It was only 26 years ago when the Good Friday Agreement was ratified between Ireland and the United Kingdom, ending most of a decades-long campaign of violence and chaos that became known as The Troubles. Although what followed was a new era of peace and equality for the Irish, grisly images of death, kidnappings, and torture remain etched in the minds of those who lived prior to the signing of the treaty. Alongside this, feelings of guilt and reflection are felt by those who had a part in the bloodshed.
Many of these emotions were captured as years went on through works such as the films “Belfast” and “In the Name of the Father.” However, many of these works were artistic representations that happened to be set during The Troubles rather than historical accounts of what actually went down during that time.
This was all changed with the release of “Say Nothing,” an FX Productions miniseries based on a 2018 historical non-fiction book written by Patrick Radden Keefe. The series sets out to explore the conflict from a bird’s-eye view, focusing on historical events and the active participants that lived through those harrowing times.
Spanning across three decades, the series mainly follows the lives of two Irish-Catholic sisters: Dolours and Marian Price. Outraged by the poor treatment of Catholics throughout Ireland as well as the overall British occupation of the country, they decide to take up arms with the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), a paramilitary group with the goal of uniting Ireland.
What follows is a series of violent and defiant acts against the British government for which the sisters become widely renowned for. But as time progresses, disillusionment with the IRA becomes evident when the sisters are forced to commit acts of terrorism against their own friends and neighbors as Irish citizens accused of consorting with or even helping the British are marked for death by the organization. The series touches upon many of the events that the sisters were involved in, such as the 1973 Old Bailey bombings in London, their subsequent hunger strike in prison, and most notably the kidnapping and murder of Jean McConville.
The show deals with themes of complacency and blind faith as the Price sisters realize that the group that they’re working for is no better than the British themselves when it comes to unwarranted acts of violence and destruction. The lines between friend and foe become blurred when the IRA switches their agenda from uniting all of Ireland against British occupation to suppressing all those who oppose them.
The fear of suffering the same fate as those accused leads many within the Irish community to stay silent, with some even telling on others. The series further touches upon the kidnapping and killings of citizens accused of aiding the British government, many of which are people such as mothers and children. The remains of those murdered at the hands of the IRA are still yet to be found even today. The show takes an obviously neutral stance between the IRA and the British troops which is understandable due to the numerous atrocities both sides have committed during the event.
The series does a remarkable job of portraying a turbulent time in Ireland’s history. The set design distinctly displays the streets of Ireland as an active war zone in which there is nothing but debris from the aftermath of car bombings and shootouts. There is a sense of tension throughout each episode as characters are skeptical about where their comrades’ allegiances lie. The prisons used to house and break those affiliated with the IRA, alleged or not, are depicted as pallid, claustrophobic corridors where torture is the usual order of the day.
The series furthermore excels in portraying Irish communities becoming tight-knit when it comes to opposing British occupation while bringing aid and information to the IRA, though it remains unclear as to whether they do it out of allegiance or fear. The show makes use of era-appropriate music with nostalgic pop-oriented artists like The Kinks, Small Faces, and Cher while highlighting other prominent Irish acts of the time such as Rory Gallagher and The Undertones.
Despite having a multitude of positive aspects, the most laudable feature of the series comes directly from the actor’s performances. The sisters’ transformation from being die-hard fanatics of the IRA to being disillusioned critics of the cause was meticulously paced throughout the show. Actors Lola Petticrew and Hazel Doupe excel at portraying the emotional journey of the sisters, particularly as they begin to question and lose faith in the IRA’s cause. Alongside the sisters, many of the side characters of the show were well developed, especially when it comes to demonstrating their unwavering faithfulness to the organization.
Although the show captures the main points of the sister’s lives, it does so at the expense of the victim’s stories, especially with Jean McConville’s. Jean’s narrative feels somewhat rushed despite being mentioned numerous times throughout the show’s episodes which becomes pitiful especially when looking at the ramifications that her kidnapping had on her family, especially with her ten children.
The show could’ve done a lot more by highlighting the lives of others who weren’t directly associated with the war but were still affected by it nonetheless, such as family members of those who were taken and never seen again, as well as victims of car bombings prominently seen throughout the conflict. It wouldn’t have hurt to incorporate broader events that happened during The Troubles such as the 1972 Bloody Sunday incident or the 1981 Irish hunger strike especially with how significant these incidents were leading into the signing of the Good Friday Agreements.
All in all, “Say Nothing” is a poignant historical drama that serves as a great introduction to those wishing to understand the violence, terror, and ramifications that The Troubles had on the country of Ireland. Even though there are some wrinkles to iron out within the events as a whole, the series accomplishes the main goal of telling the story of Dolours and Marian Price while highlighting the complexity of their situations as well as their shifting allegiance in the IRA. The series itself serves as a cautionary tale on violence as well as political dogma, arguably being one of the most compelling and insightful works of art set during The Troubles seen in recent years.
Verdict: “Say Nothing” gives a fresh take on a violent time within Ireland’s history while serving as a forewarning for blind loyalty, making it a reflective yet exciting watch.
