For the first season of Siren, please click here.
Run Time: Each episode is about 1 hour
Rating: I would give this PG-13. There are some suggestive scenes and gory ones as well
Summary:
This season focused on the impact of environmental disturbance caused by humans and how it affected the merfolk. Ryn tried to be a human, but when an oil company starts invading the waters with sonar canons and offshore drilling, her pod comes ashore to escape the danger. Will the merfolk work together with the humans, or will Katrina, a past alpha, try to reclaim her leadership? In the second part of the series, mating and the continuation of Ryn's species also becomes another major issue.
My Review:
After watching a variety of mermaid movies and shows, I'm seriously impressed with Siren. The show takes real life issues, like drug addiction and environmental destruction, to give the plot a science fiction, realistic twist. The merfolk are predators and have a distinct clan structure, which is challenged throughout this season.
The Danger, Intrigue, and Mermaids! The Positives:
The acting, especially among the merfolk, was phenomenal. Every time Eline Powell hissed, growled, or brought out Ryn's animalistic side, I got chills! The mermaid culture, including their silent language, hissing, and body language cues were incredible unique to anything I've ever seen. Like other predators, they are territorial and have a hierarchy. Since last season, Ryn had become the alpha, and everyone made sure to show her respect: except on bitter mermaid named Katrina. Ryn demanded that Katrina step down with hair pulling, biting, and an underwater mermaid fight that was one of the best scenes on this show. You know that spike on the end of the female's tails? Well, we got to see what it's used for.
(Love this gif!!)
Other intricacies of the merworld are also described, including how the song affects both the listener and the singer. Powell's voice is so enchanting, just like a real siren! Levi, a merman in the pod, also tells Ben how mating works. The females choose, and the males attract them with a bioluminescent light show in their necks! That was such an incredible feature to watch, and I applaud the show writer's creativity. Because the mermen are subdominant, they don't need to fight as much as the females but protect the pod instead. When one of the mermen revealed their true form to Helen, there is a significant difference in tail and body structure, which further added to the realistic characterization.
The viewer was invited into the life of merfolk, and we saw just how marvelous these creatures are.
However, there were a few things that bothered me.
Sinking Ships: The Negatives
While the merfolk were spectacular regarding their acting, dialogue, and hunting behaviors, some of the humans were weird!
Xander had a dark, dramatic turn this season. He was antagonistic toward these dangerous creatures and borderline abusive with the merfolk as if they were worthless. He is clearly still in the process of recovering from his father's death. I'm torn about his characterization because the viewer should have some sympathy, but he also played a villainous role.
As previously mentioned, drug abuse is another current issue showcased in this season. After dealing with serious abuse issues, Maddie's mother return\ed home. What annoyed me is that she expected to be welcomed with open arms and in the loop about everything instead of earning her daughter and husband's respect. She didn't have any purpose except to cause more issues in Maddie's life.
It's impossible to avoid talking about this: Ryn, Ben, and Maddie are involved in some weird polyamorous relationship. Why? I don't know. It seems Maddie didn't want anything to do with Ben at the end of last season. It isn't until Ryn and Ben start to develop their relationship that she pushes her way in. I suspect it has something to do with the song, but the relationship dynamic felt very forced and rushed. I wish they gave this more time to develop.
Update: As the season progressed, I found their relationship to be realistic and full of compassion and fierce loyalty for one another. There were times when this relationship dominated other aspects of the show, but I still enjoyed the series.
Final Thoughts:
Siren continues to push the boundaries of what we used to think of mermaids. No longer pretty and innocent, these savage creatures have changed our concept of the mermaid. Even though there were some sad losses and strange characterization changes, I continue to love this show! I give this season (*****) 5 stars.
-Sirenita The Selkie