Bates Motel - "First You Dream, Then You Die" (Mar. 18, 2013)

If you're looking for something good on TV on Monday nights, look no further than A&E's Bates Motel, a brand-new prequel series that shows you the genesis of the villains from Alfred Hitchcock's classic film Psycho.
If there's one thing I love in movies and television shows, it's solid character depth & development. I already love Psycho for its memorable characters, plot twists, and the way it lends genuinely frightening psychological terror to its story at a level that remains unmatched 53 years after its release.

So as a fan, I was both ecstatic and skeptical to hear about the Bates Motel television series which chronicles the goings-on of teenager Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore, looking very much like a young Anthony Perkins) and, of course, his twisted mother Norma (Vera Farmiga). I was ecstatic to get a detailed look at the genesis of these infamous horror-movie villains, but I was also skeptical about it tarnishing Hitchcock's legacy. But with the solid development crew of Lost's Carlton Cuse and Friday Night Lights's Kerry Ehrin, a bit of my faith was restored, and I'm glad to report that they didn't let me down.

The first episode features a newly widowed Norma and her son moving to a new house overlooking the Seafairer Motel in California. Young Norman begins to assimilate into his new school by trying out for the track team and making new friends, with a budding love interest to boot.

It's fun watching Norman try to emerge from his shell while also coming home to deal with his controlling mother, but I got confused at times with the continuity angle the writers were trying to take. Bates Motel is clearly a precursor to 1960's Psycho, so why does everyone have an iPhone? I suppose this is a ploy to move the story into the present day, which is fine; it just didn't align with my expectations right off the bat.

My favorite scene this week came after Norma & Norman stash a dead body in the bathtub of one of the motel rooms. The cops come by to introduce themselves just as the Bates' are removing the blood-stained carpeting. Sheriff Romero (The Dark Knight Rises's Nestor Carbonell) asks to use the toilet and walks into the same bathroom where the body is stashed. I loved the aerial shot they got looking down at the body in the tub from above with Sheriff Romero standing at the toilet directly next to it, completely aloof. And the looks on Highmore's and Farmiga's faces were priceless!

I really loved the first episode this past week, and I'm anxious to see what's in store for us next at Bates Motel. A must-watch if you're a fan of the original film or FX's American Horror Story.