TV Pick of the Week: Sirens - review by Yvette Huddleston

She plays the unnervingly serene Michaela Kell – or Kiki if you are part of her close circle – an ultra-rich raptor conservationist and socialite who lives in a palatial home on the coast with her hedge fund billionaire husband Peter (Kevin Bacon). Michaela has built a kind of cult-like following of similarly well-married, bored and wealthy local housewives who listen to her every word and help her in her fundraising endeavours.

Her perky young personal assistant Simone (Milly Alcock) is entranced by her and does everything to make Michaela’s life beautiful and smooth-running. She handles her schedules and issues stern instructions to the staff – all of whom have signed NDAs and are quietly contemptuous of their haughty boss. Simone has not been entirely truthful to Kiki about her own background, which is much humbler than she has let on. She is also involved in a secret relationship with Peter’s best friend Ethan (Glenn Howerton) who lives in a neighbouring mansion.

Then one day, just as Kiki and Simone are preparing for a lavish fundraising event, Simone’s older sister Devon (Meghann Fahy) turns up. She is a recovering alcoholic juggling working full-time as a waitress with looking after their father who has dementia. After a particularly hard day and frustrated by the fact that Simone does not answer her calls asking for help, she decides to take some action. The last straw is when a fancy fruit basket arrives from Simone, as some kind of consolation prize. Devon gets on a bus intent on a showdown with her sister.

When she arrives at the Kells’ estate, she is perturbed by the hold that Kiki appears to have over Simone and dismayed that her sister seems to have deliberately erased her own past – Kiki didn’t even know that she had a sister. Devon sets about trying to persuade Simone to leave and go back home with her but Simone is adamant that she is happy and wants to stay. Devon thinks otherwise and determines to make her see sense. The narrative unfolds over the course of one weekend, which keeps the plotting tight and the dramatic intensity high. While it is often funny, as the sisters’ complex history is gradually revealed, the script also explores themes such as class, power and wealth, the legacy of childhood trauma, and the importance of family.