Stacey Tong

I’d give it no stars if it were possible. I’m all ears when it comes to a bit of dark comedy or gallows humour, but this just feels off. Much like the Erin character in Derry Girls (who is immensely annoying and overacts), Bronagh is hysterically mean/angry and constantly seems on the verge of a stroke. It’s impossible for her to say one sentence without using seventeen swearwords and ending it with some kind of insult. If she hates these people so much, why does she hang around with them? Also, she seems to be this object of desire by most of the men who are in the show. Don’t get that whatsoever. She’s miserable and aggressive and in a constant state of being drunk or hungover and looks the part. The stereotypical Irish drinking (apparently they don’t have any issues with booze because they’re Irish and it’s in their DNA) is hackneyed. Niamh is thick. Conor is thicker and extremely annoying. Packie is extremely hot (the only reason to watch it) but doesn’t seem to have a standout personality, just floating along with the schemes and calamities caused by his puerile, immature, self-centred cohort. The English are slagged off constantly - again, why live in London? The only English people in it were upper class twits who, in the real world, would seek out their own and would have no truck with anti-English, alcoholic drifters. Siobhan McSweeney was a gift in one of the later episodes. She can do no wrong…apart from having starred in this…

Dreadful. Same rehashed story but with no Woody Allen starring. Timothee is a safe pair of hands, competent enough but I’m still trying to work out why he’s one of the shining stars of the new acting generation. Zero depth or charisma. Odd looking. Then we get to the girls. Have ZERO idea how Elle Fanning gets any roles. Looks weird, acts weird, weird voice. Then there’s Selena. The only thing I can say is she’s one lucky MF. Can’t act or sing. Again, looks weird and has a dumb voice. I cannot for the life of me understand how these people get so far.

This is jokes. A YA wet dream. Hot, young, too cool for school leads. Tick. Agro start. Tick. Sarky banter. Tick. Forbidden love. Tick. Untold wealth via some app. Tick. It’s Fast and Furious and Snatch meets Saltburn until the story veers completely off course and her father escapes not only from prison and the US but manages to enter the UK illegally and somehow, SOMEHOW tracks down his estranged daughter who lives in a gated community. Give me a break!

Painful dialogue. Flat. Usual tropes. Shame on Laura Dern who is normally magnificent.

The story is an interesting premise but that’s where my generosity stops. The acting across the board is terrible, the characters are completely unlikeable and the dialogue is unrealistic and flowery. Wish I could get that part of my life back.

I was a little entranced the first time round but rewatching, the priest over acts, the monologues are long and dull and there aren't really any truly likeable characters. I still think the premise is interesting, though.