Did “Siren’s” Same-Sex Smooch Raise Questions? Star Eline Powell Addresses Ryn’s Sexuality
There’s a scene near the end of Siren‘s third episode, “Interview With a Mermaid,” where Ben (Alex Roe) and Maddie (Fola Evans-Akingbola) set up the sofa in Ben’s bedroom for Ryn to sleep on. Feeling left out, the mermaid instead climbs into bed with the two, right smack in the middle.
Possible foreshadowing of a love triangle? We think so! And though it’s easy to assume Ben will be the one torn between his girlfriend and his new rescue, could there also be a triangle in which Ryn becomes the one that’s torn?
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In the series’ fifth episode, titled, “Curse of the Starving Class,” Maddie and Ryn share a touching moment in which the marine biologist teaches the mermaid about mothers and the importance of family and love. “You are love,” Ryn tells her. “I miss you.” Then Ryn walks up to Maddie and goes in for a kiss!
Seeing as Ryn is completely new to the human world, she has no concept of societal conventions about anything, in particular, sexuality. So what is her approach to romance and sexuality and humans in general?
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“Ryn has never been on land before, so she has no notion of how humans interact,” Eline Powell (Ryn) says.
“I’m positive there’s a whole social system etiquette down there [in the ocean], but no awareness of the human ones. So when Ryn does want to find a connection with people, it is a mix of trial and error, or goodness and downright inappropriateness, from an outsider’s point of view.
“But she’s pure, so there is no malintent there,” she continues. “There is nothing disturbing about it because she’s just a creature trying to go for that connection with someone. She sees what other humans do, so she maybe tries some of those things, but ultimately she’s going off of what she does know. So there’s a mix of her own ways and the ways she’s learning.”
As for Ryn’s sexuality, Powell says it’s a non-binary question. “She sees souls rather than gender or whatever. To her, it’s not like, ‘I’m this or that,’ There’s no box for mermaids. I think they’re very much connected to what’s behind their name tags, which is beautiful.”
Siren airs Thursdays at 8pm on Freeform.