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

Just Add Water: My Mako Adventure: Mako Mermaids Season 1 Part 2

(Cut to clips of the second half of the first season of "Mako Mermaids" as James does a voiceover)

James Faraci (Voiceover): In the following episode Zac practically blackmails Rita and nearly forces her to move away which for Lyla, Nixie and Sirena is not good. Because as far as Lyla, Nixie and Sirena are concerned Rita has been more of a mother to the three than anyone in the pod ever could be. Which has me questioning how good a parent can a mermaid be or how a mermaid becomes a mom in the first place? At any rate the three decide to fight fire WITH fire nearly causing Evie to discover Zac's secret. Mind you it will happen later this season but for now the three make it clear, DON'T MESS WITH RITA SANTOS EVER AGAIN! Rita, in the meanwhile, decides that the time has come for the girls to learn how to harness their powers and earn their moon rings which could give them an automatic bypass of them being casted out and allow them to return to the Pod. Man, There's so many loopholes for the three to get out of their punishment, stop Zac to have the Pod return or earn Moon Rings to rejoin the Pod. I'm starting to wonder why the Pod even left the Island at all. The next development in the storyline is in the episode "The Trident Job" in which the next time the full moon is in power and it just so happens to be on Halloween and Evie is throwing a Halloween Party and what happens could be considered on the same level as an Oceans' Eleven level of con-artistry as by the end of the episode Zac now has possession of the Trident. Which for Rita, Sirena, Lyla and Nixie and by extension the Pod is bad news to the umpteenth power!

After a few filler episodes including one in which Sirena's sister returns just as the three get the trident away from Zac and another one in which I felt so bad for actress Gemma Forsyth, the story continues in "Zac's Choice" As the three continue to progress closer to getting their moon rings, Zac finds the trident and accidentally zaps Lyla as the two struggle for the trident. She's revived thanks to Zac deciding to do the right thing and help empower the Moon Rings to save Lyla's life. Zac also decides to return the Trident to it's hiding spot ending the feud with Nixie, Lyla and Sirena. In the second to last episode Cam tricks both Nixie and Evie to help him get the trident and it is in that same episode Evie discovers the truth about Zac, Nixie, Lyla and Sirena. The season comes to a close in the episode "Decision Time". The episode opens with Zac having a nightmare about destroying the Moon Pool with the power of the trident. After telling the three about this, Zac believes he has no choice but to find a way to be stripped of his powers and his tail. In the meanwhile Cam tries to trick Evie into helping him with his plan to become a merman himself and rule Mako Island. Hearing that the three try to stop him but with the help of Zac, Cam's plans are foiled and the trident is destroyed but it's power has yet to be fully unveiled. The three are awarded their Moon Rings and Evie makes peace with the three after being rather unfriendly to the three most of the season. (Show ending of "Decision Time" in which the three mermaids and Zac swim together and where Rita, Evie and Cam stand at the end of the season before fading to black and then cutting to clips of the season as James does a voiceover.)

James Faraci (Voiceover) Mako Mermaids Season 1 took everything "H2O"  had and improved on a lot of what that show did and this season itself had a lot going for itself and it lived up to it. The storyline was engaging, the writing was strong especially when it came to expanding the mythos of the Island including a "Great Conflict" between Mermaids and Mermen which they mention at great lengths and the characters were enjoyable and developed well and yeah let's get into the characters that we will NOT be seeing again after this season because of reasons we'll get to when we talk about their departure. While we won't see Aquata in the next season, I think it's for the best because she didn't do much except be a plot device for Sirena who we'll talk about next time. Nixie on the other hand had some good development. She would try to be right on certain things and her attitude came back to bite her in the end, in the episode "I Don't Believe In Mermaids" Nixie thinks the Pod is gone and they aren't coming back. She accidentally gives bad advice to a little boy which backfires and tries to live like how she believes humans live but thankfully Rita tells her that in no direct ways not to give up on the Pod or herself for that matter and in turn she gives the right advice to the little boy and asks when he's on that boat to toss a shell to Sirena's sister. While she had the moments where subtlety wasn't her strong suit she did seem by the end of the season to be more open to experiencing and learning new things. Lyla started off very hot headed, determined, smart and she had moments throughout the first half of the season where she was very arrogant. She thought she was the De Facto leader of the three this season even trying to handle Zac on her own with creative yet not the best ideas considering the situation. In the episode "Lyla Alone" as Rita encourages the three to try to blend in better with humanity. Lyla wants get back to the pod and return the status quo of before Zac and to do that she felt she had handle Zac on her own and nearly exposes herself in the process. As time goes on she softens and tries in more subtle ways to including befriend Zac and even being sympathetic to Zac, even connecting in a more friendly way and after "Zac's Choice" Lyla even tries to teach Zac about mermaid history, the history of the Island and the ways of the ocean and so on. While I can't confirmed this, I believe if Lyla had stayed on there would've been tension between Zac, Evie and Lyla. And when writers do something for funsies like that, it is time once again for....

(Cut to a black background and the words "HOW I WOULD HAVE WRITTEN IT!" in neon as James' voice echoes those words before hearing stock Game Show Music as clips of the season play in the background and James does a voiceover)

James Faraci (Voiceover): The ceremony mentioned by the Pod in the beginning of the episode would have had more significance. You see for a long time in the Pod, The Guardian had been thought of as a myth or legend so to hear The Guardian once again would've meant good things were to happen to The Pod. That is until Zac's incident happened, The Guardian only knew something had occurred what it was he has no clue until Sirena, Nixie & Lyla appear on the beach and he finds them in the second episode. The Guardian quickly befriends the three and they tell of what they remember, including that it was a human boy that fell in and quickly the three recognize him as does The Guardian whose face definitely shows his concern, he had known Zac Blakely for a long time.

While the third episode happens exactly as it did The Guardian tries quickly to contact Rita about The three and Zac but he arrives at the wrong time in Rita's Grotto. He helps the three and Rita out even getting a few good moments of characterization from him especially in the episode "Moon Ring 2" which would have gone into greater detail to something that was alluded to in "H2O". He mentioned to the three that the Moon ring Zac found belonged to The Guardian's beloved, Ismira! Ismira was a mermaid in the pod from Mako during "The Great Conflict" and although love was forbidden for The Guardian who was an apprentice to The Guardian before him and although she had a moon ring and was a part of the pod already The Guardian's ring was an engagement ring and he reclaimed it by the end of the episode. Also The Guardian can speak to animals like Dr. Doolittle even having conversations with Poseidon in cat howls and meowing. Although instead of Rita in the episode AFTER Zac and The Mermaids discover each other's secret, it would be said outright at the end of the episode when Zac discovers Lyla, Nixie and Sirena's secret of being mermaids by The Guardian. The rest of the season The Guardian would assist the three in stopping Zac and with what was going on in the season even helping stopping Cam. While the season would end the same way, The Guardian would look in meditative concern about the future of the Island, the Pod and Zac. But we'll work on that next time on...

(Cut to a black background and the words "HOW I WOULD HAVE WRITTEN IT!" in neon as James' voice echoes those words before cutting back to clips of the season one as James does a voiceover)

James Faraci (Voiceover): After a successful first season, the show was picked up for a second season. What we'd get is something that is reminiscent of the past, things that changes the course of things of the future and more surprises, twists and turns. But we'll get to that next time as we return to Mako Island for season 2 of "Mako Mermaids" (Fade to black before cutting to Zac & Cam trying to power up the trident comically before cutting to black)