Whodathunk it?

If you had told me at the start of last Fall's tv season that CW's Ringer would turn out to be one of my  favorite new shows, I would have:

1) laughed in your face,

2) questioned your sanity and then,

3) given you patented Maggie Cats, "seriously?"

Because, let's be honest, I only started watching Ringer out of brand loyalty. It marked Sarah Michelle Gellar's return to television after a long absence since Buffy, and there were rumors that Jason Dohring would be appearing in later episodes. So, Buffy and Logan Echolls? SOLD.

But I didn't have high hopes. I wasn't sure the concept could be sustained (a woman on the run from a crime boss assumes her twin's identity as a New York trophy wife after her twin mysteriously "dies"), and the early episodes had some pacing, green screen, and overall cheesiness issues. 

And then...well, things started getting juicy. Kind of like Revenge, it turns our this show just needed a little while to get going and then BAM. Twists are coming left and right. Also like Revenge, this is some good old fashioned soapy nighttime drama. People backstabbing, murdering, manipulating, and taking advantage of other people left and right. Oh, and the clothes are occasionally epically awesome and epically terrible. So there's that.

It's not perfect--they still haven't really figured out how to integrate the FBI agent into the storyline (played by Richard of the perpetual eyeliner on LOST) and there are some other characters (Malcom cough Malcom) that have me wondering "why are you here?" But this has turned into quite the compelling little show. Each episode builds on the previous revelations while adding new roadblocks but also giving information. There's a ton of unanswered questions, and I find that I actually care about the answers. For example: I really want to know what Siobhan's endgame is and why she cares so much about bringing down her husband's financial empire. Also, why did the writers pick a name as difficult to spell as Siobhan (pronounced Shivon)? The most important thing though is that I have faith the writers know where they are going and aren't just throwing things at the tv to see what sticks (re: Glee). I'm impressed by how mapped out the plot is, which bodes well.

It's probably too late to jump into the Ringer action at this point if you haven't watched it before, but if you can devote the time to starting from the beginning I think you'll find it worth your while. And there's always the first season DVD. Whether there will be a second season...well that still remains to be seen.

Ringer airs Tuesday nights at 9 on the CW.