Midseason Finale of Ringer: A Mixed Bag of Good and Bad
The midseason finale of Ringer brought a lot of good things to the table, but it also had its fair share of bad moments. Let’s dive into the rollercoaster of twists and turns that this episode had to offer.
Malcolm and Bridget Unravel the Web of Lies
Malcolm and Bridget finally caught on to the numerous schemes and lies surrounding them, quickly realizing that Charlie had been holding Gemma hostage. Siobhan, showing a bit of heart, only wanted Gemma silenced, not killed. However, when Malcolm called the cops on Charlie, Siobhan’s henchman saw it as an opportunity to extort more money from her. Since Siobhan was broke, she couldn’t pay up, so Charlie decided to blackmail Bridget instead. He confronted her about kidnapping Gemma and demanded $250,000 for her return.
Andrew came home to find Bridget scrambling to gather the money and she told him about Gemma. He offered a beautiful ring to pay off Charlie and insisted on accompanying Bridget to the rendezvous location. Unfortunately, Bridget had gone to Henry earlier in the day to share her suspicions about Charlie and Gemma, and he angrily told her to leave the situation to the professionals, as she kept messing things up. So, he called the cops after seeing Charlie leave the Martins’ apartment, and they trailed Andrew and Bridget to the rendezvous location. When Charlie spotted the police, he called Bridget and told her the deal was off.
Charlie’s Demise and Gemma’s Tragic End
Charlie went to his storage facility, where he had moved Gemma. He shot her, but his “crappy aim” allowed her to survive and knock him down. As she desperately tried to escape, he shot her again, this time fatally. Moments after Gemma’s death, Siobhan arrived at the storage facility and confronted Charlie. She had returned to New York to clean up some messes, and one of those messes involved (accidentally) killing Charlie. She made it look like a suicide and left. Andrew later delivered the news to Bridget that Charlie had apparently shot himself and also killed Gemma. Oh, Gemma, we hardly knew you, and you were becoming so sassy and awesome. This death is definitely a loss.
Siobhan’s Return and the Complicated Love Triangle
Meanwhile, Siobhan decided to stick around New York, which could spell trouble for Bridget. Siobhan also confronted Tyler after he broke things off with her, lying to him that Andrew “attacked” her. She left a positive pregnancy test behind in her Parisian hotel suite and blatantly lied to Tyler that the baby was his. It’s unclear what Siobhan’s end game is, but telling Tyler she’s carrying his baby is an effective way to secure some financial support. Overall, the twists and turns of the Andrew-Bridget-Siobhan-Charlie-Gemma storyline were well-executed and thrilling. Notably, Andrew and Bridget had sex for the first time in this week’s Ringer. Bridget is clearly falling hard for her sister’s husband, and there’s no way this can end well.
Agent Machado’s Uninteresting Side Story
Now, let’s discuss the two disappointing aspects of the midseason finale of Ringer. The first revolves around Agent Machado. For many episodes, Malcolm’s storyline felt like a burden that dragged down the show, not because of his character, but because it didn’t relate to the overall arc taking place in New York. Now that Malcolm has become a more integral part of Bridget’s life, it seems like Machado has taken up his old spot. He spent the episode investigating a stripper’s death (courtesy of Bodaway Macawi). Sarah Michelle Gellar’s former Buffy co-star Amber Benson made a guest appearance as the dead stripper in a flashback that was a waste of her talent and amounted to about five lines. Machado realized his old friend and partner was on Macawi’s payroll, and the whole situation remains uninteresting. Macawi may have been one of the catalysts for Bridget heading to New York, but unless he’s going to head to the city himself and start becoming a threat to her, this storyline is pointless. Machado needs to return to New York and focus on the main story arc.
Juliet’s Troubling Accusation
The other bothersome part of the episode concerns Juliet. She’s no longer acting like a sullen and rebellious teenager, but now she’s crushing hard on her teacher. When she made it blatantly obvious, he blew up at her, telling her that her actions were inappropriate (they were). But he ended up telling her friend to leave the room. Later, Juliet told her friend that their teacher raped her. To be honest, I don’t know whether she’s telling the truth. Either he did do it, or he rejected her once and for all and she’s decided to get back at him. Either way, this is an overused plot device, and I really wish Juliet was more involved in the Martin family drama instead of going off and doing her own thing.
Final Thoughts on the Midseason Finale
As I mentioned earlier, the midseason finale of Ringer had some very strong points. The Gemma situation was resolved (sadly!) and everything surrounding that storyline moved quickly and with multiple plot developments. Now, if only Machado and Juliet could get back in on the action, I would be very happy.
Ringer is currently on hiatus until January 10. Watch a trailer for the January return of Ringer here.
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Thank you. You cleared up a few points for me very well.