Derry Girls review: A change of tack in flashback to the 1970s
Mary Quinn (Tara Lynne O'Neill) and Sarah McCool (Kathy Kiera Clarke) at their school reunion in Derry Girls.
Aunt Sarah (Kathy Kiera Clarke) and Ma Mary (Tara Lynne O'Neill) have been stealing scenes since the final series of Derry Girls kicked off, so when we heard there was a special episode on the way which would centre around the two sisters, we couldn’t have been more excited.
Unfortunately, the flashback episode has very little of what makes these two characters so great – Kathy Kiera Clarke and Tara Lynn O’Neill.
The latest instalment of Derry Girls kicks off with Aunt Sarah (Kathy Kiera Clarke) and Ma Mary (Tara Lynne O'Neill) embarking on a no-sugar, no-dairy, no-carbs, no-meat diet about six hours before their school reunion. Ma Mary is hopping around the place talking about dropping a dress size before tonight, while Aunt Sarah is reading up on the Bolsheviks to ensure her old classmates see she is not the bimbo they had her pegged as. Among those the ladies are expecting to see at tonight’s reunion of the class of ‘77 is Janet Joyce - formerly O’Shea - who Ma Mary seems to be particularly preoccupied with.
Janet Joyce, the mother of the Derry Girls' arch-nemesis Jenny Joyce, used to be pretty good pals with Aunt Sarah and Ma Mary – that was until she met her medical-student boyfriend And Ma Mary has never quite got over it, it seems...
The fifth episode of Derry Girls takes us back to 1977, where a younger Granda Joe (Ian McElhinney) is dropping wee Ma Mary, played by Shauna Higgins, and wee Aunt Sarah, played by Dearbhaile McKinney, off to Mary's Leaver’s disco. Irish viewers might recognise Higgins from appearances in Red Rock and Dating Amber, while McKinney has numerous stage productions under her belt.
Close to You by Carpenters, Stuck in the Middle with You by Stealers Wheel, Keep on the Sunny Side by Johnny Cash, Ladies Night by Kool & The Gang, Le Freak by Chic, Teenage Kicks by The Undertones, You’re In My Heart (The Final Acclaim) by Rod Stewart and Crazy World by Aslan were providing the tunes this week.
Some stellar one-liners from Aunt Sarah and Ma Mary save the episode. One of our favourites comes courtesy of Ma Mary (Tara Lynne O’Neill) during the school re-union. “Jesus, If she was chocolate she’d ate herself,” she scoffs, as Janet Joyce – formerly O’Shea - twirls around with her husband at the reunion.
The usual ribbing between Da Gerry (Tommy Tiernan) and Granda Joe (Ian McElhinney) is another highlight of the fifth instalment of the final series.
“Why can’t I have normal food,” Da Gerry protests in the opening five minutes, “I am not trying to drop a dress size!”
“Oh well that’s a lovely attitude isn’t it,” Granda Joe snaps, “that’s very blood supportive.”
“Orange Daddy?” Ma Mary offers sweetly.
“No you're grand love, Jim across the road is doing me a fry.”
Despite our excitement for this episode – which creator Lisa McGee says was the first episode of the series she pitched to Channel 4 – it fell flat for us. Maybe it’s because we know we’re so close to the end, but having the show’s shining stars like Jamie-Lee O'Donnell (Michelle) and Nicola Coughlan (Clare) missing from an entire episode seems like a massive waste.
And while Shauna Higgins and Dearbhaile McKinney didn’t put a foot wrong as the younger versions of Ma Mary and Aunt Sarah, it became obvious that the characters lose their star appeal without Tara Lynne O’Neill and Kathy Kiera Clarke’s portrayals. Then there was the whole build-up to what happened on Leaver's night in 1977... which turned out to just be some bad tattoos.
As disappointed as we were after tonight’s episode, it has made us more excited for next week’s double-instalment of Derry Girls - where we hope all of our old favourites will be back at the forefront where they belong. It would be a shame for the show to go out with a fizzle instead of the bang it so deserves.
- Derry Girls airs Tuesdays at 9pm on Channel 4
