I can’t remember the last time I watched a show that hooked me like Sirens. A few days ago, I had no idea it existed. Now, after consuming all five episodes, I’m watching every YouTube analysis video and reading every interview in an effort to stay on the island a little longer. I just can’t mentally get on the ferry and leave, and I don’t know why.
The limited series is creatively weird, has a jumpy unnerving tone and some obvious storytelling issues, but also, I’m entirely under its spell and desperate to stay, even if it means starting to say “hey hey.”
On the surface, Michaela’s “hey hey” catch phrase means nothing. It’s not as quirky as Gretchen Wieners’ “fetch” or as consequential as Columbo’s “just one more thing,” but it does a great job of explaining her character’s vibe. It’s like Matthew McConaughey’s “alright alright alright.” You see the way she expresses it and the tone she says it in and sort of intuitively understand her character, especially when Simone dutifully repeats it back.
Recently, Variety asked creator Molly Smith Metzler where it came from, and in a way, I think the backstory explains so much about the show. Here’s a portion of her quote…
In my summers in Martha’s Vineyard, when I worked at the Yacht Club, I had noticed that they picked up each other’s way of saying things. One woman would come in with a new bracelet that just dropped in town, and then they’d all have it. They did it with language, too, they had their own way of speaking and there was a contagion to it. In my mind, Michaela just sort of said it one day, and then Simone said it back, and it became something the two of them say. I just made it up.
The fact that the actual catch phrase is “hey hey” is random and meaningless. What’s actually important is that Michaela says it, and that makes everyone else want to say. They say it not because “hey hey” is so great. They say it because they, like me, are obsessed with being on the island. They’re obsessed with being a part of that world and spending time in the cliff house. That means fitting in, sharing gum and embracing and assigning meaning to everything, even if there’s not any inherent meaning.
Michaela actually says something similar during her final scene. Devon asks her what “hey hey” means, and she gives an almost shockingly frank answer. It’s just something she says. Here’s the quote…
It’s nothing. It’s just something that I say and it became a thing. People will do anything for you when you’re Mrs. Kell. You just tell them what the rules are.
You’re either in or you’re out. If you want to be in, you have to follow the rules, whether you agree with them or not, whether they have any inherent meaning or not. That means no smoking, and it also means, if the lady of the island says “hey hey,” you better respond with a “hey hey” right back.
Sirens just premiered this weekend. All five episodes of the limited series are now streaming for free with a Netflix subscription. Do yourself a favor and check it out. Julianne Moore, Milly Alcock, Meghann Fahy and Kevin Bacon are all fantastic, and the support cast is really stacked too.
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