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shadowkatI've decided the marketing people at the television networks and/or ad space executives have caught on to the whole DVR/Tivo thing - instead of putting commercials between shows, they put the last five minutes of the commercials right before the last five minutes of the show - so that instead of your DVR cutting off the last one or two minutes of commercials, it will cut off the teaser for the next episode, if you are lucky, if not, it will cut off the last minute of the episode. Clever but also highly annoying.
Ringer
Very oddly written show...okay maybe not oddly written if you are in the habit of watching "American" daytime serials. It's also funny in some of the same ways that American daytime serials are unintentionally funny. (I remember laughing my head off at the daytime serial Texas - these two characters were constantly trying to hide the mummified corspe of one of the character's ex and they were bungling it. It was hilarious.)
After a bunch of fairly slow episodes where we aren't told anything and just go around in circles, then suddenly out of the blue, we get this action packed episode filled to the brim with weird plot-twists and reveals. I have whiplash. Okay grant it, in comparison to a few other series that I won't mention...fairly lame plot-twists and reveals..but you can't have everything. Plus some incredibly frustrating cliff-hanger teases. (Considering we won't have another episode for two weeks, exceedingly frustrating cliff-hanger teases. I honestly think these writers like to torture their audience.) I really hate it when tv shows do the cliff-hanger tease (ie. they tease you that a big secret, a huge thing will be revealed or will happen...but no, something stops it from happening just in the nick of time and you leave the show feeling like someone stole your favorite cookie and you just want to kick them.). I want to say: "Stop teasing me show - you did that last week. It's getting old."
*So, I guess Gemma aka dumbass bitca survived? Charlie aka John did not kill her after all, instead he decided to tie her up and hold her hostage in his basement. So plus side? Charlie isn't a killer. Down side? He's a kidnapper. But hey, can't have everything. Also... Is it just my imagination or did Charlie's accent change when he became John, more rough street and less clean-cut sponsor guy? He also drinks as John.
*Hmmm...apparently Bridget didn't clobber Jimmy the Fed to run away from the Feds and see her long lost Siobhan. She clobbered him because he startled her in the seedy motel room that Feds put her up in. Jimmy tells her to take off, that the Feds protecting her are on the take and the mobster will definitely kill her if she testifies. Bridget's like - okay - I'll tell Nestor (or whatever his name is) that is also protecting her. No, No, says Jimmy - you must run away now. Here, I'll give you my gun. No, says Bridget, I don't like guns - you keep it. But you need protection! (And he inserts it into her bag anyhow).
I'm thinking during this okay...why didn't you tell me that about five to six episodes ago? It's not like it's a big reveal or anything. And it would have helped me like Bridget a bit more, also explained a few things. Introducing it now - after the fact - is a bit...jarring. Plus - if you'd revealed this earlier? The next big reveal would have worked better. You have to build up to these things, not just fling them out there.
The next big reveal is...that Siobhan had Charlie aka John hire Jimmy to convince Bridget to run off to visit Siobhan in the Hamptons. She didn't want him to give Bridget his gun though. But according to Charlie...that was the only way Jimmy could sell his story to the cops? Okay. So now, both Bridget and Siobhan are worried about the gun. Bridget gives it to Charlie to get rid of. (Which Malcom being the smartest character to date in this story outside of maybe Charlie, decides is a silly thing to do.)
This makes me wonder what Siobhan is up to. She's gone to a lot of trouble to bring Bridget to the Hamptons and set Bridget up to play her. Including kidnap poor Gemma.
*Meanwhile Malcolm gets suspicious of Charlie...because Charlie has mouthwash. Yes, mouthwash. Apparently addicts aren't supposed to have mouthwash in the house because you might drink it to get high. Bridget thinks he is being paranoid. Malcolm decides to do a little investigating...and discovers Charlie has barely unpacked. For a guy who has been living in the apartment for months, he acts like he has only been there a week tops. Even the batteries in the remote are still encased in plastic. Not the smartest henchman on the planet, Charlie. But hey, what can you expect, Siobhan picked him up at a church that masquerades as a bar.
Charlie leaving his PO Box key out in plain sight...provides Malcolm with a sizable clue. Malcolm and Bridget set it up so that Malcolm can go investigate Charlie's (John) second home - which the letter and John's second set of keys also out in plain sight lead to. (Take a guy into your home, get him cleaned up, give him a little trust and he starts investigating you...talk about being a chump. This week the most guillible guy of the week award goes to Charlie.) For a henchman, Charlie's awfully trusting and is sort of nice. Siobhan, hon, you need to hire better help.
Malcolm goes off to investigate, while Bridget goes off to ask Charlie to give her back the gun, hopefully without letting Charlie catch-on to her. Considering how well she did with the Siobhan's psychiatrist...I don't have high hopes.
Earler Bridget/aka dumb blond aka Siobet...decided to check out Siobhan's shrink, based on a vial of anti-depressants she found in Siobhan's possession. The shrink does seem a bit taken aback by the major changes in Siobhan's behavior, such as the fact that she picked the couch over the chair, didn't say much at first, and is in a great relationship with Andrew and Juliet. But other than that, she barely notices anything amiss. Instead of finding out anything worthwhile - Siobet uses the session to dish about falling in love with Andrew..nice, but boring and old info. And Malcolm's right - there's no foundation of trust there or anything to build love on, considering she's lying to him about who she is and what happened to Siobhan, 24/7.
Annoyed that she has no more info than she came in with...Siobet decides to break into her shrink's office during the shrink's lunch break, only to get caught. And makes up the lamest excuse on the planet. "Oh...I just came back and broke into your office so we could have more time and talk longer.."??? okay. The shrink already stated that your time was up. That she had let you go over. If I were the shrink, I'd think Siobhan, who normally went by Cora Farrell when she visited her shrink, is nutty or up to something.
Anyhow...she doesn't fare any better with Charlie. It's amazing no one else has caught on her yet. She tells Charlie fairly quickly, with little preamble that a)she wants the gun back and B) she wants it because she no longer feels safe. Okay. Way to keep Charlie occupied while Malcolm searches his house. That took what? Five minutes?
You couldn't have chatted the guy up a bit more? Got around to it slowly?
*Meanwhile Malcolm is getting very close to finding Gemma. Gemma, much like the audience, wants him too and is literally bopping up and down on her chair. Stop hunting in drawers Malcolm, look in the locked basement! Gemma manages to topple her chair over in her frenzied bopping. Bop, Bop, whimper, whimper, Bop, Bang, whoops..Malcolm upstairs gives a look of "huh", then works even harder to unlock the basement door. (seriously Malcolm, I'd be more careful, as far as you know, he could have a monster locked up down there.) It's rather funny actually - which once again raises the question is this an unintentional comedy?
*Charlie says to Dumb Blond who is actually a brunette who died her hair blond...they do say bleach kills brain cells Siobet - that sure he'll get her gun back but he has to have some time. It's not with him. (Well duh. I mean honestly if he was toting it around with him, I'd be a bit nervous if I were Siobet). It's with some guy he hired to remove the serial numbers so it couldn't be traced back to her.
I actually think that's true. Why he told her, I don't know. Although no reason he shouldn't - except that it does show that he knows a lot more about this sort of thing than I'd be comfortable with if I were Siobet. He, being less dumb than everyone else, realizes that Siobet is on to him - because she asked for the gun back and said she doesn't feel safe. Wait...that's a huge leap of logic. There's lots of reasons she could want a gun back. How does he get that she's on to him through "I'd like the gun back, I no longer feel safe?" Sort of like Malcolm's - "Charlie's clearly not trustworthy because he has mouthwash...so I will search his apartment now from top to bottom to make sure he doesn't have anything else that could be tempting???" (I'm beginning to wonder about these writers.)
Anyhow...does Malcolm find Gemma? Oh, we should be so lucky. Of course not! No...Siobet calls him to leave because Charlie/John is headed back. We aren't told how far away it is. Although if I were Siobet - I'd have planned a met that was as far away from the place Malcolm was searching as possible. But Siobet, we all know, isn't the brightest bulb on the planet...and considering Malcolm was able to get from Wyoming (injured) to NYC in ten minutes...it shouldn't take Charlie longer than a second to get home. Which means, damn, no discovery of Gemma. Or worse, Malcolm gets captured again - and I sort of like Malcolm. Although Gemma bopping then toppling over onto the floor was a hoot. This show is quite funny in places.
* Andrew...poor clueless Andrew...is plotting a get-away with wife, while annoyed business partner decides to text him a comfy pic of Siobhan and Henry. I honestly don't see why Andrew would get upset by that pick. They aren't kissing or anything.
They are just posed. Like really close friends. He knows they are friends. Big woop.
If someone sent me a pic like that...I wouldn't react. I'd just wonder why they felt the need to send it.
Like I said above...this show is odd. Lots of WTF moments.
Also what in the heck did Olivia, Andrew's business partner tear up? A divorce settlement...a business deal? It had Martin/Charles at the top.
What were they up to? Why did Siobhan and Andrew hate each other? Is Siobhan seeking vengeance after Bridget and Andrew? Using them against each other? Why? We're more than ten episodes in, I think, shouldn't we have a bit more info on this by now?
Instead of constantly being teased on it? The teasing is annoying. Stop teasing show, and get to business!
Off to bed.
Ringer
Very oddly written show...okay maybe not oddly written if you are in the habit of watching "American" daytime serials. It's also funny in some of the same ways that American daytime serials are unintentionally funny. (I remember laughing my head off at the daytime serial Texas - these two characters were constantly trying to hide the mummified corspe of one of the character's ex and they were bungling it. It was hilarious.)
After a bunch of fairly slow episodes where we aren't told anything and just go around in circles, then suddenly out of the blue, we get this action packed episode filled to the brim with weird plot-twists and reveals. I have whiplash. Okay grant it, in comparison to a few other series that I won't mention...fairly lame plot-twists and reveals..but you can't have everything. Plus some incredibly frustrating cliff-hanger teases. (Considering we won't have another episode for two weeks, exceedingly frustrating cliff-hanger teases. I honestly think these writers like to torture their audience.) I really hate it when tv shows do the cliff-hanger tease (ie. they tease you that a big secret, a huge thing will be revealed or will happen...but no, something stops it from happening just in the nick of time and you leave the show feeling like someone stole your favorite cookie and you just want to kick them.). I want to say: "Stop teasing me show - you did that last week. It's getting old."
*So, I guess Gemma aka dumbass bitca survived? Charlie aka John did not kill her after all, instead he decided to tie her up and hold her hostage in his basement. So plus side? Charlie isn't a killer. Down side? He's a kidnapper. But hey, can't have everything. Also... Is it just my imagination or did Charlie's accent change when he became John, more rough street and less clean-cut sponsor guy? He also drinks as John.
*Hmmm...apparently Bridget didn't clobber Jimmy the Fed to run away from the Feds and see her long lost Siobhan. She clobbered him because he startled her in the seedy motel room that Feds put her up in. Jimmy tells her to take off, that the Feds protecting her are on the take and the mobster will definitely kill her if she testifies. Bridget's like - okay - I'll tell Nestor (or whatever his name is) that is also protecting her. No, No, says Jimmy - you must run away now. Here, I'll give you my gun. No, says Bridget, I don't like guns - you keep it. But you need protection! (And he inserts it into her bag anyhow).
I'm thinking during this okay...why didn't you tell me that about five to six episodes ago? It's not like it's a big reveal or anything. And it would have helped me like Bridget a bit more, also explained a few things. Introducing it now - after the fact - is a bit...jarring. Plus - if you'd revealed this earlier? The next big reveal would have worked better. You have to build up to these things, not just fling them out there.
The next big reveal is...that Siobhan had Charlie aka John hire Jimmy to convince Bridget to run off to visit Siobhan in the Hamptons. She didn't want him to give Bridget his gun though. But according to Charlie...that was the only way Jimmy could sell his story to the cops? Okay. So now, both Bridget and Siobhan are worried about the gun. Bridget gives it to Charlie to get rid of. (Which Malcom being the smartest character to date in this story outside of maybe Charlie, decides is a silly thing to do.)
This makes me wonder what Siobhan is up to. She's gone to a lot of trouble to bring Bridget to the Hamptons and set Bridget up to play her. Including kidnap poor Gemma.
*Meanwhile Malcolm gets suspicious of Charlie...because Charlie has mouthwash. Yes, mouthwash. Apparently addicts aren't supposed to have mouthwash in the house because you might drink it to get high. Bridget thinks he is being paranoid. Malcolm decides to do a little investigating...and discovers Charlie has barely unpacked. For a guy who has been living in the apartment for months, he acts like he has only been there a week tops. Even the batteries in the remote are still encased in plastic. Not the smartest henchman on the planet, Charlie. But hey, what can you expect, Siobhan picked him up at a church that masquerades as a bar.
Charlie leaving his PO Box key out in plain sight...provides Malcolm with a sizable clue. Malcolm and Bridget set it up so that Malcolm can go investigate Charlie's (John) second home - which the letter and John's second set of keys also out in plain sight lead to. (Take a guy into your home, get him cleaned up, give him a little trust and he starts investigating you...talk about being a chump. This week the most guillible guy of the week award goes to Charlie.) For a henchman, Charlie's awfully trusting and is sort of nice. Siobhan, hon, you need to hire better help.
Malcolm goes off to investigate, while Bridget goes off to ask Charlie to give her back the gun, hopefully without letting Charlie catch-on to her. Considering how well she did with the Siobhan's psychiatrist...I don't have high hopes.
Earler Bridget/aka dumb blond aka Siobet...decided to check out Siobhan's shrink, based on a vial of anti-depressants she found in Siobhan's possession. The shrink does seem a bit taken aback by the major changes in Siobhan's behavior, such as the fact that she picked the couch over the chair, didn't say much at first, and is in a great relationship with Andrew and Juliet. But other than that, she barely notices anything amiss. Instead of finding out anything worthwhile - Siobet uses the session to dish about falling in love with Andrew..nice, but boring and old info. And Malcolm's right - there's no foundation of trust there or anything to build love on, considering she's lying to him about who she is and what happened to Siobhan, 24/7.
Annoyed that she has no more info than she came in with...Siobet decides to break into her shrink's office during the shrink's lunch break, only to get caught. And makes up the lamest excuse on the planet. "Oh...I just came back and broke into your office so we could have more time and talk longer.."??? okay. The shrink already stated that your time was up. That she had let you go over. If I were the shrink, I'd think Siobhan, who normally went by Cora Farrell when she visited her shrink, is nutty or up to something.
Anyhow...she doesn't fare any better with Charlie. It's amazing no one else has caught on her yet. She tells Charlie fairly quickly, with little preamble that a)she wants the gun back and B) she wants it because she no longer feels safe. Okay. Way to keep Charlie occupied while Malcolm searches his house. That took what? Five minutes?
You couldn't have chatted the guy up a bit more? Got around to it slowly?
*Meanwhile Malcolm is getting very close to finding Gemma. Gemma, much like the audience, wants him too and is literally bopping up and down on her chair. Stop hunting in drawers Malcolm, look in the locked basement! Gemma manages to topple her chair over in her frenzied bopping. Bop, Bop, whimper, whimper, Bop, Bang, whoops..Malcolm upstairs gives a look of "huh", then works even harder to unlock the basement door. (seriously Malcolm, I'd be more careful, as far as you know, he could have a monster locked up down there.) It's rather funny actually - which once again raises the question is this an unintentional comedy?
*Charlie says to
I actually think that's true. Why he told her, I don't know. Although no reason he shouldn't - except that it does show that he knows a lot more about this sort of thing than I'd be comfortable with if I were Siobet. He, being less dumb than everyone else, realizes that Siobet is on to him - because she asked for the gun back and said she doesn't feel safe. Wait...that's a huge leap of logic. There's lots of reasons she could want a gun back. How does he get that she's on to him through "I'd like the gun back, I no longer feel safe?" Sort of like Malcolm's - "Charlie's clearly not trustworthy because he has mouthwash...so I will search his apartment now from top to bottom to make sure he doesn't have anything else that could be tempting???" (I'm beginning to wonder about these writers.)
Anyhow...does Malcolm find Gemma? Oh, we should be so lucky. Of course not! No...Siobet calls him to leave because Charlie/John is headed back. We aren't told how far away it is. Although if I were Siobet - I'd have planned a met that was as far away from the place Malcolm was searching as possible. But Siobet, we all know, isn't the brightest bulb on the planet...and considering Malcolm was able to get from Wyoming (injured) to NYC in ten minutes...it shouldn't take Charlie longer than a second to get home. Which means, damn, no discovery of Gemma. Or worse, Malcolm gets captured again - and I sort of like Malcolm. Although Gemma bopping then toppling over onto the floor was a hoot. This show is quite funny in places.
* Andrew...poor clueless Andrew...is plotting a get-away with wife, while annoyed business partner decides to text him a comfy pic of Siobhan and Henry. I honestly don't see why Andrew would get upset by that pick. They aren't kissing or anything.
They are just posed. Like really close friends. He knows they are friends. Big woop.
If someone sent me a pic like that...I wouldn't react. I'd just wonder why they felt the need to send it.
Like I said above...this show is odd. Lots of WTF moments.
Also what in the heck did Olivia, Andrew's business partner tear up? A divorce settlement...a business deal? It had Martin/Charles at the top.
What were they up to? Why did Siobhan and Andrew hate each other? Is Siobhan seeking vengeance after Bridget and Andrew? Using them against each other? Why? We're more than ten episodes in, I think, shouldn't we have a bit more info on this by now?
Instead of constantly being teased on it? The teasing is annoying. Stop teasing show, and get to business!
Off to bed.
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no subject
Date: 2011-11-16 11:46 am (UTC)I was totally bewildered by that one! And laughed. Recruitment drive for new members maybe?
he could have a monster locked up down there.
Kralik for another Cruciamentum!
no subject
Date: 2011-11-16 05:19 pm (UTC)Hee, I've clearly watched too many horror shows - the first two things that popped into my head during the scene with Malcolm searching the house and finding the locked basement were:
* Break open the door, you idiot and go into the basement now! And..wait, no, forget that, you have no idea what is down there - and if the dude went to the trouble of pad-locking the door...possibly nothing good. Go home and get back-up first.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-16 02:52 pm (UTC)Somehow taping someone to a chair for a month doesn't seem very practical. John/Charlie should have watched Angel and learned the closet-and-bucket trick.
It was clever how they got Bridget to the therapists to get the info, then got her banned from the therapist's office, since she obviously never wanted to see her again anyway.
I think SMG likes the brown-roots look. Like back in the Buffy days, she's making no effort keeping it light. If she was worried about damaging her hair, she could wear a wig these days. Not like it's going to come off while she's kicking a vampire anymore.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-16 05:32 pm (UTC)Well, he did tell the bartender that he had a drink in months...it's a mumbled throw-away line so you might have missed it.
OTOH...he's meeting Siobet directly after and has a recovering addict in his apartment...you'd think he'd still be worried.
Somehow taping someone to a chair for a month doesn't seem very practical. John/Charlie should have watched Angel and learned the closet-and-bucket trick.
True, but then we wouldn't have the funny bop and topple over sequence. (I think this show is going more for the funny over the creepy.) Also that might explain why he was taking the tape off her mouth in the beginning of the episode, and why she had it back on her mouth at the end. He clearly untied her and took her on a bathroom break? But that admittedly doesn't explain how she goes...when he's not around?
This isn't really a show that holds up well under any sort of analysis, does it?
It was clever how they got Bridget to the therapists to get the info, then got her banned from the therapist's office, since she obviously never wanted to see her again anyway.
True...but wouldn't the therapist question it more? If I were the therapist - I'd have checked my files and office thoroughly after Siobet left. Siobhan may have been a little flaky, but she couldn't have come across as that flaky. And to have someone pop up after months of no visits, use her real name, not the usual alias, and talk lovey-dovey about Andrew...when before it was the opposite? Doesn't ring alarm bells? Then, whoa...she sneaks into your office? Although to be fair - Siobet didn't really take anything vital, just a list of symptoms.
I think SMG likes the brown-roots look. Like back in the Buffy days, she's making no effort keeping it light. If she was worried about damaging her hair, she could wear a wig these days.
I think you're right. Also she may think it makes her look less like a dumb blond...isn't working, but the attempt is appreciated. ;-)
Admittedly she looks better with her hair a more yellow blond than white. The White blond just doesn't work well with her coloring...makes her look a bit too much like a washed out member of the undead.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-17 12:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-11-17 12:33 am (UTC)All of these characters (with possible exception of Malcolm who did a thorough check of Charlie's apartment based on the discovery of mouthwash) are a bit on the flaky side. I can sort of excuse Andrew..as victim of wishful thinking...
no subject
Date: 2011-11-16 07:30 pm (UTC)This was a better episode, in that things started to happen, they actually supplied Bridget with multiple motivations to explain her behavior, and put her back into having at least one semblance of living Siobahn's daily life.
The irony is making a point of Siobahn's busy calendar but not showing Bridget having to keep to it. It should be revelatory or at least entertaining to have her have to pass as her sister in multiple and varied venues.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-16 10:51 pm (UTC)Alright that makes a lot more sense. I was having troubles following the Olivia story thread. Still not sure what she's up to, exactly. I can't help but wonder if she was the one stalking Siobhan...
The irony is making a point of Siobahn's busy calendar but not showing Bridget having to keep to it. It should be revelatory or at least entertaining to have her have to pass as her sister in multiple and varied venues.
Missed opportunity for both comedy and character development. Not quite sure why they haven't done that. Bridget has taken over Siobhan's life a little too smoothly for believability. It would be one thing if they'd been in each others lives at all, or Siobhan had briefed her...but she hadn't and they haven't. So we have a low income prostitute immediately being able to play a rich socialite with barely a blink? Okay.
At any rate...I agree this episode was an improvement. More happened. And I was sort of happy to see Gemma again. Not overly surprised...people had more or less convinced me she would pop again due to the lack of a body.