Sirens Recap: Sister, Sister

by

In the initial installment of Sirens, the narrative primarily relied on an atmosphere. Devon arrived in town with a chaotic fury reminiscent of Pigpen after a spree; Simone moved around as if she was the boss, while Michaela floated about with a chilling grace, much like Nosferatu hovering slightly above the ground. It’s plausible that Devon is correct in sensing that something isn’t quite right in Oz. However, apart from Michaela overstepping her bounds as a superior, we didn’t learn much about this character or her intentions. Fortunately, the second episode, titled “Talons”, delves deeper into the mystery.

For Devon, it was as if she was swimming from Ethan’s boat to Cliff House’s beach without any concern for being noticed by a multitude of security cameras. Unperturbed, she made her way into Simone’s private room to confront her. There, in the heart of the night and within Simone’s oversized closet, all secrets hinted at in the first episode about their sisterly history emerged, although somewhat comically so.

Simone acknowledges that she put in a lot of effort collaborating with the designer on the design, as Devon observes. However, she’s at a loss for words when it comes to countering Devon’s criticisms regarding Michaela’s inappropriate actions. “True friends don’t dominate or leave you out,” Devon emphasizes. “True friends don’t treat your sister like discarded waste.

It’s possible that Simone isn’t aware of the term ‘brainwashing’, but she maintains that it was her decision to remove Devon. “I’ve never been this happy!” she asserts. “I adore this island. I love myself here.” Devon is far from impressed by this response. “You spray your underwear with lavender mist,” she retorts disdainfully. Such behavior, coming from someone who worked so tirelessly to get into Yale Law, isn’t particularly dignified — an achievement that Devon feels a sense of pride in, which greatly irks Simone.

As the sisters tread on sensitive issues, director Nicole Kassell switches to a more unsteady handheld-camera approach, which highlights Meghann Fahy’s and Milly Alcock’s more intense performances. This change in style also emphasizes that this version of Simone is not the one performing seductive yoga with her boss on the veranda before breakfast (when will she acknowledge her growing affection for Kiki?). The Simone we see now, with a hint of defiance, is the one she’s struggling to forget. She doesn’t mesh well with Michaela’s flawless world, making it impossible for her to thrive within it. Devon, bearing the “unrefined” tattoo that Simone had removed earlier, serves as too potent a reminder of what she’s trying hard not to become.

Watching such intense battles never fails to stir my emotions, yet I find myself drawn to it. As an older sibling, I can’t help but empathize with Devon a bit more with each encounter. The scene beautifully portrays how they both stand their ground, taking turns to showcase their strength, and it becomes evident that they did everything in their power to navigate through the dire circumstances.

As they’re both shouting loudly, it won’t be long before Kiki steps in to halt their early-morning sibling squabble, as she refers to it. Determined to prevent Devon from taking his girlfriend back to Buffalo, Michaela instructs Jose to dial the police. Being fond of the house owner, they swiftly arrest Devon to calm him down.

As Devon gets nearer to her gala and becomes more involved with the household, Michaela’s calm foreboding starts to give way to something more relatable. First, she discovers that her trusted assistant Simone has been concealing information. This is troubling, as she leans heavily on Simone for emotional support and often sleeps in her bed. (Come on, is this show ever going to explore their relationship further, or will the fans of their online fanfiction have to fill in the gaps?)

Just a few inches away from Simone, Michaela queries why she’s never brought up her sister before. “She brings me sadness, Kiki,” Simone mumbles drowsily. “I didn’t want to feel that way here.” Curious and troubled, Michaela asks if there is anything else Simone hasn’t disclosed. Simone swears there isn’t; however, Michaela remains unconvinced.

The following day, Michaela’s spouse Peter, who is none other than Kevin Bacon, arrives back home, showering praise but clearly detached. Annoyed, she descends to see Devon in prison. Unbeknownst to her, however, Devon has been gathering quite a bit of intriguing details about Kiki from her intoxicated cellmate, Cat Cohen, who perfectly fits the role.

It seems that Michaela’s standing in town isn’t just about bird rescue; she’s also been labeled as a suspicious figure, potentially linked to being a shady stepmom and even a potential murderer. Jocelyn Kell, Peter’s first wife and mother of his children, has mysteriously disappeared since Michaela arrived. The Drunk Girl claims that Michaela cold-bloodedly pushed her off the cliff she loves so dearly. Although this claim lacks evidence, Devon is fully convinced of Michaela’s guilt, referring to her as a murderer. This shocking revelation was dropped halfway through the second episode instead of the premiere. However, now that we and Devon have this intriguing piece of information, we might be able to uncover more about what really happened.

Another piece of intriguing information that Drunk Girl reveals is her past involvement in a cult (specifically NXVIM), from which she managed to escape when her father feigned joining and helped extract her. This sparks an idea for Devon: By playing along with Michaela’s act, she might be able to stay long enough to persuade her sister to depart. For the purpose of a TV drama, this is an excellent plot twist, but as a viewer eagerly anticipating more, I can’t help but question its feasibility and effectiveness.

When Michaela arrives at the jail, it’s clear to Devon that Michaela wields more influence than she ever could. This power extends to the police force, who had informed Michaela about Devon’s recent arrest in Buffalo for resisting arrest and driving under the influence of alcohol. “Did you really throw a Four Loko at an officer and call him a coward?” Michaela queries, raising an eyebrow. “Sounds like something I might do,” Devon replies, but there’s a hint of both unease and embarrassment in her tone.

Or you could forgive my past misconduct and let me be your guest once more.

It’s challenging to determine if Michaela is particularly intelligent or not, despite her previous career as an attorney (being an attorney doesn’t necessarily equate to being a genius). She is justified in questioning Devon’s intentions, but she finds herself drawn to the task of transforming Simone’s difficult sister into a more agreeable form.

Personally, I’d contend that the term “palatable” can be quite subjective, and I find it hard to swallow Simone’s casual brattiness, especially when she’s wielding that loudspeaker like a megaphone. If the ground crew, who tirelessly move those chairs up and down the beach stairs for a bird funeral, don’t eventually mutiny against their bosses, I’d hail them as saints. But Michaela has her preferences, so when Devon returns to the guesthouse to play the part of an undercover acolyte, she grits her teeth and slips into the vibrant Lilly Pulitzer dress that awaits her.

While preparing the house for a photoshoot by Vanity Fair, Jose shares security footage with Peter and Michaela, revealing that Simone had disabled the cameras at night to secretly enter and exit the house unnoticed. Upon seeing this evidence, Michaela quickly puts two and two together, linking Simone’s suspicious behavior with Ethan’s residence nearby. This revelation leaves her feeling disheartened and enraged. “She fits his mold,” she snarls, referring to Simone. “A 25-year-old summer visitor.

Listening quietly at the door, Simone let out a shocked gasp. It seemed to me that she wasn’t just disheartened by the possibility that Ethan might have expressed affection towards other 25-year-olds, but that this revelation threatened to diminish her cherished relationship with Kiki. Could their shared moments of chewing gum and explicit texts hold little significance now?

While Simone disappears and Barnaby’s funeral takes place, Devon persistently searches for her sister. Her mumbled remark, “I’m always chasing after this troublemaker,” adds a dash of humor to the situation. As her concern deepens, she secretly checks Simone’s medication in the bathroom and finds that she hasn’t been taking her Klonopin as prescribed. Unfortunately, Devon doesn’t find Simone hiding in the ship’s crow’s nest (a common bird reference on this show), but she does discover Peter, concealed and smoking a joint. He appears more open to jesting with her than his wife, yet their disguised conversation doesn’t go unnoticed. When Devon awkwardly asks if he has any children (“from a previous…first marriage, or…”) and whether his ex-wife is “still alive – right?” Peter swiftly realizes her intentions and departs.

Shortly after, Devon observes Michaela delivering Barnaby’s eulogy. Despite its quirky nature, Julianne Moore’s skillful performance makes Michaela’s grief tangible. Later on, Ethan, with a whale tie and an amped-up sense of silliness, approaches to greet her. Unaware that he’s moved up her list of irritants, Ethan accepts Michaela’s proposal for a stroll “to the cliff.” It’s highly unlikely she’s guiding him there with the intention of pushing him off – that would be too blatant, wouldn’t it?

Regardless, Devon won’t discover what happened. Jose locates her and hastily takes her home – not as a form of punishment, but because he has discovered Simone, crying uncontrollably on the floor. As Devon comforts Simone by wrapping herself around her, it’s difficult not to recall her past conversation with Michaela: “Sisters often speak harshly. They might even try to scratch your face. But no one truly understands you like a sister, and no one cherishes you more.

Bread Crumbs

It appears that Michaela believes Devon and Simone’s mother was killed by a drunk driver, but Devon’s response doesn’t seem to align with this belief very strongly.

Could you explain why each employee on this program always has their phones on? Given your well-known fussy supervisor, it would be much appreciated if you could alleviate my anxiety by silencing those devices instead.

A big nod to Lauren Weedman, our talented chef in this production. She’s a delight to have here, but I’d also love to see her on my screen in every capacity, particularly as the mayor of Las Vegas in the series ‘Hacks‘!

• Bill Camp brandishing a fire poker while Josh Segarra yelps, “I was prom king, man!” Very good.

In my mind, Cloe, Lisa, and Astrid remind me of the characters from the story “Beauty and the Beast,” but with a twist from the show “Suburgatory.” I’m really fond of them.

Ethan was humming “Hey, Mickey, you’re so fine” unaware, as Julianne Moore shot him disapproving looks that could only come from a seasoned pro like Glenn Howerton.

• “Of course they’re bad people. Look at their house.”

Read More

2025-05-22 19:56