Can we talk for a sec about Devon in the “Sirens” finale? I’m still at a loss for words from that series finale.
While most of the discourse is centered around Simone, and her complex decision behind coupling up with Peter in order to escape her traumatic past, I’d like to take a moment to focus on a character who’s just as nuanced and fascinating: Devon.
Portrayed masterfully by Meghann Fahy, Devon is selfless to a fault. The eldest sister is willing to give up her own life and well-being for the sake of her family members, because she feels as though there’s no other choice. Since Simone is nowhere to be found, and only willing to provide obnoxious/out-of-place fruit baskets, Devon feels as though she has no other option but to stay in her run-down Buffalo home while tending to her father who is suffering from dementia.
As her sister Simone proves, there are other options. Devon can get out. She is an adult, and her father even encourages her to leave for that highly-anticipated trip with Morgan in Palm Beach. But instead, she feels the need to stay with her father, whose sickness is getting worse by the day. While it’s beautifully empathetic and kind of Devon to cancel her plans with her love interest while yachting along scenic terrains in order to care for her father, she’s ultimately putting her life on hold for someone else’s sake. Just as she’s been doing her whole life, by taking care of everyone else but herself.
Is Devon From “Sirens” Addicted to Caretaking?
At the beginning of the series we see Devon in Buffalo with her father, while she convinces herself that she has no choice but to stay. Yet as we learn later on, there are options for her to choose a better life for herself. So why does she choose to remain stagnant in a less-than-ideal situation?
The executive producer of the series, Nicole Kassel, points out Devon’s “addiction” to being a caretaker. “There is definitely an addiction to caretaking because you feel like a saint,” Kassel told Netflix’s Tudum of Devon’s character. “What’s so gorgeous about this piece is that Devon has very admirable characteristics, but everybody is flawed, and Molly [Smith Metzler] really pokes at what is underneath that. There is this self-avoidance.”
Although she decides to stay with her father in Buffalo in the series finale, Meghann Fahay offers a sense of hope for her character’s future, even though it appears she’s moving backwards. “I think Devon goes back a really different person,” the White Lotus star told Variety. “You see a huge evolution with her. And I do think that when she goes home, she won’t drink anymore. I don’t think she sees Ray as Ray anymore. I like to think that she gets herself together a bit, and leaves with more self-respect than she arrived with. Even though she stays and ultimately is stuck taking care of Dad, she’s actively made her choice now, and there is power in that for her.”
What do you think about Devon’s decision to stay in Buffalo? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
