"Ringer" begins! S01E01 Review.

And so once again all is right with the world as Sarah Michelle Gellar returns to our TV screens, not with a bang but with more than a whimper. But lets not get ahead of ourselves.

First off I've got to state how much of an SMG fan I am, to me "Buffy" is up there with the television greats and serious credit needs to be given to Gellar for that. In other words Im beyond excited to get my weekly dose of Gellar even if she isn't kicking vampire ass. Secondly, as anyone whose followed the development of this project knows its had a rocky start. "Ringer" started off as a CBS show and as the decision was being made as to whether or not the show would be picked up us fans were put through hell. First it was picked up and then it wasn't and then it was being shopped to different networks and then it was cancelled and then it was on CBS and finally it found its home on The CW. In short it was a confusing time. What one wonders now is, how this move to The CW affected the show? Personally I'm happier with that move. The show has a great premise and being The CW gives the show more room and time to grow. Now lets get down to business and see does the show match up to the expectations of the people!

Lets start with the good, which despite some other reviews there was plenty off. Like I said before I really do love the premise of the show. Its fresh and original and coupled with the noir styling of the show its something different on TV. The plot itself was well paced for a pilot. The reveal that Siobhan was still alive at the end of the episode was surprising, to me at least as I knew as little as possible about the pilot before diving in. The cast, which not only brings Gellar back to TV but reunites her with "Lost" star Nestor Carbonell (excuse me while I have a Nerdgasm) as well as "Life Unexpected" leading man Kristoffer Polaha do very well with what they've got! The cast has a lot of recognisable faces and everything is played to their strengths. The only real weak link I found in the cast was Ioan Gruffudd but I think thats maybe because he just hasn't had a lot to do yet. What Im really excited to see developed are the storylines surrounding Siobhans, presumably dead?, child Sean and Bridgets role in that. As well this I think Bridgets sobriety could be a goldmine of stories and I hope its not simply thrown aside.

And now the bad. While I thought most of the pilot was wonderfully shot I had two problems. The first that boat scene. It just looked entirely out of place with the sleekness of the rest of the pilot. It looked odd to see Gellar just bouncing around my TV screen with not a lot else going. It even appeared that Gellar herself was uncomfortable in that scene as her acting was a bit off! My second problem was the overuse of mirrors. Okay we get double identity, twin sisters and the rest but not every scene needs to being with a reflection. I think when used sparingly, like the bathroom scene or Siobhan in Paris at the end, it could be effective but if its used this much it becomes ridiculous. Something else I wasn't entirely keen on was Siobhans step-daughter Juliet. We've seen the whiny rebellious teen a million times and if this show wants to be taken seriously and not labeled a typical CW teen drama it needs to do something very inventive with her story.

Overall I really liked the pilot but Im aware my undying to loyalty to "Buffy" and "Lost" may be clouding my judgement. While it may not have been the greatest episode of television it was entertaining and left asking enough questions that I'll definitely be tuning in to get some answers.