Derry Girls Gets The Send-Off It Deserves With S3

A Derry Good Showing

Your favourite Irish teens (and the wee English fella) return for Derry Girls' third and final season on Netflix.

THERE'S A DEARTH of new and quality comedy TV these days, but shows such as Ted Lasso and Sex Education are outliers of sorts in how they garnered hit status in an era where serious and gritty series are finding a greater degree of success. Another outlier is Derry Girls. The Channel 4 comedy created by Lisa McGee is set in Northern Ireland during the ‘90s. It etches an unforgettable look at the last decade of “the Troubles”, the sectarian violence that gripped the region from the late 1960s onwards, and the long-drawn out peace process. What makes the show special is that its socio-political subtext is seen through the lives of five teens in the town of Derry (or Londonderry, dependin’ on your persuasion. IYKYK).

SWEET SUFFERING JESUS, WE'RE AT THE END!

Derry Girls Gets The Send-Off It Deserves

By Ryan Gomez

Season 3 of Derry Girls does not skip a beat, picking up right at the point where S2 ended, and diving straight into the various misadventures of Erin, Orla, Clare, Michelle and James. The first episode features a guest appearance by Liam Neeson, and it is comfortably the best of the season. The subsequent episodes may lack the same quality, but it is a reflection of how high the bar is set by the S3 E1.

There is a significant focus on the older characters this time. In fact, episode 5 primarily focuses on Mary (Tara Lynne O'Neill) and her sister Sarah (Kathy Kiera Clarke), and features flashbacks of their own high school days in ‘70s Northern Ireland. As one would expect from the series, there is a social commentary of the time layered into the subtext. The end of the Troubles and the imminent Good Friday Agreement serves as the backdrop of the overall story of season 3. The series continues to be devoid of an overarching plot, with each episode featuring a fresh challenge for the protagonists to grapple with.

The show’s greatest strengths continue to be its unique characters and their hilarious one-liners. Siobhán McSweeney’s Sister Michael continues to have plenty of opportunity to drop her iconic deadpan quips. Some of the other supporting characters such as Uncle Colm McCool, essayed by Kevin McAlee, and Art Campion in his role as Father Peter, also offer excellent comedic subplots. The back and forth between Gerry (Tommy Tiernan) and his father-in-law Joe (Ian McElhinney) remains hilarious as ever.

The finale is a fitting conclusion for the series and its ending firmly focuses on the ceasefire and the Good Friday Agreement. The season also comes full circle from Derry Girls’ first episode with ‘hope’ being the central theme. Derry Girls ends as it began — with The Cranberries singing “Dreams” as we leave the gang, secure in the knowledge that they’ll watch out for each other no matter what comes next.

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