The mind-boggling final episode of 'Sirens' will make you rethink everything
WARNING: Spoilers about Netflix's Sirens ahead!
Part of the draw of Netflix's new dark comedy series, Sirens, is figuring out the mystery of what the heck is actually going on.
While the story is set against the backdrop of gorgeous Martha's Vineyard (a picturesque island in the American state of Massachusetts that's beloved by the mega wealthy), and everyone is wearing preppy attire in bright Easter egg colours, it's easy to sense that there is something eerie and just straight-up wrong. And, from the jump, we're trying to figure out just what is wrong. Why is Simone (Milly Alcock) so obsessed and uncomfortably close with her boss Michaela Kell (Julianne Moore)? Does Michaela have magical powers? Is she actually running a cult?
The fifth and final episode of the miniseries answers all these questions — and more. Plus, it might just leave you questioning your whole viewing experience.
Here's the ultimate breakdown of the Sirens finale.
After her heart-to-heart with Michaela (a.k.a. Kiki), Simone is expecting a big promotion and is looking forward to moving to New York City to run the New York chapter of the Folger Glen Wildlife Preservation Society. But, in the episode leading into the finale, Michaela learns of her husband Peter's (Kevin Bacon) infidelity. A photographer came forward with a picture of him kissing Simone on the island, and this of course changes the course of Simone's career.
Much to the delight of the other staff on the property, Kiki asks that Simone's belongings be packed in cardboard boxes and sent to Goodwill because she will no longer be staying or working at the Cliff House. This all happens while Simone is at the hospital, visiting her ex-boyfriend Ethan (Glenn Howerton) who had drunkenly fallen off the side of a cliff the night before. And so, when she gets back to the Cliff House (the Kells' house), she is totally blindsided and left in shock.
Just when Devon (Meghann Fahy) was finally at peace with the idea of leaving her sister be, letting go, and going off on a month-long sailing adventure to Palm Beach with a hunky captain — everything feels like its falling apart again. Since Simone got fired, she, her dad, and her ex Ray (Josh Segarra) have been uninvited from the Preservation Society's gala and will no longer be meeting Buffalo Bills icon Jim Kelly. They're told to immediately pack their things and get ready to leave the island. Simone is already in the car with driver/ Peter's assistant/ Cliff House manager Jose (Felix Solis), ready to head to the ferry. But before they can leave, they need to make a stop at the police station because Ray was arrested for public nudity.Since her dismissal, Simone has been completely silent out of devastation. But while waiting as Devon tries to collect Ray from the police station, her dad (who has early-onset dementia) talks to her. He apologises for having neglected Simone as a child to the point of losing her to the foster care system, and says he'll do better this time when she comes home to take care of him while Simone is away. This freaks Simone out, and she runs away — all the way back to the direction of the Cliff House.
Ray decides to leave the island on his own, and Jose drives everyone back to the Kells' residence because Peter asked him to take care of something before driving the DeWitts to the ferry. Jose tells Devon and her dad to stay in the car while he took care of the errand. Devon, of course, does not follow these orders and goes off on her own to try and find her sister. She heads straight into the gala and confronts Michaela, accusing her of all the things she's rumoured to be —a cult leader, a murderer, and a monster. But then Michaela is swift in shutting down these accusations and clears things up.
As it turns out, Michaela did not murder Jocelyn by pushing her off of a cliff. Since Peter divorced her, his first wife has become a recluse on a remote island in Washington state. She became disfigured due to botched plastic surgery jobs, and has decided to lay low and has been doing so for the past 10 years. Ashamed for having spewed out crazy conspiracies about Mrs. Kell, Devon sees herself out and resumes her search for Simone.
When Simone ran back to the Cliff House, Peter was actually the first to see her. They met at the beach, where he apologises for being the reason she lost her job and promises he'll undo the mess. But Simone tells him that she's got some info that she thinks is important for him to know.
We find out later that Simone told Peter about the photo Michaela had of their kiss, and that she was hiding it in the house. That's why Peter had called Jose over, to find the photo and destroy it. This leaves him free to divorce his wife, without any repercussions—especially since she signed an airtight prenup that highly favoured him.
Peter tells Michaela that he questions ever having been happy in their marriage, and that he blames her for ruining his relationship with his children. She rebuts that he decided to pursue her, he decided to divorce his first wife, and he decided to allow his children to demonise Michaela and therefore creating distance between them. Then he brings up the incriminating photo she was going to keep in the safe as an insurance policy in their marriage, and says "Good marriages don't need an insurance policy." Michaela again brings up a good point, saying that from the get-go Peter and his lawyers already made sure an insurance policy was in place, with an ironclad prenup that only valued Michaela for her ovaries and ability to bear children (which she never did).
Michaela tries to fight to keep the aviary and the Preservation Society, but Peter says that Simone will take care of it. Simone later comes down the stairs in her beautiful gala dress, which implies that she will be the new Mrs. Kell. Michaela sees herself out, and Peter and Simone walk back into the gala together as a couple.
Devon, too, finds her way back into the main event. That's when she sees Simone and Peter walk in together, with his arm wrapped on her lower back. When Simone sees her sister, she comes to talk to her excited about this new chapter in both their lives. She's going to be the head of the foundation and potentially the new Mrs. Kell, and Devon can go off and set sail to Palm Beach with her lover. This is when Devon gets real and expresses her disappointment at how easily Simone betrayed her former mentor and boss/ supposed best friend Michaela. To which Simone replies, "Am I not supposed to walk through a door that opens?"
It dawns on Devon that there's no dissuading her sister, and that this is the choice she wants to make for herself. Devon then tells her that she's decided not to go away, and will be taking care of their father because she wants to. Simone may not realise it, but Devon takes pride in having taken care of her little sister and now to take care of their dad despite it being a thankless job.
While Simone suggests that they can still see each other, when she flies into New York City sometime, the two sisters have tears in their eyes knowing this might be the last they see of each other. Devon knows that Simone is going to disappear into this all-consuming world of luxury, and that she's going to lose her little sister. She says goodbye, and leaves the Cliff House as Peter gives the gala toast.
Devon and her dad are on the ferry, when she sees a familiar figure on board. Michaela is aboard the same boat, and Devon goes and sits beside her for a bit. She then apologises for her behaviour the whole weekend and all the accusations she made against her at the gala. Then, she asks Michaela what she's going to do now that she's divorced and lost the wildlife preserve, to which she says she has no idea. But she does have a suggestion for Devon: cash in the $10,000 check that she had initially given to her as a bribe to get off the island. At first Devon is hesitant, but then sees that this is something Michaela is offering out of the kindness of her heart.
Devon then tells Michaela that she isn't a monster. The truth is, it's her circumstances that have made her out to be one. (And also, to some degree, her ex-husband IMO.) Michaela then reminds Devon that Simone isn't a monster, either.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
22 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
‘Downton Abbey' star will bring her play about Ava Gardner to Chicago
Elizabeth McGovern, the American actress best known for playing Lady Cora in the British TV and movie franchise 'Downton Abbey,' will star in a show headed to Chicago that is based series of real-life interviews given by the Hollywood actress Ava Gardner. Titled 'Ava: The Secret Conversations,' the show was written by McGovern and is directed by Moritz Von Stuelpnagel. Aaron Costa Ganis also appears in the piece, which will run Sept. 24 to Oct. 12 at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago's Fine Arts Building. Karl Sydow is the producer of this commercial production, managed by Pemberley Productions, which has brought several shows to Chicago. McGovern becomes the third 'Downton Abbey' star to work in Chicago theater, following Brendan Coyle, who appeared at the Goodman Theatre, and Lesley Nicol, whose solo show was performed at the Greenhouse Theatre Center. 'Ava: The Secret Conversations' has previously been seen at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles and NY City Center in New York. It is drawn from the series of interviews Gardner gave to the British writer Peter Evans (played by Ganis) between 1988 and 1990, wherein the Golden Age star spoke of her various marriages to Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw and Frank Sinatra, as well as her famously turbulent relationship with Howard Hughes. Evans had been hired to write Gardner's autobiography, but she ended up firing him. His book detailing the interview was not published until 2013, and has been re-imagined by McGovern for the stage. McGovern will also be seen this fall on screen in 'Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale.'
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
How ‘The Studio,' ‘Yellowjackets,' ‘Monsters' and ‘White Lotus' Make Bad Behavior Appealing
If you analyze the list of reprehensible acts committed by Shauna on 'Yellowjackets' – from everyday betrayals of those closest to her (e.g., sleeping with her best friend's boyfriend in the series' first episode) to serious crimes – you can safely say that she is an objectively horrible person who should be serving a long stretch in prison. But not if you're Melanie Lynskey, the actor who's played the character on the Showtime series for the past three seasons. More from Variety Emmy Voters Don't Forget: The Powerful Women of 'The Righteous Gemstones' 'Handmaid's Tale' and 'Day of the Jackal' Producers on Rewriting Literary Worlds With TV Adaptations 'The White Lotus': How Editing and Sound Helped Make Thailand a Character in the Story 'I feel so the opposite of that,' says Lynskey when confronted with the idea that Shauna is a horrible person. 'It's so easy for me to find the humanity in her.' Finding the humanity in a character, no matter how morally objectionable, is a core task of an actor's job. And since Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) bada-binged his way on to TV screens in 'The Sopranos' in 1999, that task has become increasingly more daunting for both actors and audiences as they've been confronted by a growing horde of emotionally toxic and downright dangerous anti-heroes, from Walter White in 'Breaking Bad' to virtually every character in 'Succession.'In comedy, that's the case too. It's not easy to craft a character who both causes audiences to yell at the screen and root for at the same time. Yet 'The Studio' does just that with Seth Rogen's Matt Remick, who after getting a major promotion seems to make every wrong decision he can. Still, it's impossible not to hope he finds a way to succeed. Often, actors can't help but feel protective of their characters. Lynskey says she's been bewildered by the fans who've directed online vitriol at Shauna this season, while seemingly forgiving the sins of Shauna's husband Jeff (Warren Cole) and the heinous crimes committed by Misty (Christina Ricci). It's suggested to Lynskey that the difference is that Misty's brand is cuckoo, while Shauna is effectively the eyes and the ears of the viewer. 'Yeah, I guess there is a difference,' concedes Lynskey, who plays the character as an adult, while Sophie Nélisse plays her as a teen. 'I think that that the reason why people feel so upset and betrayed is because [Shauna] is like the audience surrogate who we all relate to. She seems like moms that I know. She seems like my mom. She thinks like me and then she's actually somebody who's capable of doing very crazy and really vicious things.' As Lyle Menendez in Netflix's 'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,' Nicholas Alexander Chavez is that arrogant, spoiled rich kid we've all known – right up until the moment he and his brother Erik (Cooper Koch) kill their parents Jose and Kitty (Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny). But unlike Shauna in 'Yellowjackets,' if you take away the cold-blooded murder, Lyle is still, well … a privileged douche. Right? 'I would have a really tough time calling him that, only because it's impossible for me to put that kind of judgment on him,' insists Chavez. 'I see him more so as a wounded boy whose emotional and psychological development was probably stunted around the age of 8 or 9 or 10, but who ultimately felt like he had to behave like his dad. And I think that if you asked any 10-year-old to act like a 40-year-old record label executive, they would have a lot of anger and feel a lot of inadequacy because they don't have the means by which to actually do that job.' For Season 3 of HBO Max's 'The White Lotus,' Michelle Monaghan looked deep into the soul of not a murderer, but a famous actress like herself – specifically, a fictitious TV star named Jaclyn who manipulates and betrays her two childhood friends (Leslie Bibb and Carrie Coon) while on girls' trip to a luxury resort in Thailand – a process she admits she felt 'confronted' by. '[As actors], 'a lot of our self-worth is dependent on external validation,' observes Monaghan. 'I think because that's the way in which [Jaclyn] lives her life and that that's where she places her value, when she's not getting that validation or that stimulation that she needs, she goes looking for it in all the wrong places. And at the end of the day, what I hope we see is someone who probably really needs authentic connection. And I don't think she's malicious; I don't think she's manipulative, I think she's naughty.' Monaghan believes that, instead of turning viewers off, a character's bad behavior can actually draw them in. 'I think it allows for audiences to be seen in a way, because maybe [the character's] moral compass is a little off in a way that can oftentimes mirror their own,' she says. 'I like that feeling of being able to kind of take the audience on a ride that feels maybe a little confronting for them and one that they're emotionally invested in.' Getting inside the head of Menendez and staying there was a less pleasant experience for Chavez at times, particularly when he had to shoot a scene where he was was locked in a closet, naked and covered in simulated feces. 'When I'm working on a role, it'll work on me in almost a subconscious way,' says Chavez. 'There will be subtle drifts in my personality towards a certain behavior pattern over the course of two or three or four months. I do this almost unknowingly, which makes a lot of sense because you're filming five days a week for anywhere between eight to 14 hours a day. Now, it's not to the point where I'm out to dinner with my friends after a day of shooting and I'm introducing myself as Lyle. I think that that sort of stuff is a bit ridiculous. But I'd say I was about four months out, like late January of this year, is when I started to actually let go [of Lyle] and feel like myself again.' But, just as often, it's good for an actor to be bad. Lynskey points to her stunt-filled fight scene from Season 3 of 'Yellowjackets' where she bites off a piece of Melissa's (Hillary Swank) arm and forces her to eat it as being particularly enjoyable. 'It's very fun when the stakes are high and there's a really dangerous element to it,' says Lynskey. 'And it's fun to play someone who's unpredictable. Honestly, I don't know what the scripts are going to give me.' Best of Variety What's Coming to Netflix in June 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
‘The Studio' and ‘Hacks' Are Two of the Best Shows Ever About Hollywood — But Are They Too Inside or PTSD-Inducing?
Hollywood seems to always take that cliché 'write what you know' to heart when it comes to producing scripts about Hollywood. I enjoy those tales, of course, but that's because my chosen profession is to report on this fascinating business. There's clearly enough money, creativity, mystery, farce, scandal, glamour and spectacle for us to cover every single day at Variety. And all of the stuff that makes for good copy also makes for entertaining TV and film plot lines. So perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that three of this year's biggest Emmy comedy contenders play in that space: 'Hacks,' 'The Studio' and 'Only Murders in the Building.' All three have quite a bit of fun with industry tropes, and come a little too close for comfort with some of its satire. And they even crash into each other: 'Hacks' creators Lucia Aniello, Jen Statsky and Paul W. Downs cameo as themselves on an episode of 'The Studio,' while Ron Howard is among this year's hot TV trends, playing himself on both 'The Studio' and 'Only Murders.' More from Variety How 'The Studio,' 'Yellowjackets,' 'Monsters' and 'White Lotus' Make Bad Behavior Appealing Emmy Voters Don't Forget: The Powerful Women of 'The Righteous Gemstones' 'Handmaid's Tale' and 'Day of the Jackal' Producers on Rewriting Literary Worlds With TV Adaptations So, we always ask, do audiences outside Hollywood get the jokes, or care? Sometimes, yes. The entertainment business as a series setting goes back to the early days of TV, as even 'I Love Lucy' had a bit of showbiz as its backdrop. Then came 'The Dick Van Dyke Show,' a TV show about the making of a TV show that won the outstanding comedy Emmy three times. HBO built an entire network partly on the premise of shows about show biz — 'The Larry Sanders Show,' 'Entourage,' 'Curb Your Enthusiasm,' 'The Comeback.' (I'm not including 'The Idol' there, for obvious reasons.) One of Netflix's best early shows was the animated 'BoJack Horseman.' But just as often, it seems like shows about the biz nail it with critics and awards, but audiences are less interested. In TV circles, we still talk about Fox's groundbreaking 1999 comedy 'Action,' about a nasty Hollywood producer played by Jay Mohr, but it was canceled after eight episodes. They added a laugh track to ABC's 'Sports Night' in a desperate attempt to make it work. NBC's '30 Rock' won three consecutive comedy Emmys and is beloved by many — yet was never a megahit. Comedy Central and HBO Max gave us three fantastic seasons of 'The Other Two,' but I'm still angry at all of you who didn't watch. I think audiences are watching 'Hacks' (especially this season as Deborah Vance tackles talk), 'The Studio' (the best biz parody in years) and 'Only Murders' (which addressed Hollywood this season) because they're just damn good. But in the industry, they're elevated because we feel a special kinship with them — and that's OK. I'm hearing from a lot of execs in the business who bristle at 'The Studio' because some of its cringe is a little too close to home. I decided to do an experiment on LinkedIn and ask other industry folk whether these shows give them PTSD. I was delighted to learn that, for the most part, it's a no, that they enjoy seeing the satire. 'It's fun for this 10-year Warner Bros. vet to get more glimpses of that classic old lot,' one exec says of 'Hacks.' Former CBS research exec Eric Steinberg says he sees 'lots of relatable moments in 'Hacks' now that the main character has her own show. It will be no surprise to you that I found the audience research episode particularly fun. And, the exteriors at TV City bring back lots of memories. PTSD? Hardly!' Communications exec Stacey Luchs adds, 'There are moments that really hit home — the kind of thing people outside the entertainment world probably wouldn't believe. Sometimes it feels like I'm in on an inside joke, and it just makes me smile.' My former (and longtime) Variety colleague Steve Gaydos perhaps says it best: 'The writers of 'Hacks' and 'The Studio' have been reading our mail. But Billy Wilder turned it into art 75 years ago with 'Sunset Boulevard.' He didn't just shoot fish in a barrel. His fish had souls, and their fates mattered — then and just as much now, on stage with music and on screens of all sizes in black and white. That's the ultimate achievement and though these current TV shows contain moments of pathos, it will take time before we can measure their memorability.' Best of Variety What's Coming to Netflix in June 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Sci-Fi Surges, FYC Crunch Pressure, and Comedy Category Shakeups Across 94 Races
