TV
“Dead Ringers” Review – Prime Video Series Births Unapologetic New Spin on David Cronenberg’s Film
Showrunner Alice Birch (Lady Macbeth, The Wonder) and actor/executive producer Rachel Weisz (Constantine, The Mummy, The Lobster) give a contemporary, gender-swapped spin on David Cronenberg’s psychological thriller Dead Ringers, based on the novel Twins by Bari Wood and Jack Geasland. Weisz assumes the dual role of twin gynecologists Elliot and Beverly Mantle, played to creepy perfection by Jeremy Irons in the 1988 film, signaling a vastly different take on the source material. While Birch and Weisz maintain respect for Cronenberg’s work throughout, “Dead Ringers” establishes it has no interest in retreading the same path.
Beverly and Elliot Mantle share everything. They do everything together, right down to their ambitious career pursuits in blazing a path forward for women’s health, namely reproductive health, even if their methods can be risky or boundary-pushing in their experimentation. Yet they couldn’t be further apart in personality, reflected in their style choices. The meeker and more reserved Beverly wears her hair pulled back and dresses conservatively, while her confident and daring older sister lets her hair down and gets drawn to more colorful outfits. Even their life goals are different, though that doesn’t stop the twins from occasionally swapping lovers, partaking in vices, and dabbling in questionable ethics with work.
The Mantle twins’ mission to change how women give birth threatens to derail when actress Genevieve (Britne Olford, “American Horror Story”) enters the equation, driving a wedge between the co-dependent sisters that will irrevocably change their lives.
Photo Credit: Amazon Studios
Birch, an all-female writing team, and a handful of notable directors, including Sean Durkin (The Nest, Martha Marcy May Marlene) and Karyn Kusama (The Invitation, Jennifer’s Body), establish a heightened sense of reality straight away. The Mantles live in a more absurdist, disconcerting version of upper-class Manhattan. Never is that more apparent than when the twins attempt to woo and get in business with affluent investors Rebecca (Saint Maud’s Jennifer Ehle) and Susan (Emily Meade) to launch a technologically advanced and experimental birthing center. “Dead Ringers” really leans into the absurd whenever the well-off Mantles must impress or engage with their powerful and peculiar business partners. Birch wrings palpable tension from several cringe-inducing dinner scenes with this bunch.
“Dead Ringers” is overt and unabashed in its feminine imagery, highlighting the pain and perils of childbirth. While the horror favors the psychological in this series, along with extreme emotional duress, it’s fearless in its explicit portrayal of pregnancy and giving birth, complete with close-up shots of crowning baby heads pushing through dilated vaginas, graphic c-sections, embryos, and a ton of spilled blood. It opens up a slew of subtext and subplots, though “Dead Ringers” isn’t interested in exploring the fertile ground as much as expected; this series only has eyes for its central co-dependent relationship.
Photo Credit: Amazon Studios
Rachel Weisz effectively creates two distinct characters that, through their unhealthy bond, feel like two halves of a whole. That’s reinforced by the unique structure of the six-episode series, which presents a darkly funny first half that gives way to a more dread-infused, psychologically heavy back half that feels representative of the twins’ warring personas. The shift in tone can be jarring, made more so by so many underserved, scattershot ideas and subplots swirling around Beverly and Elliot’s unwavering motivations.
Alice Birch uses red heavily to pay tribute to Cronenberg throughout, both in homages to his imagery and Genevieve’s reputation for her role in the fictional TV series “Rabid.” Connections between his work and this reimagining cease there, though. “Dead Ringers” is a wholly different beast that feels more akin to the work of Stanley Kubrick in its style, imagery, and sometimes cryptic storytelling. “Dead Ringers” is well crafted and daring, and Weisz’s compelling dual roles inject unpredictability. Yet the series ultimately stretches itself too thin, faltering its unapologetic approach along the way.
All six episodes of “Dead Ringers” debut exclusively on Prime Video on April 21, 2023.
No conversation about cartoons based on live-action movies is ever complete without mentioning The Real Ghostbusters.
This animated continuation is, warts and all, a notable example of turning a hit movie into a hit series. And although the new target demographic skewed a little younger, even kids-at-heart could partake in the further adventures of Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Winston Zeddemore and Egon Spengler.
For a good part of its run, the show required fans to wait at least a week for more Ghostbustin’. That’s torture for a kiddo. Luckily, though, the entire series, or at least most of it, is now available for streaming.
So, as you revisit The Real Ghostbusters on Tubi—for now it’s just the first five seasons there—use this guide to help prioritize some must-see episodes.
The Boogieman Cometh
“The Boogieman Cometh” (Season 1)
Season One’s “The Boogieman Cometh” is a classic episode featuring one of the show’s more iconic villains. It’s hard to forget the unique character design used for the Boogieman (whose creepy voice was provided by Ray and Slimer’s actor, Frank Welker). In this story, Egon is reunited with that bump-in-the-night entity who haunted his own childhood, all while trying to keep him away from his latest targets: the brother and sister claiming to have the Boogieman in their closet. Although the Ghostbusters do save the day here, the Boogieman eventually returns (“The Bogeyman Is Back“). That same episode also features the love-’em-or-hate-’em Junior Ghostbusters.
Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream
“Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream” (Season 1)
You could say the namesake of “Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream” had good intentions for putting mankind to sleep for the next few centuries—he wanted to end war and keep everyone dreaming. Sounds nice until you remember that whole free will business. But when it seems like the Ghostbusters have lost to their latest foe, the last one standing, Winston, gains a sudden ally. Janine’s dream of becoming a Ghostbuster is manifested, and she helps put this rogue spirit to bed.
When Halloween Was Forever
“When Halloween Was Forever” (Season 1)
Before the show’s execs capitalized on Slimer’s popularity by making him the focus of later episodes, early stories like “When Halloween Was Forever” better utilized that gooey ghost. Here, the spirit of Halloween itself, Samhain, hopes to make the holiday a permanent thing by stopping time. And who does the embodiment of All Hallows’ Eve use in his nefarious plot? Slimer, of course. Thankfully, the lil’ green bud knows where he really belongs, and Samhain is banished (at least until Season 3’s “Halloween II 1/2“).
Night Game
“Night Game” (Season 2)
Because Season Two was rather long, in comparison to other seasons, it accumulated quite a few solid episodes. One of the most beloved, though, is that ultimate good-versus-evil story, “Night Game“. Winston gets to shine here as he participates in a battle that was 500 years in the making. Except this time, the fighting is done on the baseball field. The other-dimensional settings in The Real Ghostbusters are always great, but the one here is particularly memorable.
Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin
“Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin” (Season 2)
Not all ghosts and whatnot were bad in The Real Ghostbusters. As “Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin” showed, some were actually benevolent. Sadly, it took a lot of convincing, and one very heroic act, for Peter and the others to see past this goblin’s grotesque appearance. The heroes find more than one shapeshifter at a sideshow carnival in the Poconos; a sinister Class-4er called the Metamorph does a swell job of menacing the Ghostbusters before they finally realize Drool’s not their culprit. The good guys indeed win here, but that victory is a bittersweet one.
The Collect Call of Cathulhu
“The Collect Call of Cathulhu” (Season 2)
While “The Collect Call of Cathulhu” does misspell “Cthulhu” in the title (probably to avoid legal issues), it is clearly the Old One in this Lovecraft-inspired episode. The story kicks off with the Necronomicon being stolen by the deity’s modern-day cult, who then raise their ancient god at Coney Island. From there, the Ghostbusters’ typical methods don’t work on the big guy, so they seek advice from an old issue of Weird Tales (or “Wierd Tales”, as it’s spelled on screen). That build-up to the finale comes with a decent amount of dread before the Ghostbusters, as well as a scholar named Alice, face off with one of the show’s most powerful entities.
Knock, Knock
“Knock, Knock” (Season 2)
A number of Real Ghostbusters episodes could be reworked into big-screen features, but perhaps “Knock, Knock” is the most hopeful. It helps that this story feels in step with the first two movies. Here, some ignorant construction workers accidentally uncover and open an ancient door in the subway. What’s behind said door is none other than those unspeakable evils that only the Ghostbusters can quell. A good deal of the imagery here is prime for adaptation.
The Grundel
“The Grundel” (Season 3)
One of the darker episodes, which was written by the prominent J. Michael Straczynski, is “The Grundel“. Here, a boy is being influenced by the titular entity, a type of ghost who ultimately turns his targets into new Grundels. The episode does have something of an after-school special quality to it, but that doesn’t take away from the eerier moments. For more Grundel lore, be sure to check out the episode “Grundelesque” from the sequel series, Extreme Ghostbusters.
Standing Room Only
“Standing Room Only” (Season 4)
It’s no secret that The Real Ghostbusters experienced multiple changes after the second season. Out of all of them, though, retooling the show so that Slimer would get more of the spotlight is maybe the most egregious. Thankfully, Season Four (the first to be called Slimer! and the Real Ghostbusters) didn’t completely obey that new directive; episodes like “Standing Room Only” felt more like the old days. The focus here was on the well-being of the city and its people, rather than on the series’ green mascot (or the Junior Ghostbusters). In the episode, Peter’s new ghost attractor isn’t to blame for the ensuing chaos; the ghost-eating Mee-Krah is what’s really imperiling everyone. And the Ghostbusters must dish out everything they have to avoid a doomsday situation.
The Halloween Door
“The Halloween Door” (Season 5)
While many fans will skip the later seasons in their rewatches, episodes like “The Halloween Door” are still worth checking out. This colorful helping of Halloween pandemonium premiered on primetime, so the animation is better than usual. And save for a random musical moment, it’s an enjoyable event. Here, a group of anti-Halloweeners tries to cancel the holiday, but they only end up making things worse by unleashing a baddie named Boogaloo.
The first five seasons of The Real Ghostbusters are available on Tubi, starting on July 15.
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