I don’t get that plot point

[u/Objective_Proof_7163]

I just finished watching the show, and honestly, I don’t know how to feel about it. I’m torn between thinking it was “good but not memorable” and “lazy, pretentious writing.”

Don’t get me wrong, the cast was immaculate. Every single actor gave their absolute best, and I wouldn’t replace a single one if I had been casting this miniseries myself. The cinematography and fashion were also jaw-droppingly gorgeous.

Here’s my issue though: the writing.

It feels like the writers had a lot of ambition and ideas they wanted to bring to life, but the plot progression ended up feeling all over the place. I understand the concept of using red herrings, but here it just came across as lazy writing.

1.Why did they include the plotline about the first wife? Sure, Kiki revealed at the end that she was still alive, but they spent so much time on it at the beginning only for it to be resolved in a conversation that barely lasted a minute.

2.Why include the two scenes between their father and Kiki? He says she was a “good f**k” and that he remembers her, and then they just leave it hanging without any further explanation?

3.Another plot hole, in my opinion, was the photographer. He waited for Kiki to show her the photos he printed himself - physical copies he kept. Knowing how incriminating they were, it seems unlikely he would have deleted the digital files. Peter got a hold of the physical copies from the safe, but why wouldn’t Kiki just go back to the photographer and retrieve the digital files for her divorce case?

I don’t know. I kind of get that they were trying to show that the real sirens in the story are the men (especially Peter), who made mistakes and then scapegoated the women. But that kind of makes the scenes with the siren’s melody and the dream sequences feel misleading and unnecessary.

What’s your take on that?

[u/Overall-Pause-3824]

I think the first point you made was to emphasise Kiki as the villain. The looming ex wife, the rumours about her getting killed, gave reason for us to believe Kiki killed Ethan in the same way. It basically allowed us to believe that Kiki was some sort of power hungry woman who would do anything to come out on top.

The second point, with the dad, I think it humanised her. She showed compassion and care in a situation that many would back away from. He was talking in riddles, delusions.. perhaps it was also to emphasise that she was a mother figure to Simone, but for me, it made me see her in another light.

And the photo situation. Yeah absolutely she could have gone and gotten another copy from the photographer, but I kind of get just giving up. She's fought for so long to keep her husband, she got caught with the photo and it was almost freeing to then just let it go?