Siren 1×3 Review: Interview With A Mermaid

The conspiracy within Siren is starting to come to life in “Interview With A Mermaid”. We were treated with some very tender moments, particularly between Ryn and Maddie, and started to get some real concrete answers to what the government is doing with Ryn’s sister. Although it was a fairly predictable episode, we got enough forward movement with the plot for it to be satisfying.

The episode title is pretty literal with the fact that Maddie and Ben decided to record their conversation with Ryn to try to get more information about her sister. Not only that, but as scientists, they proceeded to do a battery of medical tests on her with varying success rates. The overlying theme in “Interview With A Mermaid” is trust, whether it is among Ryn/Ben/Maddie or her sister and the researchers. In fact, those tender moments that I mentioned earlier came when Maddie tried to explain the concept of trust to Ryn. Let’s be real, the end-game here has to be Maddie and Ryn. Just look at their chemistry! I ship it. Although Ryn continued to be apprehensive of her hosts, she was equally curious about humans which led to a near-kiss between her and Ben. Fortunately, Maddie continued to take it in stride because they seem to all be under the siren song.

After getting a glimpse at that the researchers are doing in prior episode, it appears that the government is harvesting DNA from the mermaid in hopes of finding a paralysis cure. It seems pretty straightforward, particularly when you remember that Ben’s super wealthy mother is paraplegic. It makes me wonder how much Helen really knows about Ben’s family and his roots, and if his parents actually know more about the mermaid family secrets. It seems clear that the stories are connected, but we will have to wait and get solid proof later on.

As alluded to last week, Chris seems to have stolen the nurse’s mobile phone and contacted Xander. Throughout the episode, we got to see Xander and Calvin try to locate Chris, meantime getting hints as to his whereabouts and what is going on with his disappearance. Again, not a lot of answers, but it is nice to see more characters starting to put the pieces together so quickly.

A main portion of “Interview With A Mermaid” took place at the Siren Song Motel at a pretty epic townie party. It was the perfect front for Ryn to experiment with beer (she unsurprisingly had a strong tolerance, thus impressing the dudes in town), and to find out that she only turns back into a mermaid in ocean water. More little pieces being revealed to us for a hopefully good payoff.

The best part of the episode, for me, was the shocked looks on Ben and Maddie’s faces as Ryn climbed into bed with them at the end. They truly came full circle with the whole trust theme, and the image of the three of them smooshed in bed together is very nice. The series is moving along nicely, if at a quick pace, but I am finding the dynamic among Ben, Ryn, and Maddie to be the best part of Siren.

Author: Erin

Erin has reviewed many shows over the years including Orphan Black, iZombie, Penny Dreadful, and Killing Eve. She has a keen eye for on-screen chemistry, and loves to tackle the subject of casting. She is also our horror aficionado. She live tweets shows, and loves to share her feelings. Erin has a BA in History, and likes to analyze the lore behind historical fiction. She attends San Diego Comic Con every year and has also attended C2E2 and WonderCon.

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