Previous Episodes Discussion

[Jacks-Son]

2 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

Heh... I just the put the 'how can merpeople have developed enough melanin to look black' under the same category that I put 'how can fish turn into people' and 'how can Donna have a perfect twist out after living in the ocean'  -- basically it is all magic.

Haida People

Māori People

Yes, indeed, it's all magic, or a religious belief, much like Catholicism, Judaism, Buddhism, and many of the 4,200 religions that are followed in our world. Who knows, maybe it's possible that there are shape-shifters out there. Our science fiction/fantasy books, TV shows, and Movies, all like to fascinate us with the possibilities.

[ribboninthesky1]

I have no issues with Donna's actions and behavior.  I totally understand and sympathize with her perspective.  The problem, as I perceive it, is that the writers don't seem to.

As for luring Chris with the siren song, I believe that Ryn explained, in an earlier episode, that once they're in the water and revert back to their true form, it's kill or be killed. After all, she attacked Ben in the water.  So I guess it could be argued that Donna was in her true form, wouldn't remember her land interaction with Chris, and saw him only as a threatening land dweller.   

Edited May 5, 2018 by ribboninthesky1

[Jacks-Son]

4 minutes ago, ribboninthesky1 said:

So I guess it could be argued that Donna was in her true form, wouldn't remember her land interaction with Chris, and saw him only as a threatening land dweller.   

I'd like to test that theory by putting both Ben and Ryn in the ocean together again, Or even Maddie and Ryn, since theirs is a deeper connection.

During the AfterBuzzTV podcast, Rena Owen said that most of the ocean going cast members had to train and be fully certified in the water before filming.

Edited May 5, 2018 by Jacks-Son

[ribboninthesky1]

Ben and Ryn in the water already happened - I think it was episode 1 or 2.  She tried to kill him.  Would she attack in the water after she has apparently bonded with Ben and Maddie?  I don't know.   

[Jacks-Son]

2 hours ago, ribboninthesky1 said:

Would she attack in the water after she has apparently bonded with Ben and Maddie?  I don't know.   

That's my question. The previous poster pondered whether their connection is lost once they re-enter the water. I said, I'd like to see that question explored.

I know Ben has been in the water when Ryn attacked. I don't remember Maddie in the water. I vaguely remember Ben scrambling to pull someone out of the water, was that Maddie, with Ryn doing a reasonable impression of "Jaws", in the Movie?

Now I remember, the "Jaws" scene was Ben scrambling to get back on the dock while Ryn was swimming towards him from beneath the water to strike him again. I don't remember Maddie ever being in the water beyond reaching for Ryn, who had been pushed into the drunken party pool.

Edited May 6, 2018 by Jacks-Son
Memorex Moment

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I agree that the violence we've seen from both Ryn and Donna has been justified. The creep in the car was sexually assaulting Ryn. The people at the military place had been torturing Donna for weeks. Donna doesn't hate all humans. She could have killed Chris after they escaped, but she didn't. I can't blame her for being wary of humans after what happened to her (the humans on Xander's boat captured her, the military people kept her in a tiny tank and hurt her, Ben threatened her with a flare, etc). Even so, she didn't kill every human that crossed her path while she was on land. She attacked the dock worker because she was starving and he was going to take away her food. Considering all that she's been through at the hands of humans, she's been pretty restrained.

When she was singing to Chris on the boat, was she trying to lure him closer to kill him or to get him out of the way? She seemed to recognize him so I don't think she wanted to hurt him, but I guess it's open to interpretation. What would she have done if he had taken her hand?

[Jacks-Son]

2 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

When she was singing to Chris on the boat, was she trying to lure him closer to kill him or to get him out of the way? She seemed to recognize him so I don't think she wanted to hurt him, but I guess it's open to interpretation. What would she have done if he had taken her hand?

Good questions. Donna's expression during her attempt to lure Chris could be taken both ways, but my initial impression was, "I've got one!". Whether that impression was deliberate or due to my distrust, so far, of the character, I'll have to do some inner reflection.  This is why this episode was a bit frustrating for me. As I've said, I was more interested in what was happening at the sheriff's office than what was occuring on the boat, however, since each scene was necessary by the director, the transitioning between the two was abrupt and not smooth at all. In addition, each scene was ultimately left up in the air.

I definitely disliked the sea burial. The reasoning behind it didn't make sense. They could explain away the injury, but why not just bring the body back to the family to make arrangements. Although, Capt. McClure and his wife were having problems, she still had the right to bury her husband, suspicions aside. No one could reasonably accuse the crew of intentionally murdering him.

Edited May 6, 2018 by Jacks-Son
Grammatical error

[HunterHunted]

Donna and her assault team are attacking Bristol Cove. Yikes. I think Donna understands just enough about humans to maybe slip in and be very dangerous.

Ryn attends a funeral. I guess funerals are enough of a weird awkward time that Ryn's oddness doesn't stand out. Luckily Maddie's stepdad decides to mourn in nature. Although I thought they had started to distribute police sketches of Ryn and Donna. I'm shocked that no one besides Ben's brother recognized Ryn at the funeral.

[AnimeMania]

An entire episode of people sitting around drinking.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Donna comes ashore with two other members of her colony to bring Ryn back home. When mermaids once again begin wreaking havoc throughout the town, Dale tries to put an end to it once and for all.

[BooBear]

3 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

An entire episode of people sitting around drinking.

Yes that was a complete stall by the writers.  Very boring.  I hate to say it but I think this show peaked around episode 4.  Now it just feels like an endless add on. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Oh, Ben. You really think the best time to tell Xander the truth is when he's drunk at his father's wake?

[UNOSEZ]

So all the mean aggressive "animals" are minorities and the super special peaceful mermaid is the white girl.... This show does a good job on the diversity front.. And these characters aren't just window dressing diversity picks. So that choice seems a bit tone def.... That said loving the show... I thought I sensed something more than friendshippy coming from Xander aimed at Maddie earlier in the season glad to see I was right about that... Looking fwd to how it pans out... More info on that talk tween Helen and Ben's dad and Maddie's parents( missing mom and never spoken about bio dad) 

[Kickboxer]

I found this episode to be more depressing than boring, but I like watching character development and conversations. Pretty accurate depiction of a wake other than the issue with Ben's dad almost being turned on by the town. It was amusing that Ren is an awesome darts player and Maddie and Ben practically had to carry her off. Also, this is so shallow but it was also good to see everyone dressed up for a change.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

39 minutes ago, Kickboxer said:

this is so shallow but it was also good to see everyone dressed up for a change.

 Ha, now that you pointed it out, this show is like the opposite of Gossip Girl where they had a ball, party, fashion show, or charity event almost every episode, and even when they weren’t going to fancy balls everyone was dressed up all the time.  To be fair, the people on this show dress appropriately for what they’re doing. Maddie wouldn’t get all dressed up to go feed the seals and Xander wouldn’t put on a suit to work on his dad’s boat which is why it was such a treat to see everyone a little dressed up. Ryn looked really nice in that simple black dress. I’m ao used to seeing her in t-shirts that even that outfit she wore to the bar seemed dressy for her!

Edited May 11, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[tennisgurl]

Ryn being a shark (pun intended) at darts is pretty hilarious, and it was a nice little change up from the somber goings on of the episode. I didnt find it boring, I liked seeing all the characters in one place, interacting with each other. There were a lot of interesting character beats, like Chris wanting to get the hell out of dodge, Helen trying to be supportive while also being upset about this escalation, and Ben's father being sad that he is considered the asshole boss by all his old friends, and being happy to connect with them again.

Ryn cuddling with the seal was super cute. And she looked really nice in her dress and tights outfit. Ben looked like he felt like a huge asshole for calling the mermaids animals, which really isnt accurate. I assume that humans and sirens are somehow related, be it by evolutionary tracks or by some magic thing. Or both. Or even if they arent, they're clearly still sentient beings, even if they have strong predatory instincts. It is interesting, trying to figure out how the merpeople work, and how alike, or not, they are from humans. 

[Tress]

5 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Ryn cuddling with the seal was super cute. And she looked really nice in her dress and tights outfit. Ben looked like he felt like a huge asshole for calling the mermaids animals, which really isnt accurate.

I loved the cuddling.  But, we're all animals - so I'm not so sure why that was such an insult?  

 

12 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

You really think the best time to tell Xander the truth is when he's drunk at his father's wake?

Didn't Xander figure it out for himself?  Ben had to come clean.  I really liked this episode because, even tho it was a boring wake, it's setting up what's to come.  The mermaids coming to land.  Ryns transformation to becoming more human.  The creepy gov't. guy reaching out to Bens mom.

[Jacks-Son]

7 hours ago, Tress said:

I loved the cuddling.  But, we're all animals - so I'm not so sure why that was such an insult?  

I was offended by Ben's comment. We are, in fact animals, but he seemed to imply that Ryn was solely an animal and Humans were something more, while the other Merpeople are something less. Ryn is Special. Ryn was rightfully offended and she had every right to defend herself. She is what she is. I believe that Ben was feeling guilty for getting Sean killed and he should. I was yelling at the screen when the boat first left the dock. Yelling at Ben to stop the ship from leaving. He said he should have stopped them, but at no time did he even raise a fuss. Xander is right; Ben knew all along what was going on and never expressed any misgivings. His vague explanations about continuing, to Mr. McClure were weak and ill-timed. As much as I like Ben, he REALLY let both his friends and Ryn down. He took out his guilt on Ryn, and finally owned up to it, but it was way too late. He did all this to protect Ryn, but he ultimately hurt her and his friends.

I really enjoyed the scene when Ryn apologized to Xander for her people. She continues to struggle to understand (and Eline Powell is outstanding in her role as a mermaid struggling to understand the human world) and her apology was truly heart felt.

I don't understand why Donna has called on the Delta Force to attack. If any group is to blame it is the military. Why attack Bristol Cove when all they're doing is fishing unaware of the people that also rely on those fish? The military is happy to commit genocide for selfish reasons.

Helen should call a town hall meeting and tell the resident what they are facing and how they need to work WITH the mere-people together

[clyo22]

I came here to say almost exactly what is written right above! This episode disturbed me and Ben and Maddie annoyed me.

I too was very offended by the "she is an animal" comment. The whole Ryn is special made me angry. Ryn isn't special. She had the luxury of being treated fairly by Ben and Maddie. Her first encounter with humans weren't through being cought in a fishnet. She wasn't tortured and wasn't hunted. Donna and the others have all the reasons in the world to hate humans. We saw what Donna went through. Ben and Co. didn't, so I get that they have a hard time to understand her emotions. But they have to try harder. If they truly trust Ryn then they should believe her when she say her sister isn't bad. She was traumatised and needs time.

And yes it is partly Ben's fault what happened to Xander's father. What was his plan on the North Star? They were out to hunt Sirens and Sirens defended themselves. They showed they weren't simple fish that could be easily be lured into a trap. What humans did here (the military and North Star) was an act of war. Sure they hadn't captured one yet but they were ready to do so with all their harpoons.

I want Ben to put himself into the "shoes" of the Sirens who have been starved and historically murdered by humans. Of course I also need Donna and Co. to be ready to forgive at some point, hopefully before killing anyone else.

I love the diverse cast but I cannot not see the point some people have been making here: innocent understanding sensible small white Ryn vs violent unreasonable "big" non-white other Sirens.

Edited to say that I still love the main trio Ben, Maddie and Ryn. I just need them to reach out to the Sirens more. I need Ryn NOT to be "special".

Edited May 12, 2018 by clyo22
I still love Ben!

[Jacks-Son]

32 minutes ago, clyo22 said:

I love the diverse cast but I cannot not see the point some people have been making here: innocent understanding sensible small white Ryn vs violent unreasonable "big" non-white other Sirens.

If my eyes didn't deceive me, wasn't there a White Meremale among the Delta Fish Force? While I CAN see your's and UNOSEZ', & Ursula's point about the seemingly racial undertones of  growing pacifistic White Ryn vs violent, teeth-baring Brown & Black skinned Merepeople like Donna, I just can't bear another show using divisive imagery along racial lines. Every day, my heart is saddened by another STUPID incident showing America's growing racial discord. I just hope Freeform, which has been one of the more progressive channels, doesn't slip, albeit unknowingly, down this path. I fear for my country more and more each day.

As I said, Bristol Cove's residents seem more like family, so I can see Helen & Ben perhaps being a bit proactive, along with Maddie's step-father, and Ben's dad, in rallying the townsfolk into shedding their violent, genocidal past, and working WITH the Meres against the military.

Why is Decker back making trouble? Hopefully, he's not back to dangle MereMeat as a solution to the town's health solutions. Sacrificing one group to extinction, so as to save another group is inhumane. Perhaps, WE are the "animals", if we go down this path.

[UNOSEZ]

6 hours ago, Jacks-Son said:

I don't understand why Donna has called on the Delta Force to attack. If any group is to blame it is the military. Why attack Bristol Cove when all they're doing is fishing unaware of the people that also rely on those fish? The military is happy to commit genocide for selfish reasons.

Well to  the mere people.. Its been bristol cove boats out there taking away all their food not the military also not sure how well the rest of  the mere-people differentiate fishermen and soldiers.. Donna just calls them humans.. And from the little histweve gotten humans are generally horrible to mere-people 

 

3 hours ago, Jacks-Son said:

If my eyes didn't deceive me, wasn't there a White Meremale among the Delta Fish Force? While I CAN see your's and UNOSEZ', & Ursula's point about the seemingly racial undertones of  growing pacifistic White Ryn vs violent, teeth-baring Brown & Black skinned Merepeople like Donna, I just can't bear another show using divisive imagery along racial lines

I only saw three.. Donna the black guy and the Asian lady... This episode was rough because of the insistence that Ryn was "special" and " not like them" the "animals" which on its face was problematic because it minimizes the history of what's happened to the mere-people in the past and what just happened to Donna... Also Ryn has killed a man attacked Ben and Decker and almost killed that woman in the trailer park... Hell Donna killed the people who tortured her and the bald mere-man killed Shaun after his boat once again came into their home to take more of their food and after the military ship had come to kidnap his ppl... And that's not even getting into the racial over and undertones of it all... But I'm willing to keep watching the show has done a great job of not just having what I call "window dressing diversity " Maddie Dale Xander Helen and Donna  are all pretty fleshed out characters not just ornaments.. So I'll chalk this episode  up to a minor misstep. 

[Tress]

14 hours ago, Jacks-Son said:

I was offended by Ben's comment. We are, in fact animals, but he seemed to imply that Ryn was solely an animal and Humans were something more, while the other Merpeople are something less. Ryn is Special. Ryn was rightfully offended and she had every right to defend herself.

I guess that people look upon "animals" as less than.  I've never felt that way.  I don't look at non-humans as below me.  I hate factory fishing, farming, etc.  These guys are special, but they're just as important as everyone else.  

Ryn didn't know any better.  She's just learned from her friends.

[Jacks-Son]

Siren Renewed for Season 2 at Freeform

Siren Renewed for Season 2 at Freeform

By Kimberly Roots / May 15 2018, 7:00 AM PDT

Freeform isn’t about to let Siren be the one that swam away: The cabler has renewed the mermaid drama for Season 2, TVLine has learned.

The series follows Ryn (played by Eline Powell), a mythical marine creature who arrives in a small town that’s heavy on deep sea folklore and quickly causes a whole lot of commotion.

Season 2 will consist of 16 episodes, an increase from Season 1’s 10.

Averaging 670,000 total viewers thus far this season, Siren is Freeform’s most-watched series (ahead of the soon-to-end The Fosters), while in the Women 18-34 and 12-34 demos, it stands as the No. 1 new cable drama.

Siren‘s Season 1 finale airs Thursday, May 24 at 8/7c.

[UNOSEZ]

Ben Ben Ben... Smh making bad decisions brush.. Bout to lose maddie bruh... Handing Donna over to her kidnapper /torturer bruh... 

Points for the matriarchy... Immediately revoked for the lil special white savior moment... Donna easily coulda win the fight and still get shot... Cuz even tho it made 100% sense inside the story.. Watching a basically mute but angry black kid get chased by a police jeep.. Shot at and then kneeling in front if a diminutive white girl left an odd  taste in my mouth... 

[HunterHunted]

If Ben would just be honest with Maddie about the singing, they might actually be able to test to see what it's doing to guys brain and his neurotransmitters. But keeping it all secret has him having weird sex murder dreams about Ryn and making colossally terrible decisions. Xander has at least grief motivating his dumb actions. Ben is secretly on Siryncodone.

Why did Ryn end up as the matriarch? It really should have been Donna. The optics aren't all that great with this show, though you can tell it's accidental.

I did appreciate Ryn explaining why the other merpeople wanted to kill Ryn. It all goes back to Ben's crappy ancestor. Is that some abusive shit or what? My wife leaves after I fly into a rage because our child has a deformity, so I massacre her people. I think he might have been coming down from the high of Siryncodone. Decker was clearly willing to overfish all of the Pacific Northwest just to get Donna back.

[AnimeMania]

They showed a commercial announcing that Season 2 would be airing in 2019.

[Aileen]

45 minutes ago, HunterHunted said:

If Ben would just be honest with Maddie about the singing, they might actually be able to test to see what it's doing to guys brain and his neurotransmitters. But keeping it all secret has him having weird sex murder dreams about Ryn and making colossally terrible decisions. Xander has at least grief motivating his dumb actions. Ben is secretly on Siryncodone.

Why did Ryn end up as the matriarch? It really should have been Donna. The optics aren't all that great with this show, though you can tell it's accidental.

I did appreciate Ryn explaining why the other merpeople wanted to kill Ryn. It all goes back to Ben's crappy ancestor. Is that some abusive shit or what? My wife leaves after I fly into a rage because our child has a deformity, so I massacre her people. I think he might have been coming down from the high of Siryncodone. Decker was clearly willing to overfish all of the Pacific Northwest just to get Donna back.

Ryn became the leader because she defeated one of the hunters. Donna didn’t do this.

[HunterHunted]

1 hour ago, Aileen said:

Ryn became the leader because she defeated one of the hunters. Donna didn’t do this.

I know that. I meant for narrative purposes why it was necessary for Ryn to become the leader. It could easily have been Donna. They split Ryn and Donna up during the search in order to get Ryn to fight the merwoman because Ryn "is special." However, I see as much if not more narrative potential in making Donna the leader.

Ryn has enough plot of her own. As it is, Ryn has her disintegrating thruple and her larger experience of learning about the human world. Add to that, she's now the leader of the merpeople. It's a bit Mary Sue-ish. And making the lone white merperson the new leader over a bunch of merpeople of color doesn't have the greatest optics. It didn't need to be Ryn from a plotting perspective. Meanwhile Donna has been repeatedly victimized by humans. It might have been nice to give it to Donna.

[UNOSEZ]

3 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

I know that. I meant for narrative purposes why it was necessary for Ryn to become the leader. It could easily have been Donna. They split Ryn and Donna up during the search in order to get Ryn to fight the merwoman because Ryn "is special." However, I see as much if not more narrative potential in making Donna the leader.

Ryn has enough plot of her own. As it is, Ryn has her disintegrating thruple and her larger experience of learning about the human world. Add to that, she's now the leader of the merpeople. It's a bit Mary Sue-ish. And making the lone white merperson the new leader over a bunch of merpeople of color doesn't have the greatest optics. It didn't need to be Ryn from a plotting perspective. Meanwhile Donna has been repeatedly victimized by humans. It might have been nice to give it to Donna.

And let's not forget that up until Ryn had her "Daenrys in front of the unwashed brown masses moment" she had always seemed to be deferential to Donna.. Even in the car it was Donna who said that they would kill the others and then Ryn would stay with Ben and maddie... So why the show had to turn around and make maddie queen seal is beyond me... Still feel like someone in the cast is a half mermaid and doesn't know... Bens mom Maddie or Helen would be my guess.. Helen cuz I'm still not sure but I feel like she basically admitted to being one... Bens mom because she's in a wheelchair and Maddie being the most likely because... Its freeform and she's the other female lead... Even tho she cares for Ryn I think she's a bit more apprehensive about all of this now... Her step dad is the one talking about shapeshifter myths... And both of her biological parents are missing which again just screams "secret" on a show like this.. Plus the story of Ben's ancestor popped up again except this time there was a mention of a child so we'll see... 

This episode kinda had me scared of Ryn.. Can't put my finger on why.. She didn't really do anything she hasn't done before... But this episode makes me wonder where they'll take her character into season 2

[ElectricBoogaloo]

SEASON FINALE!

Quote

The enchanting siren song takes hold of Ben and Decker. Meanwhile, Dale must answer for the escalating crime in Bristol Cove.

Promo:

[Aileen]

6 hours ago, HunterHunted said:

I know that. I meant for narrative purposes why it was necessary for Ryn to become the leader. It could easily have been Donna. They split Ryn and Donna up during the search in order to get Ryn to fight the merwoman because Ryn "is special." However, I see as much if not more narrative potential in making Donna the leader.

Ryn has enough plot of her own. As it is, Ryn has her disintegrating thruple and her larger experience of learning about the human world. Add to that, she's now the leader of the merpeople. It's a bit Mary Sue-ish. And making the lone white merperson the new leader over a bunch of merpeople of color doesn't have the greatest optics. It didn't need to be Ryn from a plotting perspective. Meanwhile Donna has been repeatedly victimized by humans. It might have been nice to give it to Donna.

Ahhh...I understand what you mean now and agree. 

2 hours ago, UNOSEZ said:

And let's not forget that up until Ryn had her "Daenrys in front of the unwashed brown masses moment" she had always seemed to be deferential to Donna.. Even in the car it was Donna who said that they would kill the others and then Ryn would stay with Ben and maddie... So why the show had to turn around and make maddie queen seal is beyond me... Still feel like someone in the cast is a half mermaid and doesn't know... Bens mom Maddie or Helen would be my guess.. Helen cuz I'm still not sure but I feel like she basically admitted to being one... Bens mom because she's in a wheelchair and Maddie being the most likely because... Its freeform and she's the other female lead... Even tho she cares for Ryn I think she's a bit more apprehensive about all of this now... Her step dad is the one talking about shapeshifter myths... And both of her biological parents are missing which again just screams "secret" on a show like this.. Plus the story of Ben's ancestor popped up again except this time there was a mention of a child so we'll see... 

This episode kinda had me scared of Ryn.. Can't put my finger on why.. She didn't really do anything she hasn't done before... But this episode makes me wonder where they'll take her character into season 2

Helen admitted to being one and now she’s also said that she’s family to Ben’s dad. I’m going with the assumption that she’s related to Ben’s mom, who is also a mermaid.

[HunterHunted]

Which remaining cast is half merperson? Helen admitted she was a merperson, but I don't know if that means she's half or she's a merwoman who came ashore a long time ago. Ben's mom is the obvious choice because of the wheelchair. Then there is Maddie. Both of her biological parents are missing and her stepfather was talking about shapeshifters, but she spends so much time around the water that it's hard to believe that the water wouldn't have activated her transformation. But then again we haven't seen the transformation of someone who has been on land for decades. Maybe it's slower or it doesn't happen at all. The seals are already less afraid of Ryn and she's only been on land a few weeks.

[Jacks-Son]

6 hours ago, UNOSEZ said:

Still feel like someone in the cast is a half mermaid and doesn't know... Bens mom Maddie or Helen would be my guess.. Helen cuz I'm still not sure but I feel like she basically admitted to being one... Bens mom because she's in a wheelchair and Maddie being the most likely because... Its freeform and she's the other female lead

Well, Helen DID say she WAS like Donna, meaning a mermaid. I think Maddie, being part mermaid, is a Red Herring. Perhaps Ben's mom, but there are too many deep, dark secrets for Ben's family. I believe once Decker injects Ben's mom with Mermaid juice, she'll go full on mermaid. (Has anyone seen her legs?)

Putting aside the "Elephant in the Room" for a moment, what the hells was up with Xander? Going on a murderous rage when the situation was basically handled was NOT well played show. I get that the merman killed your dad, but at no time did he even CONSIDER what others were saying. Again, when Xander starting spouting that crap about how the merpeople were hunting them, well, dude, what the fvck were YOU doing on the boat??? You and your boys were basically hunting THEM. Your dad died because of you and your boys' stupidity. He didn't have to die and you should have allowed him to turn the boat around. At this point, Maddie should have explained the situation of the military encouraging the over-fishing and driving the merepeople to the surface to Xander, yet this show deliberately left Xander in the dark so that the rest of his foolish behavior could be part of the plot. Too many stupid decisions by Maddie not explaing things clearly to Xander and the males on this show. Are the females the only ones with any kind of brains? Ben, Xander, Decker, & Dale, have ALL made some stupid decisions with Ben & Xander leading the pack of boneheadedness. (Where the Hells was Calvin, talking about stupidity - we got Janine, but no Calvin hunting this episode)

Now, the big-ass Elephant lurking around the sofa: The blatant possessiveness of Ben with regard to Ryn is beating us over the head. Maddie had it right, he's obsessed with Ryn, and both Maddie and Donna see it. I don't see how the show can reconcile this triangle without breaking up Maddie and Ben and Ben choosing Ryn over Maddie. He jumped on that little blurt by Ryn about the human/mermaid coupling and producing a child. Aileen had it right, this "Siryncodone" (props) is screwing with his head. We don't even know how the child was "deformed". By Merpeople standards, hell, by human standards, the child could have just been unlike either and a new and never-seen-before Hybrid, thus "deformed".

Tip to writers, get you heads out of your collective asses. This show has potential, but in an effort to tell your story, you're not thinking things through enough. You've got until 2019 to figure out what and where your story is headed.

Edited May 18, 2018 by Jacks-Son

[tennisgurl]

Oh Ben, so many bad ideas this week! Number one being not telling Maddie about his Ryn induced sex/murder dreams. Normally they do a good job at sharing things with each other, dont mess that up now! On the other hand, I do get why he called scientist guy. I dont trust him, but I dont know if he is as evil as I originally thought, or at least, he is so obsessed with Donna, he wont hurt her. 

Nice to see Ryn and Donna on good terms again. I actually kind of liked watching the other merpeople exploring the human world. I hope they can eventually team up with the humans in the town to get rid of the government spooks. The merpeople are certainly scary predators, but they are clearly fully sentient and not cruel or anything, so if everyone can chill out for five seconds, they can all win. Hell, they can all work together to get fish! But, I dont really blame the merpeople for being suspicious and distrusting with that messed up backstory. Ben's ancestor was a dick. 

So, how can Ryn be the queen of her mertribe when she`s on land, dating Ben and Maddie? I want to know more about their society. They have a matriarchal society, have some concept like ours have a family unit, what else is their deal?

Edited May 18, 2018 by tennisgurl

[Jacks-Son]

4 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Oh Ben, so many bad ideas this week! Number one being not telling Maddie about his Ryn induced sex/murder dreams. Normally they do a good job at sharing things with each other, dont mess that up now!

Questions, and I'm interested in hearing other's thoughts on this subject:  Is Ben willing to break up with Maddie just to be with Ryn? Is it due to the Siren-Song? Or does he have the hots for her? Is the Siren song in Ben’s head, or is it a projection from Ryn who is nearby?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

11 hours ago, Jacks-Son said:

We don't even know how the child was "deformed". By Merpeople standards, hell, by human standards, the child could have just been unlike either and a new and never-seen-before Hybrid, thus "deformed".

For all we know, the baby could have had a run of the mill human issue like a cleft lip that Mr. Angry Human decided to blame on the mermaid genes.

[Jacks-Son]

1 hour ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

For all we know, the baby could have had a run of the mill human issue like a cleft lip that Mr. Angry Human decided to blame on the mermaid genes.

True. Just a general statement without much clarification. Anyway, why would the writers feel the need to fabricate a near genocide for such a weird reason. I may have to rewatch the episode, but was it the human who killed the child or was it the merepeople who thought the child was an abomination (human/mermaid offspring) and killed the child?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

5 hours ago, Jacks-Son said:

was it the human who killed the child or was it the merepeople who thought the child was an abomination (human/mermaid offspring) and killed the child?

Ryn: There was one of us who spent time with a human long time ago. She lived with him on land. Together, they had little one. But the child was not normal, not look normal. He took it away from her into the woods. He killed their child. So she went back home in the water. But this made him angry. His head bad. He brought many men, and they killed us. So many of us that the water was red with our blood.

[Jacks-Son]

Thanks for the recap, ElectricBoogaloo. It's a weird story and one I find difficult to understand.  I find the whole story absurd and wonder why the writers felt the need to make up that story for the sole purpose of this series. Couldn't they come up with a less macabre story?

[HunterHunted]

Something about the finale bugged the heck out of me. Donna dies after a season of being victimized by humans. And she's mercy killed by Ryn. That's some bullshit. Maddie's dad is under pressure because Ryn killed a known scumbag and drug dealer, the shootout in the town, and Decker killing himself. I'm not loving the idea Calvin might be selling Team Mermaid just for cash to prove that he's a grown-up. There have to be easier ways.

At least Decker is dead and everyone knows that Ben is being an obsessed weirdo. Xander apologized and we know that Helen is 1/8 merperson. And Ben's ancestor wasn't so garbage after all.

[AnimeMania]

I hated everything that happened in the season finale. 

Xan has slept with everybody's girlfriend, Maddie and Janine. (Did Xan sleep with Janine while Calvin was going with her?)

Ben can't think straight whenever Ryn is around so what does Maddie do, leave them alone together.

Here's what I would have done for the series finale and part of the second season. Mermaid Donna survives, but is paralyzed and has to stay in a wheelchair (possibly reversed whenever she is in mermaid form). Decker takes care of Donna and gets rich from his anti-paralysis treatments. Decker gives Donna the finest things money can buy and teaches Donna to be human, in exchange Donna sings to him. Ben's mom gets Decker's treatment and is learning to walk again. Ben, Maddie and Ryn end up in a weird 3-way relationship, when Maddie insists that Ryn sings for her as well. Ben, Maddie and Ryn gets a job on Xan's boat and they reuse a bunch of old "Flipper" scripts to pad out 5 seasons. Ben becomes famous for his underwater documentaries and finding underwater sunken treasure.

[tennisgurl]

Poor Donna, I wish she hadn't died. I wish she had either gotten to either go back to the water, or could chill on land. At least we found out that Helen is descended from mermaids, and Ben ancestor wasn't such a bad guy. Unless of course, he did actually kill a bunch of merpeople, and that sucks, but at least he didnt kill his own baby. 

Yeah, that was a lackluster finale. Honestly, I dont really get why Maddie kinda split up with Ben. If she is worried that Ryns song is driving him crazy and towards suicide, why would she leave him alone even more? Wouldn't that make him more likely to lose it and drown himself? I get that he was keeping secrets, and that sucks, but I feel like this is something they should have talked about, especially after going through all of this. I've really liked how Maddie and Ben have mostly been on the same side for most of the show, I dont want/need relationship drama, beyond their mutual siren girlfriend! 

Really Calvin, hows that conversation going to go? Either they wont buy it, or he is selling out Team Mermaids for quick cash. Not cool.

Not a great finale, but I still liked the show, and want to know where its going next. 

Edited May 25, 2018 by tennisgurl

[Jadzia]

I was backlogged (waterlogged? ha ha) with the last 3 episodes on my DVR and I finally watched them all last night. I kind of felt like altogether they could have been combined into like one much better finale. Lots of filler and it seems like the season stretched out longer than it should have. I really enjoyed the show earlier in the season but it definitely lost steam by the end.

[Jacks-Son]

On 5/24/2018 at 10:41 PM, HunterHunted said:

And she's mercy killed by Ryn

Where did you get the idea that Ryn killed her sister out of Mercy? I did not get that sense at all. Was it because Ryn told Donna, "No more pain", I will help you"?  I also don't see how Decker drowned. If he had entered the water, he would have still been in the water or floating at the surface not on dry land or the beach. Perhaps the General had him killed for hiding his involvement with the merpeople, he already suspected Decker of aiding Donn'a escape.  Maddie's sudden breakup with Ben was puzzling also, Maddie knew that Ben was confused and that Ryn's Siren Song ws messing with his head. Why leave him now; knowing that Decker became disturbed by Donna's Siren Song and committed suicide allegedly?

Dale's handwaving of Xander's murder of Donna is difficult to accept. Was his decision to not press charges against Xander due to his belief that Donna was a legendary shape-shifter snd therefoer not worthy of human, murder charges or the beginning of a conspiracy to hide the details of Donna's true nature or out of respect for Xander's mother/father's death & recent trauma?

Finally, the question I had earlier about whether Ryn would acknowledge/recognize Ben as a mermaid and she obviously did. She didn't see him as prey, but as family.

What's the deal with Maddie's mom calling her now?

[AnimeMania]

Yes, the season was dragging, the series would be better if the 10 episodes they showed were condensed into 5 episodes. An entire episode of people sitting around drinking is not must-see TV.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 5/24/2018 at 11:52 PM, AnimeMania said:

Did Xan sleep with Janine while Calvin was going with her?

Yup. Xander said he slept with her before Calvin was serious about her, so they were dating or hooking up or in some kind of relationship, however casual.

[HunterHunted]

8 hours ago, Jacks-Son said:

Where did you get the idea that Ryn killed her sister out of Mercy? I did not get that sense at all. Was it because Ryn told Donna, "No more pain", I will help you"?

I thought Ryn held Donna to her chest and smother/hugged her, but I'll fully admit that it wasn't super clear to me.

It wasn't a great finale after 9 episodes of solidly entertaining summer-ish tv. 

[Tress]

I don't know why, but I liked the finale, just like I liked all of the episodes.  I admit, some of the episodes were kinda boring, but they did set up for what was to come.  I love how the siren song really came into play in the finale.  

This show is really following the siren mythology:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siren_(mythology)

[roctavia]

So if the merbaby lived, did the mermom still go crazyI? Or what happened to cause the townspeople to go murdering all the mermaids?  Maybe I  missed something in the stories there... but I don't quite get it. I mean, I'm glad the guy didn't murder his baby, but then how did we get to all of the mermaid killing?

[AnimeMania]

I hate that commercial that Freeform shows about all the shows they have of their network. Most of the scenes they show of Siren have Mermaid Donna in them and they all look interesting. Unfortunately Mermaid Donna is dead and every time I watch the commercial it makes me mad that they killed Mermaid Donna off.