The beach-read vibes are strong with Sirens, a Netflix miniseries set on a moneyed northeastern island compound that, at first glance, seems awfully familiar. The hydrangeas bloom with manicured abandon. The dramatic tension is stoked with top-shelf liquor and minor acts of class warfare. Absolutely everyone has secrets. The enigmatic trophy wife at the center, Michaela, is played not by Nicole Kidman'as is, at this point, stylistic tradition'but by Julianne Moore, effusing lavender mist and toxic insecurity. Michaela is planning an end-of-summer gala, assisted by her sharp-elbowed assistant, Simone (played by Milly Alcock), but things are thrown into chaos with the arrival of an unexpected guest: Simone's down-at-heel, grimly judgmental sister, Devon (Meghann Fahy). The theatricality of the setup'the disruptive stranger, the impending event that will inevitably go very wrong'isn't happenstance. Sirens was originally a play by the writer Molly Smith Metzler (Maid, Orange Is the New...
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