In the show, H2O, Just add Water, plots involving the mermaids Cleo are usually a bit silly (she works extra shifts at the marine park because of a sick dolphin and her family thinks that she has a secret boyfriend). Emma's plots can be a bit over the top (Emma accidentally freezes someone solid and Rikki and Cleo have to revive her). In contrast, Rikki's plots are serious and realistic.
Rikki's first plot begins when one of Cleo's fish dies. After realizing that she has been insensitive, Rikki swims out into the open ocean and catches a new fish for Cleo. Someone sees her with it and offers to buy it. He says that he works with the breeding program at the marine park. Cleo is soon making good money selling rare fish and she is generous with her money.
But it turns out that the guy deals in black market rare fish. Rikki confronts him but he grabs her, takes her back to his warehouse, and threatens her. Rather than being intimidated, she starts making things boil and ends up scaring the hell out of the fish breeders. The main one jumps into the water and the other girls have to stop Rikki from boiling him. This is the only time the mermaids start acting like superheroes.
Rikki's relationship with Zane is complicated and spans the entire series.
From various references we know that Emma's parents are long-time friends of Zane's parents. Emma and Zane knew each other since they were two but had a falling out, probably when he became a jerk after his parents broke up.
Just prior to the first episode, Zane insults Rikki somehow and she sabotages his boat which begins a chain of events that lead to the girls becoming mermaids. For the next few episodes Zane and his girlfriend are annoyances.
Things begin to change when Zane enters a video contest. Zane's father set a record for the fastest run on a windboard to Mako Island and back. Zane's father repeatedly makes it clear that he considers Zane soiled and useless. Zane decides to win his father's respect by breaking the record and he hired Lewis to record it. Partway through, Lewis's boat stalls and a shark knocks Zane off of his board.
Rikki has been recording shark footage for the same contest and sees Zane in trouble. She drives off he sharks. Lewis catches up and gets footage of Zane calling for help from non-existent sharks. The footage makes Zane a laughingstock but Rikki, who knows that there were sharks, tells him that she believes him.
Mrs. Chatham, the last surviving 1950s mermaid, has been living on a decrepit houseboat. Zane complains after it breaks free and damages his jet ski. even though her boat has been declared unsafe, Mrs. Chatham decided to take it and leave. On her way out she accidentally sinks Zane's jet ski. He catches up and demands that she pay for the damages. Mrs. Chatham's health is not good and she has forgotten to take her pills. The excitement causes her to collapse. Emma and Lewis take her to get medical care but Zane returns to the houseboat, searching for her "treasure". At the time it seemed like he was just being greedy but in retrospect he may have been trying to save her valuables. Regardless, the boat was unsafe and sinks with Zane in it. Emma saves him and he catches sight of her fluke (the end of her tail). After that he is convinced that there is some unknown sea creature living near Mako Island.
The full moon has strange effects on the mermaids. In Rikki's case, her powers go out of control and she begins heating everything nearby. She goes to Mako Island where she ignites several small fires. Zane, who has been out looking for sea creatures, sees the fires and finds Rikki in despair ("I just can't do this any longer!"). He kisses her and her power lights a ring of fire around them, knocks both of them unconscious, and gives Zane a mild sunburn. The next day Rikki has forgotten everything that happened.
Zane's father is holding an investment seminar and Rikki attends, hoping to learn how to handle money better than her father. She has no money for lunch and accepts Zane's invitation to help herself from the hospitality suite. They go out on the large balcony and the door shuts and locks. With nothing else to do, they talk and, by the end of the episode, are kissing.
In his search for the sea creature, Zane finds footage of a very young Mrs. Chatham who was being interviewed after saving a sailor. He decided to search her sunken houseboat for clues. Emma realizes that there is a large photograph of the 1950s mermaids still in the houseboat and retrieves it but Zane spots her and realizes that the sea creature is a mermaid. Fortunately, Emma had dyed her hair red so he didn't recognize her.
Rikki agrees to start dating Zane if he will stop going on about mermaids.
Zane's father is having a business lunch with some potential investors and tells him to bring a date. He brings Rikki although his father disapproves of her. Emma and her family are also invited. By this point Emma and Cleo are wondering if they can still trust Rikki.
It turns out that he wants to develop Mako Island. Rikki storms out but returns to list all of he rare species on the island and to inform him that she is filing an environmental complaint. Zane follows her out and Emma is impressed.
The 1950s mermaids had three identical lockets made to remind them of their friendship. Rikki sees on in an estate sale and Zane eventually gets it for her. Rikki's 1950s counterpart was betrayed after revealing her secret to someone like Zane and the other girls are afraid that Rikki will repeat this mistake. She does not and points out that she is a different person and will not give away their secrets.
The point becomes moot. Zane's father has not given up on developing Mako Island. He hired a noted marine biologist (Dr. Denman, who is also young and pretty) to do an environmental impact study. She places several remote cameras and manages to photograph a mermaid. Zane is ecstatic since he is finally vindicated. His father doesn't show him a second picture that shows the mermaids' faces.
Dr. Menman is sure that studying how the girls change into mermaids in the presence of water will bring fame and fortune so she traps the mermaids in the Moon Pool. This is a dangerous move since the mermaids could easily overpower Denman and her assistants but she is holding Lewis hostage against their good behavior.
When forced to choose between his father and Rikki, Zane frees Lewis and the two of them free the mermaids. Zane's father washes his hands of the affair and reconciles with Zane.
By an amazing coincidence, there is a lunar eclipse that night which will remove the girls' mermaid powers. They decide that this is the only way to be safe from Dr. Denman.
Rikki and Zane decide that "this relationship isn't going anywhere," and part as friends (until they get back together next season).
It turns out that the girls only lost their powers for 12 hours (surprise!).
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