2. The Performances
There is a scene in the original
Psycho which is probably one of the most well written scenes in movie history. Marion Crane, tired from her long journey and still conflicted about the money she stole from her boss, unwittingly pulls into the Bates Motel. She is greeted by the friendly but slightly awkward Norman Bates, who invites her into his parlour for some dinner. They bond and there is the suggestion of a potentially deep connection. Then talk turns to Normans mother and it becomes clear how unhappy he is. Marion gently suggests that he puts her someplace, meaning an asylum, and his offended reaction is the first hint that there is something very wrong with him. Every line Anthony Perkins delivers in this scene is infused with menace, but it is so brilliantly underplayed; his body is rigid, his face almost impassive with slight twitches being the only hint at how furious he is. Everything about this moment screams repression. Norman cannot outwardly express emotions well at all, and Perkins absolutely perfect performance makes this very clear. It is a classic scene in a classic film and the reason Im bringing it up is that in
Bates Motel there was one moment when I sat up and said out loud; holy crap, this IS Norman Bates. It is during a scene where Norman becomes angry with his new friend/love interest Emma and his reaction evokes Perkins brilliantly without mimicking him. Its all there; the rigid body, the rage in his voice, the slight tremor as he tries to keep under control. It is something small that is just so utterly
Norman and I was thrilled when I realized how well Highmore understood it. His Norman is likable and sympathetic but simultaneously creepy and sometimes terrifying. Then there are the other major players; Vera Farmiga plays Norma with so much understated manipulation and malice. Her reaction in the opening episode when Norman asks her to sign a permission form for him to join the track team immediately says so much about both her and her son. She reacts with exasperation and disappointment, and it becomes immediately evident how controlling she really is, making Norman feel guilty for wanting to have a life outside her. Likewise when she first meets Emma, who suffers from cystic fibrosis. Within moments she sweetly asks what the poor girls life expectancy is, right in front of a disbelieving Norman. She is a dangerous, vicious woman and her evolution into the shrieking voice heard in
Psycho is not much of a stretch to imagine. An actor who wont be under nearly as much scrutiny but is also doing sterling work is Max Thieriot as Normans half-brother Dylan. Introduced in the second episode as Normas son from an earlier relationship, Dylan is an angry, snide character unafraid to turn to crime to support himself. Thieriot plays him as a hurt, damaged man who clearly has a lot of resentment toward his mother. His scenes with Norman are uniformly excellent, as we see their relationship turn from mutual dislike to something closer to brotherly love. Dylan may have been initially telegraphed as an antagonist, but in the space of a few episodes he has become one of the most sympathetic characters in the series, along with Norman himself. That is in no small part due to the strength of Thieriots performance.