Full disclosure, I have never seen the 1988 film Dead Ringers. From my research, the miniseries is quite different, starting with gender swapping the main characters, Beverly and Elliot. With that in mind, I do plan to watch the original film soon (watch for a review!) but this review is my opinion of this series as a standalone.
The series focuses on a set of twin sisters, who are OBGYNs at a New York practice. They are as different as night from day: Elliot is loud, confident, strangely lacking in empathy and an expert in her field because she is fascinated by the science and experimentation more than the patients. She is also not very interested in following medical laws. Beverly is subdued, full of empathy but highly depressed and underconfident, and a gentle and nurturing person. Both sisters have a creepy interest in seducing their patients, which is just the first level of f***ed up you’ll see in this show.
As the sisters progress in their careers, they open their own birthing center and research lab, teaming up with some questionable big-money backers. Elliot is thrilled with the extralegal research she is able to do, while Beverly is very focused on redefining the way birthing works in the US.
Beverly falls in love with a patient, and thus begins a twisted adventure of codependent sibling love & rivalry, deceit, mental health problems and substance abuse.
Before I go any further, I’d like to warn potential viewers that this series is heavy on blood and gory depictions of childbirth via both caesarean and vaginal delivery and a very haunting miscarriage early in the first episode. If you’re squeamish or have a history of birthing trauma or miscarriage, it might be best to give this one a pass. There’s also male genitalia as early as the first episode, just so everyone’s aware because I know I wasn’t expecting it.
Now, Rachel Weisz is incredible in the dual lead roles. Her Beverly and Elliot have their own tics, unique traits and expressions, and fully believable and very different meltdowns throughout the course of the series. Weisz carried the show throughout all six episodes.
The aesthetic was an interesting choice, absolutely intentionally dystopian. There were a lot of dark colors, the only exception being stark white and bright red. The birthing center itself almost had a Handmaid’s Tale vibe, which left me with a vague feeling of unease during every scene.
The plot moved a bit slowly, but dove deep into medical abuse, trauma, and ethics. One scene that really stuck out to me was a haunting monologue about the so-called father of gynecology and his horrible exploits of slave women in the name of science, performed by Brittany Bradford as Anarcha, a 17-year old slave. Unfortunately, the show hasn’t been out long enough for me to post a video clip, but it is in Episode 5: Southern Hospitality and gives you a lot to think about.
I would classify this show as a psychological thriller with some gore. Most of the “horror” aspect is rooted in abuse and codependent relationships, alongside the exploitation of women and birthing people. The timeline is sometimes hard to follow, but it all begins to make sense in the last episode.
I give Dead Ringers an 8/10. Despite the plot moving slowly, it kept me hooked and I watched the whole show in two days which isn’t easy when you’ve got two kids and you’re all sick 🤣😅
The Midnight Review 