The day that all horror Fans dreaded has come and passed: the end of the TV masterpiece "Bates Motel." Rare is it that a show comes up with so wonderfully crafted story lines. bates motel was a series that didn't leave huge holes in its script, though sadly, there is now one in the lives of those who waited weekly for their horror fix. For them, this weekend is going to be as lonesome as the halls of the old house itself now that Norman is gone.
The show had new twists to the old Alfred Hitchcock classic "Physcho," by making it so that the setting was that of modern times, yet the haunting mood of the original permeated, even in color.
Long time fans of the franchise will recall that Vince Vaughn played Mr. Norman Bates with stunning skill in the spooky Gus Van Sant directed remake from 1998. Those who did were thrilled by the slightly less quirky but still totally believable performance of the series anti-hero, Freddie Highmore. Some may even recall that he and Johnny Depp were the only good things about the failed Burton "Chocolate Factory" turkey.
Mrs. Norma Bates
Accedemy Award nominee Vera Farmiga was the unexpected change made to the idea of the original script. Farmiga played Mrs. Bates, the mother who was already dead in the original works. Easily one of the hardest roles ever tackled on TV, Norma needed to be stressed, kind, murderous, sexual, angry, happy, confused, funny, or depressed depending on what Norman imagined her to be doing.
Farmiga may be the only actress in Hollywood who could have done such an immaculately perfect job.
That is not to say that other characters did not stand out. There was not even a faulty performance from guest star, Rihanna, whose music is tedious, to say the least. Her acting, however, was not bad at all, much to the relief of fans who feared that her acting would be as her music is.
Still, it would have been nice to see her "get it" in the Shower Scene as we all expected, right?
About that shower scene
The change in the classic shower scene was easily the most unforeseen alteration, but it worked masterfully. It was fresh and probably the most "out of the blue" moment in all five successful seasons. The same was true with how Norman acted in certain bars as he became Norma, another superb performance by Highmore.
Finale spoiler alert
Fans of the show are left to wonder why Norman's brother did not opt for a taser instead of getting a gun from the black market? If the show had any weak spot at all, perhaps it was here. That said, as Norman lied bleeding out, fans knew one thing; there was going to a huge unfillable hole in horror weekend.They ended the series far too soon.
RIP, Mr. Bates.
