Warning to adult twins and expectant mothers: Proceed with caution through this review ... and Prime Video's new miniseries "Dead Ringers." Sibling co-dependency and onscreen birthing are taken to graphic, new levels in this superbly nefarious drama about the unhealthy bond between identical twin gynecologists and their daring quest to "change the way women birth, forever."
The six-part psychological thriller flips the gender narrative on David Cronenberg's 1988 film of the same name when it follows the Mantle sisters, twin OB-GYNs (both played superbly by Rachel Weisz) who practice at the same Manhattan medical center. It's nearly impossible to tell the women apart save for their hairstyles and divergent personalities: Elliot is reckless, impulsive and crass; Beverly is methodical, measured and polite.
Together these brilliant, British-born doctors witness the failings of the American maternal care system firsthand, from rising maternal mortality rates — especially among women of color — to preventable miscarriages and the dangers of untreated, postpartum depression. Beverly's heard more than once proclaiming that she "wants to change the way women birth, forever," and Elliot's ethically questionable experiments could make that happen. Her late-night antics in the lab, fueled by booze and cocaine, have resulted in breakthroughs to medical problems that have historically been viewed as part of a woman's burden. The twins pair up with a morally bankrupt big pharma family to open a state-of-the-art birthing center that promises to put the well-being of women and their children ahead of all else. Well, everything but their warped relationship with one another.
