The Dry (Season 2)

Available on ITVX

The second series of Nancy Harris’ sitcom about the attempts of a recovering alcoholic (Roisin Gallagher) to stay sober while amidst the everyday chaos of her toxic family is as puzzling a watch as the first. This is because The Dry, despite almost all of its characters being contemptibly self-absorbed, is most often an absorbing and entertaining watch, one that causes you to go against your better judgement and emotionally invest in its interconnected narratives.

That is largely due to the strengths of Harris’ writing and the performance of a talented ensemble cast. With regards to the former, her dialogue is, in typical Irish fashion, often very humorous, although it is the treatment of the series’ subject matter and subsequent depiction of its characters which warrants greater merit. It is seldom easy to root for The Dry’s protagonists and this, whether deliberate or otherwise, is a creative decision which distinguishes it from many of its genre bedfellows and helps elicit an emotional reaction from viewers which may otherwise be lacking. 

Indeed, this depiction of family trauma, although often amplified for comedic purposes, feels authentic because it seems to understand that people who have not achieved closure or, more commonly, do not understand that they are in pain, often are self-destructive and unknowingly abusive to those closest to them. We roll our eyes at Gallagher’s protagonist for her plethora of bad decisions, but know deep down that her unconscious co-dependency means that there is a plausibility to them.

While there are aspects of The Dry that are not easy to love, it is a show that remains steadfast in its commitment to delivering an honest portrayal of the human condition, and is thus deserving of credit.