Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Pilot Watch: Ringer



It’s that time again, oh denizens of the glowing box, (though for some people it’s a flat...screen. Okay maybe a bit much, I digress.) You’ve been hearing about the new Fall Season for months now and it’s time to find out what shows hit the mark, miss it entirely, or what you should hate this year because this stuff got on and your favorite pilot idea didn’t even make it past development! I’m going to mourn the loss of magic cops, comic book adaptations, and CW zombies all fall and no one’s going to stop me. Anywho, it’s hard to judge a show by its pilot alone but we’re going to do it anyway. Check back with FBF for the dual takes of Rachel and Keysha on as many pilot episodes as we can consume as the new season begins. Let's begin with the CW's latest drama offering, Ringer.



http://images.cwtv.com/images/c/photo-gallery/ringer/0062498095c.jpg



 Rachel's Take: I found the Ringer pilot at times to be confusing and not necessarily in a good way.  The twist at the end I saw coming from a mile away so it lacked any shock value at all, I never believe anyone is dead unless I see the body.  I think it has potential, but at times it was soap opera-y to such a degree I found myself laughing at moments that weren’t meant to be funny.  Also, it bugged me when a character would start to talk about something crucial to the past then they’d be cut off by another telling them to not talk about it or that they’re forgiven.  I don’t think it’s too much to ask that we know why exactly the sisters have been driven so far apart in the first place, because the rest we’ll discover along the way.  I’ll give it a few more episodes before I bring my judgement down one way or another, but overall I was left unimpressed.

Keysha's Take: Look, I get that everyone wants Sarah Michelle Gellar to be back on their screens on a weekly basis. I’m a huge fan and I feel the same way, but it’s crucial to take one’s ‘Buffy blinders’ off and realize that the pilot of Ringer is just not...very good. It reeks of try too hard, the soapy elements don’t hit the right notes they’re supposed to, and the musical stings were driving me insane. This is all coming from someone who watched PASSIONS for crying out loud--but there’s room for improvement. I think Ioan Gruffudd and Nestor Carbonell are being as good with their material as they can be. I also think that at least one of the SMG characters is compelling (note, it’s not the one we’ll likely be seeing mostly week after week.) It's hard to care about these pretty people and their problems right now, but I hope the show figures itself out and I’ll give it time to--remember The Vampire Diaries, another CW show, was like Twilight on TV before it started to get good and then it got great.

Will we keep watching?: It looks like yes, but it’s entirely on probation as it currently stands.

2 comments:

  1. I thought it was a bit of a mess. 42 minutes of lack-of-fun, without an intellectual edge, which doesn't really say anything. Sarah was predictably good.

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  2. I found the acting a bit laughable too, perhaps the weak storytelling isn't also helping the cast.

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