Though I am not all that fond of Julianne Moore, I was intrigued by the stacked cast of this five-part limited series. I will admit that the small number of episodes and “limited series” aspect of it is what also drew me to Sirens.
I was really intrigued to learn that this show was based off of a play of the same name. Evidently it did well enough that Netflix felt compelled to greenlight it into a screen adaptation, but I must admit this show was weird with a capital “W.” And I think that says a lot coming from me. What really gave me the ick about this show was the way it was filmed, which I believe was intentionally to give it a Stepford Wives vibe. Everything was manicured so perfectly, and the colors were too saturated. It made me feel stiff and uncomfortable watching it. Which again, I believe was the point.
We are meant to relate to Devon, a normal woman dealing with a lot of normal stuff. She essentially gave up a prosperous future to make sure her younger sister actually had a good one, and now she is stuck taking care of her dementia-riddled dad, along with dealing with her own alcoholism. It’s har latest alcohol-related arrest that has her looking for her younger sister, Simone, who refuses to acknowledge even a text message from Devon. Devon eventually finds herself on the eccentric island where her sister has been working over the summer. She of course sticks out like a sore thumb, while also presenting herself as a serious thorn in Simone’s side. She’s spent all summer crafting a more perfect version of herself to become best friends with her boss, Michaela.
To Moore’s credit, she plays Michaela so well. She’s eccentric, demure, but also a little overbearing. Having access to so much cash will likely do that to most people. It doesn’t help that her piggy bank husband is always only loosely around. Devon could not have come at a worse time. The island and Michaela’s compound are getting ready to throw a huge Labor Day weekend gala, so Simone basically just has to grin, bear, and manage Devon’s unwanted arrival. It’s clear she still loves Devon, but it’s also clear she doesn’t love all of the past things that she represents from her life. In fairness, both Simone and Michaela’s stories are more complex than I’m making them out to be here, but I suggest tuning in to get the full picture.
Even though this series was only five episodes, it was a bit painful to get through for me. Not that the story was boring, but it was just so weird and uncomfortable that I was barely getting through the ffity-plus minutes episodes. After the first two I contemplated quitting, but with only three left and several Emmy nomniations announced at this point, it felt foolish to give up. The series did grow on me, but the final episode was more bonkers than any of the others. I do think all that ended up transpiring in that episode maybe came a little too fast, but it sure did manage to shock me. All in all, I don’t regret sticking with this series, but I will absolutely never watch it again. What a strange little project.