It's almost fitting that a show all about identity and duplicity has some of its own identity issues. Pilot episodes are rarely flawless, but I was a little surprised at how Ringer's series premiere was more than a little frayed around the edges. Whether they like it or not, the specter of Buffy the Vampire Slayer hangs over the show. Not so much in trying to keep up with that show's immediate impression, but in the character Sarah Michelle Gellar has chosen for her return to primetime. I was shocked that what seemed to be the main premise of this series wasn't as omnipresent as I had presumed. Bridget and Siobhan are only thinly sketched so far, and despite playing two roles, series creators Eric Charmelo and Nicole Snyder don't give Gellar a whole lot to work with.Around the time of the initial 'switcheroo' with Bridget taking over Siobhan's life, I had the nagging feeling that Ringer would have been so much more fun if Bridget was a little less 'blah'. She appears bruised and CW-level 'trashy', but maintains a dry-humored demeanor and a noble streak. With that in mind, the sketchily drawn explanation for why Bridget switched lives with her sister comes across as more than a little ridiculous. If Bridget were slightly more ruthless and deceitful (think Kathryn Merteuil), the series' premise would be more believable, and the outcome probably a lot more entertaining.
Siobhan, as briefly she appears, seems so far to be the more interesting character. She's stuck in a stunted marriage, is sleeping with her best friend's husband, is at war with her catty stepdaughter, and appears to be orchestrating this entire 'sibling switch' scheme while relaxing in an apartment in Paris. Wouldn't it have been fascinating to see a bitchy, aggressive Bridget stumbling into the life of her sister (somebody she thought was stuffy, repressed and boring), only to discover how dangerous and twisted it in actual fact was?
Away from my hypothetical storyline (which I promise I'll stop talking about), Ringer's pilot was mightily intriguing once you sifted through the underwhelming. While I don't think the show's premise was executed as well as it could have been, there are numerous questions posed throughout the first episode that are enough to keep you tuned in: the old lady pulled up from the shore, the Mob guy, the hitman, Bridget now being a killer. And while there's a lot to take in, it never feels like the show is bombarding you with cliffhangers. The only plot point I had a major issue with was Bridget telling everybody that she's pregnant. Surely from a showrunner standpoint, it would be far more interesting to see Bridget think it over for a couple of weeks before revealing that she's expecting. Instead she opens up now, in the process making this whole scheme far more complicated than it easily could have been...
Of the cast, Gellar is fine, if underutilized. For an actress so comfortable with playing vastly different characters, she deserved some juicier twins to play. Obviously the show will likely add additional shades to both Bridget and Siobhan, but so far they're pretty flat. Of the supporting cast, I thought Ioan Gruffudd gave a lot of depth to his workaholic husband role, but Kristoffer Polaha was scarily monotonous as Siobhan's lover and I have no idea why they made Tara Summers play her part with an American accent. It dipped in and out during every one of her damn scenes.
There's a lot I liked about Ringer. The visual flourishes, the idea itself, Sarah Michelle Gellar. The pilot was nowhere near as great as I had expected (maybe it's my own responsibility for getting so excited), but it would be crazy to say the show doesn't have potential. Regardless of its faults, I'm in it for the long haul. B-
Credits
Guest stars Tara Summers (Gemma Butler); Zoey Deutch (Juliet Martin); Darren Pettie (Jimmy Kemper); Zahn McClarnon (Bodaway Macawi)
Writers Eric Charmelo, Nicole Snyder Director Richard Shepard
I was too hyped (seriously, watched the various trailers frequently). I liked it, didn't love it. But, I'm definitely in for however long it manages to run for (haven't seen much of Gellar since Buffy, and I'm hoping the show will improve). I thought the ratings would be much higher (although, it improved dramatically on 90210 - basically, I'm hoping it can stay steady, get renewed, and really find itself).
ReplyDeleteI was browsing twop before I watched the pilot, and someone mentioned the direction (meaning I couldn't help but notice it). The first group scene felt jarring (you've got the shot, then you zoom out, then you zoom in...eh). Directing the wall during a chase scene is problematic too.
The characters are all quite blah at the minute (granted, a pilot isn't always a reflection of the show ahead - I can't expect Alias or Damages level quality from every pilot). But, like you said, there is time to improve upon that.
Bits and pieces interest me (what caused their falling out, and what siobhan did to cause someone to put a hit on her).
The music really distracted me, too. Eh, it felt very overpowering in places. And that statue...
Anyway, great review. Glad you are covering Ringer! I'm hoping it'll grow into a very entertaining, long lived show.
I was also surprised by the ratings. I guess they overestimated Sarah's appeal. But, in her defense, nobody seems to watch the CW regardless of how much promo their shows get.
ReplyDeleteYou also mentioned two points that I forgot about for my review. The direction was pretty bad. The boat scene was horrible, and there were a couple of shots which I think could have worked better in close-up instead of remaining static on two people standing and talking. I probably didn't explain that well, but I thought the part in the bar with Sarah and Kristoffer Polaha came off really bad, for example.
The music was terrible, too. It felt like such a CW soundtrack, with the annoying ballads every five minutes. It felt wrong and jarring for this show. Either ditch songs all-together and stick with a Bernard Herrmann-style score; or at least choose more interesting songs.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Definitely agree with everything you guys said. Something just felt "off" about the pilot but I nonetheless enjoyed it and will definitely stick around. I have a feeling the show will definitely improve and become excellent television within a few episodes. Here's hoping :)
ReplyDeleteI also have to say that I was a bit disappointed with SMG. Or maybe it's the script's fault. The sisters just didn't feel THAT different and distinct to me. And please, the less said about the horrid boat scene the better. I couldn't believe they allowed that crap on TV! Seriously was the entire production crew blind????
I agree with you about Sarah, but I think that was the writing more than anything. I actually kept thinking about the Buffy/Faith body swap episode, and how wonderful Sarah was at playing this completely different character. She nailed that, and I had assumed Ringer would give her a similar thing to work with. Playing two vastly different women. But that didn't really come to fruition here.
ReplyDeleteAnd, yeah, that boat scene was horrible. It does appear to have gotten the show a lot of press, though. Every one of my favorite sites (Gawker, Dlisted, Vulture) brought that up the day after the pilot aired. There's no such thing as bad publicity, right? Heh.
Thanks so much for reading and commenting.