Good for kids but lacks depth for adults
There is much to love about the show, and much to not love. Cute concept, perspective of mermaids, beautiful scenery of The Gold Coast, some fun plot lines...
I love Ivy's acting on the show, Mako Mermaids, she has this quirky confidence and cute expressions she makes, she can also be quite snarky which adds a lot of character to the show. I imagine she will grow up to be great in comedies.
I think the telling of the turtle and the crab story in episode 17 was the best... very funny.
The episode in season 1 (22) When Evie (Gemma Forsyth) and the cat switch places, very funny episode.
I think it's a pretty good show, but if they could develop these aspects a bit and others, it could be even better.
Season 2 starts in 2015! Not sure why it's going to take so long, especially since season 1 answered nothing, like what kind of parent would abandon their kids who make a mistake, kids and adults make mistakes all the time, that's what life is all about, so just abandoning them feels overly harsh. Rita says this is her new home, but she doesn't seem to have friends or a significant other, just a principal job, though she says teaching is her life, she doesn't teach at all? The show has so much potential and some things are done well, but no social issues are introduced even once, at least in H20 they covered fishing abuses, and how it effects turtles, and proper nets etc... they even have dolphins on the show, don't expect to see any interesting wildlife in MM though, which again is a letdown.
I kept expecting more development or back story that never comes.
I enjoyed the show, but I wouldn't watch it again because there's just no substance there.
While the pod moved on in self preservation, no one seems to care about the girls to come back and check on them? The trident is left unguarded? The island of Mako is left unguarded, the moon pool island entry is left unguarded... it seems a lot of power just sitting there unguarded.
I would imagine even if the pod moved on there'd be more of a council of mermaid people who would check up on the girls rather than just leaving them to wander on legs causing who knows what kind of peril and danger.
Basically, they're a little harsh on the girls, who are children, and don't know any better, this is bad parenting just to abandon them for making a mistake.
Overall though, for all its issues, it's an enjoyable show, and I imagine kids will enjoy it even more as they won't be looking quite so deeply into the script logic.
After watching some of H20, I must say it's much better than Mako Mermaids. Mako has a great cast, and a great theme song, but the stories have no social message, and H20 also addresses wildlife, dolphins, turtles, and fishing abuse... probably other important issues as well, and Mako doesn't have this layer of depth.
My Rating for Mako Mermaids: 6/10
