Aahana Swrup
The dark comedy show ‘Sirens’ charts a story about class and power, explored over an ironic Labor Day weekend, at the luxurious Cliff House estate that belongs to the Kells. Michaela, the wife of Kell Securities’ owner Peter Kell, has a proverbial rule over her part of the idyllic island. Her live-in assistant, Simone, is as good as her right-hand man, who operates a tight ship to ensure a smooth run for her boss’ every gala, event, and even morning jogging sessions. However, this dynamic is challenged when the assistant’s older sister, Devon, shows up at the estate.
Devon remains insistent that Simone has been brainwashed and integrated by Michaela’s effortless influence into abandoning her roots for this polished, slightly cultish life. As a result, she makes it her mission to unravel the Cliff House’s secrets and rescue her baby sister. The Kell family’s wealth informs these three women’s instrumental narratives. However, is there any reality behind the tangible components of Michaela and Peter’s luxuries?
The Cliff House is a Fictional Location That Adds to Michaela’s Siren Parallel
‘Sirens’ operates on a fictitious premise that shapes the similarly fictionalized surroundings of the central characters and their narratives. Thus, since the Kell family themselves have no off-screen basis in reality, their beloved Cliff House, a monument of their wealth and power, also remains confined within the show. In real life, the estate is simply an amalgamation of various disconnected filming locations that come together to form one coherent visual identity for Michaela’s domain. The Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve of New York’s Suffolk County remains the most notable real-life place in the bunch.
The state park located at Lloyd Harbor village in Huntington, at 25 Lloyd Harbor Road, stretches out for 1,520 acres and possesses a scenic, naturalistic aesthetic that perfectly complements the Cliff House’s narrative role. Its picturesque buildings, including the Henry Lloyd Manor and the 1930s Summer Cottage, make for the perfect backdrop that adds a visual charm to Kell’s opulent wealth. Vincent Medina, Caumsett’s Park Director, even spoke to Newsday about the park’s employment as the on-screen Cliff House and said, “The script of the show fits in with how Caumsett is structured,” in regards to the architecture and natural cliffsides of the area.
Apart from Caumsett, other locations across New York, like Washington Avenue’s Steiner Studios and the Long Island hamlet of Cutchogue, were also used as the filming location for various indoor/ outdoor scenes around the fictional estate. As such, these off-screen locations inform the Cliff House’s depiction in the show. Thematically, this fictional estate works to further accentuate the parallels drawn between Michaela and the sirens from Greek mythology. Across interpretations, the latter have been portrayed as inhabitants of their own exclusive cliff-laden islands, something that Michaela’s Cliff House seamlessly emulates.
Kell Securities Adds Context to Peter’s Character
Much like its owner, Peter Kell, the hedge fund Kell Industries is also a fictional element. The company remains pivotal to the horde of wealth and power that Peter and, by association, Michaela, enjoy. Even so, it finds almost no direct relevance to the plot that unfolds in the Cliff House between the DeWitt sisters and Michaela. The company simply sets up the background for the generational wealth that the latter marries into. As a result, it remains a precarious power source that forms her all-powerful identity in society.
However, its conditional connection to Michaela also introduces the possibility of her losing all her class-generated influence and control at the whim of Peter, the true Kell heir. Consequently, while Cliff House presents a visible symbol of Michaela’s power in the narrative, the unseen Kell Industries remains in possession of any real control. This is reflective of the Kell couple’s relationship with each other and the inherent power imbalance that comes with marrying Peter. Consequently, even though the hedge fund retains almost no direct involvement in the plot, it contributes toward strengthening his overall characterization.
Read More: Sirens Ending Explained: Is Jocelyn Dead?
