are superb, with Vera Farmiga and Freddy Highmore standing out as Norma and Norman Bates. Farmiga plays Norma as a woman who is pretending to be sane, but you can see insanity bubbling, just below the surface. Highmore plays Norman as a normal boy, but you can see he has a lot of his mother's qualities in him. You can tell that if he continues to live with Norma, her insanity will push him over the edge.

There are some suspenseful scenes in this pilot, but the episode is not dedicated to gore and kills. A lot of screen time is spent showing the aftermath of the kill, and the cleaning up, just like the classic 1960 film.

All in all, the first episode of Bates Motel is a superb first episode in what I hope to be a long lasting, quality series. I highly recommend checking it out, this show will make you almost glad that it's Monday.