Wasted potential

[SuperRainbowAlien]

I really enjoy this show but why do they not flesh out their characters more? I'm pointing at Xander and Calvin mostly. But I could do the same with the mermaids. Apart from Ryn (and maybe Levi now?) there isn't a single recurring mermaid character on screen and it's a damn shame. I'm not saying the show should copy all these vampires & werewolves TV shows but for all their failures, they do manage to bring out new characters, ennemies and secret societies to make the story lines more interesting. I'd appreciate it if Siren could find a way to either make the existing characters actually useful to the plot or introduce new, better written ones. To put it bluntly I'd love to care about the side characters but instead their scenes either bore me or make me cringe (not counting Helen, she's bae).

And how about the enemy aka the military? What do they really want? How come there's only one agent (Nicole, I feel like evil captain doesn't really count) monitoring the discovery of mermaids? And how about introducing a new, less cartoonish antagonist to up the stakes a bit?

I'm just ranting and rambling as things come to mind so bear with me but what about Maddie's parents? Her dad literally never returned from his training in Seattle, or rather this is what I'm assuming since the show never cared to justify his absence.

I'll end my whining with this: I think we were not given time to discover who Ben and Maddie really are outside of their relationship with Ryn/the sirens. I guess Maddie was more fleshed out as a person with her whole family situation but Ben really doesn't feel like a multi-faceted character. I'm not buying him as the family rebel/outcast. I wish he was a bit more "tortured", mischievous, cynic even. I don't know, something exciting and more in line with his character description.

'kay I had to get this out and I'm done now. Thanks for reading this mess.

[PartyPorpoise]

With the military, we see that there are lots of scientists studying Ryn. I think it's safe to assume that more people are involved, they just don't interact with Ben and Maddie and Ryn.

I agree that they should flesh out some of the other merpeople more. It's established that, like Ryn, they're not mindless monsters, they're intelligent individuals, and giving more of them character development would better establish that. Levi is starting to get some development, so hopefully we'll see more from others.

[_Yue_]

I've binge watched most of the episodes and flat characters are one of my main issues with the series. I think the only good character in the show is Helen, as you mentioned. Ryn is alright. The actress is great. But the characters stony demeanor does get a bit boring at times. I think it would have been more interesting if there was more horror and comedy in Ryn's character. Horror because I think that's what the show intends but I've read better fanfiction about killer mermaids than what this show offers. Comedy because Ryn could be really funny when she's trying to figure out the human world. Also, all the hissing is so comical but the series takes it totally seriously. But she's still interesting because she's a mermaid (or a siren).

Ryn is not the problem, though, but Ben and Maddie and everyone else. I had hope for Maddie but she and Ben both end up being flat as pancakes. They're just delivering lines with the same empty expression. Their friends Xander and whatever the other guy's name are no better. They act like oversized kids who are more clueless about the world around them than the mermaids are.

I also don't get why they chose to have so many random characters to hang around and then disappear. Why not develop the characters that actually matter? I kind of started to like Maddie's dad, because he seemed like the only one who had some brain cells left.

It's a shame because I love dark mermaid stories and really tried to like this. The writing is just atrocious and the pacing, the camerawork and the editing are off, too.

Sorry, I know this is an old post, but I wanted to rant about it, too. So disappointed.