Ex Gratia – As this episode of The Woman In The Wall begins, Lorna Brady (Ruth Wilson) and Colman Akande (Daryl McCormack) speak about the certificates. Colman admits he doesn’t talk about growing up much. Then, he tells Lorna that he took some files from Father Percy’s house. He suggests they can find out what happened to her daughter. Colman tells Lorna that Father Percy kept everything. When Lorna looks at one of the cards, she finds a signature at the bottom from Breda who is eight years old. Clemence had a daughter named Breda who was born in 1985. If it is her and Percy was involved in her adoption, she could have a death certificate too.
Conor Skelly (Cillian Lenaghan) calls Aidan Massey (Simon Delaney) who doesn’t answer. Aidan sits down and looks through his little red book which is full of names. Lorna finds the death certificate for Breda Tooley. It specifies that the cause of death is asthma and the date of death is May 2, 1986. After Lorna questions what is going on, Colman suggests Frank and Joyce can tell them. He notices an address that is 11 Mill Road. Lorna points out that it says Sacred Heart Church in the picture. They use a map to try to find out which locations to check.
Niamh (Philippa Dunne) and Anna wait to speak to someone while Naimh worries it is bad news. James Coyle (Dermot Crowley) comes in and says hello to Niamh and Anna (Lynn Rafferty). He shows them paperwork that says the state is recognizing the Kilkinure Convent as a laundry. Once the paperwork is signed, the women will be entitled to compensation. Niamh admits they didn’t know her mom was in the laundry until after she passed. She wishes her mom was here to see it. James wants to get the letters signed as soon as possible. In the car, Colman begins worrying about Lorna because she hasn’t slept.
When she asks how much he knows about his real mom, Colman says about as much as she knows about Agnes. He just knows that her name was Catherine. Lorna suggests asking his parents if they knew what was going on, but Colman says it is complicated. Lorna yells for him to stop when she sees the Sacred Heart Church. Conor Skelly finds Aidan at the station and questions what he is looking at. Aidan admits he isn’t sure yet. He asks Skelly if he ever gets tired of being useless because he feels useless. Aidan calls Detective Drennan to ask for the latest materials relevant to the case. Aidan argues with Drennan to get the files.
Colman and Lorna make it to 11 Mill Road and see the name “Bresnahan” on the mailbox. Colman says he’ll show his badge and he thinks Lorna should say nothing. When they knock on the door, Breda answers and says she is dog-sitting for her parents. Lorna tells her it is about her adoption although she is not her birth mother. She knew her, but she died a few days ago. Lorna explains she was in the same mother and baby home as Breda’s mother. Breda is shown the picture of herself. When she lets them come in, Breda says she knew she was adopted for ages. Her parents had tried adopting before, but they were told they were too old.
Someone at mass said they should talk to a Father so-and-so who told them about a baby that wasn’t doing very well. Her mother wouldn’t feed her because she just abandoned her. Her parents didn’t want her being shipped off to St Alma’s which is where most of the kids went. Breda believes her parents saved her life when they got her out of there when they did. She surprises them by saying her parents remortgaged this house to save her. Although they gave money to get her, Breda says they didn’t pay anyone. Breda thinks they should go because they’re not going to make her hate her parents. Lorna informs her that Clemence did not abandon her.
In the car, Lorna tries to find out more about St Alma’s. She ignores a call from Niamh before asking Colman if he found anything. He asks her if she has Breda’s death certificate. On the day Breda was adopted, Father Percy wrote down a private donation of 5,000 for the roof. At the end of the month, there was another private donation of 7,500 pounds. Lorna suggests it is another kid. They find more private donations in the logbook. Lorna gets upset and says they sold her while Colman calls it human trafficking. For all he knows, his parents could’ve made one of the donations too. Niamh speaks to Amy Kane (Hilda Fay) and the others to get them to sign the paperwork.
She thinks they should be as loud as possible because people out there still need to know. Niamh introduces them to Carmel who was a friend of her mother at the laundry. Carmel still lives at the convent and the sisters look after her. Amy asks about Lorna who would be loving this. Colman takes Lorna to see Lola Akande (Chizzy Akudolu). He wants to know if they paid for him. Lola admits Father Percy informed them it was expected that they make a donation. Colman insists that wasn’t a donation. Lola says they don’t know what it was like for them back then. Everyone turned them away except for the church. When Lola asked if his mom wanted him, Father Percy said he didn’t want to speak ill of anyone.
She didn’t ask again. Colman remembers being told to run and hide because the cruelty man is coming. Lola gives him everything they have from back then. Colman gets a business card for a man with the name of Ignatius McCullen. Lola says it is one of the men Father Percy introduced them to. Lorna picks up Niamh’s call and tells her she is in the middle of something. Niamh tells her there will be an apology and the convent will be recognized as a laundry. She’ll send Lorna the letters. After the call, Lorna looks at the letter she just received. In the car, Lorna reads it to Colman and says she has to waive any right of action against the state. If they sign it, whoever is involved will get away with it.
They agree that they need to make sure they don’t sign it. As Aidan continues looking through the files, Thomas (Brian Doherty) comes in to say he wants to press charges because Amy Kane and the others are riled up. Aidan thinks it is out of his hands. Thomas asks whose side he is on. He reminds Aidan that he was a part of this as much as everyone else. Aidan receives an email from Dublin after Thomas leaves. Amy and the others discuss what they’re going to do with the money. Carmel says she is giving her money to the sisters. Lorna rushes in to warn them not to sign it. She tells them that the convent was selling children, but they’re trying to silence them now.
She tells them about Breda. Colman speaks to Aidan about the falsified death certificates. Aidan shows him Father Percy’s phone records. There was one call from the priest’s phone that night to a hotel in Dublin after 6 PM. Aoife Cassidy and her husband were halfway to Kilkinure by then. They discuss who the caller could be and who would want to kill a priest. Colman tells them about Ignatius McCullen so they begin looking him up. Lorna tells the other women how she wants to fight them with their help. The others aren’t convinced. Niamh argues that they can’t pass this up. Lorna tells Amy that they could find their children and the state is trying to stop them from doing that.
Anna tells Lorna why the women don’t want to side with it including claiming there was a woman in her walls. Lorna says there was and her name was Aoife Cassidy. As the women begin signing the paper, Thomas storms in because he wants his say. Aidan receives a call about him. Colman wonders what the J stands for. Meanwhile, Thomas complains about having to pay for their settlement. Aidan interrupts and tries to shut Thomas up. Thomas says the nuns did them a favor. Amy asks if he knows what they did to her after his dad called the priest to cover up his embarrassment. She explains that she gave birth in there and they wouldn’t give her any pain relief.
They told her that the baby was dead long before she finished giving birth. Amy tells Thomas she was only 15. She attacks Thomas after he says it sounds like the child was better off. A bit later, Lorna tells Amy that she should sign. After Amy signs, Niamh goes into labor. Colman calls and learns about three big events going on. Skelly interrupts to tell him about the Brookfield Jesuit News from April 1994 which mentions the opening of the Wisconsin Holy Cross Adoption agency. It was formerly known as the House of the Sacred Shepherd which was founded by Jim McCullen. Colman says he dropped the Ignatius. A few years later, he started going by James. Skelly says he was questioned by Interpol for doing a fundraising for the Life, Love & Liberty Foundation until they bombed a few abortion clinics.
As Colman looks at his picture, he is told the venue was hosting two weddings and a conference on the night in question. The conference was for the Eadrom Group and had something to do with the survivors of the Magdalene Laundries. Colman tells Skelly that McCullen is James Coyle. Carmel tells Lorna that she remembers Aoife Cassidy. She isn’t surprised Aoife came back to help because there was always something special about that girl. When it happened, they knew for sure. Lorna asks what happened. Carmel says it was a miracle and she was there to see it. Carmel claims she died and rose again. Lorna storms out suspecting Aoife was never dead.
The Woman In The Wall Review
The fifth episode of The Woman in the Wall had a few big revelations that should help wrap everything up in the finale. For instance, Lorna realized Aoife wasn’t dead and only had a condition that makes it appear that way. Plus, Colman found out that James Coyle worked for the adoption agency and was likely one of the biggest culprits in the whole scheme.
Although the series started as something odder and slightly supernatural, it has really become pretty mundane towards the end of the series. It is really hard to say whether some of these things were even necessary considering the core story could’ve carried enough weight on its own.
The performances are strong enough to add legitimacy to the scenes and characters. Lorna’s plight is particularly interesting, but it would be even more compelling without some of the absurdities. While her past experience would’ve changed her, it didn’t need to be this farfetched. This episode specifically felt pretty long-winded considering how little was really achieved.
I do think The Woman In The Wall would’ve been far more effective with maybe four episodes instead of six. With the possibility of such a gut-wrenching story, it is a shame this isn’t harder-hitting than it is. Regardless, the performances are strong and it is six watchable episodes so there isn’t much to lose. The episode scores a 5.5 out of 10.
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Jay Skelton is a fan of all television shows and movies. He tries his best to keep up with the latest foreign television shows and movies. Jay loves skinny dipping in the dark too.
Once again I feel that the ages and years are not realistic. If Lorna was 16 in 1985 she was born in 1969. That makes her 54 today. Ruth Wilson the actress is barely 40. They keep saying the adoption was in 1986. That makes the now adult babies 38, but they keep saying Breta was 30. Probably would have made more sense to set this story in the 2000s. I know I tend to get hung up on ages/years and geography in shows instead of just watching them like a normal person but details matter.
Most of the performances are really good dedpite the thin plot. Coleman comes across as a real “baby man” in most scenes and that gets annoying though admittedly the sound of his voice, his inflections, and his manner of speaking is WAY COOL. Massey is one of my favorite characters. Would be really cool if he had his own show. The scene in the pub was especially dramatic, in a good way.
In the end they take down James, the scheme is exposed, Lorna gets to flip everyone off and say “I told you so”, and there’s some really glurgy scene where she meets her daughter.
Yep, yep, and yep. Agree with everything. I didn’t pay that much attention to numbers but you’re correct. I also noticed in this episode that Lola looks a bit too young to be Colman’s adopted mom. That was pretty striking to me so you’re likely correct about the dates as well.
We’ll see how it plays out. Shame they had to pin it on James though because he has only been a minor character up until this point even if it makes sense. Just feels a bit like a cop out. Watchable series although the finale may fall flat in the end. If there isn’t a reunion or something emotion, I can’t see it being memorable.