Heading into last night’s series premiere all I could think was “BUFFY’S BACK!!!!!!” But if I don’t reign in that kind of thinking and cease with the continuous compare/contrast, it’s going to be a long next few years (notice my use of positive thinking towards the longevity of this show).

The first half hour of Ringer didn’t really impress me, but it wasn’t until the last 15 minutes that I realized nothing we’d seen was really as it seemed (this gives me hope for the suspense level of the show). And as the mini-interviews that ran throughout the episode kept emphasizing, this show will require some patience as the layers of each character are slowly revealed.

The Lying Game, which is a comparable new show for a younger crowd, also took two episodes to really hook me so I kept that in mind just in case the whole Buffy appeal wore off. Fortunately, it did not and by the time the episode wrapped up for the night I realized that this show could provide a certain level of suspense as long as we’re willing to offer up patience.

Key Points

The fake twinnery we were forced to watch was really poorly done. This is probably because we won’t have to see Bridget and Siobhan side-by-side very much, so they didn’t feel it was important to make it look good.

Siobhan committed suicide…but not really. When Bridget got the call from Siobhan’s doctor, I assumed that Bridget had some sort of disease and she wanted to end things before it got bad. False. Siobhan faked her suicide. We don’t know why and this may be just one of several mysteries the premiere set up.

Andrew, Sibohan’s husband, originally came off as distant and rude. He’s still seems decidedly uninterested in his marriage, but we learn that this is really just a reaction to Siobhan’s affair and detached attitude. His relationship with his daughter Juliet is a tad rocky, which may or may not be due to Siobhan’s role as the evil step-mother.

Bridget learns that Siobhan was sleeping with Henry, her best friend Gemma’s husband. Although Bridget ending things with Henry when he gave her an ultimatum, this probably isn’t over. Still not sure if Siobhan was really in love with Henry or if he was just something to do while she passed the time as a rich bitch.

Bridget is an alcoholic and former prostitute. However, since she didn’t fake her death and try to have her twin killed, she’s winning the morality race between the two. Her best friend and the men in Siobhan’s life immediately realized the difference between the two women, but not enough to make a bid deal about it or even think that she wasn’t herself.

Who is Sean? He’s first mentioned when Bridget attempts to apologize to Siobhan and later when we see a picture of him and Siobhan in her jewelry box. I’m thinking he’s either a son or a little brother, but I’ll hold any further speculation until they give me more to work with.

Siobhan is/was pregnant and Bridget, who couldn’t take two seconds to make sure she was alone, said this in front of Andrew. Unless Bridget is preggo herself, there will probably be a “miscarriage” or she’ll pretend she was never pregnant to begin with.

Bridget will no doubt have to balance Siobhan’s life with her own. Victor (the FBI agent) and Malcom (Bridget’s sponsor) are part of the main cast, so that part of Bridget’s life will probably overlap. A decent recipe for multiple romances as well.

Quotes

“You’re already forgiven, you just need to forgive yourself.” (Siobhan to Bridget….since it seems she tried to have Bridget killed, this is highly unlikely)

“I’ll just hook up with one of the workmen. I’m sure contractors make more than out of work novelists.” (Gemma to Bridget-as-Siobhan who she doesn’t realize is the one having an affair with her husband)

“Why can’t we just be nice to each other, for real?” (Bridget-as-Siobhan to Andrew…..this might be the start of her weakening Andrew’s coldness)

“I feel like every time I clean up a mess, I end up dirty.” (Bridget in a moment of introspection that could be relevant to her new life being Bridget-as-Siobhan)

Next week’s episode: Double Cross