Ringer, S1 Ep9 – Shut Up And Eat Your Bologna

Back in the present, Bridget and her weird maroon toga top are calling Henchman Charlie. He appears to be in his kitchen making a sandwich, and he says, “Shoot” in response to Bridget asking if she can ask him a question. Heh. You get it? She smiles grimly and asks how to get rid of a gun. The upshot of their conversation is that he volunteers to take care of it, but Bridget says she couldn’t ask him to do that, since she’s “already used up all of [his] goodwill.” Charlie insists that one can’t use up goodwill, and that he’ll take care of the gun. No, he’s just way too nice, Bridget. She asks Charlie if Malcolm is with him. As he carries the plate of sandwiches over to a door with a padlock on it, he lies that he left Malcolm at the apartment and that he’s at the library using the computer. Well, if you’re at the library, you shouldn’t be talking on your phone, should you, Charlie? Rude. Also, I think we’re meant to think that Charlie might have Malcolm locked up in this room that he’s unlocking right now.

This has not been a good few weeks for poor Gemma.

Charlie continues that a police friend of his has found Gemma’s bank records, and he’s looking at them right now. Bridget is pleased to hear of this progress. Meanwhile, as Charlie says, “I will find [Gemma],” he’s walking down the stairs into his basement, where we see … Gemma, tied to a chair, gagged, and blindfolded. I knew she wasn’t dead! Of course, since Tara Summers wasn’t in the opening credits, I’m guessing we won’t be seeing her face under the blindfold and gag at all.

Charlie hangs up, then kneels down in front of Gemma and says, “When I take off this tape, you are not going to cry, you’re not gonna spit, and you’re not gonna beg. You’re not gonna make a peep.” He stands up and continues softly, “You are gonna shut up … and eat your bologna.” He manages to make that sound pretty menacing. Poor Gemma stops moving.

In the next scene, Malcolm is at NA. He looks much better than when we last saw him. He’s saying that after all he’s experienced in the past weeks, it would be easy for him to believe that there aren’t any good people in the world, but “somebody proved me wrong.” Looking across the circle at Charlie, Malcolm says Charlie gave him a place to stay and helped him get back into meetings. As Bridget slips in the door, Malcolm says he hasn’t used in six days, which wouldn’t have happened without Charlie. Charlie looks a little uncomfortable. After the meeting, Bridget hands Charlie the gun, wrapped in one of her scarves. She tries to thank him again, but he stops her. He does want to know how her sister stole a cop’s gun, but Bridget just says, “She didn’t.” We then get a largely pointless flashback to the Hamptons. Bridget is in a room at the beach house looking through her bag, and she is quite shocked to see the gun. Siobhan opens the door and asks if she’s okay, blah blah Bridget must be tired after that sixteen-hour bus trip, blah blah yeah I couldn’t sleep, the end. Don’t know why we really needed that flashback at all, but whatever. Back in the present, Bridget says to Charlie that however her sister got it, she herself wants the gun gone.

Martin-Charles. Henry is in a waiting room type area with a stroller and — gasp, two adorable red-headed little boys!

Look how cute and all existent they are!

So the Butler twins exist! Henry says something quietly to one of them and then goes over to Andrew’s desk and asks what he’s signing. It’s a “dividend reinvestment form”, apparently. Andrew says although Olivia has been pestering him to get Henry to sign, he wanted to give Henry some time. Henry says he doesn’t mind the distraction. After he signs, he turns around to see one of the twins — Beckett, I think he might have called the kid, and if so it could be worse – holding out some kind of silver nicknack. Henry hurries to rescue it before Beckett breaks anything of “Uncle Andrew’s.” Uncle Andrew says it’s not a problem. These kids are really quiet. I wonder if they just woke up from a nap or something. Olivia wanders in, greets Henry, and says his children are beautiful. Henry gives her a cursory sort of smile at that. Andrew remarks that he thought Gemma’s parents had been taking on some childcare duties. Henry, who’s holding Beckett, says that unfortunately “Tim” isn’t doing very well. Olivia’s ears perk up, and you can almost see the giant dollar sign flashing over her head as Henry continues that the stress of Gemma being missing on top of heart problems is making things worse for Gemma’s ultra-rich daddy.