The Ringer Season 1 Episode  6-b recap

I know I’m the one always preaching to give shows a chance.  That you can’t know everything you need to know in two episodes.   And there is nothing harder than making a brand-new show.   You have to give the audience enough to make them interested but also lay out your story, without making it all exposition.

But even knowing all this, Ringer had been slowing to a crawl for me –  until this episode.

Now we get some real pathology.  Now we get to play a fun game that isn’t “Is Bridget surrounded by crazies?” but the much more entertaining “Who’s the most nuts of all these people?”

Let’s just examine Bridget for a second, shall we?   As I’ve expressed earlier, I really really like that her addiction issues continue to be front and center, and that the issues with Juliet (while convenient, let’s face it) have forced her to confront them over and over again.   But are you seriously telling me that the stress of ASSUMING SOMEONE’S IDENTITY wouldn’t be enough to trigger using again?   Seriously?  It’s not that I don’t believe she’s committed to her recovery; it’s clearly very important to her.   It’s just that if you’re not bumped by the fact that your sort-of alleged best friend was just murdered, if that doesn’t make you want to reach for something more than when you were just posing as your sister and dealing with her husband, well … maybe you should be worried?

Yes, I know.   I know she had the bag of Juliet’s drugs (although, what else was in there, besides weed?) but I get the impression Bridget used to go in for the really harder stuff, you know?

Anyway, back to poor dead Gemma (although, selfishly I’m happy as I couldn’t believe two of the three shows I’m writing about had a character with that name).   So I don’t believe for a second that her husband didn’t do it, although since he believes Siobhan is in front of him (and could have, conceivably) I guess we have to take him at face value.   I know the montage at the front was designed to make us think that he did it but the fact that he hasn’t so much as uttered the words “I hope she wasn’t in too much pain” or “My God, our poor (offscreen) children”, makes me think he’s a psycho in his own right.

Also, was it me or was everyone not at all concerned that the actual BODY was nowhere to be found?   Please let this mean that Gemma will return, blood-crusted and armless or something,  to wreak further havoc.   I’d actually bet money that now that she knows the truth, she’s the one who shows up in Paris to drag Siobhan home. Takers?

Meanwhile, Bridget is framing herself.   Which is actually kind of a genius move but as previously stated, makes me comfortable in the fact that Andrew may be the sanest one on this show.   I might previously have given the title to bitchy little Juliet but she’s about to get into trouble with LOGAN ECHOLLS so that’s a whole other set of problems I can’t wait for.

Sidebar time:   You guys, I know I preach about Veronica Mars too much.  Jason Dohring played a character described in the pilot as the “Obligatory Psychotic Jackass” and he did it with such aplomb AND managed to be desirable.  If you’re worried that Juliet’s teacher romance seems a little milquetoast, trust me, or better yet, watch the damn DVDs already.   Please.  (I’m going to sneak some episodes onto Lainey’s iPad, I think.)   

Also, if you think teacher whatever-his-name-is isn’t going to be mixed up in all this, or maybe even engineered to be there by Shiv, who clearly did hate her stepdaughter, then you are being naively naïve, my friend.

The only person I’m not feeling is poor Bridget’s sponsor, who’s certainly down on his luck but hasn’t done much.    Looks like that’s about to change next week…

Anyway, lesson to me:  If I’m bored, let the  camp be turned up.   Fun times ensue.   Can’t wait for next week!