Have you ever had a friend, not quite a BFF, someone that you regularly go out with for drinks or lunch to talk and share your life, but you aren’t really sure why you are friends? You don’t really like the person and may or may not have much in common with them. For some reason, you are close friends until one day you just realize that it isn’t a relationship you want to be in any more.
That’s how I feel about Ringer. It was one of the first shows I watched every Tuesday night, but it never engrossed me the way I hoped it would. I wanted to like it, I really did and kept thinking it would get better. Every time I thought it was getting better, I was let down.
That leaves me to officially breaking up with Ringer. But, just like my close friend, it isn’t a cut and dry break up. As I still remain acquaintances with this friend, I will with Ringer too. You are probably wondering what the heck that means. I have a difficult time letting go of relationships because I care too much. That goes with people and television shows. So, while I am proclaiming I’m breaking up with Ringer that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop watching it. For now. The show is moving to acquaintance status to my DVR and watch-when-I-get-to-it list. Why? Because it has the potential to get better.
What finally drove me over the edge? Two storylines: the Gemma kidnapping and Juliet’s relationship with Mr. Carpenter.
In the end, the Gemma kidnapping didn’t mean anything. She could have been killed initially and served the same purpose. Instead we got this ridiculous twisty plot. She is kidnapped and kept in a basement. Got moved. Somehow avoided getting shot. Escaped from the car. Then really got shot and died. Writers … talk about a tease. And, no I didn’t think it was a fun, intriguing twist. It was annoying and my final straw.
What was the point? Supposedly Siobhan didn’t want her to tell anyone that Bridget was pretending to be her? But, how would Siobhan even have known that Bridget told Gemma the truth? What other possible reason could there be? To set up Henry? She loves Henry. Did I miss something? If I did, please explain in the comments. (As I said, I want to like this show.)
Some shows kill characters off successfully, but this was a big fail.
The other storyline that makes me cringe is the relationship between Juliet and Mr. Carpenter. She has been flirting with him to no end and he has done everything possible to distance himself from her. Despite pushing her away, we are now to believe that they had a sexual encounter. This could go one of three ways: she is lying and nothing happened, they had a consensual encounter, or he forced himself on her. None of those interest me. It has nothing to do with the overall story and isn’t at all original.
The only use for Juliet has been as a device to show the new and caring Siobhan to Andrew. Juliet isn’t the only character that I don’t like, actually, I don’t care about any of the characters. That’s not a good sign.
Siobhan is a bitch. She uses everyone. Not a single redeemable thing about her at this point. Plus, what the heck is her plan and end game? No clue! At this point, I should have at least some idea of why both victims and bodies are piling up due to her plot.
Andrew is a corrupt businessman, who had a horrible relationship with his wife. He says he wants to clean up his act now that he is back in love with “Siobhan,” but is it too late for that? He comes across as a big fraud.
Bridget is messed up in her “Siobhan” life and still trying to escape her own life’s mess. If there is any character that I do care about it is Bridget. But, even her actions don’t seem reasonable most of the time.
Henry. Oh Henry. I don’t know what to say about him. He cheated on his wife and now is a single dad with the death of Gemma. Plus, he seemingly has another child on the way with Siobhan that he doesn’t even know about. I want to find him a sympathetic character, but he just doesn’t cut it.
None of it has sucked me in. Rather than trying to figure out the mystery, I spend more time thinking how incredulous the story has become. Though, I’m a big sucker for television shows. While I am breaking up with Ringer … I’m sure I will see where it goes from here. Just like checking out a car crash, I need to see where this disaster is going next. Like my good friend that became an acquaintance, I just can’t give either up entirely.
If you like the twin-life-switching story idea, I recommend you check out the better show on ABC Family — The Lying Game. The first five episodes are available at abcfamily.com
Clacked by Carla Day 
on Dec 21, 2011 @ 13:00 EST5EDT
Carla, I totally echo what you wrote. I’ve been watching Ringer with the hope that I would enjoy it but am finding it almost to be a chore every week for the exact reasons you have stated. I’ll give it another shot in January but, if it fails to meet my expectations, I’ll have to break up with it like you did.