Why James is the MVP of ‘Derry Girls’ Season 3

Between his good-natured willingness to be the girls’ punching bag, gentle and patient approach to romance, and epic cosplay as Posh Spice, James Maguire (‎Dylan Llewellyn) has gone above and beyond to stick out amongst a cast of incredible characters as Derry Girls: Season 3’s MVP.

The internationally beloved teen sitcom was inspired by creator Lisa McGee’s own experiences growing up in Derry, Northern Ireland during the final years of The Troubles in the 1990s, and uses that same time period and location as the backdrops for the coming-of-age and delightful hijinks of Erin Quinn (Saoirse-Monica Jackson) and her closest friends and family. From the first episode, Derry Girl‘s characters established themselves as flawed, lovable, and multi-dimensional, making it hard to pick favorites amongst passionate and self-obsessed Erin, spontaneous and eccentric Orla (Louisa Harland), intelligent and tightly-wound Clare (Nicola Coughlan), and open-minded and trouble-seeking Michelle (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell).

And then, of course, there’s Michelle’s cousin James, who from the get-go is the butt of endless jokes due to his English Protestant background, physical appearance, and general lack of manliness. It’s hard not to root for someone so regularly roasted that he generally takes insults like a champ and without complaint, even when Michelle, Orla, and Erin tell him to stop breathing because it sounds too loud, English, and oppressive. So James has definitely been a bit of a likable loser from the start, but it was in Derry Girls‘ third and final season that our curly-haired Englishman was especially able to shine.

Towards the end of Season 2, James collectively made us smile (and maybe even shed some tears) when he abandoned his “Creep Convention” (a Doctor Who convention he’d been looking forward to) in order to step in at the last minute as Erin’s prom date after her original date stood her up, as well as when he decided not to return to London due to realizing and proudly proclaiming that he is a Derry Girl too. Season 3 begins with a James who is comfortable with that Derry Girl designation and it shows. After all, there aren’t many teenage guys who would be willing to dress up as Posh Spice and perform “Who Do You Think You Are” in front of a sizable audience just to help your cousin realize her dream of getting on national television.

And not only did he dress, sing, and dance like a Spice Girl, but he committed. If you didn’t respect James before that moment, surely you did after. This act of putting his pride and masculinity on the line is only dwarfed by his willingness to put his physical safety at risk for the sake of his pals. In Season 3’s third episode, “Stranger on a Train,” James agrees to switch covertly backpacks with an intimidating-looking fellow train passenger who had earlier mistakenly grabbed James’ bag and left (what appeared to be) his own packed with a gun and wad of cash. James makes the switch and does it sporting Orla’s sparkly gogo boots.

Then just one episode later, James get knocked out while trying to help prevent their stalled school van from rolling away in the middle of nowhere. While the joke seems to be on James once again, it’s nice to see Erin, Orla, Clare, and Michelle immediately fret over him and try in their own way to show how much they care through their attempts to save him. And though what James calls a “near-death experience” isn’t quite so dire, his injury is enough to make him confess his feelings for Erin, making her feel seen and appreciated in a way that no guy has really done for her before.

Even though Michelle ends up interrupting their kiss and forbidding them from entering a relationship, James once again shows his MVP status when he’s completely understanding of his cousin and Erin’s reservations, calmly telling the latter, “It’s okay. I can wait.”

Romance then takes a backseat to friendship and we can’t even be mad about it, as James continues to show he’s down to face danger to help his friends when he accepts a fight with an obviously much stronger and more vicious man in order to help the girls get the chance to see Fatboy Slim in concert on Halloween. Sure, James quickly chickens out and runs away, but still, the sentiment is there, people!

Despite Michelle’s constant roasts and insults, James still shows he loves and is loyal to his cousin when he stands by her in the final episode where she and Erin get into a spat over their differing beliefs. Even then, all James wants is for the Derry Girls to be together and happy (which, spoiler alert, they ultimately are), reflecting his love and appreciation for this magnificent girl group that took him in when his own mother cast him out. His affection for his friends shines through in his Season 3 hobby of filmmaking, recording the crew’s various antics in an attempt to make memories and showcase the stories of those around him.

We’ll miss you, James Maguire. You really are a Derry Girl through and through.