Sirens

5

There has been a true spate of these damaged-rich-people-in-trouble series over the past several years. It all seemingly started with Big Little Lies and went on from there. This is the first of that genre to not star Nicole Kidman. Subbing in our other ginger-adjacent queen, Julianne Moore, in the primary rich lady spot. Like its brethren, this one involves dark humor, some mystery and a dead body (that, in this case, turns out to not be a dead body). It all feels a bit like a tawdry beach read, though this one is apparently based on a play and not a commercial-class paperback. I’m not certain what continues to draw me to these stories, other than the fact they generally employ some star power and the promise of some pretty cool settings and several hours of being able to turn my brain off while beautiful people spar about stuff that is in no way related to my day-to-day life. And Kevin Bacon, because why not?

We all know the myth of the siren. As a person who actually re-read The Odyssey as an adult (albeit a young one) I have a vague recollection of Odysseus lashing himself to the mast of his ship to avoid steering toward the siren’s song and crashing into the rocks. Why the sirens are so destructive, I have no idea. Where they zombies set to devour the floating bodies of the dead seamen? I don’t know. But point is, this series uses that myth as the basis of its investigation about the pull and allure of the ladies at the center of the narrative. Not exactly an original idea, but one that I suppose works here. Especially when, at some level, Moore’s Kiki character is running a new-agey cult from her cliff-side mansion. Her siren-like qualities on full display. There are allusions to The Odyssey’s sirens throughout, some sort of subtle, some not at all. There is even a scene in which Kiki actually sings a siren song of sorts in order to cloud the head of Meghann Fahy’s Devon character, which kind of crosses the line between a subtle nod and an out-an-out weird, almost supernatural plot point. It’s the one real clunky part of an otherwise mostly straight-ahead tale of woman-on-woman power dynamics.

Let me first say that Meghann Fahy is pretty awesome. She just kind of jumps off the screen and can somehow seem both other-worldly and girl-next-door-ish. She has actually been a similar character in two other rich people shows: The White Lotus and The Perfect Couple. Never the lead, but a great supporting presence. Here she gets a juicy role as the fuck-up sister. Alcoholic, sex addicted and generally a bit a of a mess, she is the big sister to Simone (Milly Alcock), who both looks absolutely nothing like her and is also clearly British. No American has a jawline like that. Simone has landed a job as a personal assistant / chief of staff to the aforementioned Kiki. In her fancy-pants mansion by the sea. She basically runs the household with an iron fist. Commanding an army of servants and gardeners and event planners to set up Kiki’s life and business. I’m still a little unclear what that business is, other than collecting middle-aged women using quips and rote sayings and opening a bird sanctuary, but I suppose this is what the wives of billionaires do to pass the time. The billionaire being Kiki’s husband, Peter (Kevin Bacon). She’s the new wife. Or the second wife, I guess. The old wife’s whereabouts are unknown. Such mystery!

Anyhow, Devon — unable to get in touch with her sister for some time — shows up uninvited to this idyllic compound with an Edible Arrangement (because it’s classy) to try to pry her sister away from Kiki. Eventually her and Simone’s dementia-addled father, Bill Camp, is brought to the property as well. And it becomes a whole damaged family renunion. Simone and her controlled life and her health guru boss, who is her closest friend, and her crazy sister and demented father all vying for adoration. A woman seemingly completely in control — a little clone of Kiki herself — with her old, pukey life washing in to crap up her trajectory toward whatever it is she thinks she’s getting from all this. A battle ensues between the sisters over Kiki and her control over Simone, all while Simone has a secret affair with dumb n’er do well, Glenn Howerton. The show is ostensibly a dark comedy, but there’s certainly more dark than comedy. They throw Josh Segarra in there to lighten things up, and have some various characters who occasionally get a laugh. A drunk woman in the town jail. Lauren Weedman, as the house’s chef. Howerton is a good dufus. But overall, the thing is more soap opera with a bit of a satirical, modern edge than it is a laugh riot. Or even like a laugh march. Or laugh sit-in. After all, for-real childhood trauma and shit like that isn’t really big laughs.

The good thing is, this show knows when to get in and get out. It’s only five episodes, which feels just about the right length. There’s only so many times one series can do the death fakeout. Only so many times Kiki can creepily sidle up to Milly Alcock. Only so many times Bill Camp can act like a giant child. I feel like perhaps they figured out that Fahy, and not Moore, was the real whirlwind here. And that the brilliance of her character kind of dulled the shine of the main storyline between the two sirens. Honestly, I’m not sure how I feel about the ending and how things turn out with Kiki and Simone. It’s both unexpected and also a little confusing. A little wet firecracker-ish compared to how most shows end these days. Not even one shot fired. Which is shocking. But I get it. It’s literary in its inevitability when you really think about it. The young siren eclipsing the old siren. Everyone ultimately ending up where they should be.