Upamanyu Biswas
Netflix’s ‘Sirens‘ tells the story of Devon and Simone, two sisters who have to navigate their estranged relationship after the latter gets intertwined in a creepy relationship with a billionaire’s wife, Michaela Kell. The first two episodes of the show, titled ‘Exile’ and ‘Talons,’ centers on the fraught and tense bond between the two siblings and how the eldest (Devon) believes that her younger sister is caught up in an insidious cult organization being run by her boss. However, extricating Simone out of Michaela’s clutches proves more difficult than Devon originally expected, forcing her to come up with more creative and persistent ways to make her point. To that end, we get a real glimpse into the deeper undertones of the narrative, setting up the drama in an engaging manner for the upcoming episodes. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Devon Sets Off on a Journey After Receiving a Fruit Bouquet From Simone
As the show begins, we see a cryptic scene where Michaela Kell walks out towards a cliff with a birdcage in her hand. While standing at the edge, she opens the cage and frees the bird inside, whose name is Barnaby. It flies out towards the sea while Michaela watches it with sadness. Elsewhere, Devon DeWitt exits the police station after her latest DUI infraction. Sitting down on the curb, she sends a message – “Sirens” – to her sister Simone, the latest in a string of texts. When she heads back home to her troubled father, Bruce DeWitt, she finds an elaborate fruit bouquet on her doorstep. After reading the sender’s tag, Devon realizes that it is a gift from Simone. Enraged by the gesture, she decides to visit her sister with the fruit basket in tow, ready to confront her once and for all.
A million miles away, Simone is standing on a patio enjoying the morning sunrise over an idyllic home next to the beach. She heads back inside to share a few tender moments with Ethan, her much older boyfriend, whom she has been secretly seeing for a while. After wrapping up her business, she heads up the coastline to a majestic mansion known as the Cliff House, owned and operated by her employer, Michaela Kell, the wife of billionaire Peter Kell. Simone gets everything arranged and ready inside the house before Michaela steps through the entrance. With a gala event on the horizon, Simone takes care of much of the logistical details around the house while Michaela waits for her husband Peter’s return from Tokyo. However, things are about to change gears with Devon’s imminent arrival.
Devon’s Arrival Disrupts Proceedings at Cliff House
While relaying orders to the mansion staff for the gala, Simone learns that her sister has just appeared outside the mansion’s front door. The news sends shockwaves down her spine as she heads over to meet her. After a brief confrontation, Simone decides to hide Devon in the guesthouse, fearing that the gala guests might be horrified at her sister’s “unorthodox” appearance and attitude. At the same time, Devon is worried that her younger sibling is looking and acting stranger than usual. Michaela finds the two sisters inside the guesthouse, mystified at who Devon is. Eventually, she learns that Simone and Devon are bonded by blood. The matriarch heads out with Simone in her tow, while Devon is left to ruminate inside the guesthouse with no way out.
After returning back to the main house, Michaela asks her assistant why she did not tell her about having a sister. Simone explains that because Devon is prone to making life difficult for her, she decided not to bring her up. Subsequently, the boss and assistant head inside to get the gala rolling. In the guesthouse, Devon gets in touch with her work boss, Raymond, urging him to take care of her father as she is out of the station. She then finds a way to step outside the guesthouse’s lock with the intention of smoking a cigarette. Instead, she runs into the groundskeeper, Jose, who takes her to a gathering of the mansion’s overlooked staff. They warn Devon about the Kells, stating that she may be in over her head. On her way to the mansion, Devon is greeted by Ethan, who is just as surprised as Michaela that Simone has a sister.
Simone Enlists Michaela’s Help in Getting Rid of Her Sister
Inside the party, Devon and Simone have yet another argument where the former learns that Simone is dating Ethan in secret. She is disgusted by the fact that he is so much older than her, but Simone seems to have no issues. As the conversation devolves into more hostilities, Simone seeks Michaela’s help to remove her sister from the premises. The Kell matriarch takes Devon outside, where she presents her with a $10,000 check to take care of matters at home while Jose escorts her out of the grounds. Simone keeps her eyes averted from her sibling during the entire exchange. Jose drives Devon to an inn, where Michaela has booked a night for her. The following day, Devon is expected to leave as part of a signed agreement.
At the inn, Devon receives a video call from her father, who is terrified of Raymond showing up at his house. Devon assures him that he is there to take care of him. That evening, she decides to enjoy the high society life by dressing up elegantly before sitting down for a few drinks at the bar. There, she befriends a man named Jordan, who tells her that he owns a yacht. The two have sex on the yacht after a short exchange. Subsequently, Devon realizes that Jordan is not the yacht owner but is employed by his boss, Ethan, to take care of it. He informs her that Simone has previously slept with Ethan on the yacht, which is why Devon finds her sweatshirt. He also tells her his real name is Morgan and not Jordan. Across the water, Simone and Ethan have another tender night to themselves while Michaela paces around her huge, empty mansion.
Devon Sees an Alarming Sight From a Distance
While lying in bed, Ethan tells Simone that he really loves her and wants to know more about her. To that end, he tells her to be more honest with him in the future and share things about her old life before she started working for Michaela. Although Simone is unwilling to share anything immediately, she promises to consider it. On the yacht, Devon surmises that something about her younger sister has changed, which she attributes to her creepy relationship with Michaela. She is worried that the woman has dug her claws into Simone psychologically, taking advantage of her insecurities, which only she knows about. We witness Michaela sleeping in her bedroom when a strange noise interrupts her rest. She wakes up to find Barnaby trying to enter the room by smashing through the glass window. She watches in horror as the bird crashes through, losing its life in the process.
At the same time, Devon decides to examine what’s happening inside the mansion through the yacht’s telescope. She is horrified to discover Michaela standing in the bedroom with a dead bird in her hand, its carcass dripping with blood. Understandably, she grows concerned that something sinister is afoot, and her sister may be in grave danger as a result.
Devon Breaks the Law and Spends Time in Jail
After gearing up in diving equipment, Devon swims across the water to infiltrate the Cliff House. Her main objective is to break Simone out of the place, especially after witnessing the spooky sight of Michaela clutching a dead bird in her bedroom through the ship telescope. Unbeknownst to her, Jose sees her breaking into the place through the surveillance cameras. Subsequently, Devon finds Simone in her room, where she tells her that they need to leave asap before Michaela gets the chance to stop them once more. However, Simone is staunchly against Devon’s characterization of her boss, stating that what she saw through the telescope was a complete misinterpretation of the situation. Eventually, Michaela arrives in the room and has Jose escort Devon out of the room. The elder sibling is handed over to the police for breaking and entering and trespassing on private property.
Feeling nervous after the night’s events and Barnaby’s death, Michaela decides to sleep in Simone’s room with her. In the middle of the night, she asks Simone why she kept Devon’s existence a secret and if she is hiding more secrets. Despite getting the opportunity, Simone decides to keep her tryst with Ethan hidden. The following morning, we get our first glimpse of Peter Kell, Michaela’s husband, who just returned to Cliff House after a trip to Tokyo, Japan. In the meantime, Devon is kept in police jail overnight by Officer Coffin, one of the leading law members in the small neighborhood of affluent folk. She shares the cell with another drunk inmate, who starts telling her more about the Kell family and how they have two children, Sarah and Rory Kell. They are the biological kids of Peter and Jocelyn Kell, his first wife, who the inmate believes was killed by Michaela.
Devon Decides to Join Forces With the Enemy
Peter and Michaela greet one another as husband and wife in the kitchen. He is worried that she slept with Simone in her room the previous night, which breaks the conventions of a professional employee and employer relationship. However, it is evident that Michaela has a strong bond with Simone. Before leaving, Peter hands over a souvenir gift from Tokyo for his wife – Magpie Chocolate. In the following scene, we witness Simone ordering another box of Magpie Chocolate, one that must be shipped to the US. At the police station, Devon is let out of custody as she has an impromptu meeting with Michaela. Devon convinces the lady to let her join and serve her the same way she has allowed Simone into her life. Although she has ulterior motives, Michaela agrees to her demands.
Jose drives Devon back to the Cliff House, arranging a place for her to stay at the guesthouse. She dresses up in a tacky floral dress, similar to the other guests, before heading into the house to attend some special event. A Vanity Fair photoshoot is underway, one centered on promoting Michaela’s raptor conservation mission and also the recent passing of Barnaby. Devon uses the opportunity to locate Simone amongst the guests. She eventually finds her upstairs, undergoing some radical skincare routine with Michaela and her three best pals, Cloe, Astrid, and Lisa. Devon heads downstairs with Simone, where she tries to tell her younger sister that she is now on Michaela’s side and sees all the good things she has done for her. Simone finds her sudden change in attitude suspicious. Subsequently, Michaela stops by to take Simone away for some important work.
Simone Loses Her Mind After Her Secret is Aired Out
In the surveillance room, Peter and Jose invite Michaela and Simone into their presence. After seeing CCTV footage of herself on the screen, Simone starts panicking as Jose keeps an eye on her. She is told to step out of the room while the grownups discuss something pertaining to her secret shenanigans over the past few days. Simone eavesdrops the entire conversation, learning that Jose has seen her turn off the CCTV cameras near her end of the garden on multiple occasions for the last few days. After a brief discussion, they realize that Simone must be visiting Ethan’s house repeatedly. Michaela berates Peter for being friends with Ethan in the first place, especially given his history of flings with attractive women who stay at their house.
Terrified by the fact that Michaela knows the truth about her relationship with Ethan, Simone hides in a secluded part of the kitchen, where she breaks down in tears. Meanwhile, Devon walks around the party trying to find her sister, only to come up short constantly. Michaela confronts Ethan directly about his fling with Simone, tracking him down at the party. However, she does not get to deliver the news before he walks away to get her a drink. During her search, Devon finds Peter atop the lighthouse, where he is busy smoking. He shares the joint with her while telling her how much of a help Simone has been as an assistant. Devon utilizes the chance to ask Peter about his kids and former wife, which makes him suspicious. Later, she visits Simone’s room to find out that her sister has been skipping all her medication.
After getting her phone back from Morgan, who stops by the party briefly, Devon gets in touch with her dad and Raymond. She realizes that the situation at home is somewhat under control, albeit chaotic nonetheless. She eventually notices a woman heading into an opening through the forest, where Michaela is busy delivering her speech for her conservation society. Devon keeps an eye on the proceedings from a distance. After the event is over, she notices Michaela walk away from the crowd with Ethan in tow. She is startled by Jose, who taps her on the shoulder for an important matter. He takes her to Simone, who is still writhing on the kitchen floor from some type of grave panic attack. Clearly, she needs her sister’s help in this trying period.
Read More: What Does Sirens Mean, Explained
