Our protagonists attempt to pick up the pieces of their lives after the explosive events of the last episode, with varying degrees of success. Can Ben and Decker ever overcome their addictions to the Siren song?

Much like the title suggests, this instalment deals with the consequences of all the action that occurred last time out. With Donna injured, desperate measures were called for, and Maddie had some serious questions that Ben needed to answer with regards to his state of mind. There were also a lot of other loose ends that needed tying up, and I’m happy to report that most of them are dealt with, while a few are left tantalisingly for season 2, and there are even one or two more created.

Decker’s desperate need to hear the song from Donna again is what is driving him to try to save her life – whether it’s an obsession or genuine love that he feels for the mermaid he so cruelly trapped and experimented on has never really been clear, but what does become apparent in this episode is how genuinely whatever feeling it is has overwhelmed everything else in his life. However, fairly understandably, Donna doesn’t feel the same way.

And this is important, because it’s the concrete revelation of why Donna sang to Decker, and the fact that there are multiple reasons why a mermaid might sing, which help to unfold and poke about in the relationship between Ryn and Ben. Where the show could have gone down a simple route of the mermaid bewitching the man and them running off together, it’s been careful to do something else instead. It’s been clear for some time that Ryn feels equal affection for both Maddie and Ben, although perhaps slightly less clear whether that affection (for either or both) is anything in a romantic vein. Similarly, despite his obsessive need to hear the song, and his dream last time out, it’s clear that Ben still loves Maddie. It’s a complex triangle swirling with all sorts of emotion and drama, and it’s a credit to the writers that they’ve spun it out as long as they have.

Elsewhere we find out a little more about Helen and her own lineage and relationship to the Pownell family (finally, after nine episodes of teasing) and it’s actually a lot more satisfying an answer than I would have imagined. Xander and Calvin have somewhat of a disagreement, which honestly feels a little disposable because we really haven’t seen enough of Calvin yet to form any sort of attachment to the character. I have a feeling that more will be coming in season 2 though.

Other, quieter little mysteries – exactly how much Ben’s father knows about the history of the town and about Helen, exactly what the deal is with the relationship between Ben’s parents, what happened between Maddie and her mother – are all left to be dealt with later on. It’s no bad thing, allowing the show time to concentrate on the most pressing matters properly in the time it has, but I hope all of this stuff is continued in the next season.

Verdict: A fitting end to what has been a delightful surprise of a series. Perfect pacing, some intriguing characters and some very interesting narrative choices have made this so much more than it could have been. 9/10

Greg D. Smith