Yes, I love a chaotic reality TV hot mess to carry me through the workweek vicariously. But there’s something so magical about diving into a mischievous, scripted mystery that keeps your wheels turning until the very end. Sirens is Netflix’s newest summer drama starring Julianne Moore, Meghann Fahy, and Milly Alcock, with a little Kevin Bacon on the side, and I’m going to need writer Molly Smith Meltzer in my office right now to break down the subtly supernatural surprise ending.
Sirens starts off pretty unassuming, as Devon (Meghann) tracks down her younger sister, Simone (Milly), working in a fictional New England beach town for professional Kooky Rich White Lady, Julianne Moore. But what starts out as superficial sister drama quickly spirals into a spooky yet seductive power struggle, and the lady who comes out on top — and how she does it — had me shook (kinda like Barnaby flying into the window). I’m breaking down the ending of Sirens while I patiently wait for Netflix to gift us a season 2.
Warning: Spoilers from season 1 of ‘Sirens’ ahead!
Sirens Netflix TV Show Ending Explained
What happened at the end of Sirens?
At the end of Sirens, Kiki, AKA Michaela Kell, fires Simone, which sends Simone (who has mental health issues and has been avoiding her medication) into a bit of a mental breakdown. Her older sister, Devon, knows it’s finally time to leave Port Haven with their dad and have a normal family again.
But as their driving out of town for the ferry, Simone runs out of the car at the last second and meets Kiki’s husband, Peter, on the beach. Simone warns Peter that Michaela has a picture of them kissing. During this moment, Simone and Peter connect romantically (umm, pretty much Peter’s plan all along if you ask me!), and he tells the 25-year-old assistant that she’s actually not fired anymore; she’s hired for the role of his latest leading lady.
Peter gets his right-hand man, Jose, to escort Kiki off the property in the middle of their annual fancy gala, gives Simone a shiny new gown to make the other high society ladies jealous in, and just like that, one siren falls so another can rise to the top. Ruthless! Devon leaves her sister and what she’s become behind.
Why did Michaela Kell fire Simone in Sirens?
A Vanity Fair reporter who was in town to profile Michaela and Peter’s life together just so happened to catch the moment when Peter kissed Simone on the lake after they’d bonded while quahogging. Even though Simone didn’t reciprocate the kiss, the picture the reporter uses to extort Kiki of cash to cover it up is pretty damning. So Kiki fires her assistant, prodigy, and low-key love of her life (Simone) to protect her marriage, pretty much because Kiki knows her empire relies on Peter’s money, not because she really loves him anymore. Kiki says it’s because she caught Simone stealing jewelry, a callback to Simone staring in Kiki’s closet in the first episode because she doesn’t want to tell Peter the truth in an attempt to keep him happy.
Did Michaela kill Peter’s first wife, Jocelyn Kell, in Sirens?
No, Michaela finally reveals the truth at the gala that Peter’s wife got plastic surgery that unfortunately went way wrong, leaving her horribly disfigured and in pain “most days.” Though she’s not well, Jocelyn Kell is alive, living as a recluse in Washington State.
Why does Simone get with Peter?
Simone was so obsessed with her boss/mom/best friend Kiki’s life she couldn’t resist the opportunity to upgrade from working with Kiki to literally taking Kiki’s entire damn life. Simone was kind of getting the Kell experience by dating Peter’s best friend, Ethan (also twice her age), all summer. But once Peter kissed Simone on the lake, and Michaela made Simone the sacrificial lamb for the mistake, Simone took Peter’s offer to oust Michaela from her rightful throne by Peter’s side on the beach. What Peter said exactly to win Simone over was hidden from the cameras, but hey hey, that’s what season 2 is for, right?
Does the dad die at the end of Sirens?
No, phew! Even though Simone and Devon’s dad is dealing with Alzheimer’s disease, Devon leaves the island with Bruce to take better care of him.
What happens to Michaela Kell?
Peter gives Michaela the boot (ice cold, Peter!!) after she fires Simone because that’s exactly when he decides, of course, that Simone is his one true love now. After realizing the ~tides have turned~ on her life, Michaela goes quietly (queen behavior) and rides the ferry back into the city, where she bumps into Devon.
Michaela tells Devon she was totally aware of how replaceable she was as a pawn in Peter’s universe, but she was trying to believe that love still lived there, even though it was long gone.
