You’re a teenager. You live in a small town where news travels at the speed of sound. No one gets you. Everything is an absolute crisis or total disaster and to be honest, you’re a bit of an asshole. That’s Netflix new Channel 4 Irish import Derry Girls. Set against the backdrop of Northern Ireland in the early ‘90s during the Troubles comes the tale of four female misfits from Derry (“or Londonderry, depending on your persuasion”) as they start a new term at Our Lady Immaculate College. There is self-absorbed Erin (Saoirse-Monica Jackson), her quirky cousin Orla (Louisa Harland), the group resident narc, Clare (Nicola Coughlan, Harlots) and feisty troublemaker Michelle (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell). Trailing along with them as a human punching bag for Irish discontent is Michelle’s cousin James (Dylan Llewellyn) who “unfortunately, happens to be English” and the first ever boy to study at the college.
The series pilot starts with a narration and juxtaposition of imagery as The Cranberries song Dreams appropriately begins to play – “My name is Erin Quinn. I’m 16 years old, and I come from a place called Derry.” An armed military vehicle cruises atop a road overlooking the town, driving past as a group of boys graffiti the welcome sign. As we continue on towards the center of the town with a series of overhead shots and additional narration, we see sprawling landscape and a group of young girls dressed all in white before cutting to the military vehicle in front of a large mural portraying a man in a gas mask. A nearby sign reads, “YOU ARE NOW ENTERING FREE DERRY.” All serve to inform the viewer that although there is turmoil happening at the time we enter this world, life still goes on – especially for Erin Quinn’s wonderfully insane family and group of friends (one of whom is narrating the opening by reading Erin’s stolen diary).
Saoirse-Monica Jackson and Louisa Harland in Derry Girls
Irritated that her daughter and niece might not make it to their first day of school because the Derry barricade has been bombed, Erin’s mother Mary (Tara Lynne O’Neill) begins to lose her cool. “I’ve had a whole summer of it, Gerry. She’s melting my head!” In an act of love and comfort, Erin’s father Gerry suggests to his wife, “their bus can take the long way around.” And so it will – without any fear or apprehension after one final argument about Erin’s school uniform, a denim jacket, and individuality as Mary’s father Joe (who despises his son-in-law), her flighty sister Sarah, and Sarah’s kooky daughter Orla look on. In defeat, the girls head for the bus. Along the way we meet Clare (currently fasting to raise money for an Ethiopian boy and faced with temptation), and Michelle (who has adopted the new phrase “motherfuckers!” as a greeting after seeing a movie with “the disco dancer from Look Who’s Talking”). Then there is James – our “wee English fella” who is surprised to learn (as Michelle mouths off his identity) that the reason he’s British is because his mother went to England to abort him and changed her mind.
Written and created by Lisa McGee, this part autobiographical series based on her life growing up blue collar in Derry provides tons of situational comedy where the smallest of issues become magnified in futile attempts for the girls (and sometimes their parents) to resolve them – all the while, efforts to attack local infrastructure due to political and religious conflict surround the characters and the town. According to McGee who spoke on a panel this past year at the Edinburgh TV Festival, while she loved My So Called Life growing up, nothing she ever watched rang true to the experience McGee and her friends had in the Northern Ireland she knew. In fact, up until recent years there hadn’t even been an appetite in the UK for regional programming like Derry Girls which left some apprehension on the part of McGee and EP Liz Lewin (The End of the F***ing World) in launching a potentially divisive show with four female leads in what had been mainly male-driven content. But their commitment to adding flawed female characters to UK programming paid off. Not every woman needs to be strong and perfect. Quite honestly, we’re lucky to get these crass and vulgar ladies.
Family Dinner: Ma Mary (Tara Lynne O’Neill), Da Gerry (Tommy Tiernan), Granda Joe (Ian McElhinney), Orla (Louisa Harland), Erin (Saoirse-Monica Jackson) and Aunt Sarah (Kathy Kiera Clarke
What makes this show compelling are not only the characters you’ve possibly known some version of in your youth, but also the town and its inhabitants shared dark sense of humor as survivors and underdogs (I’m looking at you, Sister Michael). Performances are truly incredible with sharp and witty dialogue delivered impeccably by a group comprised mainly of new comers who shine. All are bound to add more to their list of credits after starring in Derry Girls. Lacking self-awareness and being awkward is part of being a teenager and the group of twenty and thirty year olds playing sixteen give their all – especially Nicola Coughlan as Clare whose constant exasperation and anxiety can be felt through the screen. If you can’t keep up with accents and often quickfire exchanges, put your closed captioning on. Not only will you absorb new lingo, but you’ll digest even more of the comedy in this six episode series has to offer – where a failed attempt at bullying, thievery from a chip shop, lying about an apparition, and offending a Ukrainian refugee displaced by Chernobyl lead to big laughs.
Fueled in popularity by the universal teenage storyline and portrayal of a working class family, Derry Girls is reportedly the largest launch Channel 4 has seen since 2004 and has already been picked up for a second season.
With an average running time of 23 minutes per episode, you’ll binge watch this and beg for more. Derry Girls streams now on Netflix and guys, I love it.
MARISSA MONTICOLO 