# The Bates Motel: Psycho Pre-Quel Series Starts Tonight On A&E **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 18, 2013, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bates-motel-psycho-pre-quel-series-starts-tonight-on-a-e/653268 "2013-03-18T15:50:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bates-motel-psycho-pre-quel-series-starts-tonight-on-a-e/653268/21 "2013-03-21T02:52:22Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > Finally saw it last night. > > Oedipus meets Mommie Dearest - with knives instead of wire coat hangers. > > Fun! We watched half of it last night, worked on a rental all day today on our day off. šŸ™‚ Perhaps we will finish tomorrow. I wonder who will kill the girl friends. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bates-motel-psycho-pre-quel-series-starts-tonight-on-a-e/653268/22 "2013-03-21T15:29:04Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Probably. On the other hand, Mr-soon-to-be-living-the-rest-of-his-short-ass-life-in-agonizing-pain Rapist did say that he was fishing buddies with half the cops in the town, so you would think the PD would have had a heads-up that his place was foreclosed-upon and then sold merely from all the bitching he did about it. šŸ˜‰ Or that was just a lot of big talk so she wouldnā€™t bother trying to call them when he broke in later. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![piepiepie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@piepiepie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/piepiepie)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bates-motel-psycho-pre-quel-series-starts-tonight-on-a-e/653268/23 "2013-03-22T03:45:59Z")
I wonder how long itā€™ll be before someone pumps that lake he was dumped in and how many bodies will be at the bottom of it when they do. This is an ok diversion til Longmire is back on but Iā€™m just creeped out by what I know is bound to happen. If only Norman would listen to the girls telling him heā€™s cute instead of his mother telling him heā€™s her special boy. Itā€™s gonna be like Moral Orel only less messed up. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bates-motel-psycho-pre-quel-series-starts-tonight-on-a-e/653268/24 "2013-03-22T20:21:55Z")
I thought ā€œhalf the cops in this town may or may not be my buddiesā€ would make a good Trope but seems theyā€™re not interested, citing the existance of Screw the Rules, I Have Connections\*, Friend on the Force\*\*, and Police are Useless\*\*\*. \*connections which donā€™t necessarily exist. \*\*even though the character is not a detective. \*\*\*no, _calling_ the police on _this one guy_ is supposedly useless. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bates-motel-psycho-pre-quel-series-starts-tonight-on-a-e/653268/25 "2013-03-26T03:32:52Z")
Iā€™m really impressed with the back story that theyā€™ve created for Bates Motel. That town and the people in it are even more creepy than Norma and Norman. Thereā€™s some rich story material here. They already used that book to uncover an old murder. Weā€™re in for one heck of a season. We saw the first hint that Norman is already dangerous. He would have killed his brother. That older brother was lucky he saw Norman swinging that metal thing. Otherwise they would be back out in the boat dumping another body in the lake. šŸ˜ƒ I assumeEmma wants to live life to the fullest? She doesnā€™t expect to live that long with her lung disease. Sheā€™ll have Norman in bed pretty soon. Thatā€™s assuming the poor boy can function. šŸ˜‰ Impotency could be another factor in his Psycho personality. Now we know where Norman learns taxidermy. I guess heā€™ll be spending a lot of time with Emmaā€™s dad. So far this show is surprising me. I didnā€™t expect it to be this well thought out. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bates-motel-psycho-pre-quel-series-starts-tonight-on-a-e/653268/26 "2013-03-26T05:56:25Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > The dead rapist guy hinted that the house and motel held dark secrets. He seemed really practiced and efficient in overpowering Norma, stunning her with blows to the head, and handcuffing her. I think heā€™s done that a few times before. The book Norman found was probably his. > > If this guy has a partner then things are going to get really complicated at the motel. Maybe the partner is holding a victim and heā€™s the one giving the needle shots? > > I wonder if girls have gone missing for awhile in this town? I can see suspicion falling on Norma and Norman for crimes this other guy is doing. Didnā€™t the deputy say that the dead rapist guy and the sheriff had been friends since they were kids or something like that? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bates-motel-psycho-pre-quel-series-starts-tonight-on-a-e/653268/27 "2013-03-26T07:32:18Z")
Yes he did. The deputy also said the town gets its own revenge. Eye for an eye. Norma is in deep trouble. These people will come after her if they suspect she killed rapist guy. They donā€™t need to prove it. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bates-motel-psycho-pre-quel-series-starts-tonight-on-a-e/653268/28 "2013-03-26T16:24:30Z")
And see, I thought that maybe theyā€™d just except Norma into the fold as one of their own. šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bates-motel-psycho-pre-quel-series-starts-tonight-on-a-e/653268/29 "2013-03-26T21:44:40Z")
Normaā€™s really a whackadoo, isnā€™t she? Thinking itā€™s perfectly normal to undress in front of her teenage son. Norman never had a chance at turning out okay. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bates-motel-psycho-pre-quel-series-starts-tonight-on-a-e/653268/30 "2013-04-02T04:30:22Z")
It didnā€™t take them long to confirm Norman is already psycho. That scene with his brother on the sofa was disturbing. Iā€™m pretty sure Norman genuinely had no memory of attacking his brother with a meat tenderizer only days earlier. Then it got really weird when he hallucinates that Norma is in his room demanding that he get the belt. Iā€™m disappointed that they went this direction so quickly. Theyā€™re boxing themselves into a corner with the story. If Norman is already crazy then where does the story go from here? Does he start torturing and killing people every week? They made it clear heā€™s fascinated with those bondage pictures in the manga book. Thatā€™s not the story Iā€™m interested in seeing. Iā€™m beginning to think Emma will be an early victim. She knows too much and seems determined to tell the cops. That will probably result in an unfortunate malfunction of her oxygen equipment. It seems likely one of the townspeople will kill her before Norman works up the guts to do it. ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bates-motel-psycho-pre-quel-series-starts-tonight-on-a-e/653268/31 "2013-04-02T12:08:23Z")
> [@faithfool](#): > > Yeah, I was also surprised that the rape scene was as explicit as it seemed, but overall, I really liked it. Vera Farmiga is awesome and heā€™s pretty damn creepy. I just hope it stays more interesting than The Following has turned out to be. That was pretty explicitā€¦ especially since they seem to be ā€œsilencingā€ some of the curse words. By that I mean the audio is blank when a curse word seems to have come out. I noticed that 3-4 times. Did we ever find out who the hanging upside down from the yard arm in the middle of town burning guy was? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bates-motel-psycho-pre-quel-series-starts-tonight-on-a-e/653268/32 "2013-04-02T12:14:48Z")
No, other than that he was involved in the drug trade and Blondieā€™s father was burned in retaliation. I like this show - Vera is creepy, the town has secrets, etc. Otoh, I wish that Norman wasnā€™t having episodes and that the idea was that he was driven to madness by mom and the town. My prediction is that CF girl will be killed by Normanā€™s brother when she goes back to investigate the shed. I must say, however, that she runs quite nicely for a person with an oxygen machine. šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bates-motel-psycho-pre-quel-series-starts-tonight-on-a-e/653268/33 "2013-04-02T16:13:11Z")
One unanswerable question: Did the house ever have paint? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bates-motel-psycho-pre-quel-series-starts-tonight-on-a-e/653268/34 "2013-04-02T16:29:48Z")
I was thinking last night - ā€œWell, Norman has hooked up (or is hooking up) with two girls, theyā€™ve killed a person and dumped the body in a lake, theyā€™re being investigated by the police, Norma has whored herself out with the cop to keep herself out of trouble, Norman has tried to kill his half-brotherā€¦ but when are they going to do something with that _lawn_?ā€ I never remember the sheriffā€™s name so I just refer to him as Office Eyeliner. ---
**Author:** ![kath94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/67e7ee/32.png) [@kath94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kath94)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bates-motel-psycho-pre-quel-series-starts-tonight-on-a-e/653268/35 "2013-04-02T16:48:18Z")
Iā€™ve been wracking my brain trying to figure out where Iā€™ve seen Officer Cutie-Pie before. IMDB to the rescue! He was the young hotshot pilot on Pan-Am! I wondered about the house, too. Give it a coat of paint! That will do wonders for the image of the Bates Motel. Does the older brother have their same last name? He has a different father, so it would be reasonable to think that heā€™s not a Bates. If thatā€™s the case, then he missed his chance when he referred to his mother & Norman as ā€œMr. and Mrs. Bates.ā€ It should have been ā€œMrs. and Master Bates.ā€ Hee hee! Yeah, CF girl seems to be pretty agile for being so sick. She did have one coughing spell, but otherwise the oxygen tank seems to be a prop. Sheā€™s doomed. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2013, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bates-motel-psycho-pre-quel-series-starts-tonight-on-a-e/653268/36 "2013-04-02T21:42:21Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > One unanswerable question: Did the house ever have paint? Dunno, but Iā€™d kind of like to see both the house and the motel looking normal and well maintained by the season finale. > [@kath94](#): > > ā€¦If thatā€™s the case, then he missed his chance when he referred to his mother & Norman as ā€œMr. and Mrs. Bates.ā€ It should have been ā€œMrs. and Master Bates.ā€ Hee hee!.. My mother & I were the only ones to attend my uncleā€™s wedding (he remarried less than a year after his wife died to a woman he met at a support group) and my new aunt, addressed a thank you card to us as ā€œMr & Mrs Alpha Boiā€. I know she ment well, but it creeped me the fuck out. I also once had a waitress mistake my nephew for my son (understandble) and Mom (whoā€™s 30 yrs older than me) as my wife. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2013, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bates-motel-psycho-pre-quel-series-starts-tonight-on-a-e/653268/37 "2013-04-04T00:11:27Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > That was pretty explicitā€¦ especially since they seem to be ā€œsilencingā€ some of the curse words. By that I mean the audio is blank when a curse word seems to have come out. I noticed that 3-4 times. I havenā€™t noticed silencing of swears at all. But Iā€™ve been DVRing a late night replay, could be they only edit that way in prime time. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2013, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bates-motel-psycho-pre-quel-series-starts-tonight-on-a-e/653268/38 "2013-04-09T04:24:50Z")
I noticed Norma isnā€™t wearing her older style dresses in this episode. Thereā€™s probably a reason. I first noticed the change when she visited Norman in the hospital. She had on a smart looking business pant suit. She wears dresses when visiting the horny deputy but they are modern. Not the older style like in the first couple episodes. Norman got laid. Hooray! I wasnā€™t sure if he could get it up for anyone but Norma. Except of course Norma gets arrested while heā€™s gone. Thats another guilt trip for Norman. Heā€™ll freak when he gets home. They made a point of showing that Bradley lives in an expensive home. I suspect her parents wonā€™t be too impressed with the Bates family. I wonder where Bradleyā€™s jock boyfriend is? Heā€™ll be thrilled to discover what Bradley and Norman are up to. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2013, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bates-motel-psycho-pre-quel-series-starts-tonight-on-a-e/653268/39 "2013-04-12T23:51:18Z")
I was surprised Norma didnā€™t point out that the dead rapist couldā€™ve had carpet fibers on him because he used to friggin live there and he seemed to to be a pig that never cleaned up and thus could easily have still had fibers on his ugly watch. Not that it wouldā€™ve stopped Sheriff Alpert from looking for the carpet, seeing as heā€™s already sure Norma killed the bastard. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2013, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bates-motel-psycho-pre-quel-series-starts-tonight-on-a-e/653268/40 "2013-04-13T00:06:26Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > I was surprised Norma didnā€™t point out that the dead rapist couldā€™ve had carpet fibers on him because he used to friggin live there and he seemed to to be a pig that never cleaned up and thus could easily have still had fibers on his ugly watch. Not that it wouldā€™ve stopped Sheriff Alpert from looking for the carpet, seeing as heā€™s already sure Norma killed the bastard. I was expecting that too. That excuse also works for his belt; Norman can just claim he found it in the house. Hopefully her lawyer will point that out. Of course at this point she can only hurt herself by talking to the cops. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bates-motel-psycho-pre-quel-series-starts-tonight-on-a-e/653268.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bates-motel-psycho-pre-quel-series-starts-tonight-on-a-e/653268.md?page=3)