You can’t really start a review of anything set in Derry and shown on January 18th unless you’re also going to give a shout out to the big man himself. So before we get started…

Happy 81st Birthday John Hume! Without your tireless work and strength of character a lot of people wouldn’t have had a happy childhood in Derry that led to a show like Derry Girls. You were an icon of the Civil Rights movement and such a huge part of the Peace Process and Power Sharing* in Northern Ireland.

Derry Girls lived up to the Inbetweeners comparisons last night when it saw the girls witness a weeping Virgin Mary: aided by Clare’s caffeine induced hysteria, Michelle’s willingness to go along with anything if it meant a bit of notoriety and Ghost/Resurrected Dog’s urine. I’m not sure what Our Lady of the Sorrows has to be smirking about either Sister Michael, unless she’s watching Derry Girls that is.

We were treated to another episode full of Sister Michael throwing shade left, right and centre** and Granda Joe giving his son in law a hilarious amount of abuse…not forgetting the British army patrolling the streets and the family dog getting knocked down (according to Mary) by an army land rover. Can’t forget this is set during the Troubles after all…except that you can. It’s a credit to writer Lisa McGee that the Troubles really are an afterthought when watching Derry Girls. The focus is always firmly on the universal experience of being a teenage girl (and a wee English fella).

So let’s have a look at the highlights.

The episode opens with Erin mourning her dog while the girls (and poor James) desperately study for their History exam. Clare knocking back the energy drinks is all of us at some point in our academic career. I distinctly remember staying awake for three days straight once on red bull and pro plus (remember might be a bit of a stretch here. I had had a lot of caffeine).

Michelle is certainly all of us who ever studied Irish History and our attitude towards the English when we had to learn about all those rebellions and invasions. They even had a rebellion during the Famine. That’s right, most of the country was emigrating or starving to death and some romantic idiots (The Young Irelanders for anyone who’s interested) took a notion to stage a rebellion in 1848. One of the major battles was staged in a Widow’s Cabbage Patch (thank you third year History and Mr Hegarty for that wee nugget of information). You couldn’t make it up.

This episode introduced the rest of the world to the fact that the women of Derry love a good looking priest. Except the Sister Michael’s of the world. I’d like to say I’m one of the Sister Michaels in this regard, but I’m pretty sure I’m Erin. Or Orla: I like Father Peter’s shiny hair too you see.

Peter Campion’s doubtful young priest is utterly oblivious to the fact that he’s James’s new role model, Erin’s future husband and a potential model. On one hand trying to be hip and approachable, on the other seriously doubting there even is a God. His mid-sentence existential crisis and willingness to believe in a holy resurrected dog were personal favourites. He could almost be a young Father Dougal (of Father Ted fame) before it all became too much for him and he was exiled to Craggy Island. I for one would like to know what kind of ‘distraction’ Peter was driven to. I imagine it was something to do with that colourist at Hair and Flare.

And lastly: Orla. Orla is a treasure in this episode. Louise Harland manages to steal the show through the myriad of expressions that cross her face in any scene where she’s in the background. If you haven’t noticed it yet, seriously: go back and watch. I guarantee you will not be able to stop watching Orla for her reactions to everything going forward. Orla was pure comedic gold in this episode for that alone.