By Shania Sanchez – Staff Reporter

The series “Derry Girls” follows five teenagers in Derry, Northern Ireland, as they navigate the political conflict affecting their town in the 1990s, as well as their teenage lives and the coming-of-age process. The show follows Erin, Orla, Claire, and Michelle, four Irish Catholic teens, and James, an Englishman who just moved in with his cousin Michelle after being abandoned by his mother. The show debuted in 2018 and the last episode was released in 2022. It was written and directed by Lisa McGee. An Irish playwright and screenwriter, who recently released “How to Get to Heaven from Belfast”. The success of “Derry Girls” was rooted in the fact that it was a blend of heartfelt nostalgia and ’90s cultural references. It was chaotic, had relatable humor, and also included the not-so-nice parts of being a teenager (death in the family, friends arguing, arguing with parents all the time, etc). 

The show’s coming-of-age plot line, where they mostly navigate normal teen issues, along with the background context of the political issue and their accents, gives the show its own edge that makes it unique. The very first episode, we see people spray painting political messages outside, then it shifts to Orla reading aloud Erin’s diary, without permission, something an annoying little sister would do, which is the bond that the two have since their whole family lives together. As anyone would be, Erin was embarrassed, so she went and told her mother, who promptly told her she was overreacting, and who then freaked out over a bomb on the bridge that their school bus crosses, not because it was scary, but because she couldn’t deal with Erin and Orla being home for one more day past the end of summer break. As the girls meet up before school, Claire refuses to be “an individual on my own.” James and Michelle come next at the bus stop, no one refers to James by name, except Michelle, just as the “wee English fella,” and since they faced fear of him being beaten up at the all-boys school due to him being English. He becomes the first boy at the all girls school, meaning he doesn’t have a bathroom throughout the whole school day, and isn’t allowed to use the faculty ones, even when they all get detention.

Though that was just a snippet of only the very first episode, the show does an amazing job of tying the political climate into the antics of the main teenagers. The core five go through their school years, scared of exams, crushing on guys, going to a concert, going on trips, just doing normal teenager stuff. But the war in the background stays imminent, and just when the viewer forgets about it, it’s there again. The very last episode in the show involves them turning 18 and voting on whether or not the war criminals that they heard of on the news should be pardoned and released. Showing that bittersweetness and how the political climate has affected their way of thinking. Throughout the show, we see the scenes change from the teens having fun to their parents watching the news, horrified by what they are seeing. McGee also did an amazing job on the soundtrack, songs like “Dreams” by the Cranberries and “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers make an appearance in the show to enhance the emotions and also the show’s nostalgic feel for that era,  as well as emphasizing the show’s “Irish-ness”. The show gives a feeling of acceptance and growth to its watchers, and it’s also an easy binge. If someone has nothing to do, they could watch it in three days. After watching it, there’s a hope that lingers, as well as a yearning for a friend group that you can go on side quests and stupid adventures with, one that makes you feel accepted, even if you are different. As Michelle said to James, “You’re a Derry Girl now, James. It doesn’t matter that you’ve got that stupid accent, or that your bits are different to my bits, because being a Derry Girl, well, it’s a state of mind.” 

Although it’s an amazing show with a 99% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 87% TV rating, many people criticized that in the final season, the show had relied on exaggerated scenarios and that it had lost its grounded charm. Others also complained that a certain romance explored later in the show was forced as well, seemingly coming out of nowhere, and that the romance plot line shouldn’t have been made at all. Many people also did not like how the character Claire, but she had to be written out of many scenes because of scheduling conflicts.  But the show remained praiseworthy and had high ratings.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars