Siren: She’s not your little mermaid

Freeform’s newest show, Siren, is a far-flung fantasy from the usual fairy tale depiction of mermaids.

Lovelorn mermaids? No, thanks. Butt-kicking mermaids? Yes, please!

When I first saw Siren advertised, I knew I was going to watch it. I wondered though going in if it was a spin-off of the 2015 horror musical called The Lure, out of Poland. It at the very least seems heavily inspired by it, both being a tale of two fierce mermaid sisters, more interested in eating you than trading their tails for legs and land-bound adventure.

Siren stars Alex Roe as Ben, who is more interested in saving the ocean, than exploiting it, unlike many in the town of Bristol Cove. After meeting a somewhat savage mermaid named Ryn, played by Eline Powell, he decides that he must help her in any way he can.

He enlists his girlfriend to assist in finding Ryn’s sister, who has been captured, so they both can return to the watery depths; free from harmful humans.

Both Ben and his girl, Maddie (Fola Evans-Akingbola), feel an undeniable draw to her, a siren call you might say.

Eline Powell does an excellent job portraying her character. Aside from the contacts and make-up, she delivers a feral vibe that really sells the part, but not so much that it’s comical or tears away your suspension of disbelief.

The first episodes were pleasantly surprising. I expected more camp or maybe a cheesy early CW vibe. The show is more horror than I thought going in, with the transformation from fins to feet being akin to An American Werewolf in London.

Painful, but fascinating to watch.

Next: Santa Clarita Diet Season 2 Recap

Television is over-saturated with zombies, and post-apocalyptic stories and vampires have been done to death, so Siren is a fun new offering, taking a bite out of men’s sea-faring fantasies. These mermaids don’t mess around.