Are you tired of scrolling the deep and dark rabbit hole of Netflix trying to find something to watch? Are you a big history buff looking for something historical but comedic? Did you ever wonder what life was like in Ireland during the 90s nearing the end of “The Troubles”? Well, I have something for you! Introducing, Derry Girls, a period sitcom that is set in Derry during the 90s. You probably have no idea what it is or what I’m talking about, but don’t worry I’ll explain the whole show’s plot while mixing a bit of history in it as well.
So, what is Derry Girls?
Derry Girls is a period teen sitcom set in Londonderry during the end of “The Struggles” in the 1990s. It originally aired on Channel 4 in the U.K. and started streaming Netflix in 2018.
As mentioned before it is set in Londonderry during the end of “The Troubles” in Ireland. The Troubles were “an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998.” These wars were based on nationalism even though the words “catholic” and “protestant” are used.
The show was based on the creator Lisa McGee’s experience growing up in Derry. In an interview with the New Yorker, McGee says that when writing she “always [found] stuff funny, and I always lean towards that.” The show follows high school students Erin Quinn (Saoirse-Monica Jackson), her cousin Orla McCool (Louisa Harland), Clare Devlin (Nicola Coughlan), Michelle Mallon (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell). and Michelle’s British cousin James Maguire (Dylan Llewellyn), as they tackle being a teenager amidst the political conflicts in their country.
Representation in the Show
This show also has LGBTQIA+ representation since Clare is a lesbian which is displayed in Season One, Episode Six. When Erin becomes the new editor of the school’s newspaper, she and her friends struggle to find ideas to write about when Erin stumbles upon a story about a girl who is a lesbian. Sister Michael (the headmistress) tells Erin that she isn’t allowed to write a story about the girl and Clare tells Erin that it’s a bad idea, but Erin does it against the school and her friend’s will. Erin, Orla, Michelle and James distribute the paper across the school and it becomes the talk of school and people want to find out who the lesbian is. Michelle basically came forward and said she was the lesbian, even though she isn’t gay.
Clare then comes out to Erin by saying that she’s “the wee lesbian” to which Erin thinks that Clare is joking about this. Clare said that she was unable to express her sexuality so she wrote the story but since Erin published the story, she feels brave enough to come out. Erin is immediately disgusted by this and tells Clare to not blame her. This causes a rift in the girls’ relationship as later on, Clare sits by herself to see the talent show instead of with Michelle and Erin. But then, when one of the students insults Orla, Erin stands up for her cousin causing Clare to join Erin and the pair both make up. This is a really good episode as well and it is very funny too. Clare is a very good example of representation since Lisa McGee didn’t write Clare with any stereotypes about gay women and in reality, Clare is coming to terms with her sexuality as a teenager and I think that some teens can relate to this.
Complex Characters
One of the most complex characters we are introduced to is Michelle. She is the bad girl of the friend group and always loops her friends into trouble with drugs and alcohol. This is contrasted by her cousin James, who is quiet and the voice of reason in many irrational situations that Michelle comes up with. Michelle also makes fun of her cousin for many things such as the way he acts and for being English just to name a few. Going back to the episode called “The President,” James’ mom comes back to Derry and tells him that she wants him to come back with her to England. Michelle is totally against this idea and tells James not to go through with it since he’s a “Derry girl” now and elaborates that being a Derry girl is a “state of mind.” James then leaves to go with his mom but at the end, he begins to scream “I am a Derry girl!” as his friends and cousin smile in glee that he returned which shows that even though Michelle seems hard and rude at times, she still cares for James and doesn’t want his feelings to be hurt.
You can argue that characters like Erin have flaws especially in the finale “The Agreement” and in season one episode six especially how she treated her friends.
Historical Accuracy
It doesn’t talk about the “political” aspect that often. In some episodes they depict some things that possibly happened in history in the show. For example in Season 1 Episode 6, Erin’s family are huddled by the tv watching the news, we then learn that there was a bombing that occurred. The scenes alternate from Erin and her friends dancing onstage to the somber scene at Erin’s house as “Dreams” by The Cranberries plays in the background. There was also a scene in Season Two’s episode called “The Prom”, where there is another news segment where the anchor says that the IRA announced a ceasefire. This mirrors Season One because the scenes switch from the group being covered in fake blood to Erin’s family being huddled by the TV while “Zombies” by The Cranberries is playing in the background. This ceasefire was a real event that happened. The whole premise of season two episode six’s “The President” was about how the then United States president, Bill Clinton was visiting Derry in 1994. This was a real-life event that happened and in the episode they show clips of his speech. In Season One, Episode Four, we are introduced to Katya who is a child of Chernobyl. Chernobyl was a nuclear explosion that occurred at the Chernobyl Power Plant in Ukraine in the 80s.
Final thoughts
I love this show with all my heart. This show has everything you could ever want in a show. It’s funny, it’s a coming of age show and you learn some things even though it isn’t educational. There are very funny moments as well as some very quotable moments. The characters are very funny and some of them do experience character development. One small detail that I loved about the show is how the characters’ parents mirrored them in the season three episode “The Reunion.” The episode is solely focused on Erin’s mom Mary and Orla’s mom Sarah where they are invited to their high school reunion however they’re dreading it since they have to see. I loved the part in the episode where there were flashbacks to their “Leavers Disco.” We see the younger versions of Mary, Sarah, Deidre, Geraldine, Deidre’s Canadian cousin Rob, and Janette and we see how they mirror the kids. Sarah naturally mirrors her daughter since they are both very ditzy. Geraldine mirrors Clare since they both have a habit to panic over things. The main one I noticed was with Deidre who was a punk as a teen and a rebel just like her daughter. Overall, Derry Girls is amazing and I think that you should give it a watch on Netflix.