Back To Life – The episode opens with Lorna Brady (Ruth Wilson) startling awake in the street surrounded by cows. She looks down to see blood on her dress before removing what appears to be a piece of glass from her bloody palm.

2015, Kilknure, Western Ireland – Lorna arrives home to find a desecrated Jesus painting. She apologizes before removing the knife from Jesus’ eye. When she takes the painting down, water sprays in her face. After turning off the water, she places the desecrated painting in a room without entering and replaces the lock. While cleaning up, a radio news reporter announces a newly launched investigation into an institution believed to be responsible for taking thousands of babies from their mothers. In a flashback, Lorna holds an infant’s hand. Back to the present, she turns off the radio.

Upon arriving at work, Lorna is informed of a woman looking for her. Kathy hands her an envelope which she stuffs in her pocket. Tabitha (Aoife Fitzpatrick) is amazed at Lorna’s seamstress skills when she looks at her wedding dress. Tabitha says Andrea (Genevieve Hulme-Beaman) ordered a penis cake.

At a hardware store, Lorna acquires a door latch, bolt, and lock where Niamh (Philippa Dunne) claims someone saw her possibly sleepwalking. Lorna assures her that she is fine. Niamh says how with that terrible place back in the news. She invites Lorna to join the other Kilkinure women to discuss an important matter. Lorna asks why, she is dead.

Lorna repairs the damaged water pipe. She opens the envelope to discover a note that reads, “I know what happened to your child.” In a flashback, a distraught young Lorna Brady (Abby Fitz) demands to know where they are taking her infant. Back to the present, she calls the phone number included with the note to hear static. A text requests an in-person meeting.

In a flashback, Lorna’s father tries to convince her to go to the convent. She reminds him of her commitment to the tech. He admits to knowing about her baby. She looks to her mum for support but only sees her back. He assures her that the convent will take care of her and the baby. Later, she leaves with Father Percy Sheehan.

Thin Man Pub – After several drinks, Lorna is approached by a former classmate, Michael Kearney (Mark Huberman). He informs her of his being in town for a wedding before walking away. Seeing him talking to someone, she assumes they set her up. While confronting him, she falls backward on the floor. Later, she wakes up in her bed. She opens the door to the locked room to see a woman leaning against something. She checks her pulse to find none. She dials the number again to hear the woman’s phone ringing.

Detective Tayo Akande (Charles Abomeli) and Lola Akande (Chizzy Akudolu) discuss a murder on “Columbo.” She tries to feed him more when he receives a text.

Blackrock, Dublin – Sergeant Colman Akande (Daryl McCormack) arrives at a police scene where he meets Detective Luke Drennan (Liam Heslin). Father Percy Sheehan’s (Stephen Brennan) lifeless body is on the floor. Drennan suggests Percy fell down the steps but a potential murder weapon has been located. He adds there is no evidence of a forced entry. In Father Percy’s study, the wall is lined with photos of him and various children. Pointing at a photo, a man questions if the young lad is Colman. Colman explains how Percy watched out for him because he was a “troublemaker.” Percy’s Triumph is discovered two miles outside Kilkinure where Sergeant Aidan Massey (Simon Delaney) and Garda Conor Skelly (Eoin Gleeson) are posted.

Anna (Lynn Rafferty) opens the door for Lorna. Niamh informs the Kilkinure women of the Atherom Group agreeing to lobby for them. She says the charity will push for the convent to be recognized as a former Magdalene Laundry. Amy Kane (Hilda Fay) sarcastically says again. Niamh admits to refuting what happened to them. Peggy (Helen Roche)pleads with her to not get their hopes up again. Niamh claims James Coyle can help ensure they are compensated. Amy asks if that is all. A woman accuses the nuns of torturing them. Clemence (Caoimhe Farren)voices concern about them being called liars. Niamh tells them that the Kilkinure Convent was both a baby home and laundry. Amy demands an apology from the Pope. Niamh reminds them of the last laundry closing in 1996 which was not that long ago. Once alone, Niamh comments on the abrasion on Lorna’s face, scaring her away.

On a drive to Kilkinure, Colman has flashbacks of his childhood and Percy. Upon arrival, he finds the police station closed. He is playing basketball when Massey approaches. Colman questions why Father Percy’s assailant drove his vehicle from Dublin to Kilkinure. Massey denies ever hearing of Percy until his car was discovered. Colman describes Father Percy as a “good man.” Massey informs them of Father Percy’s vehicle being located in a field where Skelly is watching it. When Colman mentions forensics, Massey laughs. At the scene, Colman suggests speaking to locals with criminal records. Massey suggests the suspect is not from Kilkinure before telling him a story about the Wailing woman.

Colman questions Amy who is not very cooperative. He asks if she knows Percy. She claims he put them in Magdalene Laundry. He asks what connection Percy had to the Magdalene Laundry. Massey informs her of Father Percy’s death. Laughing, she says the only justice for the victims is a long death for everyone involved. She denies having anything to do with Father Percy’s death before admitting to being in the hospital. Outside, Colman confronts Massey about not telling him about Kilkinure’s Magdalene Laundry. Massey tells him that an investigation carried about by the state was dismissed when Magdalene Laundry was labeled a “training center.” Colman says they need to visit Kilkinure Convent. Massey warns that Superintendent Louis Byrne (Eimear Morrissey) and others would not like it. Colman asks if the victims are still around.

Siobhan (Karen McCartney) tells Lorna that a lady escorted her out of the pub. Lorna asks who was the woman when Skelly greets Siobhan with a kiss. He informs her of a priest being murdered in Dublin. Lorna watches as the tow truck passes with Father Percy’s vehicle. In a flashback, young Father Percy (Michael O’Kelly) forces a young Lorna into his green Triumph. Back to the present, she imagines seeing herself screaming for help inside the vehicle. She flees.

Colman speaks to Peggy and another woman about Father Percy. Peggy was forced into Magdalene Laundry when rumors circulated of her running around with married men but she never had a boyfriend. Peggy describes the Kilkinure women as kind and strong. Massey tells him that Lorna desecrated a Virgin Mary sculpture and a shrine with an axe while sleepwalking.

Lorna looks at a photo of Father Percy and a group of girls, including herself. She hides when Colman knocks on the door. She falls asleep with a cigarette in her mouth. A short time later, she sleepwalks to the garage where Father Percy’s father is stored. She sets it on fire. As she walks away, the car implodes, waking her up. Frantic, she flees to her flat where she writes “STAY AWAKE” on the door.

Massey informs Colman that forensics is en route. Colman assures them that any evidence has been destroyed. Massey accepts the blame for Father Percy’s burnt car. Colman says the assailant is trying to cover their tracks in Kilkinure.

Cathy urges Lorna to get some tea while she finishes up with Tabitha when Massey and Colman arrive. Colman asks Lorna if she knows Father Percy. She denies knowing him. In a flashback, young Lorna is on an examining table with Father Percy nearby. A nun delivers her baby. Back to the present, Lorna snips at Tabitha’s wedding dress while recalling her infant. Tabitha is distraught.

Lorna places the woman from the pub inside the wall. The episode ends.

 

The Women In The Wall Cast

• Margaret Brady (Fiona Browne)
• Andrea (Genevieve Hulme-Beaman)
• Aoife (Fiona Bell)
• Damian (Ciaran McMahon)
• Moran (Aisling O’Neill)
• Siobhan (Karen McCartney)
• Father Percy (Stephen Brennan)
• Niamh (Philippa Dunne)
• Amy Kane (Hilda Fay)
• Anna (Lynn Rafferty)
• Sergeant Aidan Massey (Simon Delaney)
• Colman Akande (Daryl McCormack)

The Women In The Wall Synopsis

Lorna, Amy, Peggy, and Clemence are victims of Magdalene Laundry and Kilkinure Convent. They were forced into the facility as young girls. Lorna was pregnant while Peggy was allegedly having affairs with married men. The girls were abused and forced to work. When Lorna’s baby was born, the nuns and Father Percy took it away.

Lorna commits violent acts while sleepwalking. Niamh is trying to help the women get compensation and expose the convent. A state investigation dismissed their claims, labeling the illegal operation as a “training center.” A charity, Atherom Group has taken up the cause but the women are pessimistic.

Father Percy’s body is found in his Dublin home while his abandoned car is discovered in Kilkinure. Detective Colman Akande is assigned to investigate the stolen vehicle. Lorna recognizes the vehicle from when Father Percy took her to the convent for the first time. Her parents believe the convent will give her a good education and care for her and the baby.

Lorna receives a note from a woman who claims to know what happened to her baby. A meeting is set up at a local pub where Lorna is injured during a dispute. A woman takes an intoxicated Lorna home. Later, Lorna finds the woman dead inside her flat. When she dials the phone number on the note, the woman’s phone rings. Colman and Massey want to question her about Father Percy. Concerned, she places the woman’s body inside the wall of her flat. Sleepwalking, she torches Father Percy’s car.

The Woman In The Wall Review

While the plot is interesting enough to draw in viewers, it may not be enough to keep them tuned in. The series is impractical, not original, and extremely slow. Lorna’s erratic behavior is ignored by the townspeople and the police. It is not unbelievable that local officials would turn a blind eye to a corrupt religious organization. A somnambulistic Lorna committing violent acts that go unreported is unfeasible.

The cinematography is subpar at best. The acting is good and mostly believable. The Kilkinure Convent is very similar to the Florence Crittenton Home in Washington, D.C. The Florence Crittenton Association of America, Catholic Charities, and the Salvation Army operated over 200 maternity homes throughout the United States in the 50s. According to several reliable sources, 80% of the babies born in the Florence Crittenton Home were taken from their mothers.

The series failed to capitalize on an opportunity to demonstrate what these victims went through. Instead, viewers get an off-the-wall series that is beginning to look more unbelievable by the second.

The episode deserves a 6. Get more The Woman In The Wall recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by donating. Our onsite advertising builds brand awareness, click the link to learn more.