Meghann Fahy’s bizarre neck-lick in Sirens actually reveals her character’s true nature

Meghann Fahy in Sirens (Image via Netflix)
Meghann Fahy in Sirens (Image via Netflix)

In Sirens, Devon (Meghann Fahy) and Simone (Milly Alcock) may be bound by blood, but emotionally they’re oceans apart. After years of estrangement, Devon shows up in the coastal town Simone now calls home. She is there because she’s furious.

Simone’s been off soaking in the sunshine and sharing wellness rituals with her new friend/employer, Michaela (a.k.a. Kiki), while Devon’s been stuck alone, dealing with their sick father. Simone, on the other hand, is blissfully wrapped up in Michaela’s world, where they even do breath checks.

But Devon senses something much darker during her stay in Port Haven.

Keeping all that aside, Meghann Fahy as Devon delivers one of the show’s weirdest moments. It is a sudden, bizarre neck lick aimed at Jose. It's awkward, and Jose flinches. For a split second, everyone watching probably flinches too.

But that one little move says a lot about Devon. She’s a product of emotional trauma, unresolved loneliness, and a craving for connection that sometimes leaks out in pretty weird ways. So, what was up with that neck lick?

Let's get right into it.


Meghann Fahy in Sirens: Devon’s trauma runs deeper than we think

Meghann Fahy and Milly Alcock in Sirens (Image via Netflix)
Meghann Fahy and Milly Alcock in Sirens (Image via Netflix)

Meghann Fahy is Devon, the older sister in Sirens. She’s the one who’s carried the weight of responsibility since childhood. After their mother died, Devon stepped in as a caretaker for young Simone. But things fell apart when she left for college.

While she was off trying to make a future for herself, Simone was left behind with their ailing father, who was in no state to provide any real care. That guilt still lingers in Devon.

In Sirens, Meghann Fahy is as protective as Devon. She is also frustrated and desperate to pull Simone out of Michaela’s grip. She loves her sister, and that love is tangled up with regret, duty, and a longing for redemption.

Outside of Simone, though, Devon isn’t really trying to connect with people in meaningful ways. She’s tough and guarded. She is always in black and emotionally walled off.

Her idea of intimacy is fleeting. She hooks up with the guy on the ferry, then the gardener, and even someone from her workplace. These are validations and brief moments where she feels seen. And Meghann Fahy perfectly sums up that complicated psychology in her Teen Vogue interview:

"Look, Devon has a really unhealthy relationship with s*x. She is struggling with that. When we meet her, she's on the ferry, she's like hanging out with that guy. I think that's an extension of her currency. [Gestures to Milly] It’s like what you've said about Simone, what makes her feel valuable. They've both been traumatized so much in their lives as young girls, and now Devon especially is exhibiting some really self-destructive behavior as a result of that. She meets Jose and likes him, so she licks him. He's been really sweet to her, and I think that she takes that sweetness and tries to get something else out of it, like a salve. She's trying to self-soothe and she immediately realizes that she's made a mistake. But I do think that it was very, very impulsive of her. She's in the moment, got the idea to do it, and just did it. And then doesn't really give herself a second to think about it prior, which is something that she does a lot of in other ways too."

Meghann Fahy's Devon uses s*x as a way to feel valuable or worthy. It's how she validates her presence and importance. She craves affection, but she doesn’t know how to ask for it in a healthy way. So, she does things, like licking Jose’s neck, because her emotional compass is off balance. It’s a desperate reach for comfort.

This moment with Jose isn’t really s*xual. It’s awkward, abrupt, and surprising even to her. She’s responding to kindness with an action that feels familiar but out of place. She mistakes warmth and care for an invitation to seek physical closeness, even though that’s not what’s being offered.

She’s trying to comfort herself in the only way she knows. And that is through a physical act. But she realizes almost instantly that it was a mistake. This quick-switch behavior is a pattern for her. She acts first and reflects later, and that makes her character frustrating but very human.

Meghann Fahy explains that Devon is emotionally damaged in Sirens. She is desperate for connection and stuck in cycles she doesn’t know how to break. She’s someone trying to make her way through love, guilt, and loss without the right direction. And sometimes, that pain leaks out in really strange ways.


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Edited by Parishmita Baruah