Twin sisters Bridget and Siobhan (Sarah Michelle Gellar) couldn’t have been more different.  Bridget Kelly is a former stripper/drug addict/alcoholic on the run from the mob. She has witnessed a murder, and her best bet is to testify against the murderer so that cops will drop the prostitution and drug charges against her.

Siobhan Martin on the other hand has long cut Bridget out of her life as she got sick of being disappointed by Bridget, and that Bridget caused a horrible tragedy regarding Siobhan. She has been married to the charming and successful Brit Andrew Martin (Ioan Gruffudd) and is living a glamorous life, and hasn’t told anyone about Bridget.

But when Siobhan contacts Bridget inviting her for a visit, Bridget decides to ditch the cops & the FBI to reunite with her sister. However Siobhan kills her during their boating trip, and Bridget realizes that posing as her sister might be her only way out. As upset that she is, she assumes Siobhan’s identity. But she just wasn’t expecting  Siobhan’s life to be so complicated:  As it turns out, her relationship with her husband is cold and strained, she is cheating on him with her best friend Gemma (Tara Summers)’s husband Henry (Kristoffer Polaha) and that Andrew has a drug-using teenage daughter  named Juliet (Zoey Deutch) who hates her. However Bridget is determined to make the most of this new life- so she tries to make her relationship with Andrew better and ditches Henry.

While his “wife” ’s sudden nice and easy-going attitude makes Andrew suspicious, he eventually welcomes the fact that their marriage has a shot after all. Even Henry eventually has to give up trying to get her back as “Siobhan” seems more into Andrew than she ever was before. She even gets through to Juliet a bit.

But complications for our ringer never ends: FBI agent Machado (Nestor Carbonell) keeps questioning Bridget’s whereabouts, Gemma is sure her husband is having an affair, Siobhan is pregnant and Andrew overhears this, there seems to be a hitman after Siobhan and worst of all-and unbeknownst to Bridget, Siobhan is actually alive and well. She has orchestrated this whole thing, and is trying to get rid of Bridget.

There are only two people know that they switched places: Siobhan and Malcolm (Mike Colter), Bridget’s sponsor & former flame…

*

Ringer is one complicated and engaging drama. The audience is always kept in suspense, and even though we know more than Bridget does, we are still left with good cliffhangers and questions every episode. After 9 episodes into the season, we still don’t know what exactly is Siobhan planning. We don’t know if/how/when Andrew will find about the truth. We don’t know if Malcolm can survive, or Machado can/will discover what the twins have done. And we still don’t know what exactly Bridget did to piss Siobhan off this badly.

The story also has scenes in Paris, France where Siobhan is executing her plan. As the story progresses, Bridget makes some drastic calls, and she even has to admit to having a sister named Bridget. The mob is still after her, and we don’t know about how she will solve the pregnancy issue…

I’ve been a Sarah Michelle Gellar fan ever since Buffy the Vampire Slayer. While I’m glad that the show is over, it is good to have her back as the leading actress. She pulls off the calculating Siobhan and the emotional and struggling Bridget very well. Rest of the cast is also good, and I won’t deny having a crush on  Ioan Gruffudd- that guy does principled/decent leading guy well (check Amazing Grace for proof). And as if the characters aren’t way over their heads already, we are also introduced to Juliet’s new teacher- Mr. Carpenter Jason Dohring (Logan from Veronica Mars/Josef of Moonlight).  I’m guessing they wouldn’t have cast Jason Dohring just to be a good teacher, but I could of course be wrong…

So yes, Ringer is a good show. I love its pace, twists and characters.  I love the moral dilemmas they put Bridget through, and I love that how the former drug addict sister is actually the more moral one. At least she doesn’t try to get rid of anyone who makes things complicated, and is more loyal to Andrew/and nicer to Juliet than Siobhan has ever been. I don’t know how many seasons Ringer will last, but so far, it is one of the most fun shows around.

Fun Cast Facts:

–          Ioan Gruffudd is not actually old enough to have a 16-year-old daughter. Having born in 1973, the 38-year-old would have had to impregnate his character’s first wife at the age of 21, which hardly seems to be the age a financial wizard would settle down… Or Andrew is supposed to be older than Ioan.

 

–          Ioan Gruffudd is from Wales.

 

 

–          We have to hope that Kristoffer Polaha, who plays Henry, is not a cheating bastard in real life. Because Kristoffer is also married and has three sons!

 

–          Sarah Michelle Gellar was born in 1977, the same year as Kristoffer Polaha.

 

 

Other Posts on the Cast:

Sarah Michelle Gellar Trivia

Stardust, The Air I Breathe, Playing by Heart, The Good Shepherd, Hairspray & He’s Just Not That Into You: 6 Good Movies with Brilliant Casts ,

Possession starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Lee Pace and Michael Landes

Buffy The Vampire Slayer: A Love Story with a Real Twist

Jason Dohring

 

Veronica Mars starring Kristen Bell, Teddy Dunn, Jason Dohring & Enrico Colantoni

Moonlight starring Alex O’Loughlin, Sophia Myles and Jason Dohring