Amidst the political conflict of Northern Ireland in the 1990s, five secondary school students square off with the universal challenges of being a teenager.
My wife and I really enjoyed watching this show so far, and look forward to the third season. Who’d a thunk it? A comedy series, almost slapstick at times, taking place during the Troubles in Northern Ireland? Okay, no shootings or explosions on camera, but the anxiety of the undeclared war touches down in the story here and there.;
The personalities of the leading girls are well-defined and play into the plot of each show. Having a boy from hated England attending the all-girls school was a slice of inspired genius.The girls are gullible and naive yet in some ways street savvy all at once. It must be challenging yet fun for creator and writer Lisa McGhee to dream up the fantastic follies these girls create and then react to.
There are a couple of elements that threaten to get a little old and predictable, the deliciously deadpan and strict Sister Michael, for example. But the show wouldn’t be the same without her. The plots get so zany sometimes, I can’t help but wonder if the writer was influenced by One Foot in the Grave, or Faulty Towers.
Give this one a try.
Folio Swami
8
Reviewed by FolioSwami
the thick accent, the inbred faces, the catholic canon, things were mildly amusing with the first series. the story went quite smooth for the first series.
the second series was bad. more of the same, only i started to skip big parts.
the third series: somebody has been masturbating at american movies way too much. for the fat white trash the northern ireland constabulary thugs send up choppers??? the girls were obviously too old for the roles, but with the catholic school upbringing probably it's hard to find under-20s to play roles that talk about sex. only by now, the high school girls look like 29 year old grandmas by derry welfare standards. and they are concerned with the test results? by 5 year old the perspective should have been clear: pushing a pram in the rain, and occasionally getting a job as a waitress.
GenerationofSwine
10
Reviewed by GenerationofSwine
Unlike my fiance, I've spent enough time there to easily understand the accent. She struggled a little, and unfortunately that meant that I had to translate a lot...
...and unfortunately that meant it wasn't exactly as hysterical for her as it clearly is for everyone else.
But to be fair, unless you're speaking Spanish she is horrible with accents, for everyone else it should just take an episode.
Point is I'm from Chicago, she's from Guatemala, we both laughed ourselves to tears. This isn't regional, literally anyone will understand it's comedic genius out the door.
Don't avoid it because some of the reviews are claiming UK only, it's accessible and brilliantly hysterical for all
