Review: Sarah Michelle Gellar in Ringer

It would be overly optimistic to hope that Sarah Michelle Gellar's return to television would match "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" in enjoyment and significance. "Buffy" was a once-in-a-lifetime series and role. Still, I bet I wasn't the only "Buffy" fan with ridiculously high hopes going into the first episode of "Ringer."

Even with SMG playing two roles, this is no match for "Buffy." In fact, I'm not even sure it's a good show. On the basis of the first episode, it's not. But that's not to say it couldn't end up becoming somewhat enjoyable.

"Ringer" features that old soap opera staple, the evil twin. And it plays out very soapily, indeed.

When we first see SMG, she's Bridget, a newly sobered up former stripper who's been a witness to a brutal murder. The baddies are out to get her before she can testify, which she doesn't want to do. To save her skin and start anew, Bridget goes on the lam and seeks the help of her wealthy twin sister, Siobahn.

But no sooner do the two get together -- on a boat in a very phoney-looking blue screen scene -- when Siobahn vanishes, apparently dead. Bridget does what any soap opera twin in this situation would do, assumes her dead sister's identity.

This seems like a bad decision, but it turns out that Bridget isn't the bad sister. Siobahn is the bad one. Turns out she's been cheating on her husband, Andrew (Ioan Gruffudd) and all sorts of other bad nastiness. In fact, at the end of the show, we see, not surprisingly, that Siobahn is still alive. She has who knows what tricks up her sleeve, whereas Bridget is just hoping to make a clean start.

And, re-reading all that, it actually sounds kind of fun. Some neat, if done before, twists and a great actress in two roles. But the trouble is tone. There's not a single on-purpose laugh in the whole thing, whereas it could've, and probably should'v, been played as high camp. Instead, everything seems deadly serious, which is a misstep when the plot is so predictable. SMG is a talented comic actress. Some of the best moments in "Buffy" were played for laughs.

There's still a chance that "Ringer" could readjust. This first episode focused mainly on Bridget, who's nice but a little dull. Siobahn, on the other hand, has some potential. SMG played a fun villainess in "Cruel Intentions" and, if they camp it up a bit, she could be very fun to watch as the baddie in this series.

I may hang in there a little longer. Overly optimistic, I know...

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