Derry Girls review: Blast from the past in episode 5

Episode five of Derry Girls was a little bit different, but equally fantastic.
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In the episode the mammies were invited to a school reunion, where old secrets were to be revealed and Ma Mary was hoping to talk to old friend Jeanette Joyce formerly O’Shea.

Ma Mary’s group of friends have a familiar feel to it including a male foreign cousin and was made up of Mary, aunt Sarah, Clare’s Ma Geraldine (played by Phillipa Dunne who also stars in the equally brilliant Motherland), Michelle’s mum Deirdre who wants the group to switch to being punks and Jenny Joyce’s mum Jeanette.

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The episode switched between the present day and the school leavers’ disco in 1977.

With a ban on dancing, kissing and talking to the boys from the other school the girls decide they want to do something as the leavers’ party is meant to be the best night of their lives.

Over the course of the episode it is revealed that all the girls decided to get skull tattoos a secret they have carried with them since 1977, and they buried a memory box of the pictures.

The women decided to keep their tattoos secret and as Sarah reveals ‘have spent a fortune on concealer over the years’ as they believed that if their daughters found out what that Deirdre illegally did the tattoos they ‘wouldn’t have a leg to stand on’.

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In a tweet a week before the episode writer Lisa McKee said it was the episode she wanted to write for a long time ‘one for the mammies’, and fans on Twitter are calling for a prequel to show what the mammies got up to pre-kids. Who wouldn’t want to know what Sarah did before having Orla?

Derry girls S3, EP5 (L-R) Wee Janette (Claire Keenan), Wee Cousin Rob (Martin Quinn), Wee Deirdre (Jessica Reynolds), Wee Aunt Sarah (Dearbhaile McKinney), Wee Ma Mary (Shauna Higgins), Wee Geraldine (Lucy Mcllwaine) SUS-221105-081929003Derry girls S3, EP5 (L-R) Wee Janette (Claire Keenan), Wee Cousin Rob (Martin Quinn), Wee Deirdre (Jessica Reynolds), Wee Aunt Sarah (Dearbhaile McKinney), Wee Ma Mary (Shauna Higgins), Wee Geraldine (Lucy Mcllwaine) SUS-221105-081929003
Derry girls S3, EP5 (L-R) Wee Janette (Claire Keenan), Wee Cousin Rob (Martin Quinn), Wee Deirdre (Jessica Reynolds), Wee Aunt Sarah (Dearbhaile McKinney), Wee Ma Mary (Shauna Higgins), Wee Geraldine (Lucy Mcllwaine) SUS-221105-081929003

As someone in their 30s it was nice to have an episode of the adults looking back at ‘the best time of their lives’, remembering school friendships and those days when you are wishing to get older. This is what Derry Girls does so brilliant it is filled with nostalgia that you can relate to if you grew up in the 90s or not.

All episodes of series one, two are currently available on All4 and the first five episode of series 3 are also available.

Next week is the last episode on Tuesday and the trailer reveals James fighting for Fat Boy Slim tickets, and on Wednesday at 9pm there will be an hour long Derry Girls special

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