'Sirens' Title Meaning Explained: What Does The Siren Song Symbolize?

Netflix’s Sirens, based on the play Elemeno Pea, has a pretty interesting title which poetically connects the central protagonists of the show, the DeWitt sisters, Simone, and Devon. Throughout these years, whenever the sisters were in a fix or dealing with a mess they couldn’t handle themselves, they would send a SOS signal, “Sirens.” In the very first episode, when Devon was arrested, she sent texted the titular signal but the show quickly established that Simone had been ignoring her sister’s cry for help which later became one of the many reason why Devon lost her cool and decided to have a face-to-face conversation with Simone on The Kells’ lavish beach estate where Simone worked as an assistant for socialite Michaela Kell. [Spoiler Alert] However, it was the show’s finale that explained the reason why the sister used this particular word to raise the alarm. In childhood, the sisters’ mother tried to kill herself and her youngest daughter, Simone, by suffocating themselves inside the car filled with exhaust smoke. Fortunately, Devon found her baby sister in time and took her to the hospital. But even though Simone survived, the haunting incident was imprinted on her consciousness forever. While seated on the back seat of the car, and grasping for fresh air, all Simone could hear were the police sirens, who likely arrived at the scene after Devon raised the alarm. So this “siren” eventually became the sisters’ SOS signal to seek help.

The final episode titled “Siren Song” can also bring another perspective to the meaning of the show’s title. According to Greek mythology, Sirens are hybrid creatures who are said to be half woman and half bird, hence the significance of the aviary in the show. As per Metamorphoses, these sirens were once Persephone’s human companions who were later given wings so that they could reunite with their goddess after Hades took Persephone to the underworld. The sirens are believed to enchant unwary sailors through their irresistible song and bring them to the dangerous water eventually causing their death. In the show’s ending, Michaela’s billionaire husband, Peter, heard the “siren song” and quickly ran towards the shore. It looked like it was Simone, Michaela’s human companion, singing the “siren song” to steal her rich husband. You see, before Peter heard the song, he was having a panic attack or maybe a heart attack and from his point of view, the siren song saved his life, which could be seen as the reason why he owed his life to Simone and proposed to her without putting much thought to it. So one could say that Simone’s song did mesmerize Peter and made him forget all about his second wife, Michaela. Or to be particular, the song reminded Peter of everything he was missing in life which he believed his new wife would be able to provide.

It could be further argued that Simone learned this song from her former master, Michaela, herself. Michaela had been luring women to the island under the guise of a better life. All those who worship her come from poor backgrounds. They think marrying rich is going to make them happy. But even though the world thinks that women like Michaela and Simone were the gold-diggers, for luring rich men for their luxury, this is not the case. In Sirens episode 4, Michaela told Simone that being the wife of someone abundantly rich may look fun on the surface, but from the inside, it’s a prison whose walls aren’t visible to the naked eye. And that was the reason why Michaela didn’t want Simone to fall for Peter’s siren song and became a slave to his desires, but tragedy was, Simone ignored all those “warning sirens” and ended up making the same mistake as Michaela.

Michaela’s tragedy mirrors the life of Persephone. Just like Hades by Persephone’s youthfulness and beauty, Peter was spellbound by Michaela’s charm some 13 years ago. He cheated on his first wife Jocelyn and married Michaela bringing her to his isolated island where Michaela eventually lost her own identity. Being the wife of a billionaire and the queen of the Cliff House, her life became huge, but she herself became very tiny. Just like Persephone, Michaela was tricked and trapped into the underworld. She herself couldn’t escape her hellish prison, which was why she used the siren’s song to bring ambitious women like Simone to the island so she could have some company. In Netflix’s Blood of Zeus, animas were the only companions Persephone had in her lonely life, which I think draw parallel with Michaela’s fondness for birds and the aviary she had created to fill the void and keep herself occupied.

In the final shot, one could see Simone doing the same thing, standing near the cliff, with the siren song playing in the background. Simone wanted her sister to stay with her on the island but the sisters had completely different outlook in life, and Devon could never be a part of the life Simone wanted for herself, which made her more lonely than ever. When she was Michaela’s assistant, she had someone to look up to, to talk to, or share her worries, but now that she had become a queen herself, she has become just as lonely Michaela once was. It’s obvious that a version of Simone will someday hear this siren song and arrive on the island as Simone’s assistant, thereby repeating the cycle. And who knows, Peter may start hitting on this new assistant and leave Simone for a younger wife?