If you don’t know by now, British humor is vastly different from that of the United States. Just look at the differences between television series and movies, and you’ll see what I mean. One good example of the dry humor appreciated on the other side of the pond is Derry Girls.
Currently streaming on Netflix, the short series focuses on a group of four girls from Derry, and an English boy they adopt into their friend group. Although the coming-of-age comedy mainly centers around main character Erin Quinn, her cousin Orla McCool, friends Clare Devlin, and Michelle Malton, as well as Michelle’s cousin James Maguire, have their own storylines as well. The entire series focuses on how these five teenagers navigate their lives amidst the political turmoil that was the ’90s in Ireland.
If you’re still not convinced it’s truly a series worth watching, keep reading for some reasons to add the show to your watch list.
WARNING!: Some spoilers ahead!
1. the humor is effortless.
The first episode starts off with a monologue from the main character, Erin Quinn, which we soon learn is actually her cousin Orla McCool reading her diary out loud. Apparently, Orla had a book report due soon and the diary was a good read. The episode ends with a sudden death that leads to a rather hilarious meeting between the teens, their parents, and their principal.
Throughout its three seasons, this kind of dry humor is kept alive through ridiculous, yet plausible, scenarios the characters find themselves in. It’s the kind of humor where the audience feels compelled to laugh because the characters so obviously didn’t mean to be funny, instead the situation itself is humorous.
2. Despite not being a historical story, it kept things pretty accurate.
The Irish Republican Army, known by its abbreviation, the IRA, has quite an interesting history fighting against British rule in Northern Ireland. For those of you who weren’t aware, Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom and, therefore, under the rule of the British monarchy and law. The IRA fights against this, due to their belief that all of Ireland should be a free republic.
The show, while not focusing on the conflict between the IRA and the British, still shows the effects such a conflict has on the people while maintaining light-hearted humor. One such instance of this is when Erin’s friends and family leave Derry to get away, but find an IRA stowaway in the trunk of their car. Rather than panicking and calling the authorities as one would think, the characters merely treat it as if it was something they should have prepared for, and debate whether or not to help the man.
3. LGBTQ jokes were actually funny.
Many shows fall short of comedic genius when it comes to LGBTQ characters and yet, this show not only reaches this level, it has set the standard.
Clare Devlin, the neurotic goody-two-shoes of the friend group, comes out as a lesbian in the first season. While this news leads to a bit of a strain between Erin and Clare, the friends soon come together and the tension is forgiven while Clare’s queerness is incorporated and respected. Afterward, the characters each have some type of article of clothing or accessory with a rainbow, showing their support and allyship of the queer community. Still, it doesn’t stop them from poking fun at Clare.
Two instances come to mind, the first of which is when the teens’ parents go to a reunion dance and find out one of their old classmates, and cousin to one of the parents, is gay.
“She’s not as established as you are,” her father says in response to a question regarding Clare’s experience as a lesbian so far.
The second is when the friends are waiting to buy tickets to a concert and Clare finds herself crushing on the girl selling the tickets. When they finally get to the front, she makes a complete fool of herself when she gets nervous, and blurts out that she’s a lesbian.
4. Weirdly, it manages to be relatable.
Despite being set in the ’90s and in Northern Ireland, I found myself relating to the characters a lot. I mean, I might not take myself as seriously as Erin does when it comes to calling myself a writer, but I know sometimes I do come somewhat close to her level. I did, however, relate to Clare’s neurotic tendency to ramble and avoid trouble by shifting the blame. One scene in particular, where she freaks out about not finishing studying for their upcoming test, is an experience I’m intimately familiar with.
5. Finally, it remained true to the overall theme of friendship and family.
No matter what happens, be it bomb scares, fights between friends, or some other misfortunate that befalls the group of five, their friendship remains true and strong. Even when the possibility of romance between two of the friends is explored, the friendship is put first and treasured, despite the possibility of rejection making things awkward. When faced with hardships and change, the group remains steadfast and true to each other.