Lately, I've been on a nostalgic trip, and that's lead me to binge-watching a few of the shows from my childhood. One of these shows is the popular Australian children's show "H2O: Just Add Water." Originally created in Australia and brought to America on the Nickelodeon network, the show ran from 2007-2009 (or 2010 depending on the country). The show was originally scheduled to run for two seasons, but thanks to popular demand, it returned for a third and final season, despite one of its three original actresses not returning. Here are some reasons why the show as a whole was underrated, and worth watching.
1. The Concept
While the concept of mermaids themselves might not be original, "H2O: Just Add Water" brings a new dynamic to a familiar story. In the show, three ordinary teen girls, Cleo, Emma, and Rikki (portrayed by Phoebe Tonkin, Claire Holt, and Cariba Heine respectively), are transformed into mermaids after jumping into an ocean pool in a volcanic cave off of the Gold Coast of Australia. After their sudden transformation, the girls remain human until they touch water. The smallest drop of water gives them 10-seconds of leeway until their legs change into tails. This gives the show an interesting dynamic, especially when one of the girls works at a Marine Park. Each season there's also an overarching plot, with multiple smaller sub-plots, to keep the show interesting, fresh and new.
2. The Characters
Each season of the show features a full cast of unique characters, including three mermaids. Every character is believable, fun, and different. One of the best parts of these characters is that they all have some sort of flaw, making them more relatable and realistic. With the departure of Emma after the second season, and the arrival of new mermaid Bella (portrayed by Indiana Evans), even the new characters don't seem like repeats of the ones that were lost, but completely fresh and new ones. The non-mermaid characters are just as lovable and memorable, even without tails.
3. The Tails
Even though it's a children's show, incredible care was taken in the creation of the mermaid tails for the four mermaids. Before the show, each girl put in months of training learning how to hold their breath underwater, swim with a monofin, and then working their way up to the tails. Once they were ready, the tails were custom fit to each actress using a plaster mold. Once the base for the tails was created, each scale was made by hand and individually placed to create an ultra-realistic look. To add to this, all the underwater scenes were shot in Sea World Australia, lending to the authenticity of the shots.
4. The Spin-Offs
Because of its popularity, the show has received two spin-offs, "Mako Mermaids" and "H2O: Mermaid Adventures." The first of the spin-offs, Mako Mermaids, was filmed similarly to the original show. It features three full-fledged mermaids, Sirena, Lyla, and Nixie (portrayed by Amy Ruffle, Lucy Fry, and Ivy Latimer respectively), and their attempt to be accepted back into their mermaid pod after they accidentally let a "land boy," Zac (portrayed by Chai Romruen), fall into the moon pool, transforming him into a merman. After season one, Lyla and Nixie are replaced my Ondia and Mimmi (portrayed by Isabel Durant and Allie Bertram). The second spin-off, H2O: Mermaid Adventures, is essentially a re-telling of the original series, except instead of being live action, it's animated, allowing for more animal characters, such as Bernie the Hermit Crab.
5. The Music
While music doesn't play a huge part in the series until the introduction of new mermaid Isabella "Bella" Hartley in season three, the show's intro and outro theme "No Ordinary Girl" is iconic to the show. It's catchy and performed by a different artist each season, starting with Ellie Henderson in season one, then Kate Alexa in season two, and Indiana Evans in season three. Mako Mermaids features another character, Sirena (Portrayed by Amy Ruffle), who often performs at the local café, adding more of a musical element to the show.
6. The Life Lessons
Like most shows aimed at children, H2O covers a wide variety of lessons that can be applied to people of almost any age. The first season deals a lot with change and how to cope with being different than other people, which can be a good thing. It also touches on other themes such as how to deal with siblings and balancing spending time with your friends and spending time with your boyfriend. The second season deals with envy, bullying, divorce, and how to deal with your best friend when she may be dating someone you don't care for. The third season has the least amount of life lessons, but because it revolves around the girls' senior year of high school, it deals with letting go and saying goodbye in the end.
H2O: Just Add Water, Mako Mermaids, and H2O: Mermaid Adventures are all available on Netflix. Happy watching!
