Ringer, S1E1 — Pilot

You're gorgeous, Siobhan. Now stop it.

Two days later, in East Hampton, New York. A blonde woman who is dressed much more classily than Bridget but who otherwise looks just like her is sitting in a bar. She doesn’t seem to quite fit in her surroundings, which are not all that upscale. She pulls out a compact and looks at herself in the mirror for a few seconds before snapping it shut. Okay, show, we get it. There are identical twins on this show. Like looking in a mirror. Clever, as long as you don’t overuse that motif.

A bus pulls up outside, and Bridget’s sister Siobhan gets up and prepares to leave. At the door she nearly runs into a police officer, who gives her a polite smile that she barely returns before slipping on a rather gigantic but fashionable pair of sunglasses. She’s almost out the door before the police officer calls after her, holding up the pretty red wallet she’s left on the counter. She takes it and thanks him.

Outside, the two sisters finally see each other. Siobhan takes off her sunglasses and smiles, “I was wondering how you’d look after six years.”

Bridget looks away. “Not nearly as good as you.” But Siobhan just holds out her arms. They hug, both of them looking moved. Aww. “I missed you so much,” Bridget whispers. It is a tribute to SMG that I can already see them both as different people, different characters.

Next scene, Siobhan is showing her sister around her “weekend place”, which is incredibly gorgeous and has a beach front view. Bridget says it looks just like her place, “except not at all.” Once again, I can’t help thinking that’s something Buffy might easily have said under similar circumstances. You know, if Buffy had a twin who was much richer than her and invited her to stay at her weekend place in the Hamptons, after Buffy attacked a police officer who was assigned to protect her from a crime lord. I’m sure there’s a fanfic like that. Bridget comments that Siobhan’s life seems perfect, to which Siobhan says, “Close to it. No one’s life is perfect.” I bet that will be Important Later.

Siobhan tells her sister that it’ll be just the two of them this weekend. Bridget asks where “Andrew” is, and is informed that he’s in London, working and visiting “Juliet” at boarding school. There’s a hint of bitterness in Siobhan’s voice as she passes this along, which will also be important later.  Andrew is evidently Siobhan’s husband, to whom she’s been married for almost five years. He also doesn’t know that his wife has a sister. When she hears this, Bridget’s face falls.

This episode really loves its mirrors.

Siobhan has left the room, and is now standing in front of a bunch of mirrors. I think it’s a really huge walk-in closet? And again with the mirrors. Yes, it’s a cool shot of them both standing in front of it, with the other mirrors in the room making it look like a long line of the two of them. But that’ll have to be the last time they use that motif in this episode, right? Right?

Bridget starts to apologize “for everything.” Siobhan points out, not harshly, that she already apologized in her letter. Bridget haltingly explains that making amends is– “Step number nine,” Siobhan says. “I did my research.” Bridget nods. Then she says that she thinks about Sean every day, and Siobhan cuts her off, her smile fading. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Will you just hear me out?” Bridget entreats. “Because of what I did–”

“Bridget, stop,” Siobhan says, but again not harshly. “You’re already forgiven. You just need to forgive yourself.” And it may be a cliched line, but Bridget looks like she really wants to believe it. It’s hard to say, based on what else happens in the episode, whether or not Siobhan really has forgiven her.