Being a fan of the original movie Dead Ringers I was pleasantly relieved that the first season of the series turned out to be a deliciously macabre and thoroughly enjoyable treat.
I waited to post this entry, because I wanted to give readers enough time to become familiar with Weisz’ s Beverly and Elliot Mantle, twin gynecologists who use their identical looks as some sort of interchangeable commodity, swapping places with each other — in the workplace and in romance.
When Beverly got serious with a woman, Genevieve Cotar, the twins’ already twisted relationship gets even more warped.
However, something strange and uneasy exists infusing Elliot with a wild need to support (control) her sister.
Jennifer Ehle is most unlikable as as Rebecca Parker, an apathetic millionaire.
The original film displayed the power dynamic of men over women, — the two male gynecologists focus on ‘mutant’ women, the same women who later bear the repercussions of the twins’ downward spiral.
This makes the gender swap even more significant as Alice Birch, Witer and showrunner) turns the focus to pregnancy, birth and motherhood.
Birch uses complex family dynamics, provocative dialogue, and well-rounded characters to explore the subjects and dive into the nuances.
The series brings up questions of body autonomy, surrogacy, class divides, and more. Conversations between people, often between the sisters themselves, are used to show two sides of an argument.
Dead Ringers makes some compelling statements and avoids being preachy. It is witty and darkly humorous.
From the pain of childbirth to the doctors wrestling babies out of c-sections, Birch has no hesitation in baring it all on screen complete with blood, gore,and to informing a mother in the delivery room that the child she had just given birth to is dead.
The graphic visuals are limited though, employing them once in a while so they truly pack a punch.The story itself is a crisply written one, divided into neat sections for each episode and supported by some brilliant directors, in a show about disturbed twins obsessed with each other.
Does it meet the requirments of
So what happened in the season one finale? No, I am NOT going to offer a recap because I provided a links to the original movie and where to watch the series. If you are not caught up then be warned SPOILERS ahead:
When Elliot performed an impromptu C-Section on Beverly only to then slice open her own abdomen and exit the room with the babies, she presumably left Beverly to bleed-out. We see Genevieve who has rushed back to be with Beverly (who is actually Elliot masquerading as Beverly) and a shot of the real Beverly in a pool of blood (Enough blood loss hat NO ONE can survive. We also see Elliot’s assistant driving away [?] (Presumably the birthing center?).
Does Beverly survive? Some viewers have posited that she does indeed survive and others that she didn’t (And I agree). Maybe that final shot of Elliot’s assistant driving is because after cleaning up the mess left by Elliot, he’s off to dispose of the evidence.? Is the assistant in cahoots with Elliot? After all he was on Elliot’s side. We know this after he confronted Beverly at the awards ceremony.
Does Genevieve find out that Beverly is really Elliot? I remember watching an interview with Britne Oldford and she stated that Genevieve was attracted to Elliot (After their first kiss, when Elliot was standing in for the shy Beverly at the bar). In addition we saw Genevieve approach Elliot, mistaking her for Beverly at some nightclub.
Personally I couldn’t care less about the other characters (The parents, Greta (The housekeeper), Silas (The reporter) and yes even Tom (Elliot’s assistant) All of whom (In my estimation) amount to nothing more than collateral incidentals necessary to keep the narrative moving forward. Elliot, Beverly and Genevieve had my complete attention.
There is so much to unwrap with just these three characters alone that I don’t have the time to explore (With the exception of the woman Elliot pushed off of the roof) the other story arcs.
Here’s to hoping that there is a Season 2 of Dead Ringers.
