After many long months of waiting, the third season of Derry Girls has finally been released on Netflix. Packed with hilarious dialogue, incredible writing, cameo appearances, and a killer soundtrack including The Cranberries, it continues to stand out and astonish viewers. Written and created by Lisa McGee, Derry Girls is a coming-of-age sitcom that revolves around five teenagers living in Derry, Northern Ireland in the 1990s. The first episode kicks off with the teenagers nervously waiting for their GCSE results (exam results that will determine if they are qualified to go to college.)In the same episode, they get into trouble with the police. Later in the season they try to get themselves to a FatBoy Slim concert. As they go onadventures, make jokes, and get into sticky situations, their city continues to undergo the chaotic period of sectarian conflict known as the Troubles. Following the lives of Erin, Clare, Orla, Michelle, and James, the third season dives deeper into what it’s like to be a teenager and growing up, especially in the challenging setting of their lives. As I watch the show, I can’t help but think about what it must have been like for my dad and his sisters to grow up in Northern Ireland during this period.
Derry Girls does a brilliant job of shining light on how younger generations live during times of conflict and its darkness. Teenagers are constantly being forced to live through the arguments of adults and never having a say in how their lives are run. It is only when we grow up that we get to run our own lives. The season comes to a close in 1998 when the five teenagers all turn eighteen, and vote on the Good Friday Agreement, which established how Northern Ireland should be run. The closing scene of the last episode is one of its most powerful and raw moments, when Erin says a few words for James’ movie. I don’t want to take away the power of the last scene, so you’ll just have to watch it to live it. From the beginning of the show, the five teenagers have grown up alongside Northern Ireland. As they grow up in the Troubles and change blossoms, everything finally comes to an end. As Erin’s Granda puts it “what if all this becomes a ghost story you’ll tell your wains one day. Hmm? A ghost story they’ll hardly believe.” Thanks to the Derry Girls for telling their ghost story.
