Siren Review: Interview With a Mermaid (Season 1 Episode 3)
There’s quite a bit going on during Siren Season 1 Episode 3, “Interview with a Mermaid.” The bright side is that most of the storylines serve a purpose and shed some light.
Xander and Calvin are a decent source of comic relief, and they discover the location of where Chris and Ryn’s sister are being held, which makes their storyline a little more bearable to watch.
It’s not like it’s bad or anything, but Ryn is where the excitement is. Watching her adapt to this world and tolerate the testing is more interesting than watching a stakeout.
Side note: how hard is it to say, “sorry, wrong number,” Xander?? Geez.
Now that we’ve located the government building, how much longer until we break in? This isn’t something that can be dragged out for too long.
Okay, maybe they spend an episode casing the place and formulating a plan, but if we go longer than two episodes before breaking in, there better be a very good reason.
If Siren drags this out, it will only hurt the show. Ryn is not going to idly sit by and undergo more testing, and like Ryn, we’re not a patient bunch. So, let’s get a move on, people!
Ms. Hawkins: That’s the problem right there. She’s a species to you. There’s way more to the world than science. You should know that. You were raised by a Haida man.
Sadly, Ms. Hawkins isn’t around for the majority of “Interview with a Mermaid.”
She’s the only one, so far, who can provide insight into the mythology both of the town and of the mermaids. Let’s face it, the mythology is one of the most intriguing parts of the series.
Ms. Hawkins drops a couple more hints, but we’re definitely going to need some more answers, ASAP! Any theories how Maddie’s family plays into the history of the mermaids and Bristol Cove?
She’s also the only one smart enough to realize that Ryn isn’t to be trifled with.
Ms. Hawkins says everything you wish you could say to Ben and Maddie.
We get it; Ryn looks harmless and child-like, but she’s not. Ben and Maddie still don’t seem to fully grasp that even after Ryn throws Maddie across the room.
If they had, they would have obeyed Rule Number 1: Don’t leave Ryn by herself.
Ryn: In water, we fight. I kill or you kill.
You can’t completely begrudge Ben and Maddie for wanting to run some tests on Ryn and try to understand more about her. Ms. Hawkins is right though; they are still treating her like a science experiment.
Ben and his family’s storylines will obviously serve a purpose later down the road, especially considering what we know about their family history. However, they are not super entertaining now.
It would have been more fun to spend time with Ryn than take another look at Ben’s dysfunctional family.
Now, if we would have gotten more of a glimpse as to whatever role they played (or maybe still play) in the hunting and/or killing of mermaids, then that would be another thing. That would have at least been interesting.
The super strange relationship that everyone has with each other isn’t all that captivating. Do you agree?
Hopefully in the near future, Siren will cut down on the multitude of storylines, allowing for tighter episodes. Having Ben, Maddie, and Ryn join in with Xander and Calvin would help some, but there’s still a lot going on in Bristol Cove.
What did you think of this episode of Siren? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Siren airs Thursdays at 8/7c on Freeform.
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Allison Nichols
Allison is in a love affair with television that doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon. Slightly damaged fictional characters are her weakness. She loves to spend her free time curled up with a cat and a show to binge-watch. Allison is a Tomatometer-approved critic (Rotten Tomatoes).