Mermaids Get A New Look in Freeform’s ‘Siren’

Vampires, werewolves, zombies, and now mermaids. Freeform is taking their own spin on the mythological creature in Siren, where a small Washington town’s dark and genocidal past comes back with a vengeance from the deep. As a perpetual Thalassophobe (scared sh*tless of the deep blue sea), Siren presented me with a terrifying landscape of creatures from unknown environments, whose instincts are to be more feared than the Great White. However, these same chilling harbingers of death allow the audience to empathize with them on a human level. I have to give major respect to Sibongile Mllambo and Eline Powell, who play Donna and Ryn respectably. They do a remarkable job of portraying the “otherworldly-ness” of their species. To demonstrate characters that are both naive AND predatory due to their ranking in nature’s hierarchy, is testament to their skills as actresses. But what makes this season worthy of a quick binge session is just how close to disturbing the narrative becomes. (Featured Left to Right:) FOLA EVANS-AKINGBOLA, ALEX ROE, ELINE POWELL Siren follows marine biologists Maddie Bishop (Fola Evans-Akingbola) and Ben Pownall (Alex Roe) as they the discover their town has an intimately horrific connection to real-life mermaids. With their family and friends hovering close, we see them fight off a military conspiracy, paths of vengeance, and dark secrets that threaten to harm everyone they love. With the help of their new and mysterious friend Ryn, they hope to understa…