Hysterical, fast-paced, and full of typical (Northern) Irish humor, the big question is How to Get to Heaven from Belfast?How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is in the capable hands of screenwriter Lisa McGee. That name might not mean much to everyone, but the series Derry Girls probably does. How to Get to Heaven from Belfast features a similar dynamic. Think of super sharp and often unfollowably fast dialogues. Hilarious humor blended with historical engagement. Not by taking history as a basis, but by paying attention to the (social) undercurrent that has arisen from the past. This series is not a coming-of-age like Derry Girls, but an attempt to parody the traditional crime series. This has been (largely) successful.
Three friends from Belfast, played by Sinead Keenan, Caoilfhionn Dunne, and Roisin Gallagher, reunite once they receive a message that their friend from the past has died. When they notice that the death happened under suspicious circumstances, their quest for the truth begins. The fact that they are hindered by her in-laws makes the whole family suspicious. When a sinister woman also appears on the scene, it becomes a quest that will take the trio on a road trip through Ireland. It quickly becomes clear that nothing is what it seems. This even applies to their own past.
This series is not a coming-of-age like Derry Girls, but an attempt to spoof the traditional crime series. This is (largely) successful.
How to Get to Heaven from Belfast scores high on sharp dialogues. The speed of communication between the three friends is sometimes hard to keep up with. Fortunately, the subtitles help to keep it understandable. In terms of humor, it strongly resembles the absurdity of Derry Girls. The disproportionately built-up characters are an important part of this. One of those notable characters is played by Saoirse-Monica Jackson, known from Derry Girls. The balance is maintained by more serious characters, such as the young police officer Liam (Darragh Hand). However, that doesn't mean he doesn't end up in strange situations, as his fondness for one of the three friends ensures that.
Unfortunately, there is also criticism to be made. This mainly lies in the story itself. At the beginning, the story is still fairly easy to follow, but at a certain point, it shoots in all directions. It would have been better if they had gone a bit deeper. As it progresses, the story becomes increasingly implausible. Moreover, so many characters and storylines pass by that this comes at the expense of depth. Even the humor suffers because it has to be shared too much with all those other characters and the rapidly succeeding developments. It would have been better if the story had been a bit less flashy, allowing the strength of the series, the sharp dialogues, and the humorous dynamic between the three friends, to receive more attention.
For fans of (Northern) Irish humor, razor-sharp dialogues, and absurdity, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is still worth watching.
Therefore, this first season scores well enough, but it could have been a bit better. For fans of (Northern) Irish humor, razor-sharp dialogues, and absurdity, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is still worth watching.
About the writer, Karzal
Mike (1995) has been a member of MySeries since 2016 and is mainly active on the English version of the site. Since 2018, he has been actively translating news articles, columns, reviews and basically everything that ends up on the Dutch site. The original articles, columns and reviews were actually written by others. During the week Mike can be found at IKEA, where he is a national systems specialist and occasionally also in the classroom to teach an English lesson. In addition, Mike logically enjoys watching series and has actually been spoon-fed this from an early age. The genre doesn't matter, there is a place for everything in the otherwise busy life.
