Episode Review: RINGER (“She’s Ruining Everything”)
Two episodes into the show, and I don’t know if the writers know what they are doing or know what they want to do with the show. It feels uneasy, not thought through, completely ridiculous, unintentionally funny, and very cheap. What is, when Sarah was miscast for the role, or what is when RINGER should have never survived the pilot season?
Not that this episode was bad per se, but it was bad. RINGER is still somewhat entertaining and interesting, because it has a plot worthy to be written into a TV show, but the writers don’t even use it so far. Instead, they make it themselves very difficult from this episode on, because they don’t include the stories they have prepared in the pilot. For example? Siobhan’s pregnancy. An information Bridget got in the pilot, and wasn’t even mentioned in this episode. Another example? Siobhan in Paris? What’s her plan and what’s her goal, and is she really pregnant? Another example? The fact that the writers haven’t even included the mistrust of the characters against Siobhan/Bridget. They don’t ask themselves question, they just accept that Siobhan has changed “a bit”. That’s just ridiculous and a lot of the thrill of a story involving identity twist gets lost here. I know, the writers need something to fill a whole season and probably decided to wait with that story, but since we’re at the beginning of the series, it is illogical that no one questions Siobhan and her behavior.
The story with the dead body was a bit ridiculous and reminded me of a black comedy. I don’t know if that was on purpose, but if not, the writers just shit this show into their pants. Because it was really shitty. I can buy that Bridget has no clue what she is doing, but even she should think about what she is doing before she is doing it. Not checking the body for information (except the photo of Siobhan she saw in the pilot), and instead trying to forget all about it and sticking it in the treasure box? The most hilarious thing was that the people, who prepared the dinner party, didn’t even check the “body bag”. Seriously… That was the most ridiculous thing I have seen recently in a television show. Even I would be curious enough to look under the cover and see what’s in there, instead of just pushing it to the side, where it’s out of the way. I really don’t know if the writers were thinking here. The fact that the body was out of the box at the end… predictable, but interesting. At least RINGER works, when it comes to cliffhangers. There’s just the question if the writers are able to use them.
The side plots were okay. I quite like the relationship between Bridget and Juliet (Zoey Deutch), and how it could affect the marriage of Siobhan/Bridget and Andrew (Ioan Gruffudd). Though Juliet is nothing but a stereotypical character, I liked that she was included in this show for a reason. I can’t say the same about Henry (Kristoffer Polaha) and Gemma (Tara Summers) though, who are constantly annoying me with their marriage troubles. She thinks he’s cheating on her, he denies it, she doesn’t believe him, blah blah, and blah blah fucking blah. Somebody should kill the two (or just her), because the story doesn’t fit in the show at the moment, and only steals time from the actual identity plot. Though it’s actually good it does that, because the whole secret affair thing is the only story in RINGER I can totally buy at the moment (LOL).
No, I didn’t like this episode very much. yet RINGER is creepingly entertaining at this point. I don’t know if it’s because it’s so bad that it’s awesome, or because the plot is still interesting. But since it’s with Sarah Michelle Gellar, I will stay with this show until the end. Even if it destroys me. 4/10
Metaphorical spotlight for Juliet
Literal spotlight for Malcolm
