Sirens ending explained: Creator on Simone twist and Michaela's future

Based on creator Molly Smith Metzler's 2011 play Elemeno Pea, Sirens stars The White Lotus star Meghann Fahy as Devon, a semi-functioning alcoholic who sends her young sister Simone (Milly Alcock) a plea for help when their father is diagnosed with dementia.

When Simone shrugs off her sister's request, Devon decides to travel to Simone's place of employment – the home of eccentric socialite Michaela Kell (Julianne Moore), for whom Simone is working as a personal assistant, and her husband Peter (Kevin Bacon) – to bring her sister home herself.

However, Devon's trip doesn't exactly go to plan, and it's clear from the off that something is straight-up wrong. Why is Simone so obsessed with Michaela? Is Michaela running a cult?

The fifth and final episode of the series answers all of these questions and more.

Keep reading for a spoiler-filled recap of the Sirens ending on Netflix, which includes an exclusive interview with writer and showrunner Molly Smith Metzler about the finale's key moments.

Sirens ending explained: What happens between Simone and Michaela?

The final episode of Sirens sees sisters Simone and Devon part ways – possibly forever – as she chooses an opulent life with billionaire Peter (Kevin Bacon) over returning home with their ailing father.

The younger DeWitt sister had been in a difficult spot over the past 24 hours, which had seen her relationship with Ethan (Glenn Howerton) implode and the trust between herself and Michaela rapidly erode.

Things came to a head as Michaela chose to fire Simone, once her closest friend and confidante, after her private investigator snapped an image of her kissing Peter.

The truth was exactly as Simone told it – that Peter had initiated the kiss, and she had quickly broken it off – but it couldn't stop Michaela from considering her treasured assistant a threat to her marriage.

Desperate not to return to her old life in Buffalo, with the father who neglected her as a child, Simone took drastic action to preserve her place in the luxurious life she had developed a taste for.

She betrays Michaela, informing Peter of the private investigator she hired and directing him to the safe holding the incriminating photos, which would have nullified the prenup that the couple had signed – thus giving Michaela access to his fortune.

He instructs his right-hand man Jose to destroy the evidence, before coldly ending his marriage to Michaela in a manner more befitting of a workplace dismissal than the dissolution of a long-term relationship.

That very same day he debuts Simone as his new partner, seamlessly taking the place by his side that Michaela once occupied, with the addition of his children and grandchildren – who his ex-wife had discouraged him from contacting.

Devon barely recognises the person that Simone has become and doesn't wish to be a part of her sheltered world, heading back to Buffalo with their troubled father, to care for him as his dementia continues to progress.

It's not an easy decision to make, especially following the offer of a luxurious boat trip with love interest Morgan (Trevor Salter), but she concludes that she has to go where she is most needed – for now, at least.

Who does Simone end up with in Sirens?

As detailed above, when Michaela fires Simone, she clings onto the picturesque life she's had a taste of the only way she knows how – by stealing her husband Peter.

Speaking about Simone's motives, Sirens creator Molly Smith Metzler explained that the events of the series shift the character into "survival" mode, as she does whatever it takes to avoid facing the "trauma" that lingers in her childhood home.

"I think there's the story we tell ourselves, and then there's the real story – and I suspect that Simone is telling herself a certain narrative so that she can do what she does," the screenwriter began in an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com.

"But the thing I like to keep in mind about Simone is the trauma that she's had... To go home isn't just to go home; it's to go back into that trauma."

Metzler continued: "And the person that she really trusted and loved just betrayed her and fired her – and didn't listen to her. And I feel like, when you corner someone like that in such an extreme position, it is a moment of survival.

"This is not a character who's going to go down. This is a scrappy fighter who's going to end up standing, no matter what that looks like. I have a lot of respect for Simone."

So, while she may not be truly in love with Peter, she's prepared to couple up with him in order to protect the status, comfort and protection that she has gained as a member of his household.

What's next for Michaela after her divorce?

We last see Michaela on the ferry back to the mainland, having been unceremoniously thrown out of the house she had called her own for many years – but that isn't necessarily the end of her story.

Sirens creator Metzler told RadioTimes.com: "I've spent a lot of time with Michaela now – 15 years since the play. I can tell you my answer, which is that she was a high-powered attorney before Peter.

"I think she's gonna take a ding, but she's gonna be okay."

Theorising on what the future might hold for Michaela, Metzler added: "Maybe she'll become a kind of lawyer that does something different, maybe an animal activism lawyer [or an] environmental lawyer, I don't know.

"But I think that is a character who's gonna land on her feet, for sure."

Who does Devon end up with in Sirens?

Unfortunately, Devon doesn't get her happy ending in the series.

One of the most gutting moments in the Sirens finale is when the character declines an invite from dashing flame Morgan to sail down the coast with him – but writer Molly Smith Metzler says she "might get there" one day.

In our chat, she told RadioTimes.com: "I feel bittersweet about her ending as well... People are really, really wishing that she made a different choice at the end, maybe a more fun choice. But in my experience, it's never easy like that.

"She doesn't have the luxury of even thinking about herself in that way... Maybe she will [eventually], though! That's my answer. Maybe this is her first step. She's going to go back to Buffalo. I think she's gonna take care of herself."

For now, though, Devon appears committed to caring for her ailing father, pushing to one side the neglect that he showed herself and Simone in their youth to be there for him at his most vulnerable and isolated.

Sirens is available to stream on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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