Derry Girls Season 1 Episode 6-Annie Kirkpatrick

The Derry girls dancing onstage ("The Derry Girls")

Derry Girls first premiered on the Channel 4 network in Ireland and was an instant success. Its popularity continued to grow when its availability on Netflix the following December allowed people across the globe to enjoy the show's eccentric characters and unconventional presentation of the Troubles. 

Derry Girls follows Erin Quinn, a lovable but self-absorbed teenager, her quirky cousin, Orla, friends Clare and Michelle, and Michelle’s cousin, James, an Englishman forced to attend an all-girls Catholic school out of concern for his safety. For three seasons, this unlikely group of friends navigates the universal challenges of adolescence but are backdropped by the unique blend of violence and neon fashion that characterized the late nineties in Northern Ireland. 

Derry Girls creator and writer Lisa McGee (Russell)

Lisa McGee is the creator and sole writer behind Derry Girls, which she says is largely an autobiographical series. McGee was raised in Bogside, a Catholic neighborhood in Derry, Northern Ireland where, in 1969, a violent conflict between British soldiers and local Irish nationalists led to the slaughter of over a dozen men, women, and children in what is now called Bloody Sunday.

Though this massacre and the many others like it characterized Northern Ireland well into the nineties, McGee does not remember her childhood purely as a sob story. In an interview for The New Yorker, she laughs about the quirks of growing up in a war zone, the “hijinks and stupid jokes” that for a pre-teen girl were more tangible than the daily tragedies.

The parents observe a carbombing on the tv ("The Derry Girls")

Sister Michael watches Orla's routine from the wings ("The Derry Girls")

Orla takes the stage ("The Derry Girls")

With its comedic core and starkly serious moments, Derry Girls is not quite satirical nor sorrowful. The final scene of season 1 episode 6 is a prime example of how the series completely rewrites the cinematic conventions around war.

Click here to view the full scene!

When Orla’s step aerobics performance at the school talent show is mocked, Erin, Clare, Michelle, and James jump onstage and dance with her in solidarity, effectively defending their friend as they jump, laugh, and smile. This uplifting moment is abruptly interrupted by a cut to Erin’s and Orla’s family standing around the television as a news anchor describes a car bombing that occurred just moments before. 

In this scene, the high-energy, youthful events of the talent show metaphorically argue that Northern Ireland’s next generation will be the change that the adults wish they could see. Though the supervising Sister Michael (Siobhán McSweeney) is happy to see the fresh performance, she is as glued to her spot in the wings as Orla's and Erin’s family is glued to the violent news cycle. In fact, the only person in the living room who can look away is the baby!