The first thing you see of the tv miniseries Dead Ringers is a content warning, letting you know that you are going to see some pretty graphic scenes. And boy were they not kidding. The opening 10 minutes has some of the most unpleasant and alarmingly gory content I have ever seen in a tv show, and yet despite the extremity, all it is doing is earnestly depicting the process of childbirth. Not a great choice of show if your wife happens to be expecting.
This is part of the point. We are introduced to identical twin gynaecologists, Elliot and Beverly, who are in equal parts desensitised and shell-shocked by the routine unpleasantness of their jobs. The first hand trauma of still-borns, miscarriages, and general butchery of obstetric procedures appear to have driven the two of them quite mad. Beverly is the more sensible and driven of the two, attempting to have her own child and to secure funding for a fancy new fertility clinic. Elliot is wilder, more confident and fun loving. The two play to each other's strengths by swapping identities whenever it is advantageous; Beverly handling mature situations for Elliot, Elliot securing dates for Beverly.
It is a compelling premise that sadly loses its entire appeal within the first episode. The biggest problem this show has is the lack of relatable characters. The twins aren't just crazed and unethical, they are also incredibly obnoxious and smug. Foulmouthed too! I normally wouldn't comment on a character swearing, but these two would make Scorsese blush. It all gets a bit too annoying. Almost every other character is the same; the show is chock to the brim with rich nob-heads wearing permanent shit eating grins, who speak in constant flow of verbal diarrhoea, punctuating their perverse opinions with f-words. The only normal people in this show is Elliot's suffering girlfriend, and the twin's parents, and these characters are basically backstage throughout.
The one thing that compelled me to watch to the end was an intrigue involving the twin's housemaid. She is yet another lunatic, obsessively scavenging and cataloguing the twin's discarded toiletries, all for some mysterious reason. Otherwise, I had mentally checking out of this show by the second episode. The show is impressive from a visual and horror aspect, but the unenjoyable villain protagonists messes everything else up.
Botched Delivery
The first thing you see of the tv miniseries Dead Ringers is a content warning, letting you know that you are going to see some pretty graphic scenes. And boy were they not kidding. The opening 10 minutes has some of the most unpleasant and alarmingly gory content I have ever seen in a tv show, and yet despite the extremity, all it is doing is earnestly depicting the process of childbirth. Not a great choice of show if your wife happens to be expecting.
This is part of the point. We are introduced to identical twin gynaecologists, Elliot and Beverly, who are in equal parts desensitised and shell-shocked by the routine unpleasantness of their jobs. The first hand trauma of still-borns, miscarriages, and general butchery of obstetric procedures appear to have driven the two of them quite mad. Beverly is the more sensible and driven of the two, attempting to have her own child and to secure funding for a fancy new fertility clinic. Elliot is wilder, more confident and fun loving. The two play to each other's strengths by swapping identities whenever it is advantageous; Beverly handling mature situations for Elliot, Elliot securing dates for Beverly.
It is a compelling premise that sadly loses its entire appeal within the first episode. The biggest problem this show has is the lack of relatable characters. The twins aren't just crazed and unethical, they are also incredibly obnoxious and smug. Foulmouthed too! I normally wouldn't comment on a character swearing, but these two would make Scorsese blush. It all gets a bit too annoying. Almost every other character is the same; the show is chock to the brim with rich nob-heads wearing permanent shit eating grins, who speak in constant flow of verbal diarrhoea, punctuating their perverse opinions with f-words. The only normal people in this show is Elliot's suffering girlfriend, and the twin's parents, and these characters are basically backstage throughout.
The one thing that compelled me to watch to the end was an intrigue involving the twin's housemaid. She is yet another lunatic, obsessively scavenging and cataloguing the twin's discarded toiletries, all for some mysterious reason. Otherwise, I had mentally checking out of this show by the second episode. The show is impressive from a visual and horror aspect, but the unenjoyable villain protagonists messes everything else up.