2012: A Year in Review

2012 was an odd one. Quite a bit happened in TV land, yet not a lot at all in some ways. We saw a heap of shows really hitting the ground running and churning out some seriously great material (see Once Upon a Time, and The Vampire Diaries' third season), the birth of some promising newbies (Arrow), the death of potentially amazing ones (The Secret Circle :( ) and naturally, some shows have run themselves into the ground entirely. Some things didn’t change at all, though, like Ringer’s sucky second half and the Walking Dead’s proclivity for the disgusting and gory. I guess all this is pretty standard every calendar year in television. So, here are my thoughts on 2012, and what 2013 needs to bring.

Ringer 1.22 'I'm the Good Twin'

So, here we are. There’s an overwhelming sense of regret to go along with Ringer’s finale. So many things of importance were finally given a chance to shine, but it was just too little too late. If this episode had happened 10 episodes earlier things would have been a lot different. Certain stories that had been the emotional crux of this whole story were what kept such a lifeless season alive, and if you look back on previous reviews, you’ll see just how positive and happy I was with it. Though they played a major role in this year’s climax, the one thing I had been waiting for, the one event that Ringer could have pulled out of the hat to make this episode the high point it should have been, didn’t even happen. Ugh.

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...

Ringer 1.20 'If You're Just an Evil Bitch Then Get Over It'

Seeing all the parts of Ringer’s year long mystery slide into place is like watching a child force two puzzle pieces together that really don’t fit. It’s fun to watch it unfold, but beyond the flashiness and faux shocks, was there really much substance to it?

Ringer 1.19 'Let's Kill Bridget'

This episode of Ringer sent me on a merry-go-round of emotion. Pulled in from the wildly manipulative opening montage, and subsequently spiraling along with this week’s twists, I was had a high level of expectation for the outcome of this week’s installment. Sadly, the show still seems to be lagging every possible climax in favor of a slower burning final arc. It’s frustrating to say the least.

Ringer 1.18 'That Woman's Never Been a Victim Her Entire Life'

I’m not sure Ringer’s attempt at repair work was 100% successful, especially since I’ve constantly made allusions to the fact that the show is really only entertaining because it’s so nuts. This week, after the explosive conclusion to last week’s episode, a more somber atmosphere permeated, and though it kind of felt a little out of character, there were a number of parts that, for the very first time, felt right.

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.

Ringer 1.16 'You're Way Too Pretty to Go to Jail'

After finding myself lost among this week’s incredulous number of plot twists and strange confrontations, it took a while to really discern where I stand with Ringer anymore. It’s had so many opportunities to reach some sort of soapy pinnacle, but has fallen short at almost every single hurdle. In ‘You’re Way Too Pretty...’ a massive amount of plots started to merge, but among the somewhat intense drama, things just aren’t making a whole lot of sense. Yet the excitement and hoopla is strangely enthralling, so much so that I just can’t look away.

Ringer 1.15 'P.S. You're an Idiot'

Here we’ve got an episode that exhibits a number of issues that Ringer just can’t seem to shake. Major characters are running around brainlessly, plots that should long be over with are still around causing endless exposition that is both unnecessary and embarrassing, and most importantly, a star whose talent is being wasted on second rate writing that should have been nipped in the bud long ago. What’s keeping me from tuning out is that modicum of curiosity I have left to see where this whole thing is headed, but I’m starting to doubt that we’ll ever really find out.

Ringer 1.14 'Whores Don't Make That Much'

Now that, ratings wise, Ringer is essentially the living dead, I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that it may never reach the standard of storytelling that I’ve wanted it to since the pilot. There have been so many missed opportunities, and more than one convoluted plot making it a little difficult to see the good. ‘Whores....’ was an episode that essentially fixed one of the series most glaring mistakes. It rectified the absence of any twin drama, and made sense of each sister’s motivations and character traits, however inconsistent they may be.

Ringer 1.13 'It's Easy to Cry, When This Much Cash is Involved'

And so the saga continues. Still riddled with sloppy motivations, cheap plot devices and a foggy sense of direction, it’s amazing that 'Ringer' is still one of the most entertaining hours of my week. I’m finding a lot to love underneath its many flaws, which are still prominent, but are showing signs of waning. Though, it’s not the first time I’ve anticipated a positive change in 'Ringer’s writing and been left wanting.

Ringer 1.12 'What Are You Doing Here, Ho-Bag?'

While watching ‘Ringer’ this week, I noticed that it's plainly obvious that the writers are really trying to move things along. Obviously, the series has a major amount of mystery to sift through, but in the past few weeks the timing and pacing of all of the big reveals have been spot on, I just wish that something could be done about the little things that are really dragging the series down.

Ringer 1.11 'It Just Got Normal'

It doesn’t say a lot about ‘Ringer’ that I haven’t really given it much thought since November. Given the whiplash quality of its first 10 episodes, I really wasn’t expecting much from ‘It Just Got Normal’, but weirdly, ‘Ringer’ captured me in a way it hasn’t before.

Top 11 of 2011: The Biggest Moments

As we prepare to usher in a new year of television, I have compiled a list of my favourite TV moments and highlights of 2011. It's been a while since I was this excited about television again, considering that past few years haven't yielded much in the way of quality entertainment, but 2011 has been a rather great year.

Mid-Season Assessment 2011: Vol. 2

Continuing on from the previous instalment, Vol.2 of my Mid-Season Assessment will continue to look at all my favourite shows this season, and what has become of them. Vol. 2 includes: ‘The Walking Dead’, ‘Ringer’ and ‘Supernatural’.

Ringer 1.10 'That's What You Get for Trying to Kill Me'

I’m almost afraid if I praise this episode I’m going to suffer an inevitable blow when the series takes a dive in quality, but I think I’ll take the risk. Flaws are still running through the series’ veins, but if this episode is the kind of thing we’ve to expect from the rest of the season, then I can definitely see it working. Problems I myself have pointed out in past reviews were almost all fixed in some way this week, and I don’t want to sound too enthused, but this episode was ‘Ringer’s best effort so far.

Ringer 1.09 'Shut Up and Eat Your Bologna'

There’s a definite sense of things starting to come together with ‘Ringer’, if only due to the various story arcs colliding during this episode. What’s still unclear are the motives of those involved, which are still pretty hazy, though I assume things will start to make a lot more sense soon enough.

Ringer 1.08 'Maybe We Can Get a Dog Instead?'

After the disappointment of last week’s hour, I found myself pleasantly surprised with this offering. It seems as though the writers are trying to give their character’s some depth, as well as adding some weight to a lot of their stories. A lot of it was pretty standard but there’s no denying that this episode was one of the best so far.

Ringer 1.07 'Oh Gawd, There's Two of Them?'

‘Ringer’ is far more entertaining if you just sit back and let the twists and turns pull you in, since it’s starting to become apparent that the characters aren’t the main priority of the writers; they seem far more concerned with the shock factor.

Ringer 1.06 'The Poor Kids Do It Everyday'

A series that can keep the shocks coming is a good one in my book. I love when you think you know what’s going on, but it turns out you were completely wrong. This happened to me at several points during this week’s episode which was undoubtedly the best one so far.