Ringer 1.21 'It's Called Improvising, Bitch!'

What started out as Catherine and the adventures of the world’s slowest filling tub, turned into the greatest celebration of the crazy mess that Ringer has now become. What’s most surprising about it is that it was the most entertaining episode the show has ever produced. From a critic’s standpoint, it was a total mess, but taken solely at a superficial level, it was undeniably engrossing, and a personal favorite. I think I might miss this show more than I think I will when it’s gone...

Catherine attempts to kill Bridget and Andrew in ‘It’s Called Improvising, Bitch!”. After discovering who was behind the attempt on her life, Agent Machado tries to save Bridget before it’s too late. Siobhan tries to reverse the damage she caused to Henry’s case, but ends up in a precarious situation.

We reached several points of utter lunacy during ‘It’s Called Improvising, Bitch!’, and that’s not even including the most bizarre lesbian twist ever featured on primetime television. Though the majority of this week’s instalment was focused on Catherine’s unravelling, Siobhan’s side scheming was the what throttled the show’s overlapping arc forward, even if it came completely out of left field. Her “inconvenient” situation when her labour kicked in was grounds for some of the craziest writing I’ve ever seen, and just when things couldn’t get any crazier, they throw an overdose into the mix. But why not, right? They’ve done everything else.

Being the main catalyst for family drama and discord, Catherine’s turn into pure crazy was one of the few character switch-ups that worked. They were sloppy, but each of the episode’s opening flashbacks gave a woman with such a short fuse, enough of a motive to pursue a vengeance fuelled vendetta. I discussed last week that this is the kind of story that could really have fluffed up the introductory arc at the beginning of this season, and forced the show in the right direction. Serious, and affecting stories have never been Ringer’s strong suit, it’s fact that stupid, campy and bonkers are what drives it, so why not commit to it full on?

Obviously, the biggest truth revealed here was Olivia’s secret connection with Catherine, one of the most ridiculous and absurd twists the show has ever attempted, and that’s saying something. Jaime Murray is a solid performer who can commit to just about anything, and her sultry, mysterious demeanour fed into an idea as weird as this. I’m not saying the flashbacks were natural, or even marginally believable, just that they were sold well enough for me to buy into the episode’s events.

Catherine’s manipulation and subsequent breakdown weren’t just a simple device to fill up 40 minutes with some of the most unusual plots twists in history, it fed quite interestingly into the show’s main premise, and where this whole story began; Bridget’s identity. “Whose life is so pathetic that they have to live someone else’s to be happy?” It’s rather strange that this plot is probably going to be what brings Bridget’s deception to an end, especially considering how strange her position on this show has become since she arrived. Regardless of how where this show's primary plot has ended up, I think it can I can finally stop caring about how “bad” it is, and just let it all sink in.

I feel like I may have to surrender my dignity after saying this, but ‘It’s Called Improvising, Bitch!’ was television gold. It may not have been in exactly the way Ringer intended it to be, but there you go. Cannot believe there’s only one more week left. Bring on the madness!

9/10