Siren, Freeform’s sci-fi fantasy series about mermaids, is really the last show that should be trying to make any commentary on politics or culture. Sadly, it’s trying to do both. In case the second season premiere's episode painting oil companies as an ongoing threat wasn’t enough, this week confirms without a doubt that they are “tearing the ecosystem apart.”
The February 7 episode “Natural Order” continues the plot from the season premiere. In summary, an oil company called Klesco Oil is using sonic cannons to map out the ocean floor for off-shore drilling. This is causing whales to beach themselves and mermaids to evacuate to land. No one from the company is ever seen on-screen and yet it’s probably the biggest villain in this season right now.
Out of fear of being too subtle, the episode spells it out for us. A reporter named Ian Sutton (Luc Roerique) visits the fictional town Bristol Cove to learn more about the beached whales. He comes across Ben (Alex Roe), a marine biologist, who is secretly hiding some mer-people. The two briefly discuss the whale situation as Ben tries to hide his secret. Nevertheless, he’s clear on who’s really causing the problem.
Ian: So what's the current theory -on what caused the whale beaching?
Ben: It's not a theory. Klesco Oil is lookingfor their next big hit. They're tearing our ecosystem apart.
Ian: Shit. You sure about this?
Ben: Just look up "Sonic cannon." That'll tell you everything you need to know.
Ian: It's nice to know not all the news is fake around here. You know some nut actually tried to convince me that Bristol Cove mermaids were real the other day? Now I got a contact in my phone for "Crazy Calvin."
Ian even makes a small joke about fake news. I guess he wouldn’t be a reporter if he didn’t.
Siren is clearly embracing its leftist agenda this season. First, there's news they’re diving headfirst into embracing a polyamorous “thruple” situation with its three main characters. Now they’re doubling down on the “oil companies are bad” idea. And we’re only on episode three of the new season.
After the recent debut of the even more fantasy-driven Green New Deal, the last thing we need is this nonsense. Maybe the characters in Siren would be fine in a world without energy or airplanes, but I’m not. And I’ve yet to meet any other human who is.
