Derry Girls: My Pandemic Comfort Show

I’ve sat in my bed watching an abundance of shows, movies, and Tik Toks during this time inside. Among those new shows that I decided to explore was Derry Girls, a half-hour comedy set in Derry, Northern Ireland, in the 90’s. The show examines the lives of a group of Catholic teenagers as they navigate growing up during The Troubles, a political and nationalistic conflict between loyalists, who wanted Northern Ireland to remain a part of the United Kingdom, and nationalists, who wanted Northern Ireland to leave the UK and create a united Ireland.

The players: Erin, a slightly self-centered wannabe writer, Michelle, a fiercely loyal bad-girl troublemaker, Clare, a small ball of nervous energy, Orla, Erin’s chill, eccentric cousin, and James, Michelle’s cousin who hails from England. This off-kilter group gets up to no good at least once every episode, with hilarious results.

From coincidentally being in detention when the nun watching them dies, to convincing a priest that Erin’s dog rose from the dead only to find out that her mom sold it, to accidentally calling a bomb threat on their way to a Take That concert, to fighting small children for a barricade spot at Bill Clinton’s big speech after the ceasefire, nothing is off-limits, and no one is safe.

Their antics are amplified by their situation— their strict Catholic school, annoying peers, their quests to become popular or get attention from boys, their quirky family dynamics. Quippy remarks are thrown around, and comedy ensues from the unlikeliest of places, such as James joining a gypsy caravan after the girls forget him on the road or Michelle’s hash scones accidentally getting distributed to the elderly at a wake.

The show and characters bring me comfort because of the hilarity, yes, but this tight knit group also reminds me of my own friends and how normal situations can become wild adventures just as quick as a polar bear can escape a zoo.

These characters are also living smack in the middle of “uncertain times” (gag), and seeing that played out onscreen was calming for me. They didn’t ask to be living in the town that is the center of a hostile conflict, to have their normal lives disrupted because of forces out of their control. They have no choice but to keep living through it, despite fears or changes or the potential that things will never be the same. They didn’t start the conflict, and they aren’t going to be the ones that will solve it. They are collateral damage, and if that sounds similar to our situation, that’s because it totally is!

Seeing these characters decide to live their lives and make mistakes and laugh and break the rules a little anyway gives me hope. It gives me a shot of optimism. Their unflinching ridiculousness and determination to accomplish their personal goals, conflict be damned, makes me feel a little better about what’s going on around us, and it makes me feel less alone. So watch Derry Girls, and revel in the joint confusion and good cheer. I know I’ll be revisiting it.