BATES MOTEL // A BOY’S BEST FRIEND IS HIS MOTHER

All genres of fiction have people who are renowned in said genre. In the style of psychological horror, the name Alfred Hitchcock stands out. From The Birds to Vertigo, Hitchcock is the father of psychological thrillers. His movies remain popular today.

Bates Motel premiered on A&E in March of 2013, starring Freddie Highmore and Vera Farmiga. The show acts as kind of a prequel to Psycho, which was made in 1960 and starred Anthony Perkins. Psycho portrayed the life of Norman Bates and his obsessive, overprotective mother, Norma. When Norma’s perfect life-and son-is threatened by Marion Crane, a stranger on the run from her former job, Mother Bates takes action, which sets in motion a domino effect of disastrous events.

Bates Motel shows teenager Norman Bates, when he and his mother first move into their famed house and discover all the secrets of the Bates Motel and the town it lives in. Norman and his overbearing mother Norma, and her quest to protect her son at any cost. Norman has a hard time keeping under his mother’s wing, and those two opposite views collide for the worse.

Psycho wasn’t Hitchcock’s first film. He got his start in film, not writing. He also went to college for engineering, making him a jack of all trades. Hitchcock’s first directorial debut in was in 1923 when he directed Number 13, from start to finish. When that movie didn’t get completed due to unforeseen circumstances, he followed it with 10 more films, furthering his career and secureing hisf fame in the thriller film industry. He won the AFI LIfe Achievement award in 1979, just a month before he died of renal failure.

Bates Motel finished it’s first season in May, 2013, with 10 episodes. The first season highlighted Norman and Norma moving to White Pine Bay, where Norma buys a motel going into foreclosure, trying to set up a normal life for her son after her husband dies. Norma is unaware of the town’s secrets, and finding them out could lead to murder. After airing on A&E, the first season was recently picked up by streaming media giant Netflix.

Season one was renewed rather quickly, while season one was still airing. The Hollywood Reporter showed ratings of the show, and logged it as the second most watched TV drama, with a whopping 2.7 million viewers. Actress Vera Farmiga was nominated for Best Actress in a TV Drama at the Emmy’s for her portrayal as Norman’s controlling mother, and Freddie Highmore was nominated for Favorite TV Anti-Hero.

Season two has yet to air, but will do so on March 3rd, 2014, on A&E. It will feature all of the same cast members, including Freddie Highmore as Norman and Vera Farmiga as Norma, Olivia Cooke as Emma, Norman’s love interest, Max Theiriot as Norma’s half brother Dylan, and Nicola Pelts as Bradley Martin, a second love interest of Norman.

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