Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy Bites the Big One, Season 5

”You’re just a girl!” exclaims a kid who Buffy saves from a vamp at the top of the fifth season’s finale…but we know better. As evil god Glory and creepy Doc Joel Grey use the Key — a.k.a. Dawn, Buffy’s sister — to open a portal that will destroy the universe, the only way to stop yet another apocalypse is for our blond heroine to jump in herself, dying on behalf of all mankind. The show turned irreversibly dark after this episode, but the epitaph on Buffy’s tombstone sums up all seven years of its greatness: ”She saved the world. A lot.” —WP

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Earlier today AfterEllen.com posted a review of Sarah Michelle Gellar’s new CBS pilot, that has San Francisco fans of the actress excited for the project.

Ringer is Gellar’s first foray into primetime TV since Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended almost eight years ago. In 2009, she shot a pilot for HBO called The Wonderful Maladys that was not picked up by the network. Barring a colossal failure in filming the pilot, it’s a safe bet we’ll be seeing Gellar back on our screens come fall.

“I’ve been waiting for Sarah to come back to TV for a very long time,” said San Francisco resident Amy Kip. “I was disappointed that her HBO show didn’t work out, but I’m really excited for Ringer.”

According the CBS, Ringer follows “a troubled young woman (Bridget) on the run who hides out by living the life of her wealthy twin sister (Siobhan), until she learns her sibling’s life has a bounty on it as well.” The cast includes Lost’s Nestor Carbonell and Fantastic Four’s Ioan Gruffudd.

AfterEllen.com praises the script and believes it’s one of the most promising pilots for the 2011-2012 TV season.

“The dialogue is sharp and witty and, even without the words of Joss Whedon and company, will be perfect for Gellar’s classic Buffy-like dry and sarcastic delivery,” writes Lesley Goldberg. “As Buffy would say, it’s dark and twisty and just what you’d want for your favorite Slayer.”

The review is good news for some Buffy fans who were disappointed with the concept of the show.

“Sarah Michelle Gellar is a TV icon,” Oakland fan Trey Dickerson said. “I envisioned her coming back to TV with a fantasy or sci-fi show like Lost or Fringe, but I’ll definitely give this show a shot to see if it lives up to the hype.”

In May, CBS will announce its fall schedule, and if picked up, Ringer could start airing around September.

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Pilot: Ringer (drama)
Writers: Eric Charmelo and Nicole Snyder
Network: CBS
Logline: A troubled young woman on the run hides out by living the life of her wealthy twin sister, until she learns her sibling’s life has a bounty on it as well.
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four), Nestor Carbonell (Lost), Mike Colter (The Good Wife), Tara Summers (Damages)
Director: Richard Shepard (Criminal Minds)

The characters:
Bridget Cafferty (Gellar)
Siobhan Marx (Gellar)
Victor Machado, FBI agent (Carbonell)
Jimmy, Wyoming cop
Andrew Marx, Siobhan’s husband (Gruffudd)
Gemma, Siobhan’s BFF (Summers)
Henry, Gemma’s husband
Malcolm Howard, Bridget’s sponsor
Juliet, Andrew’s teenage daughter
Bodaway Macawi, The Big Bad

This is the perfect project for Gellar’s return to TV. The tight script is a real thriller that will deservedly put Gellar back in the spotlight as she plays twin sisters Siobhan and Bridget. What’s amazing about this project is that it’s equal parts crime thriller and domestic drama, and all the story lines are interweaved seamlessly and smartly.

On the crime thriller side, Bridget is a recovering drug addict who witnessed a brutal slaying at a strip club in which she was employed and is in protective custody ahead of crime boss Bodaway Macawi’s trial, for which she serves as the key witness. If convicted, Macawi faces the death penalty.

Bridget escapes and flees Wyoming, heading for an East Hampton reunion with her estranged sister, Siobhan, who on paper has it all: handsome and successful husband Andrew (Gruffudd) and multiple homes filled with fine art and designer furniture.

After all signs point to Siobhan drowning in the ocean — only one of her trademarked designer scarves remains — Bridget opts to assume her identity instead of risking being found by the FBI and Macawi — but eventually finds that Siobhan also had her share of enemies out to permanently silence her as well.

On the domestic side, Bridget shares a tight bond with her Narcotics Anonymous sponsor, Malcolm, and, acting as Siobhan, also hits it off with her sister’s best friend, Gemma, whose husband Henry is having an affair with the real Siobhan. To make matters worse, Bridget also finds herself falling for Andrew, who wasn’t aware that his wife had a twin sister. Confused? Don’t be. The script is easy to follow and moral and ethical boundaries are explored — and broken — in a compelling fashion.

The dialogue is sharp and witty and, even without the words of Joss Whedon and company, will be perfect for Gellar’s classic Buffy-like dry and sarcastic delivery. Of all the high-profile pilots looking for a spot on the fall and midseason schedule, CBS’ Ringer is the most promising among them. As Buffy would say, it’s dark and twisty and just what you’d want for your favorite Slayer.

Oh, and there’s room for a lesbian role: Henry and Gemma’s nanny is a lesbian.

Weekly Pilot outlook: Better than two Xanders.

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