“Derry Girls” Season 3, just like seasons 1 and 2, doesn’t disappoint. Released on Netflix on the 7th of October, creator, and writer Lisa McGee and director Michael Lennox are back to give the audience what they love. Young teens living through the turbulent peace process of Northern Ireland while navigating through their own set of teenage problems in the 1990s. Season 3 is no downer.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens In ‘Derry Girls’ Season 3?
“Derry Girls” Season 3 begins with the girls and James waiting for their school to reopen while they are spending quite a lot of time watching movies on their VHS. They also come across their cheeky headmistresses. Just to mess with the girls, she mentions that the group should spend their time doing whatever they love as the GCSE results are due the next day. Horrified by the thought of failing the most important exam of their lives, the kids decide to break into the school, where they involuntarily help two thieves steal the school computers. They are arrested by cops (cameo by Liam Neeson), who question their presence on the school premises at night. They were soon allowed to go because the CCTV footage caught the image of the thieves.
The mothers of Erin and Orla come across a handsome divorcee plumber whom the girls also fancy. The girls are also busy with a “Children in Need” week at school. The kids suspect Erin’s mother of having an affair with the plumber. Soon, the mother reveals she is taking night classes to join the university to complete her education. The kids are also excited to head to an amusement park with Erin’s family on a train that breaks down mid-way, making them bored out of their minds. Meanwhile, the parents of Erin come across a distant acquaintance whom they can’t seem to remember. The show goes ahead and brings in the forever sarcastic and cheeky Sister George Michael, the headmistress at the school, who requests Erin and the gang to clean her deceased aunt’s home in Ireland. The kids themselves come across hilarious encounters and enter a home that they assume is the house they are looking for. Soon, they start to believe the house is haunted. James meets with an accident where he is knocked out for a few hours and wonders if he is doing anything right since he feels he has been given a second chance to live. He confesses his love for Erin, to which Erin reciprocates, much to Michelle’s dismay, who doesn’t approve of the budding relationship. This season also has the creators talk about Erin’s mother and Orla’s mother, Mary Quinn, and Sarah McCool, revisiting their teenage days as their reunion is coming up. Their history with the school, along with the secret they have lived with all these years, comes up. The secret is soon revealed by Mary, and to everyone’s delight, most of them are happy with what they did in school.
‘Derry Girls’ Season 3 Ending, Explained: With The Good Friday Agreement Referendum Coming Up? Who Do The Girls Vote For?
The girls are finally excited to see the Fatboy Slim concert in Derry, but they find it difficult to get tickets as they are bullied by a group of hunks. Michelle takes this as an opportunity to gain the tickets by giving an interview to a local TV channel on how James was bullied by these hunks. Soon, the tickets allow them to meet Fatboy Slim for a few minutes, but not before Claire insists on meeting the woman she met at the ticket store, which leads to a fight at the venue, forcing the organizers to throw the kids out. Unfortunately, Claire receives bad news of losing her father, Sean Devlin (David Ireland), to aneurysm. The gang, all the parents, the school, and the town come together to mourn for her father, a beloved man in town. This season concludes with a 45-minute-long episode about how the country is gearing up for the Good Friday Agreement referendum. The kids are now turning 18 and are eligible to vote in the upcoming referendum. Erin and Orla will be celebrating their 18th birthday together. At the same time, the rich and not-so-popular Jenny Joyce organizes her 18th birthday with far more activities at her place, to Erin and Orla’s dismay. Michelle, though, is contemplating whom to vote for as her brother, a member of the IRA, is in jail for killing an innocent man who had a loving family. Her brother in prison is a sore topic for Michelle, and she ends up having an argument with Erin over it. The birthday party for Erin and Orla turns out to be a disaster, and they all gatecrashes Jenny Joyce’s birthday party. At the party, Erin has a heart-to-heart talk with Michelle, and they resolve their issues. At the referendum, Erin, after a talk with her grandfather, votes in favor of Northern Ireland being part of Britain. So does the rest of the gang, while the older generation is skeptical about whom to vote for.
The last two episodes of “Derry Girls” shed light on how the gang is slowly getting matured and talking to each other and their grandparents about the meaning and repercussions of the referendum results. The results will surely have an impact on kids of their age as they have a lifetime ahead, and the results will be responsible for a lot of changes that will be a part of their lives as adults. The show also made a great addition by discussing the teenage lives of the parents of the kids who studied at the same school. Their trials and tribulations as young girls growing up in a Catholic environment and being rebellious in an atmosphere that will be considered taboo are a treat to watch. As “Derry Girls” ends on a high note, the Northern Ireland troubles come to a close, as the referendum results had Northern Ireland as a part of the United Kingdom. The show did a good job of bringing about an optimistic spirit throughout this season, even with looming conflict resolutions at their peak. Not to forget the influence of music on kids growing up in the 90s. The pop culture references in the show are perfect for it and will surely hit the nostalgia button.
Conclusion
“Derry Girls” season 3 does a great job of putting on screen the lives of young teenage kids that showcases bouts of awkwardness, peer pressure, raging hormones, and constant boredom. The pop culture references, the music, the clothes, and the spirit of living a happy life despite being surrounded by conflict are a joy to watch. Lisa McGee and Michael Lennox did a fantastic job with season 3. The humor is never out of place, the direction is brilliant, and most of all, the performances of the actors remain consistent and hilarious. “Derry Girls” remains one of the best and one of the most underrated comedies ever written on the screen, and season 3 is proof of how good the writing of the show is.
Saying goodbye is never fun, and the end of “Derry Girls” is the end of a good coming-of-age comedy-drama set in turbulent times. The makers are aware of the humor behind such troubling years. “Derry Girls” season 3 is a perfect ending to a perfect show.
See more: ‘Derry Girls’ Season 1 & Season 2: Recap And Ending – What To Expect From Season 3?
