“Say Nothing."

“Say Nothing” (Hulu) historical drama, an adaptation of the 2018 book by Patrick Radden Keefe that details four decades in Northern Ireland during The Troubles. The series follows the lives of people growing up in Belfast in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, as well as their involvement in the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and inquiries into the Disappeared and particularly the murder of Jean McConville. 

       Interviews from the Belfast Project are woven into the narrative which also includes depictions of the 1973 Old Bailey bombing and the subsequent hunger strike by the Price sisters, Dolours and Marian, the central characters in this series. Viewers are also reminded that Gerry Adams, the Sinn Fein leader, has consistently denied involvement in the Irish Republican Army (IRA).

       Until Dolours and Marian reached older adulthood, the story is told almost in a journalistic manner. Crisp, tight, no apologies. Then in their early 20s, the Price sisters–convincingly and effectively portrayed by Lola Petticrew and Hazel Doupe–showed us the more human side of the IRA guerrilla activities. Raised by revolutionaries themselves, they deeply believed in the cause. Only to be betrayed later by their purported leader Gerry for obviously self-serving political ends. 

       The drama subsided a bit in the last three episodes with Maxine Peake and Helen Behan as the older Dolours and Marian. For those who read about the story, it’s anticlimactic. These episodes also tackle the McConville children's search for the remains of their mother, who was abducted by the IRA when they were little. 

       Yet a question lingers on the ending as to who really shot Jean McConville, a single mother of 10. All in all, “Say Nothing” is a fine series, overall. 🎥👍📽