Siren – Interview With A Mermaid

By starrymag | April 11, 2018

By: Jessica Wolff

 

 

As Sheriff Dale Bishop (Gil Birmingham) investigates the crime scene for clues, Ben Pownall (Alex Roe) and Maddie Bishop (Fola Evans-Akingbola) discuss whether Ryn (Eline Powell) killed the man. Bishop finds a footprint near the car, and Maddie reminds Ben that Ryn nearly killed him and that non-human blood was found at the scene. Helen (Rena Owen) asks Ryn where she went during the night, but she doesn’t answer. At the military compound, Aldon Decker (Ron Yuan) gives the lab tech (Serge Jaswal) instructions for the experiment they are running by injecting Donna’s (Sibongile Mlambo) blood into rats.

 

Xander McClure (Ian Verdun) gets a text message and rushes to tell Calvin (Curtis Lum), who is in bed with Janine (Hannah Levien). They try to kick him out, but Xander tells Calvin that he got a text from Chris Mueller (Chad Rook). Xander kicks Janine out of the house, and he and Calvin call the number, getting the voicemail of Nurse Donna Stevenson (Veronika Hadrava). Helen tells Ben and Maddie that Ryn is restless, and they tell her about the possible murder.

 

Ben gets a text from Xander, telling him about Chris’ text, and Helen is furious that military knows about mermaids. Bishop finds a discarded sweatshirt in the woods, and Ben tells them that Xander will attempt to track the number. Ryn demands they look for her sister, but Ben and Maddie attempt to ask questions about the murder. She attempts to push past them, and then throws Maddie into the wall when she tries to stop her. Ben makes sure Maddie’s okay, and tells Ryn she can’t hurt people. Helen warns Ben that they don’t know what they’re dealing with.

 

Xander and Calvin track Stevenson’s number, and find her address. Helen warns Ben and Maddie that they need to find Donna and get her and Ryn back into the water quickly. However, Ben is excited by the scientific discovery of mermaids. Helen calls him out for seeing Ryn solely as a species, arguing there’s more to the world than science. She compares Ben to his ancestors, warning that he’s doomed to repeat history. Helen warns them not to leave Ryn alone or make her angry before leaving them.

 

Bishop has Vicki (Jennifer Koenig) identify the sweatshirt at the crime scene as the one stolen from her daughter, and asks her to come down to the station to give her testimony on the thief. Ben tells Ryn that they will try to find Donna, and Maddie tells her about Xander’s possible lead. Ben tells her they want to learn more about her and ask her to come to the aquatic center with them. She agrees, as long as they find Donna afterwards.

 

Ted Pownall (David Cubitt) and Elaine Pownall (Sarah-Jane Redmond) discuss their appearance schedule over breakfast, and he tells her about his conversation with Ben. He mentions how accusatory Ben seemed about their family history, and she accuses Helen of stirring the pot. She admits she’s worried about how distant Ben has been, but Ted is confident he’ll eventually come back. They agree that Ted’s family was crazy for believing in mermaids, and Ted comments that it’s no secret.

 

Maddie films Ryn, and Ben stops her from grabbing the camera. Ryn looks around the office at all of the strange objects, and Ben asks her if Donna can transform like she can. She answers that she can, but she admits that the change is painful. Ben asks if that’s why she tried to hurt him in the water, but she replies that mermaids in the water kill. Decker checks on the status of the experiment, and is shocked to find that Donna’s samples have completely mobilized previously paralyzed rats.

 

Ben asks Ryn how many mermaids there are, and she replies that are many. He asks if the others also want to come to land, but Ryn replies that the land is bad. Ryn jumps at the sound of Ben’s phone ringing, and he assures her it’s okay as he answers it. Xander tells him that they found Stevenson’s address, but Ben turns down the offer to investigate with them so that he can study Ryn. He tells Xander that he’s launching an investigation into the creature that they caught on the boat.

 

Deputy Marissa Staub (Tammy Gillis) identifies the blood on the stolen sweatshirt as the victim’s and theorizes that the non-human blood belongs to an animal. Bishop checks on Vicki, and the Sketch Artist (Tara Pratt) shows him an accurate sketch of Ryn. Ben sets up a primate intelligence test for Ryn, and she does it quickly with no issues. Xander and Calvin wait outside Stevenson’s home for her to come outside, despite Calvin suggesting that they just go up to the door and ask her about Chris. Xander argues against it, confident that following her car will lead them to Chris.

 

Ben and Maddie weigh Ryn and determine that she is heavier than she appears. Ryn pulls away as Ben attempts to use a stethoscope, and he calms her down and finds that her heartbeat is abnormally fast. She attempts to pull off the blood pressure monitor and kicks the supply table across the room as they test her reflexes. Calvin ignores a call from Janine, but tells Xander to not be a dick to her. He tells him that he doesn’t want his best friend and girl fighting, and confirms that their relationship has evolved from simply hooking up. They see Stevenson get into her car and they follow her.

 

As Ben measures Ryn, she starts feeling his biceps. She puts her hands on his chest and nearly kisses him before he pulls away. Doug Pownall (Andrew Jenkins) visits Ted in his office, and hands him some paperwork. Ted likes Doug’s suggestion of bringing Ben on as an environmental advisor, and suggests that they might convince Ben to work for them if they use the right approach of persuasion. Maddie notices Ryn scratching her scaly chest and asks how long she can stay on land. Ben answers that she only lasted a day last time, and suggests that Ryn get back in the water. However, Ryn refuses until they find Donna.

 

Decker notices that Donna appears ill, and he tells her to hang in there. Ryn reminds Ben and Maddie that they promised to find Donna, but they stop talking when Jerry (David Kaye) enters. Maddie tries to get him to leave, but he refuses and introduces himself to Ryn. Maddie lies that Ryn is a friend from school, and Jerry asks if they’re shooting porn upon seeing the camera in Maddie’s hands. Ben and Maddie lock up the tapes from the camera, and Ben gets a text update from Xander. Outside, the sea lions start growling as Ryn comes up behind Jerry. He asks her to go to a party with him, and she confirms that he will take her.

 

Ben finishes his call with Xander and he and Maddie go outside to find that Ryn and Jerry are gone. Jerry takes Ryn to the party and offers her a beer. She takes it despite now knowing what it is, and chugs it in one gulp. He asks her questions and hands her another beer. As Ben and Maddie look for Ryn, Calvin suggests hitting Stevenson off the road. Xander points out that attempted murder won’t give them answers, and they continue tailing Stevenson.

 

Maddie gets a social media notification of Jerry posting a photo of him and Ryn at the party. They drive to the party, but Doug stops Ben as they enter and asks to talk to him. Maddie tells Ben to go ahead, and she will search for Ryn. Admiral Harrison (Anthony Harrison) suggests increasing the tests with Donna’s DNA, and refuses to listen to Decker’s warnings that they are killing Donna. He argues that the testing is too valuable, and orders him to keep her alive while accelerating the tests.

 

As Maddie searches for Ryn, Doug proposes the business proposition to Ben. He refuses, but Doug argues that he’s distanced himself from him. Ben insists that it’s not his fault, and Maddie comes over to tell Ben that she found Ryn standing by the pool. Ryn is accidentally pushed into the water, terrifying them. However, Ryn doesn’t transform in the water and several people jump into the pool after her.

 

The police arrive to break up the party and Maddie helps Ryn get out of the water before pulling her away. Bishop and Staub announce that the party is over and Bishop asks Ben if Maddie’s there. Ben tells him she left, and Bishop shows him Ryn’s sketch. Ben lies that he’s never seen her before, and Doug tells Ben that they’ll talk later. Maddie takes Ryn into a motel room and closes all of the curtains, as she warns her that looking out the window is dangerous. Xander and Calvin follow Stevenson to the military facility, and Xander decides to try to follow her through the heavily guarded gate. Several armed military men run towards them and they drive away quickly.

 

Maddie tells Ryn that she needs to stay in the room until the police leave, and asks why she didn’t transform in the pool. Ryn replies that it’s not her water, and Maddie concludes that she only transforms in ocean water. Maddie stops Ryn from leaving, asking her to trust her. She explains the concept of trust, but Ryn accuses her of not looking for Donna. Maddie explains that there are people looking for her, and continues her explanation of the concept of trust.

 

Ryn comments that trust is hard, and explains that some people want to hurt her like the man in the car. Maddie confirms that the man in the car tried to hurt her, and Maddie grabs a towel to dry her off. Maddie unbuttons Ryn’s shirt, and Ryn strokes her face. She assesses that Maddie is afraid of her, and rests her head on Maddie’s chest. Ben arrives at the room, and checks that they’re okay.

 

Stevenson checks on Chris as Xander and Calvin arrive back at her house, deciding to confront her when she returns home. Calvin suggests that they go to the cops, but Xander doesn’t think it’s a good idea. Xander gets a call from Stevenson, and answers it. Stevenson apologizes for not returning their call sooner and asks who they are. Xander hangs up on her, and Stevenson looks over at Chris suspiciously. Calvin asks why he hung up, and Xander wants to wait until she comes home despite Calvin pointing out they had that opportunity earlier. Xander asks what they should do, and Calvin declares that they will make her talk when she comes home.

 

Harrison sends Decker information on the person who found their device, Ben. At the house, Ben and Maddie prepare the couch for Ryn before going to their bed. However, Ryn gets up and stands over them before climbing into bed with them. Decker orders that they suspend the testing indefinitely. However, Donna returns to normal as soon as he walks away.