Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Just Add Water: My Mako Adventure: Mako Mermaids Season 1 Part 1

(0:00-0:24 and 0:30-0:34 of the First season of Mako Mermaids trailer plays before cutting 0:34-0:44 of the trailer as James does a voiceover.)

James Faraci (Voiceover): To para-quote an alcoholic robot from the year 3000. "Well, You're Boned!" Welcome my friends To Mako Mermaids Season one

(Cut to Scenes from season one of "Mako Mermaids" as "I Just Wanna Be" is played in the background before cutting Mako Island before it cuts to a scene of James in a lounge chair and the words "Just Add Water: My Mako Adventure" above James before cutting to clips of the show and the season as James does a voiceover)

James Faraci (Voiceover): Okay, it's confession time, I watched a few episodes of "H2O: Just Add Water" and the rest of the series of Snippets. I had to re-watch the entire series for the purpose of this retrospective! Mako Mermaids however when it debuted I did NOT have any inkling of watching because my first impression was that it was "H2O: Just Add Water" lite with Gender Reversal plus I have no idea where it stood in continuity with original series. Was a precursor to "H2O: Just Add Water" or a successor to "H2O: Just Add Water"? Originally the series was meant to be a prequel to "H2O: Just Add Water" then decided to make it a sequel series. But myself as to how I checked it out, well... one Saturday afternoon after seeing there was NOTHING on TV I decided "Okay, What the Hey? I'll check out "Mako Mermaids" and I actually found myself thoroughly entertained after seeing the first season and I found myself foaming at the mouth for a second season and here's the thing, it could've been posted two weeks after season one premiered because unlike "H2O" which became a success through the Internet & streaming services because of Kismet. This time around Jonathan Shiff went to Netflix for an international distributer of the series, which I think was a smart move on his part. Also unlike "H2O" the only status quo is that we will only a handful of characters will be a part of the series for the entire run. One getting a great arc and One getting one HELL of a screw job in the supposed final season but we'll get to that when we get to that season. The theme song again is okay and again if you like it all hope and positive power to you. Have a listen to the theme song. (Cut to opening credits as the music plays before cutting to clips of the first season and James does a voiceover)

James Faraci (Voiceover): Then there is the songs that are performed by actress Amy Ruffle during her tenure in the first two seasons. She sings fine but the music is just not to my liking. Here have a listen to one of Amy Ruffle's songs (Cut to Amy Ruffle as she sings in the Juice Bar before cutting to the pilot as James does a voiceover)

James Faraci (Voiceover): The series begins with the episode "Outcasts". We open on Mako Island and we find not one or two or even a handful of mermaids BUT an entire freaking Pod! And while yes some mermaid enthusiasts call it a colony or something similar to that effect, I'll stick with calling it a Pod. But I digress We see in this Pod three mermaids in particular Sirena, Lyla and Nixie as sadly they drew the short squid and get stuck on Moon Pool duty due to letting two humans named Zac played by Chai Romruen & Cam played by Dominic Deutscher make their annual camping trip to the Island. Huh, I guess Mako Island is no longer Off-Limits. However it's the night of the full moon and while The Pod prepare their annual celebration on the island Zac takes a leak that opens up a cave which just so happens to leads to a symbol of a trident which turns the ground around him into a portal and long story short he drops in on Sirena, Lyla and Nixie in the Moon Pool. Literally! The Next Morning Zac has no memories of what happened to him except winding up on the beach in the morning. Sirena's sister Aquata and a friend in the pod overhear what the three were talking about  and what happened in the Moon Pool during the ceremony. The three find Zac as he returns to the mainland and then... (Show the moment Zac's powers make the water bend before getting blasted by water and landing in the water only for him to emerge from the water as a merman.) Well who knows maybe they can invite him to join them I mean a sausage party won't spoil the clam bake. (Cut to Aquata telling the three that the Pod is leaving the Island and the three are to be casted out of the pod.)

James Faraci (Voiceover): CRAP!  Before Aquata leaves, she gives Sirena her Moon ring, leaving the three to come up with a plan to rid Zac of his tail and powers and bring the pod back to Mako Island. "Outcasts" sets up the season's storyline, characters and story arcs rather well especially for what Zac has to deal with throughout the entire series. Following the episode "Outcasts" the three decide to go to the mainland, grow legs, befriend and then strip the powers and tail off of Zac, convince the Pod that the Island is protected once again, go to The Winchester, Grab a Pint and wait for this whole thing to blow over...Eh... (Chuckles nervously) Whoops went off track there, Sorry. The three use the Power of Aquata's Moon Ring to gain their legs and THANK MERCIFUL GOD THE CAMERAMAN FILMED THE SCENES AT THE RIGHT ANGLES! Because when they filmed these scenes back in 2013 actresses Amy Ruffle who played Sirena and Lucy Fry who played Lyla were 19 at the time and Ivy Latimer who played Nixie was 17 at the time and possibly would not have gotten away with shooting those scenes unless they were wearing a one piece strapless swimsuits or a pair of short shorts and a strapless top out of frame and yes I know the show is filmed in Australia and there are different consent laws as there are different rules for filming certain scenes involving young women when it comes to nudity but to me the thought of seeing teen girls in the buff is just... ewwy! Especially since I've got twin teenage nieces. But the three quickly and mercifully get clothes on and try to blend in with the humans. So in a way it's Fish out of water story for the three. They eventually learn Zac's name and regroup back on the moon pool for the next day.

In the next episode they meet Rita Santos played by Kerith Atkinson, who is the Principal at Zac's school who takes Sirena's sister's moon ring. Determined to get it back the three find an entrance to a cave behind a bookcase at Rita's house. Okay if they see either Tommy Oliver and a meteor with multi-colored Dino-Gems or Batman SWIM AWAY! I kid, they find a grotto filled with ancient treasures and a tide pool and to their surprise, Rita! Who is a mermaid. Apparently she left the pod of her own volition to be with a human she fell in love with and sadly died before the two could get married and she chose of her own free will to stay amongst the humans in exile and has a pet cat named Poseidon. Rita eventually allows sanctuary to the three and the cover story is that Nixie, Lyla and Sirena are Rita's nieces and she home schools them.

After a few filler episodes the story continues in "Zac's Pool Party". Evie, Zac's girlfriend played by Gemma Forsyth decides to throw Zac a surprise Pool Party which even Zac and Cam think is the worst idea. Lyla consoles Zac throughout the party and after Cam and Zac have a blowout Cam angrily pushes Zac into the pool Lyla, Nixie and Sirena promise to keep his merman secret. In the following episode the three try to help Zac seeing if blocking out the moonlight would cut his ties to the Island and remove his tail and powers. It's sadly for naught as the three find him in a trance after a sliver of moonlight goes into his little home away from his parents place before he can re enter the cave he snaps out of the trance but by the end of the episode he shows them he can turn invisible much like the three. In another episode after this with a title similar to the one after "Zac's Pool Party" Zac finally re-enters the cave only to find a portal that leads to a stable water flow that holds a secret within it, A trident. The Story advances in the episode "Betrayal" and if the title of the episode is an indication it should be a no brainer what happens! After Zac gets into another moon trance due to Nixie deciding to allow the moonlight to hit Zac. Zac grabs the Trident and is shocked that the three he thought were trying to help him were in fact Mermaids who he believes is trying to destroy him. While the trident sticks around in the water dimension, it's clear the friendship between Zac and the mermaids is over and Zac reunites with Cam with plans to get the Trident. (Fade to Black)

To Be Concluded in Part 2

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