The Doppelganger Trend: Are Two Leads Better than One?

There are at least three network shows that prominently feature their lead actress in dual roles: “Fringe,” “Vampire Diaries,” and “Ringer.” This isn’t a new concept and I can name numerous times when an actor has gotten to act opposite themselves on their own show but I’m curious as to why it’s becoming such a hot trend now? And is it always worth it?

NOTE: There may be spoilers for episodes that have already aired within this post. If you are spoiler-sensitive, continue reading at your own risk.

“Fringe:” Olivia vs Fauxlivia

What works best about the dual roles on “Fringe” is that they’ve all come about naturally. This show is true sci-fi so the idea of parallel universes just works. What’s even better is that the way we came to recognize the existence of one alternate reality in particular was natural and the way it become so pivotal to the story was authentic. There was a real need for the actors to take on dual roles.

Everyone in the cast who has a doppelganger does a fantastic job in differentiating between the two but no one does it quite like Anna Torv with her portrayals of Olivia Dunham and her counterpart, nicknamed Fauxlivia. Watching them on the screen, it’s often hard to believe that they’re played by the same actress – and not just because they have different hair colors. The way Fauxlivia carries herself with confidence and – dare I say it – swagger is so believable and distinct that you’d swear someone else plays Olivia, who is far more collected and introspective. It’s astounding that the Emmys and the Golden Globes don’t recognize “Fringe” as it is but to snub Torv for her stellar performances is outrageous.

Now, what’s bad about the dual roles? Some may say it has created a noticeable shift in focus among the leads. Torv is often carrying the show with her two Dunhams while her fellow leads, Joshua Jackson and John Noble, have somewhat smaller roles in recent seasons than they ever have before. Personally, I don’t agree with this simply because the doppelgangers are no different from any other new character. Yes, Torv is doing more work these days but the story does is a good job of giving each of the main characters a moment to shine and each season has focused on a different one of the three leads (season two was about Walter, three was Olivia’s, and four is about Peter).

For me, the worst part is that Olivia and Fauxlivia aren’t interacting in every episode!

“Vampire Diaries:” Elena vs Katherine

We knew all along that Nina Dobrev would end up having to play the seductive vampire, Katherine, alongside the innocent and mortal Elena because the idea of a doppelganger has been integrated into the show’s mythology from the very beginning. It was the entire reason that the story even began: Stefan returned to Mystic Falls to get to know Elena because she looked exactly like Katherine. So we saw Dobrev tackle her second role in flashbacks to the nineteenth century, which was enjoyable, but the moment Katherine entered our lives in the present, it was clear that we would never want her to leave.

Like Anna Torv on “Fringe,” Dobrev makes the two characters so distinct. Elena is often sweet and humble and idealistic; she is an outrageously beautiful girl-next-door. Katherine is sexy and violent and selfish. “Vampire Diaries” fans have figured out the system for knowing when Dobrev is playing Katherine versus playing Elena: Katherine often has wavy hair while Elena’s will be perfectly straightened. But, fortunately, we don’t have to pay attention to the hairstyles 24/7 because the way Dobrev struts while she’s Katherine or smiles with puppy-dog eyes as Elena can tip off us right away.

The downfall to the use of a doppelganger on “Vampire Diaries” is probably just the fact that Dobrev is so good that we wish Katherine was a permanent fixture and not a vagabond villain. Sure, we can point out some disappointments with the overall mythology and the reason that Katherine and Elena look exactly alike but that’s a matter of personal taste.

Overall, Dobrev’s dual role has paid off and now fans are constantly waiting to see when Katherine will cause trouble for our heroine, Elena, again – and given the way Dobrev lights up when she plays the vampire, I think it’s safe to say that she’s dying for Katherine to return as well.

“Ringer:” Bridget vs Siobhan

Now let’s talk about a show that is founded completely upon a dual role: “Ringer.” Everyone was over the moon when it was revealed that Sarah Michelle Gellar would be returning to television and the initial glimpses of her show were extremely exciting. The concept: a troubled woman, Bridget, takes on her twin Siobhan’s life in order to save herself from certain death after her sister commits suicide – but little does she know that Siobhan faked her death and has been pulling the strings from the beginning. Fascinating, right? Confusing, right?

Unfortunately, the show has had many problems from the beginning, no matter how hard Gellar and the cast tried to make the most of the material. One of such problem that I had was with Gellar’s portrayal of the two twins. If you looked away for a second and the scenes changed, you could be looking at Gellar’s face but not know which twin she was playing. This happened to me on multiple occasions. Once Siobhan was back in New York and interacting with characters from her old life – who Bridget had been interacting with for half a season – it was sometimes even more confusing. Some episodes tried to differentiate the twins by letting Bridget keep her hair down while Siobhan wore hers up but this wasn’t consistent – within episodes or throughout the season. Unfortunately, Gellar didn’t make a clear division between the characters either and, when she did, it didn’t feel quite as authentic as it does with Anna Torv or Nina Dobrev because it relied too heavily on dialogue and not enough on body language and personality.

Perhaps this isn’t a problem with Gellar so much as a problem with the concept. Bridget is pretending to be Siobhan so of course she would take on some of Siobhan’s characteristics. But when scenes with Siobhan were cut together with Bridget-as-Siobhan scenes, the confusion was off the charts. But what were they to do? If Bridget and Siobhan had different hair colors, then they wouldn’t be able to trade off identities, right? Even if Bridget dyed her hair when she was Siobhan, then Siobhan wouldn’t be able to pretend to be herself and people who were a part of Siobhan’s mystery plans in Paris would know that Bridget wasn’t the same woman. The concept is too convoluted to really allow the twins to be distinct characters.

The show did improve in its final episodes – as did Gellar’s performances – but it’s looking extremely unlikely that “Ringer” will be back for a second season due to low ratings.

So what do you think? Is it just me or is having a doppelganger the new cool thing? Do you wish the doppelganger fad hadn’t taken off? Who do you think does the best job with dual roles – Torv, Dobrev, Gellar, or someone else entirely? Let’s hash it out in the comments!