Ringer - Pilot, S01E01

First emotional response - frustration that I will have to wait a week to find out what happens next, and indeed that I will continue to only get 45 minute installments of the development every week. Ringer is certainly the kind of show one will devour like candy as soon as it is released on DVD.

The premise is terrific. What would you do if given the opportunity to escape the troubles of your life so perfectly? Starting over in seemingly much improved circumstances appeals to many, and the cautionary message that at least in our own lives we are aware of all the different complications reminds us that things might look greener on the other side of the fence, but perhaps that's because dangerous pesticides give it a certain luster.

I am pleased to see Sarah Michelle Gellar on TV again, having loved her since Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She still portrays both strength and vulnerability with believability, but now gets to throw in cold calculation to the mix. Watching her play two characters, one of which is pretending to be the other, I cannot always be certain of whether we are encountering Bridget or Siobhan, but I would say that this is more of a directorial choice to leave the audience confused than a lack in ability on Gellar's part to make the two subtly but markedly different. Give that time.

As for the mystery and the trouble both women have got into in their lives, we easily side with Bridget. Oh sure, she was a stripper, a prostitute, and a drug addict, but somehow I find that far easier to forgive and ignore than Siobhan's adultery and manipulation. Bridget is trying to find herself, to fix her life, and she may not be going about it the best way, but the path is certainly commendable. Siobhan, on the other hand, clearly just wants things to go her way.

What do you think of the two sisters? And will you be watching again next week? I know I will be.