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Ringer: Let's Kill Bridget

"Don't be so Welsh. You can say you got shot -- it'll give you street cred."

Part of the problem with a show that roots its foundation in fake-outs is that you end up spending most of your time trying to spot the fake-out before it arrives. Throughout it's nineteen episodes, Ringer has gone out of its way to set up shock cliffhangers, before pulling back and revealing a frequently annoying sleight of hand. But it's become so routine that any effect they once had has rapidly vanished. "Let's Kill Bridget" opened with three separate cliffhangers. We saw Andrew making out with Catherine, Henry being interrogated by the police, and Bridget (or is it Siobhan?) lying dead on the ground with a bullet in her chest. Maybe ten episodes ago we would still see all this and be mightily intrigued, but at this point you just wait for the inevitable truth to come flying at you.

As a result, this episode was sort of a drag. Machado once again became a little more interesting, and as he's become one of those '80s-movie style 'renegade ex-cops', he should surely become tougher and more ruthless from here on out. His scene with Bridget was also pretty absorbing, in particular Bridget's realization of his emotional involvement in the case. But it quickly began spiraling out of control soon after, Machado coming up with this ludicrous plan to fake Bridget's death (with Bridget-as-Siobhan 'playing' Bridget... gah) by taking photographs of her (what do you know!) lying dead on the ground with a bullet in her chest. I guess he'd then pass these around among the Wyoming criminal underworld... and this show just got stupider.

Elsewhere, it was clear from the off that Andrew and Juliet were manipulating Catherine, but it was good luck on their part that Catherine has become another Ringer moron, what with not being at all suspicious that the Palm Springs house cost the exact same amount of dollars that she stole from Andrew just a couple of weeks ago. The cliffhanger ending, revealing that Catherine was presumably behind the initial hit on Siobhan way back in the pilot, was naturally pretty juicy, but not exactly the show-rattling twist it probably should have been -- what with Catherine already being a soulless freakshow monster. It's not a surprise to add murderer to her wrap sheet.

"Let's Kill Bridget" was wall-to-wall stupid, but I appreciate that the show is playing catch-up with all the various plot berries that have been dropped since Ringer first began. And Sarah Michelle Gellar did sell the hell out of that twin confrontation, even if it was naturally another fake-out.

Notables

- Blah, blah -- dramatic license -- blah, but surely it's illegal for a cop to tell a potential murder suspect the identity of whoever tipped them off?

- "MARTIN/CHARLES PONZI FRAUD". Hahahahahaha.

Quotage

Juliet: First he sold the loft, and now I guess he's even selling the house in Palm Springs.
Catherine: Who cares? Palm Springs is for gays and old people.

Machado: Bodaway and his crew, they're going to be a threat to you and your family until they see your sister dead. So let's beat 'em to the punch -- let's kill Bridget.

Previously posted at Unwelcome Commentary.

8 comments:

  1. It would be very cool to make a Mad Libs for how to review this show. For instance:

    [Character] once again became [adjective]. But it quickly began spiraling out of control soon after, when [character] came up with a plan to [verb] by [verb]ing the [noun phrase].

    Elsewhere, it was [clear/ambiguous] that [character] and [character] were [verb]ing [character], but it was good luck on their part that [character] has become another moron. The cliffhanger ending, revealing that [character] was presumably behind the initial [insert name of plan here] back in the [episode title] was naturally pretty [juicy,dull, obvious, surprising], but not exactly the [juicy/dull/obvious, surprising] twist it should have been.

    :-)

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  2. Oh God, are these all reading the same? I feel like I repeat the same complaints every week, but I hadn't realized they were literally melting into the exact same review every seven days...

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  3. Oh, no! No no no! [said in tone of worried concern, not anger]

    Your reviews are the highlight of my Wednesday mornings. It's just that the plots you're describing all sound the same, but with different characters taking different roles.

    (I swear my first captcha phrase had an umlaut in it. That's not even fair!)

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  4. Max, your reviews are the only thing getting me through to the end of this series. I am stuck watching it until the end since my young teen kids are watching it too and want to see how it ends. Keep writing these great reviews since they make me laugh every week.

    I loved your Mad Men review, too, and, now, that is a show that is a joy to watch (and rewatch).

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  5. No, they aren't reading the same..the show is treading water, but the reviews are great. Yes, I think it's illegal to tip someone off on who told the cops about them..or it should be. Catherine is now as stupid as everyone else..until the plot requires otherwise. Bleh.
    Anna

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  6. This really is a mess of a show. But like I´ve been saying all along it makes me laugh along with the entertainment weekly recap.

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  7. Hahha Max so glad you also noticed that horrid search engine scene with Henry! My God it's details like these that make me loathe this pathetic excuse of a show!

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