Name: Derry Girls season 3
Director: Michael Lennox
Released: 2022-10-07T12:30:00

Derry Girls follows the adventures of a group of teenagers in Londonderry, Northern Ireland in the 1990s against the backdrop of political unrest in the country. Season 3 is now streaming on Netflix.

Story

The unrest in Northern Ireland continues as Erin, Michelle, Orla, Claire and James navigate life in Derry as they grow closer to adulthood and the rest of their lives.

They deal with their GCSE results, go out on family vacations, carry out a favour for Sister Michael, perform for a chance to be on television and even attend a Fatboy Slim concert.

Meanwhile, the adults also have their own things to focus on like Sarah and Ciaran’s relationship, Mary wanting a change in her life and considering going to university.

As the Good Friday Agreement approaches and there is a real chance for the gang to experience a time of peace, emotions run high and lessons are learnt.

Performances

Every cast member is absolutely hilarious in this series with all of them pulling their fair share of the weight to make each episode a side-splitting experience.

Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, Dylan Llewellyn and Nicola Coughlan are wonderful but Louisa Harland is by far the most entertaining of the bunch.

Siobhán McSweeney is the pick of the lot from the adults as her apathetic and straight-shooting Sister George Michael is a total riot with her reactions to situations she’s involved in.

The girls’ parents also have their time to shine and the entire cast gels so well with each other that one can barely find fault in their performances.

Positives

The series has established certain gags since the first season and have spaced them out just enough that it doesn’t dull the impact. Dennis shouting at the kids to get out or Uncle Colm boring the ears out of someone is always funny.

The look of late 90s Northern Ireland is captured beautifully as the town looks quaint amidst the trouble that’s brewing in the background. Even the wardrobes look spectacular and act as a time capsule of sorts.

The script is a barrel of laughs and is delivered by a motivated set of actors. The writers have done a great job incorporating the local lingo and still keeping it relevant and relatable.

The episode ‘The Reunion’ is a nice look at the life of the adults in the series and gave them a bit of a spotlight. It also draws some nice parallels with the present-day gang which is pleasant.

Negatives

The sudden revelation of the death of Claire’s father is a truly emotional moment but it also felt a bit abrupt and completely against the tone of the moments preceding it.

The very brief romance between Erin and James also felt out of place even if it did make a bit of sense. The fact that they barely reference it before or after that is a bit disappointing.

Verdict

The final season of Derry Girls ends on a satisfying note as they sign off with a wonderful message of growth and peace. The humour of the series is top quality and will have the audience bursting at the seams with laughter thanks to the great writing.

The cast is the pride of the joy of this series, however, and they put in yet another magnificent effort to leave the audience immensely happy with what they have witnessed.