I watch H2O: Just Add Water at least four times every single year, or once per quarter. It’s become one of my comfort shows, which is like autistic stimming for me.
Anyway, I don’t see the point in starting a new blog to recap TV shows when my current one is just as good. 🤷♀️
H2O: Just Add Water is available to watch for free on YouTube. I’ll also embed each episode in the post. 😊
SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT! This is a recap of H2O, episode 1 of season one, “Metamorphosis”. The show is no longer active; proceed at your own discretion.
So cool
Cleo keeps time as Emma swims laps. Emma says it’s .2 under her personal best and will be ready for regionals in two weeks.
No spark plug, no spark.
On the docks, Zane calls for Cleo. He asks her to help him fix his Zodiac (boat), but she declines. He says please, saying he only needs her to pass him the tools.
She relents and gets into the boat. He says someone took his spark plug as he unties the boat from the dock. She asks if it works without one as he pushes her off.
Zane chose Cleo because she was there, and his dad will just buy him a new one. If she can get it going, she can keep the Zodiac.
Cleo calls for Zane, who tells her to swim for it. Rikki runs and jumps off the dock into the boat. Cleo tells her they’re floating to sea; Rikki holds up the spark plug. She admits to just wanting to get under Zane’s skin.
Rikki is confused that Cleo knows who she is. After fixing the Zodiac, Rikki splashes Zane on the dock. They drive around until Cleo asks Emma if she wants a ride.
“Are you licensed?” Emma asks. Yet, she gets into the boat anyway.
Rikki asks if they want to go out to sea; Emma asks if it’s dangerous in the Zodiac.
They run out of fuel and paddle to Mako Island.
Mako Island
Emma scolds Rikki and Cleo for taking the boat miles offshore. She pulls out her phone, but doesn’t have service and recommends they go to higher ground.
They fret over not getting a signal or being able to get off the island. Emma and Rikki jump from one large rock to another. Cleo says she can’t do it because it’s too slippery. She steps back and falls down a hole.
It’s too steep for Cleo to climb up. Emma decides to go down to get Cleo, but slips and falls. Rikki slides down after her, to Emma’s dismay. Cleo reminds them they need to get out of there.
Moon pool
They walk around until reaching the moon pool inside what Rikki says is like the cone of a volcano. Emma says the volcano has been dormant for 20,000 years.
Emma points out tidal rings, saying the level of the pool rises and falls; since it’s connected to the ocean, there might be a way out. She takes off her shoes and dives into the pool.
Cleo says she’s not going to like this. She calls for Emma; Rikki tells her to be patient.
Emma was right: It’s about a 20-second swim to the reef outside. Rikki takes off her shoes. Cleo says she can’t; she doesn’t even know how swim. She considers staying down there forever, but ultimately holds Rikki’s hand and gets into the water.
Metamorphosis
The moon eclipses the crater of the volcano; the water bubbles and lights up like a hot tub. Light-filled bubbles rise towards the moon. The wind blows.
They take a deep breath and swim through the cave, to the surface.
The Water Police instruct them to board the boat. Cleo looks back at Mako once more.
Just add water
On the beach, Emma runs into the ocean for a morning swim. Water bubbles around her legs and feet until they turn into a mermaid tail.
Cleo sits in a bubble bath with a mermaid tale and bra as her sister knocks on the door.
Rikki walks by a sprinkler and falls on the ground after one water droplet hits her hand. She looks at herself in disgust.
At Cleo’s, the trio discusses what happened to them. Rikki says they look like mermaids; Emma says mermaids don’t exist and that that’s weird.
Lewis knocks at the door and comes in. He’s confused, asking if he got the time wrong. Cleo says something important came up and that she has to cancel. She leads him to the door, then asks him if he knows anything about mermaids.
Emma and Rikki chide her for asking him, telling her he can’t know about them.
Rikki recommends they go back into the water. At the beach, Emma and Rikki walk into the water. They turn into mermaids in four seconds. The two swim around near reefs, with schools of fish and a dolphin.
Secrets
At the juice café, Lewis looks at mermaid illustrations on the computer. Cleo asks him what he’s doing and says he didn’t need to do research. He tells her about what he found, like how mermaid myths have been around for 3000 years.
Zane drives up on his motorbike. Lewis says to ignore him. Zane drives through them, scaring Cleo. He says his father didn’t appreciate the Water Police knocking on his door. Cleo reminds him that he let her keep the Zodiac.
Lewis points out that Zane’s only upset because he looked bad in front of his dad and sounds like he’s scared of [his dad].
Cleo looks at the fire hydrant, which starts rattling. Zane approaches Cleo, but Lewis steps in front of her. Zane harasses Cleo, who moves her hand as if to unscrew the fire hydrant spout. The fire hydrant rattles until the lid comes off and spews at Zane, pushing him into the water.
Cleo looks at her hand, the hydrant and Lewis, then runs to Emma’s to tell Emma and Rikki what just happened. Cleo controls water from a glass, from which more water comes. She stops controlling it and Emma freezes the water before it falls.
Rikki grins. Emma freezes a flower vase with water. Rikki tries to use her power, but nothing happens. Cleo says it’s scary, but Zane’s face was funny. Emma says it’s a secret.
My notes
- I love Claire Holt. I cannot stand Emma Gilbert, however. I think Emma was written really badly. 😭 I’ve never despised a character so much, OMG.
- I think the writers tried to balance the trio out, with nervous and naïve Cleo, infantilized by Emma, and Rikki challenging the status quo and encouraging Cleo to grow as a person. 🤷♀️
- Every time I rewatch H2O: Just Add Water, I forget that I must first endure Emma’s two seasons. 🙄
- Editing available H2O screencaps is miserable, so I won’t be including this many screenshots moving forward. 🤷♀️ The screencaps availability is awful, so no screencaps site has decent ones…and I can’t take decent ones, either. 😭
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