Yesterday KSiteTV joined several other media outlets for a screening of tonight’s episode of The CW’s Ringer. The show – one of the most highly-anticipated series of the new year – has had lower ratings than many have expected. Is it worth tuning back in?
Well… here’s our review. Beware of spoilers!
On the bright side, the suspense level is high and in that category, Ringer is engrossing and thrilling. Will Gemma expose Bridget? Will Gemma believe “Siobhan” really is Bridget to begin with? Will Andrew find out about Siobhan’s affair with Henry? This episode asks all of those questions, and it’s so well-written you can’t help but get a bit nervous wondering what’s going to happen next. There are some great character moments with Bridget-as-Siobhan and Andrew’s daughter, Juliet, as well.
On the not-so-good side… I know this is a thriller series and it’s a horrible situation, but the show is a bit of a downer. The producers seemed to imply to us that things will lighten up once Bridget is in a more comfortable place, and I’m not going to suggest that the show be campy or silly, but there’s a reason Sarah Michelle Gellar did so well with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and that is because Buffy got to smile once in a while. New Girl on FOX (which, I may point out, is not on tonight) makes me smile because I see its lead character smile. There’s very little happiness here. Compare that to ABC Family’s The Lying Game which actually seems more on-brand with The CW but also occasionally gives Emma/Sutton some happy moments.
Then there’s Mike Colter’s character, Bridget’s sponsor from back home. It’s really hard to care about a character, even when he’s put through bad things, when he’s a few states away from the main action of the series. The fact that I can’t even remember his character’s name can’t be good, either.
Kris Polaha was one of the elements that made Life Unexpected fantastic and I miss it so much. He’s interesting as Henry, and I’m curious where they’ll go next with him. Ioan Gruffudd as Andrew is just as good, and I feel like he, like Henry actually, has some mysteries of his own.
I’m not feeling the Juliet character at all, and that is a bit of a paradox. I think Ringer needs more “young, hot” characters, but although there was some great material that built Bridget’s character more this week, I almost feel like Juliet is shoe-horned in just for that very reason. To have “young” and “hot.” But unfortunately, her presence – making Sarah Michelle Gellar a stepmother, basically – seems to age Bridget/Siobhan, and that’s one of the last things this show needs, is a lead character that could be “mom” to a teenager. On another network it might work. On The CW, with its young focus, it seems out of place. And I’m not lost on the idea that one of the network’s best series – Gilmore Girls – had Lauren Graham as mother to a teenager. The difference being, of course, that Lorelai Gilmore acted like a teenager herself at times.
The key focus of this episode, of course, lies on Tara Summers’ Gemma character. If the intention of this episode was for Gemma to annoy the bejeebies out of me, Tara Summers is an amazing actress. I can’t really say more without spoiling Gemma’s reactions to Bridget’s admission, but really, although the “whole new kind of bitch” line referred to a different character, it could easily refer to Gemma at the same time. HATE.
The last thing I will say about this episode is it leaves us asking even more questions in a very thrilling way. It’s enough to make me want to watch the next week and keep me as a viewer. New Girl isn’t on tonight, so hey… might be worth giving Ringer a try this week, right?
As for the long-term: Ringer needs something and I’m not exactly sure what that “something” is. I feel like “Sarah Michelle Gellar” is the main draw here and even though there are some talented people on the show, she can’t be only draw for the series. I guess we’ll have to wait and see if and when the show totally finds itself.
Ringer: “A Whole New Kind Of Bitch” airs tonight (October 11) at 9PM (ET) on The CW. See a gallery of images from the episode and come talk about the show on our forum! Here’s a video refresher to catch up on what you may have missed:
2 Comments
Hey…I thought you didn’t like New Girl!
I was a bit unsure on it the first time I saw it, but then I watched again and found that I loved it. It makes me feel good :)