Miriam Kent is one of the secondary characters and an antagonist of Season 1.
Biography
Miriam is a popular girl and antagonist of the mermaids. She has always wanted to be the center of attention and would do anything to get there. Her attempts at mischief often ended badly for her, sometimes dangerously as when she was accidentally frozen by Emma in an attempt to get her and Rikki fired. She and Zane dated for some time, but their attraction was apparently one sided.
Miriam's first appears as the most popular girl in school, inviting people to a "Pool Party" where Cleo gets tossed in the pool by Zane and his friend Nate. By the time Emma and Rikki get there, the rest of the party goers are inside, then Emma freezes the door. Lewis, who has just discovered the girls' secret, helps Cleo out of the pool. By the time they escape, the mermaids are gone and all of the water in the pool has been evaporated, courtesy of Rikki.
Miriam plans to enter a Queen of the Sea competition at the same time that Kim discovers Cleo's mermaid journal. She interprets the mermaid club's suspicious behavior to mean that Cleo is also planning to enter, inspiring them to set her up as a decoy for Kim. It works perfectly, convincing Miriam that Cleo is going to be a mermaid and Kim that Miriam is the leader of the group. At the Queen of the Sea pageant (which Cleo does enter, as a Portuguese Man O'War), Miriam is wheeled out in a mermaid costume. At that point, Elliot soaks the entire pageant with a fire hose, and Kim runs out to try and "expose" Miriam, tearing her tail in an attempt to prove it is real. Costume and makeup ruined, Miriam lurches away.
In an attempt to get Emma and Rikki fired, Miriam sneaks into the JuiceNet Café's back room and turns off the freezer. When Emma comes back to investigate, Miriam hides in a corner, and is accidentally frozen solid by Emma. The mermaids find her the next morning, and bring her back to health by using Rikki's water's heating ability. Miriam does not remember what happened when she is unfrozen by Rikki several hours later.
She and Zane have dated several times and seem to have had an on and off relationship, but when he tells her in "In Too Deep" that they were "never together," Miriam buys a locket that Rikki wanted from a jewelry shop to make Rikki jealous. When Zane tries to get it back Miriam agrees to give it to him in exchange for a kiss on the mouth to Rikki's clear dismay. When Zane runs off to explain, Miriam, now willing to "part" with the locket, throws it into the harbor. Zane manages to retrieve it, however.
Miriam is not seen or heard from after the episode "Love Potion #9," when she mocks Rikki's sudden redness (an unfortunate side effect of Lewis's water repellent formula).
Relationships
Zane Bennett
Most people thought Miriam and Zane were girlfriend and boyfriend, but the relationship (if there was anything beyond making them both look good) was entirely on Miriam's side, as Zane later announced that they had never been together.
Tiffany
Tiffany acted as Miriam's sycophant, agreeing with her and acting as runner-up in everything Miriam won (at least in theory). Miriam was generally somewhat patronizing to her, at best, treating her as an unworthy sidekick.
Rikki, Cleo, and Emma
Possibly because they were so close, Miriam treated all three girls as rivals, giving snide remarks to their faces and trying to sabotage them whenever they cross her.
Behind the Scenes
She was portrayed by actress Annabelle Stephenson.
Trivia
- Miriam is allergic to strawberries.
- Miriam dislikes the girls, especially Rikki.
- Emma nearly killed Miriam when she froze her solid.
Gallery
- Main article: Miriam Kent (JAW)/Gallery