Derry Girls Was Almost Perfect but then Broke a Golden Rule of Storytelling

(*Spoiler Alert – this article contains some plot details for Derry Girls, now available to stream on Netflix)

The Netflix hit series Derry Girls was an absolute joy to watch until, during its final two episodes, the show violated a golden rule of storytelling. A coming-of-age tale between five high schoolers growing up in 1990s Northern Ireland during “the troubles,” Derry Girls was a Schitts Creek-esque find; a rare show with touching moments and occasionally difficult themes that relied on humor, an exceptional cast, and hysterically creative plot lines to delight viewers.

Series creator Lisa McGee masterfully constructed a world based upon her own experiences growing up as a catholic in the town of Derry, or Londonderry if the flavor suits you. McGee’s show presented a sardonic and hilarious lens through which her characters endured the violence, hardship, and trauma of the period. Just as Tolkien created a world in Lord of the Rings and Rowling created a world in Harry Potter, McGee also created a world in Derry Girls, with rules and thematic forces so strong they might as well have been authored by Isaac Newton.

The Derry Girls universe celebrated Irish comedy and wit as the show seemed to convey a valuable message to its devoted audience: no matter how bad the world around you becomes, ‘humor can be a solvent for the abrasive elements of life.’

But when telling stories and building narratives, once a world is constructed, you must stay within the rules of that world. Imagine if at the end of Titanic all the passengers floating in the North Atlantic grouped together and performed a synchronizing swimming routine. That would violate the rules of the world created by director James Cameron. The final two episodes of Derry Girls were such a departure from the world McGee created, that it felt akin to watching doomed passengers dancing in the water.

Without giving the exact ending away, McGee has said that she opted for a dramatic finale because what occurs actually happened to her and her friends at the end of high school. It was the moment, she said, when they were no longer coming-of-age; it forced them to grow up. McGee saw the event(s) as the appropriate end to her coming-of-age story.

But many events from McGee’s personal experience likely made their way into the show without swapping humor, sarcasm, and laughter for anger, solemnity, and grief. According to McGee, the original ending of the show was “funny-funny… just your typical Derry Girls.” Covid production backlogs, however, gave McGee time to start tinkering with her successful formula. She pitched a new dramatic ending to network executives who loved it simply because network executives are not storytellers. In the words of David Letterman, network executives fancy themselves as creative types but most “couldn’t create gas after a bean dinner.”

Instead of being a joy to watch, the final episodes of Derry Girls were a frustrating chore. The rules of the world McGee had constructed were broken, and what should have been a celebratory moment – the signing of the Good Friday Agreement – was overshadowed by soap opera storylines and a palpable absence of humor. Her message to the audience changed: no matter how good the world around you becomes, sadness can be the corrosive element that destroys the celebratory moments of life.

Personally, I felt her original message was better.

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Co-authored by David Brendel and Ryan Stelzer, Think Talk Create: Building Workplaces Fit for Humans was published by the Hachette Book Group under the PublicAffairs imprint on September 21, 2021. Now available to order!