Derry Girls review: A fitting finale with tears, laughter, and Fatboy Slim
Saoirse-Monica Jackson and Jamie-Lee O'Donnell in a scene from Derry Girls.
Derry Girls has always done season finales well. In season one, the show’s final episode concluded with one of Derry Girls most memorable moments – a montage of Erin, Clare, Michelle and James joining Orla on stage at the school talent show, all smiles and laughter, while at home, the rest of the McCool/Quinn clan watch on in horror as news of a fatal Troubles bombing is reported.
Season two featured a similarly emotional end – this time weaving Bill Clinton’s rousing speech about peace in Derry in 1995 with James's decision to stay in Derry with the girls after Michelle’s unexpectedly emotional speech: “You’re a Derry Girl now James.”
So, it’s no surprise really that writer and creator Lisa McGee chose to follow the shows winning finale formula for the show’s final season.
The final episode of Derry Girls opens with Ma Mary (Tara Lynne O'Neill) and Aunt Sarah (Kathy Kiera Clarke) chatting away in the kitchen against the familiar background hum of Sean Coyle on BBC Radio Foyle.
It’s Halloween, and there are some surprises in store for the family when they open the post.
“Jesus Christ!” Da Gerry (Tommy Tiernan) cries as the camera zooms in on the invitation he’s just opened – to Sarah McCool and Ciaran Healy's (Jamie Beamish) engagement party.
Aunt Sarah is equally surprised... although, she has some idea as to how Ciaran might have gotten the wrong idea.
“Two Fridays ago, Ciaran came to pick me up from dancercise. I am gaspin, I mean I’ve a mouth on me like Andy’s flip flop, I tell him we need to stop at the shop and grab me a calypso, but he says he has a better idea and he pulls over and he whips out this ring. And he asks me if I’d do him the honour of accepting it.”
“Now I am wondering if me taking this ring has somehow led Ciaran to think I’d agree to marry him?” she says agog.
“I’d say it did,” Da Gerry exclaims, exasperated.
“What a nightmare, Aunt Sarah signs, “I am not even that into him, to be honest.”
While Aunt Sarah is pondering how to get out of her engagement to Ciaran ("I think it would be best coming from you" she tells Gerry at one point), the Derry Girls have bigger matters on their hands – securing tickets to Fatboy Slim’s gig in Derry.
And initially, they do, but in true Derry Girls' style, something goes amiss, leaving Michelle to come up with a rather genius plan to get them in the door...
A couple. Sinead Burke – who has so many strings to her bow we’d be all day listing them - stars as a TV presenter who interviews Michelle about the ‘vicious attack’ James endured.... while photographer and actor Vanessa Ifediora stars as Laurie – Clare's love interest. Yes, after three seasons, Clare finally gets to shoot her shot.
After an outstanding opening episode, Derry Girls stumbled a little bit in the mid-section of its final season. But just before it leaves us for good, it’s firing on all cylinders. Between Michelle’s back-and-forth with the men they’re competing with for tickets (“it’s a happy death you should be looking for not Fatboy Slim tickets you f**king pensioners”); Sister Michael’s final dig ("Of course God doesn't hate you, you're not interesting enough); and Aunt Sarah’s solution to the Ciaran-problem – pretending to have entered the sisterhood (“You’re not angry with me Ciaran are you?” “No.. How could I be? A calling’s a calling...”), we're laughing throughout.
This episode was all about Fatboy Slim with classics like Gangster Trippin’, Right Here, Right Now, The Rockafeller Skank and Praise You. Angels by Robbie Williams also got a spin.
We were expecting McGee to steal some tears from us in the season finale – as previously mentioned, it’s her tried and tested formula at this point.
So, when the Derry Girls arrive at the Fatboy Slim concert in an open-topped trailer towed by a mini cooper, and Clare and her Dad share a secret smile – a smile that says thank you and I love you without a word being uttered – we think, ah yes, the little emotional bit. And then there’s the moment when finally – FINALLY – Clare gets kissed!
But, we weren’t expecting what happened next. In the final moments of Tuesday’s show, Da Gerry receives a phone call that knocks the air from his lungs. Showing up at the Fatboy Slim concert, he delivers the shocking news that Clare’s dad has had an aneurism.
The show ends with a slow, emotional cover of Fatboy Slim’s ‘Praise You’ and we see the Derry Girls supporting Clare as she walks behind her father’s coffin.
“We’ve come a long, long way together, through the hard times and the good...”
We can’t wait for Wednesday's special hour-long episode, set a year later against the backdrop of the historic Good Friday Agreement. We’re not ready to say goodbye just yet.
