Reeling In The Years 2010 -

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.5/5)

Yet, it is essential viewing. It captures the paradox of Ireland: a nation that can be brought to its knees by bankers and bureaucrats, but lifted to the heavens by four men in a horse-drawn carriage carrying a silver cup. The episode’s final shot—the Tipp team holding the Liam MacCarthy as the credits roll over a hauntingly beautiful, low-tempo track—leaves you with the message that defined 2010: We lost our savings, our jobs, and our innocence. But for one day in September, we won everything. reeling in the years 2010

The other major national story is the visit of Queen Elizabeth II? No—that was 2011. In 2010, it’s the even more awkward state visit of Pope Benedict XVI. The footage of a sparse, rain-drenched crowd in the Phoenix Park, contrasted with the mammoth gatherings of John Paul II in 1979, is a masterful visual representation of the Church’s collapsing authority in Ireland, coming just as the Cloyne Report scandal begins to break. Rating: ★★★★☆ (4

Reeling in the Years 2010 is not a "fun" watch. Unlike the 1994 or 2002 episodes, you won't finish it with a nostalgic smile. Instead, you’ll finish it with a tightness in your chest. It is a perfectly preserved museum of Irish trauma—a reminder of the winter when the lights nearly went out. But for one day in September, we won everything

As always, the song choices are the secret weapon. The early months are underscored by tracks that feel heavy with resignation. The use of over footage of the banking inquiry has a gritty, accusatory feel. The melancholic synth of The National's "Bloodbuzz Ohio" (a song about being financially and spiritually drained) perfectly soundtracks the exodus of young emigrants at Dublin Airport.

The episode doesn't ignore global events. The shuddering horror of the Chilean miners' rescue is given a respectful, quiet treatment. The chaotic, celebrity-driven madness of the World Cup in South Africa (the vuvuzelas!) provides a brief international distraction, though the series smartly focuses on Ireland’s heartbreaking (and farcical) Henry handball aftermath from late 2009, showing how that wound was still fresh.

But the episode’s brilliance lies in its turns. Just as the viewer is drowning in the dole queues and the destruction of the health service, the calendar flips to summer. And then, the sun comes out in Kilkenny.