With A&E's past successes of television series gone Netflix, "Bates Motel" was destined for Internet greatness from the start.
The show centers around a young Norman Bates, the lead character in the 1960 Alfred Hitchcok film, "Psycho." The original film focused on Norman's life as a serial killer who would dress in his mother's clothes and murder women.
A&E decided to create this prequel show in 2013, airing ten episodes between March and May. On Jan. 31, 2014, the show's first season became available on Netflix.
"Bates Motel" attempts to show the actions in Norman's life that led up to him committing the terrible acts seen in "Psycho."
While the first film took place in California in the 1960's, this new series does something never seen before in prequels: it changes the setting. The show takes place in modern-day Oregon.
The show still has the same characters, and the events are leading up to Norman becoming the killer people are familiar with, but the setting change gives the show a more up to date storyline Now "Bates Motel" can include today's technologies such as cars, phones and the Internet.
The actor playing Norman, Freddie Highmore, does a great rendition of a scared and confused teenager. His timidness gives a very stark and creepy contrast to the thoughts going on inside Norman's head, which the show reveals later in the series.
Vera Farmiga, however, really makes the show with her stunning performance as Norma Bates, Norman's mother.
Norman has a very close relationship with his mother, but she has a craziness about her that Norman can't see. Her odd and ever-changing behavior gives viewers an insight on what Norman must deal with on a daily basis.
Norma Bates' poor treatment of her son, mixed with the spectacular performance of Highmore, left me feeling conflicted. I knew what Norman would grow up to commit horrible acts, but all I could feel was sorry for him. Within the first two episodes he witnesses four deaths, making his fascination with death almost understandable.
The show also does a good job of revealing things that are unclear at first. Similar to the mysteries in "Lost," clues are given throughout the season, and the final answer slowly reveals itself as you keep watching.
The show involves a lot of flashbacks and thoughts from Norman, who seems to have some sort of schizophrenia. The show does a great job at tackling these thoughts and letting the viewer know the scenes are thoughts without clearly coming out and saying it.
Many of the camera shots are at tilted angles and have eerie settings that greatly illuminate the twisted aspect of each character in the show.
I will give viewers a fair warning, the show is very graphic. In fact, the show opens up with a death, which sets the mood for the entire show, while intriguing the viewer instantly. But for fellow A&E fans, it is nothing we haven't seen before with shows like "Breaking Bad."
As a whole first season, the show is extremely gripping. I watched all of season one, currently the only released season, in three days. There are ten episodes in all so far.
The second season of "Bates Motel" is set to premier March 3 on A&E, so grab your laptop or "borrow" your friend's Netflix password. This is one show you won't want to miss.