Tuning Out the Sirens: An Overanalysis of Netflix's Sirens (2025)
Welcome to my overanalysis of Sirens (attention: spoilers ahead).
Sirens lures you in and you can’t look away — not unlike the mythological creatures it’s named for. The name of the Netflix show was evidently well-chosen. But Sirens is much more than a story about beautiful women. Welcome to my overanalysis of Sirens (attention: spoilers ahead).
In this analysis, I’ll focus primarily on Michaela. There’re many angles I could’ve taken but she’s the character that captured my attention the most.
Greek Mythology
Sirens tends to evoke in us the image of beautiful, singing women. But in Greek mythology, sirens were not the fish-tailed mermaids of popular imagination, they were half-bird, half-woman creatures who lured sailors to their deaths. Unlike mermaids, who are often portrayed as kind-hearted and benevolent, sirens were darker, more ambiguous beings, blending beauty and malevolence.
In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, sirens are depicted as Persephone’s human companions, present when Hades abducted her. In their grief and longing to search for her, they were transformed into bird-like creatures so they could scour both land and sea:
But why have you, Sirens, skilled in song, daughters of Acheloüs, the feathers and claws of birds, while still bearing human faces? Is it because you were numbered among the companions, when Proserpine gathered the flowers of Spring? When you had searched in vain for her on land, you wanted, then, to cross the waves on beating wings, so that the waters would also know of your trouble. The gods were willing, and suddenly you saw your limbs covered with golden plumage. But, so that your song, born, sweetly, in our ears, and your rich vocal gift, might not be lost with your tongues, each virgin face and human voice remained.
There’s a striking parallel between the mythological depiction of sirens and Michaela’s passion for raptor conservation.
Sirens’ voices are central to their mythology: an irresistible lure described most famously in Homer’s Odyssey. In Sirens, the Netflix series, the background music echoes this tradition, with soft, alluring vocalisations that seem to seep into your subconscious.
As mythological creatures, sirens embody desire and its perils, particularly: women’s desire. Throughout history, women’s sexual autonomy and desire has been treated as something to be feared and to be repressed. The sirens’ power, luring men to their deaths with nothing more than their voices and beauty, encapsulates a persistent cultural trope: women as the cause of men’s downfall. This idea echoes through centuries of storytelling, art, and even real-life social norms.
Monstrous Women
One thing that Sirens does brilliantly is portray messy, complicated women. The show centres on them, placing their choices, desires, and contradictions under a magnifying glass, and invites us to pass judgment. None of these women are presented as wholly good or wholly bad, and as a viewer, you’re constantly unsure of who to root for.
At first glance, Michaela appears to be the autocrat of the household, a magnetic cult leader with absolute authority. But this is a carefully crafted illusion. She projects power but it quickly becomes clear she doesn’t actually pull the strings. Michaela’s control is conditional: as long as she stays in her lane, her instructions are respected. But the moment she steps outside those boundaries, when she dares to want more, she’s blocked. We see this dynamic in the scene where she asks José for access to Peter’s new passwords and he outright refuses.
The show plays with our assumptions about Michaela. Early on, she’s framed as a potential murderer, especially after Ethan (Simone’s boyfriend) mysteriously disappears following a walk with Kiki. This nudges us towards suspicion, we’re invited to view Michaela as a manipulative, dangerous woman who might have “claws” in everyone around her.
Part of this vilification stems from the perspective we’re given. We first meet Michaela through Devon’s eyes. Devon wants her sister back and she cannot understand why Simone would willingly stay. For Devon, the only explanation is brainwashing. It’s easier for her (and by extension for us) to assume that Simone has been ensnared by Michaela’s influence than to consider that Simone might be exercising her own agency.
This vilification of Michaela becomes even more striking when we strip away our biases and analyse her behaviour objectively. Yes, Michaela is eccentric, and yes, she struggles with boundaries but she is nowhere near the villain she’s made out to be.
In fact, Michaela is often surprisingly understanding, especially with Simone. We never see her screaming or resorting to outright cruelty. She has her whims, certainly, and at times her behaviour crosses into inconsiderate territory but this reads more as a mix of privilege and emotional awkwardness than true malice. Michaela has her faults, but not to the monstrous extent we’re led to believe.
Her breaking point comes only when she sees the photo of Simone kissing Peter. At that moment, Michaela doesn’t demand explanations, doesn’t lash out, she simply lets Simone go.
This moment forces us to reconsider how much of Michaela’s perceived “villainy” is narrative framing and how much is a reflection of our own tendency to hold women accountable not only for their own flaws but also for the desires and failings of the men around them.
Men as Victims
Not unlike the sailors of Greek mythology, the men in Sirens are cast as victims, hapless creatures lured and wrecked by the women in their lives. Michaela is accused of cutting Peter off from his children. Simone is a “monster” in Ethan’s eyes because she refused his marriage proposal. And Devon is entangled in an affair with her married boss.
From the very beginning, Peter Kell feels absent, almost a ghost in his own home. When he does appear, he’s calm, approachable and just a chill guy. We’re made to empathise with him, to see him as a man caught in the orbit of a controlling wife. It’s only later that we’re forced to reevaluate this narrative.
Because here’s the thing: these men aren’t children. They are adults, fully capable making their own decisions and responsible for their own actions. But instead in Sirens, the focus is on women. The camera lingers on them: on their flaws, their sharp edges and their decisions. By scrutinising the women so intensely, we fail to notice how easily the men absolve themselves of responsibility.
In Sirens, the men appear to drown because of the women around them. In reality, they wade willingly into dangerous waters, and expect us to believe they were pushed.
Mirrors and Siren Gaze
One of the elements that really drew me in while watching Sirens was the use of perspective. Mirrors, reflections and carefully constructed camera shots are everywhere. Buckle up because this is where we veer straight into overanalysis territory.
Throughout Sirens, mirrors are a recurring motif. We see Michaela sitting in front of them, we see characters looking at themselves and we’re constantly being shown reflections.
Mirrors are a fascinating devices. They allow us to see ourselves, yet what we see is a mere reflection.
In Sirens, this ties directly to Michaela: she rarely appears as she truly is. Instead, we see her through layers of perception, through Devon’s fearful lens, through Simone’s yearning or Peter’s dismissiveness. The mirrors become a metaphor for how appearances distort reality but they also hint that a deeper truth lies just beyond the surface. Mirrors are often linked to women, innumerable amounts of artworks show women looking at themselves in mirrors and sitting in front of mirrors.
In art, sirens have been depicted holding mirrors. This association links mirrors to vanity and its perils. Michaela’s household mirrors this (pun intended): appearances are everything, and keeping up this facade seems to be of utmost importance.
But the mirroring in Sirens isn’t confined to literal glass. There’s also visual mirroring between characters. In several scenes, characters face each other as if looking into a mirror. This recalls the mythological siren’s power: an ability to lure others in. Michaela, in particular, seems to bewitch her interlocutor at times.
Conclusion
Sirens is undoubtedly a hit. It has its flaws, and some aspects could’ve been more developed. But in my opinion, it delivers exactly what it set out to do.
By the end, we’re left with the realisation that no one is wholly good or wholly bad. Humans are complex and flawed, whether they’re men or women. Michaela’s story, in particular, shows us how easily perceptions can be shaped by biases and how quickly someone can be labeled a villain when reality is far more nuanced.
Sirens confronts us with our own assumptions and invites us to question the stories we’re told. It reminds us that nothing should be taken at face value… lest we get lured in by the song and drown.
— letters to nowhere
References
Netflix’s Sirens and the culture of villainizing women. YouTube.
Audubon Magazine. Sirens in Greek Myth Were Bird-Women, Not Mermaids. https://www.audubon.org/magazine/sirens-greek-myth-were-bird-women-not-mermaids
Paragone. Beyond the Gaze: Female Identity and the Siren in Art. https://paragone.no/blog-2-1/2025/3/1/beyond-the-gaze-female-identity-and-the-siren-in-art
American Cinematographer. How a Hypnotic Scene from Sirens Puts Viewers Under Its Spell. https://theasc.com/articles/how-a-hypnotic-scene-from-sirens-puts-viewers-under-its-spell
Thinksheet (Medium). Symbols in Art: Mirrors & Reflections. https://medium.com/thinksheet/symbols-in-art-mirrors-reflections-31199c2e7660