Bates Motel

Checking in means checking out what's in store for the second season, and the tantalizing possibilities are gleaming like the surface of a highly-polished knife blade.

The direction and writing are subtle but intriguing, like Highmore's innocent grin.

Their [Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore as Norma and Norman Bates] scenes together vibrate with awkward energy and pent-up rage, even in seemingly simpler moments, like an afternoon driving lesson--what could possibly go wrong?!--and an audition for a local musical. The scenes without them, though, can be serial momentum killers.

Bates Motel developed into a watchable, character-driven thriller in its first season. As season two begins, it seems poised to maintain that same level of quality.

There’s not a lot going on in Bates Motel--a couple of murder mysteries, the slowly evolving picture of Norman’s true nature--and there’s no guarantee that the show will be able to keep its delicate balance of humor and spookiness, without pushing Norma and Norman into caricature. For now, though, it’s inherited the “Dexter” mantle as the serial-killer show to watch.