Meet the bisexual mermaid taking over your TV
(Freeform)
A new show features a bisexual mermaid who is ready to turn your life upside down.
Last week Freeform launched Siren, a programme about a mermaid called Ryn who appears in a small fishing town and starts laying waste to its inhabitants and their relationships.
In the trailer, Ryn – who transforms at will between being a human and a sea creature – can be seen kissing marine biologist Maddie Bishop, played by Fola Evans-Akingbola.
(Freeform)
This will surely put a stress on her relationship with fellow marine biologist Ben Pownall, played by Alex Roe.
That may not be their main problem though, as Eline Powell’s aquatic character is a primal predator with a score to settle in the town of Bristol Cove.
At one point in the trailer, she dispatches a man who attempts to sexually abuse her – straight through a car window.
(Freeform)
As befits the title of the show, Maddie can be heard saying “I’m drawn to her” as the trailer shows her leaning in for a kiss with Ryn.
Here’s hoping that Ryn and Maddie can start a fulfilling relationship together to replace other TV-based same-sex couples who have fallen by the wayside over the past year.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s Josh and Darryl broke up because the latter wanted another child and Josh didn’t, while Alex Danvers and Maggie Sawyer of Supergirl – also on The CW – split for the same reason.
Either way, more than 1.5 million people watched Siren’s two-hour premiere, according to Live+3 – Freeform’s highest ratings for the launch of a drama series in more than two years.
So with the show causing a splash in the TV universe, it seems like we’re set for a deep-sea exploration of this bisexual mermaid’s character.
You can already see multiple lesbian and bisexual women on TV, as the medium starts to catch up with society.
Thunder (The CW)
Black Lightning, on Netflix and The CW, has Anissa Pierce, a black lesbian medical student, teacher and – as it turns out – superhero by the name of Thunder.
Marvel’s Runaways also has a lesbian superhero, in the shape of Karolina Dean, a main character who slowly realises her sexuality while also figuring out her powers.
Karolina with friend (YouTube/Hulu)
And Freeform’s The Bold Type, a US drama about women who work at a feminist magazine in New York City, features a Muslim lesbian getting together with a queer black woman.
(Freeform)
The show attracted praise for its representation of a lesbian couple involving two women of colour, one of whom unapologetically embraces their faith without feeling guilty about their sexuality.
Watch the trailer for Siren:
