H2O: Just Add Water

This article is about the children's television series. For Just Add Water (disambiguation), see H2O: Just Add Water (disambiguation).

H2O: Just Add Water
File:H2O- Just Add Water.jpg Logo for H2O: Just Add Water
Genre	Children's television series, fantasy, teen drama
Created by	Jonathan M. Shiff
Directed by	Colin Budds (2006-2009) Jeffrey Walker (2006-2009)
Starring	Claire Holt (2006-2008) Phoebe Tonkin Cariba Heine Angus McLaren Indiana Evans (2009-present)
Theme music composer	Shelley Rosenberg
Opening theme	"No Ordinary Girl"
Composers	Ric Formosa Ricky Edwards Danny Beckerman
Country of origin	Australia
Original language	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	78 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Jonathan M. Shiff Kay Ben M'Rad (2006) Julia Adams (2007-2009)
Producers	Jonathan M. Shiff
Production location	Gold Coast, Queensland
Cinematography	Bruce Phillips (2006) Zenon Sawko (2007)
Editors	Geoff Lamb Strutts Psyridis
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	30 minutes
Original release
Network	Network Ten
Release	7 July 2006 – present

H₂O: Just Add Water is an Australian television programme for children, pre-teens and teenagers, that is filmed on location at Sea World and other locations on the Gold Coast. It first screened on Australia's Network Ten in 2006 and later on Disney Channel Australia, and currently runs on channels in over 120 countries and has a worldwide audience of more than 250 million. The show's premise revolves around three teenage girls facing everyday teen problems with an added twist: they're mermaids with powers over water. The theme song "No Ordinary Girl" is performed by Ellie Henderson in series one, by Kate Alexa in series two and by Indiana Evans in series three.

Originally, there were only two series with a total of 52 episodes, but due to popular demand, a third series began filming in late 2008 and will screen in late 2009. Jonathan M. Shiff, executive producer, said that, "there is lots of potential for a third season with normal teenagers who have super powers," and that open water filming may be an option in addition to the filming done at Sea World and Broadwater. Indiana Evans will have a major role in the third series as Bella.

Plot

The show centers around Emma, Cleo, and Rikki, three sixteen-year-old girls growing up on the sun-drenched beaches of the Gold Coast. Emma is confident, brilliant, responsible, and athletic. Cleo is slightly insecure, sweet, and awkward, while Rikki is an aloof and rebellious new girl.

Through a strange twist of fate the girls find are exposed to a pool which can turn people into mermaids under the light of the full moon. The next day, the three girls discover that life is never going to be normal again; ten seconds after they touch water, they turn into mermaids. After further experimentation, they find they have supernatural powers; Emma can freeze water, Rikki can boil water and Cleo can manipulate the amount and shape of water.

The girls enlist the help of their friend Lewis, who considers himself a scientist, and he attempts to discover the secret behind their transformations.

Everyday situations turn tricky as the girls struggle to cope with their new-found powers, which have numerous advantages and disadvantages, while also trying to keep them a secret from everyone else.

Characters

Major

Emma Gilbert

Character	Actress	Series one	Series two	First Appearance
Emma Gilbert	Claire Holt	26 episodes	25 episodes*	"Metamorphosis"

Emma, or Em to her friends, first discovers herself being a mermaid one morning while swimming at the beach. She has the ability to freeze any object or liquid containing water. In the second series, under the power of a full moon aligned with various planets, she develops cloud manipulation and the ability to control ice and snow and, with help from Rikki & Cleo, has the power to summon on a hurricane like storm. She liked Byron in the first series. Also, she eventually found love in boy named Ash, who is currently her supervisor at the Juicenet café and was previously a riding instructor who taught Emma's little brother to ride a horse. Emma couldn't stand Ash at first (he was a better horse rider than her), but with prodding from her friends Cleo and Rikki, she realises her love for him, but her mermaid secret is a problem. In the series two finale, she reveals her secret to Ash. Emma moves away with her family in series three.

• Holt did not appear in the episode "The Gracie Code, Part 1", but is seen in a flashback.
• Holt will miss most of series three due to her filming Messengers 2: The Scarecrow.

Cleo Sertori

Character	Actress	Series one	Series two	First Appearance
Cleo Sertori	Phoebe Tonkin	26 episodes	26 episodes	"Metamorphosis"

Cleo first finds out herself being a mermaid while taking a bath. She has the power to manipulate the form of water and mould it into a different shape. She can mystically create more water to form a "branch" from a small cup. She can also control wind and air currents in series two. She is shy but very bright and a loyal friend. Late in series 1 Cleo and Lewis develop a relationship, but he is too clingy and, with her parents' divorce, she is too stressed to have a boyfriend, so she breaks up with him. A new girl named Charlotte arrives, who is Cleo's friend at first but then Charlotte becomes jealous of Cleo's friendship/relationship with Lewis so Charlotte constantly tries to be with him. Charlotte and Lewis form a relationship, much to Cleo's dismay. Charlotte causes many problems for Cleo in series two, such as stealing her boyfriend and stealing her locket. After Lewis had enough of Charlotte's actions, he breaks up with her and rescues Cleo from sharks. Later in the episode he and Cleo rekindle their relationship.

Rikki Chadwick

Character	Actress	Series one	Series two	First Appearance
Rikki Chadwick	Cariba Heine	26 episodes	26 episodes	"Metamorphosis"

Rikki is the new girl in town in series one. She first discovers she is a mermaid when she was hit by water from the park sprinkler system. She was the last to gain her powers. She is able to boil water or anything containing water. In the first series, under control of the full moon, her power grew to setting anything she touched on fire. It went away when the full moon did, like the others. In the second series, she develops the ability to control fire and lightning. She is a rebellious new girl and a self-confessed loner who finds an attraction in the local bad boy, Zane Bennett. They first fall in love when trapped on a balcony together. They briefly date but find they have too many differences at the end of the first series. Shortly into the second series, they rekindle their relationship, although somewhat casually. She was originally at odds with Miriam, Zane's ex-girlfriend, seen only in the first series.

Lewis McCartney

Character	Actor	Series one	Series two	First Appearance
Lewis McCartney	Angus McLaren	26 episodes	26 episodes	"Metamorphosis"

Lewis has been Cleo's friend since they were five, and following the girls' transformation, he also becomes friends with Rikki and Emma. He is academically gifted, thinks of himself as a scientist and has a passion for fishing. He discovers the girls' secret early on in the series and becomes determined to find the cause. He is in love with Cleo, who reciprocates the feeling and the two form a relationship late in series one. At the beginning of series two, Cleo breaks up with Lewis. They stay friends but remain a little embarrassed. Lewis develops a friendship with Charlotte, the new girl, who has a crush on Lewis and becomes his controlling girlfriend. At the end of series two, Lewis dumps Charlotte because of her behaviour towards the other girls, mostly Cleo. After he saves Cleo from a shark reef, they admit their feelings for each other and renew their romance.

• McLaren will appear in a limited number of episodes due to filming Packed to the Rafters.

Bella Roberts

Character	Actor	Series one	Series two	First Appearance
Bella Roberts	Indiana Evans	0 episodes	0 episodes	Series three

Bella arrives during series three, having just moved to the area. She is a singer, and has been a mermaid since the age of eight.

Secondary

Zane Bennett

Character	Actor	Series one	Series two	First Appearance
Zane Bennett	Burgess Abernethy	20 episodes	7 episodes	"Metamorphosis"

Zane is the local bad boy, and seems to think that he can get away with anything because his dad is rich. He appears to be arrogant, but has been seen to have a softer side. He desperately wants to impress his father, local land developer Harrison Bennett, who is more arrogant. Zane is an excellent swimmer. After becoming trapped on a sinking boat, he is rescued by Emma, and sees the end of her tail before she is able to slip away. Because of this, Zane becomes obsessed with finding the "sea monster". Later on in the first series, to the disappointment of Miriam who assumed that she was with Zane, Rikki and Zane develop feelings for each other after being locked out on a penthouse balcony in a hotel that Harrison Bennett is giving an advertising speech at. While they later break up at the end of the first series because they are "too different" from each other, they rekindle their relationship in the second series after Zane discovers the girls are still mermaids. It is found out also that he is very caring. During series three, Zane tries to exploit Mako Island after Rikki breaks up with him.

Ash

Character	Actor	Series one	Series two	First Appearance
Ash	Craig Horner	0 episodes	10 episodes	"Riding for a Fall"

Ash is the current supervisor of the JuiceNet Café (to Emma's disappointment at first, since she wanted the job). Ash is a keen horse rider and has worked as a riding coach. He and Emma have formed a relationship and have gone out on a few dates. In the middle of the second series, in the episode 'Moonstruck', Emma was affected by the full moon (with Cleo and Rikki) and almost revealed her secret by calling him into the bathroom when she was wet with a tail. Luckily, Lewis steps in and stops him. During the series two finale, Emma reveals that she is a mermaid to Ash, and his only reaction was to smile and say, "Cool" before the end credits roll. Ash also has a falling out with Zane in the Juicenet Cafe, causing the girl's group to split for an episode.

Louise Chatham

Character	Actress	Series one	Series two	First Appearance
Louise Chatham	Christine Amor	10 episodes	1 episodes	"Party Girls"

Louise Chatham, or Miss Chatham as she's typically called, is a mysterious elderly woman who Cleo meets while working at the marine park. She hints to Cleo that she knows the girls secret and warns them about the effects of the full moon. Later, an altercation that she has with Zane leads to her boat being declared unseaworthy and Emma invites her to stay at her place. That night, however, Miss Chatham sneaks out at night and sails off with her boat. After an altercation on the boat with Zane, she suffers a heart attack and is taken to a hospital by Lewis. Before going to a retirement residential home, she reveals to the girls that she once was a mermaid too, but that "the burden became too great", so she "had to give it up", hinting that there is a way to give up their powers.

Max K. Hamilton

Character	Actor	Series one	Series two	First Appearance
Max Hamilton	Martin Vaughan	0 episodes	4 episodes	"The Gracie Code (Part 1)"

An elderly man (who is a scientist like Lewis and 50 years ago published studies similar to the ones that Lewis has done), he was a friend and confidant of the original mermaids. His first appearance was in "The Gracie Code" late in the second series when Lewis discovers his old research on Mako Island. Max reveals that he truly loved Gracie, just like Lewis truly loves Cleo, and that he created the three lockets (that the girls wear) for the three original mermaids. He gives Lewis all his old research and pictures of the original mermaids. He declares that Cleo and Lewis are meant for each other, but Lewis ignores them because he was dating Charlotte at the time. Lewis realises what Max meant when Cleo went missing and Lewis realised how much he cared for her. Max was the one who told Charlotte about mermaids after she declared that she was Gracie's granddaughter. He also revealed that the 50 year moon lines up with all the planets and will possess enough power to take away a mermaid's powers forever with no chance of ever regaining them back.

Antagonists

Charlotte Watsford

Character	Actress	Series one	Series two	First Appearance
Charlotte Watsford	Brittany Byrnes	0 episodes	24 episodes	"Control"

Charlotte is the new girl in town and is the girls' rival during series two. She enjoys various forms of art and appreciates the sciences. She is friendly at first but becomes jealous of Cleo's relationship with Lewis, so she constantly tries to be with him. After Cleo breaks up with Lewis, Charlotte pursues him and eventually the two develop a relationship. She is very selfish, controlling and manipulative and gets paranoid very easily and becomes jealous of Cleo. She is later revealed to be the granddaughter of Gracie, one of the original three mermaids. She becomes the fourth mermaid herself, receiving all three of the powers. After this she becomes very dangerous when angry, especially when Lewis breaks up with her to be with Cleo. The 50 year full moon comes and Charlotte reveals to Lewis that that is how Gracie lost her powers. She plans to strip the other girls powers so that she will be the only special one for Lewis. But after being beaten by the girls, she loses her powers forever, and her friendship with Lewis and all other mermaids.

Dr. Linda Denman

Character	Actress	Series one	Series two	First Appearance
Dr. Linda Denman	Lara Cox	3 episodes	0 episodes	"The Denman Affair"

Dr. Denman is a Marine Biologist who finds one of Cleo's mermaid scales that Lewis left behind, after he applied for a job working for her so he could use her equipment to study it. She tries to get Lewis to tell her where he found the samples, but he refuses to reveal the source. In the end, she offers to Lewis prestige and a fast track through school and a large wage to travel with her for her work (especially her work on the scale) but he decides to stay with Emma, Cleo, and Rikki. In the series one finale, she returns and sets up underwater cameras around Mako Island, discovering the girls' mermaid secret, which she shares with Zane and Zane's father Harrison. But in the end, she believes that the girls have lost their powers after going into the Moon Pool during a lunar eclipse, though in truth they only lost their powers for 12 hours.

Awards and Nominations

Awards

• 2008 Nickelodeon Australia Kids' Choice Award for "Best TV Drama Show"
• 2009 Logie Award for "Most Outstanding Children's Program"

Nominations

• 2007 Logie Award for "Most Outstanding Children's Program"
• 2007 Nickelodeon UK Kids' Choice Award for "Best TV Show"
• 2008 Logie Award for "Most Outstanding Children's Program"

Complications

The majority of the series deals with the girls having to cope with their new-found abilities that more often than not complicate their regular teenage-girl activities. A number of complications arise, especially when the girls have to hide their powers for fear of the consequences of being found out.

Discovery

Zane is mad at Miss Chatham for crashing his jet ski, so he follows her boat and jumps aboard. Zane confronts Miss Chatham and demands compensation for his wrecked jet ski, saying that he heard her say that she had treasure on board. During the confrontation, Miss Chatham has a mild heart attack and passes out. Emma and Lewis arrive and take Miss Chatham to the hospital, while Zane is left behind on the boat. He searches for the treasure, only to find that the only thing of value is an old locket which he disgustedly drops on the floor just as the old engine gives way and a steam explosion jams the cabin door as the ship begins sinking. Zane can't get out and Emma realises that only she can save Zane. When Emma saves Zane, he sees the back half of her tail just before he passes out. Zane decides to find the "sea monster" and looks everywhere near Mako island. When Emma returns to the boat to take the picture of the old mermaids, she's spotted by Zane, but because she'd tried to dye her hair (while a mermaid), she had red hair and Zane didn't recognise her. Zane always talks about mermaids, which makes the girls uncomfortable. During the end of series one, Dr. Denman returns and puts small underwater cameras near the cave and the moon pool to count the fish. The cameras spot the girls swimming to and from the cave and expose them. Zane is somewhat upset when he finds out that Rikki is a mermaid but he saves the girls with Lewis' help, just before Dr. Denman was about to run tests on them. Miss Chatham tells the girls that if they are in the moon pool during the lunar eclipse time, they will lose their powers. The girls see no other alternative to stop Dr. Denman from chasing after them and jump into the pool in front of her. A magical light show follows and they are able to "prove" to Dr. Denman that they no longer have their powers. The next day, the girls discover that they actually only lost their powers for twelve hours.

Cleo's diary

In "Something Fishy", Cleo's sister Kim finds Cleo's diary, which contains everything about Cleo, Rikki, and Emma's "mermaidness". The diary has all the details of their powers and even drawings of their tails but was written in code. The diary causes Kim and Emma's brother Elliot to believing that Cleo, Emma, and Rikki are a monster of some sort. Kim plots with Elliot to expose Cleo on stage at the Miss Sea Queen Pageant, which Cleo enters to try to beat the girls' series one arch-rival Miriam. Eventually, Kim's plan backfires spectacularly with Cleo using her powers to protect herself from a water hose. Cleo tells Kim that the diary is an English assignment and was fiction. In the end of the episode, Cleo tosses it into the moon pool so no one will ever find it again.

Lockets

The three lockets were made by Max Hamilton for the original three mermaids, (Louise Chatham, Gracie Watsford and Julia Dove). Emma discovers the first one at the bottom of the moon pool on Mako Island. Later Emma gives it to Cleo to keep after Miriam almost manages to steal it. Rikki takes it off Miriam after seeing her trying to steal it. Cleo is later told by Miss Chatham that this locket belonged to Gracie.

The second locket belonged to Miss Chatham, but unfortunately sank with her boat. Miss Chatham was devastated after it was lost because it was the 'treasure' that she had spoken fondly of. Emma, feeling sorry for her, went down to the wreck of the boat, found it and gave it back to Miss Chatham, who then gratefully gave it to the girls.

The third locket, which belonging to Julia, was found by Rikki in a jewellery store after Julia dies and her estate sells it. Zane considers buying it for Rikki and asks Miriam about whether girls like that type of jewellry and Miriam then goes and buys it for herself while the three mermaids and Lewis try to raise the money to buy it themselves. Miriam teases Rikki with it and starts a fight. Later, Miriam (who's fed up with the locket), tries to get Zane back by telling him to kiss her while Rikki is behind him at the café. After being brutally talked down to by Zane, Miriam throws the locket into the Broadwater next to the Juicenet café. Zane dives into the water to find it before Emma can get there and tries to give it to Rikki. Cleo hints that she will get a tail if she touches it while its wet. Rikki realises this and pretends to drop it so she can heat it up and keep it. Rikki however feels it is selfish to keep it, and returns the locket to Miss Chatham. Miss Chatham gives the locket back to Rikki, and gives hers to Emma, saying "It feels right they are all together."

As stated by Max in "The Gracie Code", all three are slightly different, most noticeably in the crystals at the top of the lockets: Emma has a white stone, Rikki has a red one and Cleo's has a blue stone. On the back of the lockets is what seems to be waves represented by 3 wavy lines.

In the episode "Sea Change", Cleo's locket is stolen by Charlotte. Charlotte lies and says that Cleo realized it was more important to her and gave it to her, but soon admits she made her do this. In the episode "Finale", Lewis takes the locket from Charlotte and returns it to Cleo.

The moon

The moon is the source of how Cleo, Emma and Rikki receive their powers in the pool on Mako Island. The moon also affects each of them differently, and different moon cycles affect them differently as well.

Effects of the full moon

During the series it is revealed that a full moon has very strange effects on the girls. These effects are explored over a number of various episodes. These effects only last for 12 hours after being affected or as long as the full moon is in the sky. During a full moon, the moon pool on Mako Island sometimes protects the girls from the moon's strange effects (this however is not really explored too much throughout the series). The girls never remember what happened when they were under the influence of the full moon, except for the two times that they were in the moon pool cavern during the latter half of series two.

Emma is the first to fall under the effects of the full moon, which turns her into a wild and carefree mermaid--exactly the opposite of her normally organised self. In this state, she freely tells everyone exactly what she thinks of them, regardless of whether it would offend them or not. It also causes her to change into a mermaid, unable to transform back, and draws her to Mako Island. While under the effect of the full moon, Emma feels inexplicably drawn to water and develops a craving for fish as well as a craving for Byron. She becomes somewhat seductive and kisses Byron on several occasions. By the time the moon is completely gone, everything is once again normal but Emma remembers nothing.

Cleo is the second fall under the full moon's effects. She does not turn into a mermaid, instead becoming a siren, attaining a beautiful singing voice which causes all the young men who hear it to fall in love with her, including Zane, Byron and Lewis. She calls a radio station and is recorded on the phone. However, her singing seems to have no effect on older men like her father, who merely tells her she sounds good. Then when the moon is gone, Cleo regains her normal voice

Rikki is the third to experience the effects of the full moon, which causes her power to overload. Instead of merely heating liquids, she begins to heat up the air and set fire to objects around her. During this time, Zane comes to Mako Island to try and find the "sea monster", and discovers Rikki sitting amongst a circle of flames. Rikki kisses him, causing Zane to quickly overheat and pass out, becoming dehydrated and appearing sunburnt. The girls realise that Rikki's power is the most volatile and must be tightly controlled.

In the first episode of the second series, all three girls are affected by the full moon, which causes them to swim to the moon pool on Mako Island. Because of a particularly rare planetary alignment which was taking place at the time, their powers are enhanced, and they use their new abilities to attack and blow away Lewis, who followed them to make sure everything was okay. Following their reversion to their normal state, the girls struggle to control the effects of these new powers: Cleo creates a storm while upsetting a glass of orange juice her sister is carrying, Emma manages to freeze the entire kitchen bench as well as the fridge and freezer, and Rikki manages to set her laundry on fire while trying to speed up line drying on her clothes line. She repeats this later in the episode with Lewis's pants.

The next full moon is on the same date as the camping trip for the Sertori family. Their choice of location could not have been any worse: Mako Island. To ensure that none of the girls fall under the spell of the moon, Cleo brings Emma and Rikki along. Lewis joins the trip as well, bringing Charlotte at her insistence. Even though the girls sleep in a "moonlight-proof" tent, Cleo is affected once more when Kim opens the tent, while searching for Charlotte, who had gone into the forest with Lewis. When Lewis comes back and warns the other girls, the two girls decide that they have been afraid of the moon for too long, and venture outside to rescue their friend despite the danger. Both are instantly struck by the moonlight, but somehow manage to channel the effects and find Cleo. Rather than exhibiting ridiculous or flamboyant behaviour, they become single-minded and emotionally indifferent, as well as being somewhat vicious in their reaction to threats. Charlotte follows Cleo to the moon pool and is about to touch the water, but Emma freezes it just before she does, preventing Charlotte from becoming a mermaid. This is one of the two times that the girls remember what they did, as Rikki and Emma later talk about how Emma managed to freeze the water just as Charlotte touched it.

By the following full moon, the girls have finally sealed off the house completely. Things are spoiled when Ash pays a surprise visit to Emma, and Cleo catches a glimpse of the full moon, causing her to become giddy and childish in her behaviour. While Emma has her "date" with Ash, Rikki keeps Cleo locked up in the bedroom because she has been 'moonstruck'. However, Cleo causes Rikki to see the moon as well by pulling down the cardboard covering the window and the second mermaid falls into a similar state of giddiness. Together they lure Emma into the bathroom, toss her in the bath and make her see the moon as well. They plan to let Ash see Emma as a mermaid, and he is on the verge of entering the bathroom when Lewis, being called earlier by Emma, bursts in and stops him. Later on in the episode, Emma admits her feelings for Ash and the two kiss.

By the next moon, Charlotte has become aware of her grandmother's past and uses the moon pool to become a mermaid herself. The other girls remain in Cleo's room and manage to avoid seeing the moon.

Effects of a lunar eclipse

In the series one finale, "A Twist in the Tail", it is revealed by Miss Chatham that the girls are able to lose their mermaid powers while they are in the moon pool of Mako Island while a lunar eclipse takes place. The girls, knowing that Dr. Denman and her men would not let them rest until they got what they wanted, decide to take this opportunity and fight off Dr. Denman's men just before jumping into the pool and letting the moon draw away their powers. This helps the girls trick Dr. Denman into believing that they are no longer mermaids. Lewis later reveals that Miss Chatham told him that their powers are only lost for twelve hours, not forever, and that Miss Chatham did not tell them so that even the girls would believe they had lost their powers.

The 50 year full moon

During the last episode of series two, "Finale", Max reveals to Lewis that every 50 years a special full moon occurs, during which all the planets are aligned with the moon and earth, making its effect extremely strong. Strong enough to take away a mermaid's powers forever if they enter the moon pool while it is in its active state. However, this moon also enhances a mermaid's powers and makes them much stronger, as shown during this episode when Charlotte suddenly develops a fit of anger, and uses her powers to make the plumbing and water system of Emma's house go haywire, out of spite toward the girls. Because Ash was in their presence, the girls were unable to fight back.

Leading Lewis to believe that she was under the influence of the full moon, Charlotte lures him to Mako Island in order to trick the girls into coming after them.

At the end of the episode, while the moon is over the moon pool, a big show down begins at Mako Island. Charlotte tries to push all three girls into the moon pool while it is active, in an attempt to make them lose their powers forever, so that she will be the only "true mermaid". However, they then combine their powers to fight back and win, making Charlotte fly into the air and drop into the moon pool, resulting in her losing her powers forever.

During the battle, it is revealed by Charlotte that this full moon event is how Gracie, her grandmother and one of the original three mermaids, gave up her powers 50 years ago.

Power advancement

At the beginning of series two, the girls are once again affected by a full moon. After entering the Mako Island moon pool during a rare planetary alignment, the girls' powers advance to a new level. Although the girls can still do what they could before, new and more powerful abilities begin to form. Cleo can now control the wind; Rikki can create fire at will and summon lightning; and Emma can freeze any object regardless of the presence of water by using the water in the air and create blizzards, and in "Control" is shown having some control over the weather and when all three girls use their powers together they can create storms. At first, the girls had difficulty controlling both their old and new powers, but by the end of "Fire and Ice" had regained some discipline.

When Charlotte becomes a mermaid there is a normal full moon but the strange thing is that not only does she have all three original powers (which is probably because the moon pool divides the powers amongst those in it, so if there is only one person in it, she will acquire the three powers) but for some unknown reason she develops the additional powers as well.

The sample case

In "The Denman Affair", Dr. Denman arrives and Lewis is given a job for her - the cleaning floors. Lewis asks Cleo to cut her nail to analyse it to figure out why the girls turned into the mermaids. Later, while trying to analyse the sample, Lewis is caught by Dr. Denman, so he lies saying he found it at a beach. Lewis runs away, but accidentally leaves behind the sample. Dr. Denman puts the water into the sample and is surprised to see mutating. Dr. Denman then decides to want Lewis in her team. Cleo discovers the article about the sample. Dr. Denman asks Lewis to take him to her lab at Galapagos. Emma and Rikki try to take the sample and their plan doesn't go quite as they planned. As Dr. Denman leaves, Lewis didn't left, takes the sample and deletes the article.

In the end of series one, when Dr. Denman returns to count the fish, she finds the moon pool while putting the underwater cameras to count the fish. Dr. Denman finds a scale from Cleo's tail and discovers it turning into a piece of skin.

Lewis' vision

In "Visions", Lewis is having the dreams about Cleo being discovered as a mermaid. While he and Cleo accompany Kim and Elliot in their date, Kim tosses her teddy bear which Elliot bought for her to the pool. Kim lies she dropped it. When Elliot tries to save the bear, Cleo stops him and reveals to Elliot the bear was tossed to the pool. As Kim and Elliot leave, Cleo gets splashed by a boat so none could see her tail, but her tail is seen. Afraid his dream is coming true, Lewis jumps to the pool and rescues Cleo.

Gracie's past

In "The Gracie Code" (Parts 1-2), Lewis meets Max Hamilton and asks him for the research. Max lies this was a mistake. When Max sees Cleo's locket, he tells the truth. Max asks Lewis to give him Cleo's locket. Max soon struggles with some suspicions about Cleo. Lewis and Max arrive at Mako Island. Max finds the moon pool and meets Cleo there. Max splashes Cleo in water and reveals he knows she's a mermaid. Max then mentions he was creating the lockets, discovered Miss Chatham, Julia and Gracie's secret and tried to test the moon pool to find out what turned them into mermaids. Max also mentions he loved Gracie, but, because of his theories, Gracie did not want to be a mermaid and tossed her locket into the moon pool. The locket was in the moon pool for over 50 years until Emma found it in episode "Party Girls". Gracie wanted to be a ordinary girl again and dumped Max. Max gives Lewis his research and asks him to give Cleo back her locket. Later, the girls and Lewis find the pictures and a film with Max and Gracie. Charlotte is angry why Lewis is always spending time with the girls, so she comes to Cleo's house, finds Gracie's picture and reveals she's Gracie's granddaughter. Charlotte then takes the picture and sees on it the locket, so she thinks the lockets are identical. Later on, Charlotte takes the film and sees on it Gracie as a mermaid. In "Then There Were Four", Charlotte finds the Max's portrait and discovers he loved Gracie and knew her secrets. Worried about the girls' secret, Lewis returns the research to Max, but is unaware Charlotte followed him to meet Max. At first, Max resists to tell Charlotte about Gracie. But, when Charlotte said she won't leave when she won't find out all, Max is forced to tell her about Gracie and explains Gracie was really a mermaid. Max tells Charlotte "at the right place at the right time magic happens.". Charlotte is promised to not tell that to anyone. Charlotte yells at Lewis and thinks Lewis is lying to her. Charlotte finds Mako Island and decides to be a mermaid. As Charlotte arrives at Mako Island, the girls arrive and she finds out their secret until she later becomes a mermaid.

The coral

In "Monster", Emma finds a coral for Cleo's fish, but accidentally cuts her finger on it. Suddenly, Emma starts to act freaky and gets an overexessive want for seafood,plus eats fish food. Meanwhile, Cleo's fish begins to act weird and has the same symptoms as Emma and grows a larger appetite, and grows white scales . At the marine park, Emma swims in the pool, but is seen by a little girl. When Lewis and Charlotte have a date at the marine park, Charlotte dislikes the date, because it isn't romantic, and leaves Lewis to guard her purse so she could go to the toilet. Lewis later listens to the little girl telling her mother about Emma. Luckily no one believes the girl. While searching for Lewis, Charlotte bumps into Cleo and thinks Cleo is trying to destroy the date. After bringing Emma back home, she splashes herself with water, but, as she turns into a mermaid, the white scales appear. Emma then reveals the blame for this situation is a coral. While Cleo struggles with more problems with Charlotte, Lewis creates the antidote and cures Cleo's fish with the help of a biologist. Emma suddenly escapes to find more fish food. The search fails. A little girl tries to prove to her mother she really saw Emma, so she goes to the pool, but a mysterious hand attacks the girl. The girl runs away as Lewis appears. Lewis discovers the one who attacked the girl was Emma and finds out Emma escaped only to find the food. Lewis explains that to the girls and they run to find Emma, but they're unaware she passed them continuing searching for the food. Later in the evening, Emma's parents are celebrating their wedding anniversary when Emma goes back to her house. Emma eats the lobster which was supposed to be a dinner for the celebration. Emma's parents hear the noises and think there are burglars. Emma shuts of all the power in the house as Cleo, Rikki and Lewis arrive, discovering Emma's returned home. Emma's mother discovers the lobster's disappearance. Cleo, Rikki, Lewis and Emma's parents go upstairs to find "burglars". So they don't see Emma; Cleo, Rikki and Lewis order Emma's parents to check on the other rooms while they check Emma's room. As Cleo, Rikki and Lewis enter to her room, they see Emma as a white-scaled monster. While Emma's mother fixes the power to the house, Lewis splashes Emma with the antidote while Cleo and Rikki try not to let Emma's parents see their daughter as a monster. Emma returns to normal and ends up grounded when her parents see around her the pieces of the lobster.

Love stories

Cleo and Lewis became friends when they were younger. It's become very clear by the middle of Season One that they have feelings for each other. Before the end of the first series, Cleo and Lewis reveal their feelings and become a couple. But when the second series begins, Cleo decides to end their relationship with Lewis after he becomes too clingy. Lewis then strikes up a relationship with Charlotte. At the end of the second series, Lewis breaks up with Charlotte and gets back together with Cleo.

Emma meets Ash while he was giving Elliot a horse-riding lesson. Emma at first dislikes him, but starts to develop a bit of a crush on him. Cleo and Rikki then talk Ash into "making a move" in a way. They become a couple and they almost break up until she shows him she is a mermaid.

Rikki at first hated Zane. But when they get trapped in a hotel balcony, they kindle a relationship and later kiss. However, Rikki and Zane had their first kiss in Bad Moon Rising, though only Zane remembers as Ricky was under the influence of the full moon. Zane then talks Rikki into going out with him. They break up at the end of season 1 after Zane knows the girls are mermaids, but they remain friends. They got back together in season 2 and are rumored to break up again in season 3.

Production

The mermaid costumes took six months to build, with the tails made from body casts and comprising individually hand-crafted scales. The finished product weighs between 12 and 15 kilograms (26 and 33 lb). Inside the tail, are leg straps where the girls are strapped up and then zipped up. Once in costume, the girls have to be lifted into the water. On-screen, the zip on the mermaid suit is visible from the back, though attempts were made to minimise this, such as adding extra scales and crafting a ridge of material around the length of the zip. The tail fin itself was designed with a foot pedal to assist the actresses with swimming. This, along with the fin, adds two feet to the length of the costume.

There are three different types of tails: the tails the girls swim in, the "floppy tail" used for bath and shower shots and the "hard tail" for stunts.

Due to the recently developed third series the creator of the show says, "Thank goodness we saved those mermaid tails in a preservation storage!" because originally the show was supposed to be only two series.

Episode list

Main article: List of H₂O: Just Add Water episodes

DVD releases

All six DVD sets from series one have been released, plus a complete series one compilation. Two DVD sets from series two have been released, featuring the first 17 episodes.

Title	Release Date	Episodes
H2O: Just Add Water: Series One: Volume 1	12 September 2007	1."Metamorphosis", 2."Pool Party", 3."Catch of the Day", 4."Party Girls" Special features: series trailer, profiles of main characters
H2O: Just Add Water: Series One: Volume 2	12 September 2007	5."Something Fishy", 6."Young Love", 7."Moon Spell", 8."The Denman Affair" Special features: photo gallery of series one
H2O: Just Add Water: Series One: Volume 3	5 March 2008	9."Dangerous Waters", 10."Sink or Swim", 11."The Camera Never Lies", 12."The Siren Effect" Special features: character profiles of Emma, Cleo, Rikki, Lewis and Zane
H2O: Just Add Water: Series One: Volume 4	7 May 2008	13."Shipwrecked", 14."Surprise!", 15."The Big Chill", 16."Lovesick" Special feature: H2O quiz game
H2O: Just Add Water: Series One: Volume 5	9 July 2008	17."Under the Weather", 18."Bad Moon Rising", 19."Hurricane Angela", 20."Hook, Line and Sinker", 21."Red Herring"
H2O: Just Add Water: Series One: Volume 6	5 November 2008	22."Fish Out of Water", 23."In Too Deep", 24."Love Potion #9", 25."Dr Danger", 26."A Twist in the Tail"
H2O: Just Add Water: Complete Series One	2 June 2009	All episodes of series one Special features: H2O quiz game; character profiles of Emma, Cleo, Rikki, Lewis and Zane; photo gallery of series one
H2O: Just Add Water: Series 2: Volume 1	8 February 2009	1."Stormy Weather", 2."Control", 3."The One That Got Away", 4."Fire and Ice", 5."Hocus Pocus", 6."Pressure Cooker", 7."In Hot Water", 8."Wrong Side of the Tracks" Special features: series one telemovie, series two trailer
H2O: Just Add Water: Series 2: Volume 2	2 June 2009	9."Riding For a Fall", 10."Missed the Boat", 11."In Over Our Heads", 12."Fish Fever", 13."Moonwalker", 14."Get Off My Tail", 15."Irresistible", 16."Double Trouble", 17."Moonstruck" Special features: photo gallery
H2O: Just Add Water: Series 2: Volume 3	2 September 2009	18."The Heat is On", 19."The Gracie Code (Part 1)", 20."The Gracie Code (Part 2)", 21."And Then There Were Four", 22."Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble", 23."Reckless", 24."Three's Company", 25."Sea Change", 26."Unfathomable" Special features: behind the scenes special

See also

• H₂O: Just Add Water (soundtrack)

References

• "Media Kit (Series 1)" (Press release). ZDF Enterprises. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-10-21. Retrieved 2007-10-17.

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

H₂O: Just Add Water

• H₂O: Just Add Water - Official website
• H₂O: Just Add Water - ZDF Enterprises promotional website
• H₂O: Just Add Water - Official Channel TEN website
• H₂O: Just Add Water - Australian Television Information Archive
• H₂O: Just Add Water at IMDb
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