Ringer

Ringer.  Yesterday night, the CW premiered a new show called Ringer starring Sarah Michelle Gellar.  The premise of the show is that there are two twin sisters - one poor and one rich - who have led very separate lives while growing up.  The poor one has made some obviously bad choices and they have lead her to a serious low point in her life (testifying against a known killer).  The rich one married "well" and lives in the upperclass society of NYC - a "perfect" life.  They are not close and clearly do not share much about their lives with each other.

Just before she is to testify, the poor one, Bridget, shakes her FBI protection to go and visit her sister, Siobhan (I totally love the spelling and pronunciation of this name, just a side note).  They go to her summer house - ridiculously adorned and huge - and decide to take a sisterly ride out in a boat on the lake near the house.  On the boat ride it is clear that Siobhan drugs Bridget and the latter wakes up to find her sister gone, her diamond ring on the boat and a piece of her clothing (I think) floating in the water.  Thinking her sister has drowned, Bridget jumps in the water to try to see if she can save her to no avail.  Siobhan is gone - Bridget believes she has committed suicide.  However, instead of telling anyone about this (and thereby ending the episode and series) she takes the place of her wealthy sister and becomes Siobhan - thus begins our tale. 

Back in NYC, though certain things about her are slightly different (weight, preference in housing, and just overall lack of knowledge of things going on in her sister's life) people accept Bridget as Siobhan.  As time continues, it becomes clearer to her that things are not what they seem.  That though her wealthy sister's life may have seemed perfect on the outside, it was full of secrets and sadness when examined up close.

Do I like this show?  I found it entertaining.  Some of the acting was less than stellar and some was very good - but that's almost always to be expected from shows on the CW.  What really struck me was how similar I found the show to Gossip Girl (also on the CW).  Sure, no one is in high school (except Siobhan's step daughter), but the general feeling of that slimy extremely wealthy life on the UES came pouring through.  The deceit felt very familiar, as did the sense of mystery over just what drama will be revealed next.

I found the story slightly incredulous, but most TV is like that anyway, and I am interested enough to watch a few more episodes to see how this pans out.  If you like Sarah Michelle Gellar or Gossip Girl, I'd say this would definitely be up your alley.  If you just like twisted mysteries that unfold over a season - this may also be for you.  And if you, like me, are just addicted to everything that comes through that little box resting on your TV cabinet, then you probably already saw the show and will be watching whether you like it or not. 

Until the next episode...
Chris