Ringer 1.17 'What We Have Is Worth the Pain'

I’m so lost. Nothing really makes a whole lot of sense anymore, and characters and motivations are more confusing than ever. I guess the whole idea behind Ringer now is to just leave believability behind. I swear, 10 minutes in to this episode you could just hear a resounding “Fuck this, let’s just go for it” but all of the writers’ past mistakes sort of caught up with them, and it was a total mess but, as always, in a weirdly entertaining way.

In ‘What We Have is Worth the Pain’ Andrew tries to silence Bridget when Siobhan makes him think she’s trying to expose him. Meanwhile, Juliet learns the truth about Tessa’s attack and Siobhan reveals to Henry her reasons behind switching places with her sister.

Since this series started, one of the few things that has been consistent, and a delight to watch, has been Andrew and Bridget’s growing bond, and seeing Siobhan’s effects on their marriage fade away. Up until two weeks ago the series has never really deviated from that idea, but now that it’s all been ripped apart. As a character, Andrew has undergone a number of changes and switch-ups that in any other show, would take years, but here any semblance of normalcy and natural growth has been thrown out the window. I get that we’re supposed to believe he has his reasons for doing what he did, and his panicked attempts to rectify this mistake, but his motivations and personality are so erratic that I just can’t believe any of it anymore, though his sacrifice tends to point him back towards his original position as a loving, caring husband. What next, a secret boyfriend?

Siobhan is another character falling in the same territory. Some weeks she’s painted as this misunderstood victim, doing what she has to in order to survive, but others she’s transformed into a vengeful witch hell bent on taking down those who wronged her. I love all of her meddling, and Sarah obviously has a great time playing super-bitch, but is it that hard to give her reasons for doing so some bit of clarity? It’s frustrating for a viewer to not have something concrete to keep us involved with her, and her confessions don’t have any substance, since we know she’s been less than honest on more than one occasion.

More nonsense arrived in the form of Juliet’s return on Manhattan, who has finally learned of her mother’s part in Tessa’s attack. I’m so sick of this plot right now, and there’s generally nothing to attach it to the rest of the series at all, but I enjoyed the believability of her growing bond with Bridget, who's experiencing some not so similar drama of her own. Still, credit where credit’s due, she actually put the clues together rather quickly, taking the news of her mystery man’s identity to her mother, and noticing the smashed wall. If only Bridget could follow her example, we’d all be better for it...

I appreciated all of the plot threads starting to come together this week, like Siobhan’s secret agenda, and Andrew’s past resentment towards her, but the way that it was brought together was just so messy and contrived. Bar the final scene, I don’t think any twist during this episode was surprising in the least, the only real shock was learning that Siobhan wants Bridget dead, and even that doesn’t feel right. Yet, somehow I find something amusing beyond all of this, a mind-numbing jaunt to keep my brain occupied for 40 minutes. It won’t have a lot, scratch that any re-watch value, but sticking it out is more rewarding than not at this point.

6.5/10