‘Siren’ Makes a Splash on Freeform

Siren is not your run-of-the-mill fairy tale mermaid romance. Freeform’s new supernatural mystery drama is an original take on the creatures of legend. These mermaids are deadly predators and they’ve got the looks to prove it — dagger-like teeth, claws, sharp pelvic fins and a barbed stinger. They can also sing a haunting melody to lure your soul. Did it capture my attention and make me keep watching? Yes, it did.

The coastal town of Bristol Cove, known for its legend of once being home to mermaids, is turned upside down when a mysterious girl appears and begins wreaking havoc upon the small fishing town. Marine biologists Ben and Maddie work together to find out who and what drove this primal hunter of the deep sea to land, and are there more like her out there?

— Wikipedia

First Impression

The first two episodes of Siren quickly brought together our main characters as well as provided some insight into the nature of the mermaids. I really enjoy watching Eline Powell as Ryn, the mermaid. Her refreshing and unique take of a mermaid is very realistic. Gone are the long blonde hair, fork-combs, and shell bras. Instead we have an odd girl who hisses at any hint of a threat and gobbles up rats for food. It really reminds me of a wild animal and that’s exactly what she is… on the surface. This unpredictable nature is what makes me want to watch more.

But by episode two, we find out what brought her to land: her sister was captured by the military and she wants to save her. We learn that she is willing to endure a painful transformation into a human in order to find her. I really like the dynamics where despite being a wild predator, she is still sentient, highly intelligent, and fully capable of love.

The human characters are growing on me but are obviously not as captivating as the mermaid. The contrast between humans and mermaids is kind of interesting to me. From what little we’ve seen of the mermaids, they seem to be very free in the ocean — they can just be themselves. While humans have all kinds of societal norms and are prone to secrets, fear, deceit, manipulation, etc. It just goes to show that our society can be a bit too complicated.

There are a few inconsistencies in the first two episodes. The more obvious one is if Ryn is sentient, why would she attack Ben in the water after transforming back into a mermaid, especially after he offered to help her earlier? But I may just dismiss these small imperfections due to lack of exposition.

Worth Noting

I really like the dark design of the mermaids. They look deadly and scary and yet beautiful at the same time. The haunting melody they sing is also very fitting of their image. Props to the costume designer!

It’s obvious I’ve been lured by their song because I will definitely tune in every Thursday. While Ryn’s motivation was revealed, there are still many more mysteries and I’m excited to find out how they will rescue the other mermaid and whatever else happens after that. The drama has a little bit of everything that will appeal to all viewers. If you like supernatural shows, I do recommend giving Siren a try.

If you’re in America and have a TV subscription, you can watch on your own time on Freeform’s website. Or you can stream episodes the first two episodes for free using the Freeform app.

---

This article is purely of my own thoughts and opinions. Your opinions may differ. Any offense caused by my rants and ramblings is unintentional. Thank you for understanding.