The creative team behind Derry Girls returns with the comedy thriller, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast. The show marks a darker shift for creator, writer, and executive producer Lisa McGee, with fans of her previous work likely expecting something darker.
After the death of their school friend, flighty TV screenwriter Saoirse (Roísín Gallagher), eccentric carer Dara (Caoilfhionn Dunne), and glamorous but stressed mother of three Robyn (Sinéad Keenan) return to their hometown to confront their past.
The three women are as close in their 30s as they were in school, but an email tests their enduring bond. One day, the trio is informed that the estranged fourth member of their childhood gang, Greta (Natasha O’Keeffe), has passed away. The group decides to pay their respects and go on an odyssey through Ireland. This isn’t a normal group of girls; there are dark skeletons in their closets, and they’re worried Greta’s death may dig up the bones of their secret.
The opening episode hints that this How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is going to go in one direction before it steers swiftly into a totally unexpected one. Don’t judge this eight-part series on the opening episode, which isn’t a great showcase of how the show balances thrills and laughs. Thankfully, the second episode does a better job of world-building and introducing the characters.
An Odyssey In Rural Ireland
Greta’s death brings Robyn, Saoirse, and Dara back to rural Ireland. Here, they find themselves embroiled in a decade-old crime cover-up. On a trip to a local inn owned by Seamus (Ardal O’Hanlon), they meet Greta’s eccentric and terrifying family (played in part by Michelle Fairley, Emmett J. Scanlan) and begin to think that something isn’t right about Greta’s death.
The opening episode is surprisingly dark, considering the team behind the show brought us one of the 21st century’s most iconic comedies. How to Get to Heaven from Belfast has all the moving parts of a dark Scandinavian drama, only injected with a big dollop of Irish wit and humor. It has a crime family, an eager (but attractive) young police officer (Darragh Hand), an age-old conspiracy, and an unstoppable bad guy (Bronagh Gallagher). But, it’s also very silly and doesn’t take itself very seriously.
The concept may sound dark and serious, but the tone is closer to Derry Girls than your average TV crime drama. The women get into various mishaps, meet strange characters, and find themselves up against a woman who seems to outlive anything. It’s the type of comedy/drama that requires the brain to be turned off because it’s farcical and nonsensical, but entertaining, nonetheless.
All of this fun comes with a lively soundtrack of songs that get Millennials dancing at weddings. The show knows how to perfectly balance these production choices with the darker beats of the narrative.
Fall In Love With Saoirse, Robyn and Dara
In How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, Lisa McGee has essentially placed three sitcom characters in a serious crime drama. The plot is a strange mix of dark and farce, but you buy into it thanks to the three lead women and three lead performances. Whenever faced with a dark twist, a mysterious character, or a life-threatening situation, one of these lead characters will drop one of the funniest lines of the year.
Saoirse is a chaotic screenwriter who has found success in London with a detective show, suggesting she already has a love of the genre. We get a glimpse of her life in the world of entertainment (Tom Basden plays the show’s director and Leila Farzad the leading actress of the show she pens), satirizing the world of scripted television. These scenes can feel disjointed from the main plot, and there is enough here that this could have been a totally separate show.
The other two leads get slightly less backstory, suggesting that Saoirse’s life may resemble McGee’s more than the others. Robyn is a self-centred, image-conscious mother who greatly cares about what others think, while Dara feels left behind as a carer for her mother, who is struggling to get over her ex-girlfriend. While Dara and Robyn are slightly underdeveloped as characters, their chemistry together is clear to see. The trio feels real and layered, with decades of complexity that come with female relationships.
Through flashbacks, we get glimpses into the four girls as teenagers and the night that forever changed their lives and their friendship. It helps redefine not just the story, but the relationship the women have with each other.
How to Get to Heaven from Belfast does unravel mid-series, struggling to keep up with all the twists and turns. Like a snake eating its own tail, the show twists itself into confusion. While the leading ladies and their backstory will keep you watching, you may find yourself confused by the many subplots, side characters, and red herrings.
How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is now streaming on Netflix.
Learn more about the show on the Netflix site for the title.
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