Ringer, Premiere 9/13/11
Ringer, Premiere
Thumbs… down, disappointingly so. I was a big early Buffy fan (you know before Willow became a lesbian witch), so I was really looking forward to Sarah Michelle Gellar's return to TV. But, the vibe of the show is just not for me.
Usually, I'd say that watching the pilot just isn't enough and I usually give most new shows a 2-episode minimum, but I just don't think that's going to happen for Ringer. That's mostly because of it's time slot… It'll be up against my all time favorite sitcom (How I Met Your Mother) and another big-newbie show Terra Nova in the upcoming weeks. I just don't think I can spare DVR space for it. But the other factor is that I just didn't think the pilot was strong enough, here's the recap:
It starts with a flashback. Sarah Michelle Gellar is in a loft space with a guy in a mask. He catches her and they tussle on the ground…
Flash forward… We see SarahMG as Bridget. She's at an AA meeting and telling us she's 6-months sober. Then it's alluded to that she's in an intimate relationship with her sponsor, Malcom. She's whisked away to a seedy motel and we learn that she's supposed to testify against a dangerous gangster in the murder of a former fellow stripper. But she's afraid too and the first chance she gets she handcuffs her bodyguard, steals his gun and heads off to the Hamptons to reconnect with her estranged twin sister Siobhan.
The relationship between the twins is very strained. It's stated that Siobhan's husband doesn't even know she had a sister, let alone that she'll be sticking around. Bridget also tries to bring up someone named Sean, but Siobhan stops her (it seems as if he's the reason the two became estranged).
They go on a boat ride and after some tight-lipped conversation (hey, Bridget doesn't strip anymore!), somehow Bridget falls asleep and when she wakes up Siobhan is gone. She sees a pill bottle rolling around, opens it and finds Siobhan's ring and no pills. She then sees something floating in the water; she jumps in looking for Siobhan… but she's nowhere to be found. Bridget assumes she committed suicide and the only thing she can think of to do is assume her identity.
When Bridget gets back to Siobhan's we meet Siobhan's husband Andrew. And Bridget learns that the two's relationship is more icy than hot. The next day, Bridget meets Siobhan's interior decorator & BFF Gemma, who's worried that her husband Henry is cheating on her.
Bridget calls her sponsor, Malcom to tell him she made a horrible mistake, but he doesn't really ask the right questions and Bridget ends the call when she sees a man watching her from the street.
Bridget (as Siobhan) goes with Andrew to an Opera/fundraising event and sees the same man from the street in the back of the room. She decides it's a good idea to go in an empty room, where the man comes up and passionately kisses her. We find out that it's Henry, Gemma's husband, and the two have been having an affair for awhile now. He won't leave her until she promises to meet him at the hotel the next day, she agrees.
Later, Bridget also meets her step-daughter Juliet (in a compromising situation – having sex!), but was more worried about the gun she hid in her scarf drawer when she caught Juliet and a scantily clad male using a scarf as a blindfold… But luckily Juliet just pulled from the top, so the gun was still safe and sound. But that wasn't good enough for Bridget, she took it over to the loft and hid it in some newspaper…
We also find out that Sean was a little boy from a picture Bridget found…
Meanwhile… Mr. Eyelashes (from Lost) pays both Malcom and Siobhan (really Bridget) a visit looking for Bridget. Both tell him they have no idea where Bridget is and he stresses that the gangster is now out because she didn't testify and will ultimately find her and kill her.
Anyways, Bridget also learns through a very timely call that Siobhan is 4-weeks preggers. Andrew overheard the telephone conversation and the two later tell Gemma & Henry. Henry is none-to-pleased to take a backseat, since the child is most likely his and issues Bridget an ultimatum. Bridget chooses Andrew.
Plus we find out that Juliet was just kicked out of boarding school (again), this time for drugs. Bridget freaks (because she's trying to stay sober), but quickly recovers with the statement "with the baby coming".
Later, Gemma calls Bridget to tell her she thinks she knows who Henry is having an affair with and wants to meet at the loft. Bridget heads over there and we get back to the flashback. She's been chased in the loft by a masked man. They tussle on the ground and she yells out "You've got the wrong girl!" and somehow they tumble into a wall. As they recover, she sees the gun she hid… She grabs it and shoots the masked man. She assumed that the guy was looking for her, but when she ruffles through his pockets he finds a picture of Siobhan (with the name Siobhan written on the bottom).
Then comes the final moment… we see Siobhan lounging on a chaise near a big mirror in Paris. She receives a phone call "Siobhan, there's a problem" and then she hangs up and mysteriously touches the mirror.
For me, they tried to pack so much into the first episode that it felt choppy and not well planned. Plus the obvious low-budget really irked me for some reason. For me, Bridget isn't really a character I want to root for staying alive. To me she seems crazy and Siobhan is obviously off-her-rocker a bit too, since she's clearly involved in wanting/needing her sister dead. I don't know, I'm just not buying what they're selling.
Anyone out there think I'm crazy and want to convince me to give it a 2nd chance? Comment below!
