News & Reviews:

Check out this article I wrote for Diabetes Forecast magazine on Halloween and living with type 1 diabetes. I’d love to hear what you think! 

Hi All! I know it's been forever since I've posted, but I've been hard at work, creating a new website with a friend (you can check out his Tumblr here!). Our new site is called Nintendo Drive, and we'll be bringing you the latest updates in Nintendo news, reviews, countdowns, and more.

I'm hoping to continue writing for Review Hub Central going forward, but for now, most of my time will be focused on Nintendo Drive. Just wanted to drop in and share it with you guys!

Thanks for following all this time! Please check it out at the above link and let me know what you think of the new site.

Monday's new episode of Bates Motel, "Check-Out" was easily one of the strongest episodes of the series. With intriguing insight into Norma's past and chilling glimpses into Norman's future, "Check-Out" is a powerhouse episode that demonstrates the unique potential of this series. As always,spoilers ahead (though you really should have seen it by now)! "Check-Out" nails the post-traumatic malaise that is required after the big reveal in "Caleb." Following the huge revelation that Dylan is, in fact, Caleb's son, all of the major characters are forced to re-examine their place in this increasingly damaged family. Dylan is passed out drunk in his truck, and Norma is almost catatonic for the first half of the episode. She's scared - really scared - and, for the first time, her confrontational approach doesn't work. Her attempt to confront her brother, Caleb is instantly thwarted by her fears, and she flees his motel parking lot in tears. It's a fascinating new side to Norma, and it shows how emotionally damaged she was by Caleb's abuse.

Dylan, for possibly the first time on the series, is fully vulnerable here, and I love his fraught conversation with Norma. He realizes, in an incredibly painful moment, that his mother used her pregnancy to trick her boyfriend into believing that he was the father. Doing so allowed her to escape her abusive family home, and Dylan's tearful confrontation is especially resonant. He feels used; he's uncertain what to do. It's clear that part of him just wants to hug Norma and protect her, yet another part cannot accept his unchosen place in this family. The scene is powerfully rendered, as both Norma and Dylan are fully exposed and unsure how to react. Norman undergoes the largest shift here, as he comes closer than ever to the Psycho Norman Bates. The creepy factor is high from the beginning, as he lies in bed with his mother and reassures her that everything will be okay. Moments later, he's zipping up her dress and massaging her shoulders, all while putting on a father-like performance for her date: "Any idea when you will be home?" Yet, at the end of the episode, Norman fully embraces his mother's persona, and he attacks Caleb as Norma. Interestingly, Norman succeeds where his mother could not, and that final confrontation with Caleb is chilling. The direction takes us inside Norman's point-of-view, where he imagines the transgressions committed against his mother as a child. The attack is highly suggestive, and allows a subtle glimpse into Norman's perspective. 

"Caleb" is ambitious. We're introduced to several new characters and provided a pretty substantial reveal in the final act. In fact, for an episode with essentially four or five new players, "Caleb" is surprisingly effective and really opens up the world of White Pine Bay (the craziest fictional town in America). As always, full spoilers below.  Norma is re-introduced to her brother, Caleb early on, and her reaction is everything we imagined. In fact, it's a testament to Vera Farmiga's strong acting that she can make such a challenging scene believable and memorable. Norma throws her groceries aside and shoves him out of her house. She doesn't see him again for the rest of the episode, but Caleb remains intriguingly behind-the-scenes.

I like the way Norma is introduced to the upper-class White Pine Bay, and that she actually fits in. We've seen enough of Norma victimized, so her subtle wins within the social circle feel well-earned (even if it means losing out to the lead in South Pacific). Likewise, Michael, Noma's new love interest this season, seems like he'll finally be a normal guy for her, but who knows? Maybe he's also running an Asian sex-slave business on the side. Anything goes in White Pine Bay. Norman's scenes are a bit less interesting this week, but his interactions with newcomer, Cody are especially memorable. In fact, Cody's few minutes of screen-time here already provide a more interesting and grounded character than all of Bradley's character moments combined. Whereas Bradley was a bit of caricature of a popular-teenage-girl, Cody has an intriguing presence, and it seems like a troubled family life (which will undoubtedly serve as a connection with Norman). I look forward to seeing her this season, as she has great chemistry with Norman already. On a quick side-note, the memorial-turned-party for Bradley was sort of funny in a dark and sad way, and I like that Emma got some more material in this episode. Her mixed feelings over Bradley were especially interesting. Emma is a great character, and I hope the writers can continue to find a place for her in the series as she continues to grow further away from Norman.

But let's get to that ending... and that twist, which I certainly did not see coming. Dylan is Caleb's son! Yikes. It makes perfect sense (they look so much alike), but at the same time, it's one of the most messed up Bates Motel revelations yet. I wonder if anyone saw that coming (it almost seems predictable in retrospect). I did not; it's just so disturbing and weird that I couldn't believe it. The revelation does raise some questions, though. If this is true, then Norma's victimization with Caleb went on far longer than she told Norman in "Midnight." Also, it makes me wonder what she told Dylan all those years before, and ultimately, whether or not Caleb knows that Dylan is his son. No matter what, the reveal was perfectly executed, with Norman and Dylan fighting on the floor over their mother. I was wondering why Dylan's relationship felt Caleb was rushed (Dylan handing over the money seemed especially fast), but the reveal made it necessary and I think it was a good move. Dylan fostered a relationship with the man who raped his mother: his uncle and his father. I can't wait to see what Dylan does with this knowledge next week. Overall, "Caleb" is a great episode with a huge revelation. In many ways, it changes the direction of the series and forces all the major characters to rethink their roles in the increasingly-twisted Bates lineage. Bring on the next one! How much crazier can things get? -MP