‘Sirens' Review: A ‘B' Level ‘The White Lotus' Meets ‘The Stepford Wives' Tale

Forbes

4 hours ago

The password is: The White Lotus wannabe with shades of The Stepford Wives.
Success breeds imitation, particularly when the critics are crowing. That said, it comes as no surprise that Netflix limited series Sirens also focuses on the complexities of wealthy individuals in a luxury setting. Even the opening credits screech imitation. So, is Sirens worthy of the comparison? The answer is: not necessarily.
The scoop: Set over Labor Day weekend, Sirens follows Devon DeWitt (Meghann Fahy), a brash lower-class Buffalo, New York resident who decides after a night in prison to visit her younger sister Simone (Milly Alcock) at the lavish island where she is living and working. Simone, you see, has sent Devon an all too perfect bouquet of fruit in response to her texts looking for help with their aging father's (Bill Camp) ongoing dementia health crisis. Translation: She couldn't care less. And Devon is pissed off enough to trek to wherever the hell this island is with the fruit bouquet to throw in Simone's face.
Devon has devoted her life to Simone after the tragic death of their mother, and she is now tired of being the only one helping out. But picture-perfect Simone is completely embarrassed to see her trashy sister.
Arriving at the mansion when Simone is employed, we meet Simone's boss, Julianne Moore as the Stepford Wives-ish Michaela Kell, who Simone is transfixed with and, eventually, Kevin Bacon as Michaela's friendly and exceedingly rich husband Peter. Guess what? Michaela and Peter's 'perfect' life together is not what it seems. Surprise! Surprise!
Working as an assistant to Michaela (who she refers to as 'Kiki'), Simone is knee deep in preparing a grand charity gala and is none-too-kind to the family's staff, including property manager Jose (Felix Solis), head chef Patrice (Lauren Weedman), and Missy (Britne Oldford), the Kell's housekeeper. The staff hates Simone, Simone is having a secret affair with Glenn Howerton as Ethan Corbin, the Kell's also wealthy next-soor neighbor, and Devon ultimately shifts from anger to concern after realizing something is very off here. Just what is with this creepy relationship with Simone and 'Kiki'?
Described as a 'dark comedy,' there were no moments per se where this viewer actually thought anything was funny. Peculiar? Yes. Interesting? Sometimes. Picturesque? Definitely. But nothing really reeked from any humor. And what seemed a bit off kilter from the get-go was the casting. While you can't go wrong with Oscar winner Julianne Moore and her plastic smile as 'Kiki', Kevin Bacon as her good guy albeit long-suffering husband, or the red-hot Meghann Fahy (does this actress ever take a day off?), Milly Alcock just appeared to be awfully young.
In an ending that seemed pretty obvious, Michaela is cast aside, Simone has inherited her role, and Devon heads home. Will Michaela find a new place in high society? Will Devon find her own niche? And will Simone, who looked like she is playing dress up as the new 'Kiki," successfully fill Michaela's shoes?
Since Sirens dominated the Netflix charts in its opening weeks, I would not rule out a sequel. But I am not necessarily sure it is worthy of one.
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Having arrived at the mansion the Kells call 'Cliff House,' Devon, taking on the mantle of investigator, tries to understand whether Simone, who escaped their bad childhood to attend Yale and then passed up law school to take this job with Michaela, has been in some way bewitched by this gorgeous, demanding boss who lets Simone call her 'Kiki.' Why has Simone stopped replying to Devon's calls and texts? Why does she now wear only the kinds of ugly, fancy pastel clothes you see in boutiques in the Hamptons, bearing keel-over price tags—the same styles every single guest and resident at Cliff House wears, without exception? Why does Simone keep this position, which has her drafting sexts from Kiki to Peter, misting lavender onto Kiki's underwear, sleeping in a bed with Kiki when the boss has a bad night, and accepting Kiki's limitations on her dating life? And has Simone had (Devon looks closer) a nose job?
on her journey to a lavish island to visit her younger sister Simone (Milly Alcock)
Devon is concerned about her sister Simone's creepy relationship with her new boss, billionaire Michaela, and decides it is time for an intervention.
where mansions and hydrangeas abound — and where she comes to realize that the surrounding waters are murkier than they first appear. 'I like to talk about Devon as the metronome of the show,' series creator and executive producer Molly Smith Metzler (Maid) tells Tudum. 'She sets the pace, and especially the comedy. Casting Meghann was a gift from the heavens.'
While "Sirens" has been compared to "The White Lotus," some viewers find it more akin to a Hallmark-style movie with an unsettling thriller element.