Revelation

Have you checked out Bates Motel? Inspired largely by Twin Peaks, creators from both Lost and Friday Night Lights came together on cable's A&E network to offer this twisty modern-day prequel to Psycho. Things kick off with Mama Norma and Son Norman -- Bates, of course! -- moving to the quirky small town of White Pine Bay, Oregon after the mysterious death of Norman's father. Guess what kind of business Norma buys in foreclosure so she can start a new life for her and her son? I'm only four episodes in, and White Pine Bay may give Twin Peaks a run for its money with the number of buried secrets -- and corpses.

I don't use the term "revelation" lightly when it comes to actors, but Vera Farmiga is just that in this show. At once sexy, crazy, deviant, compassionate, ferocious, clever, vulnerable, and mysterious, she moves fluidly between emotions, manipulating those around her while sometimes letting her raw, true cracks show. Vera Farmiga *is* this character; she fully inhabits body, mind, and spirit. I can't stop watching her.

p.s. No worries, Freddie Highmore -- you're perfectly cast too.