42/29

The real Dolours Price was married for two decades (1983-2003) to Irish actor Stephen Rea

Narrative

The series is set over four tumultuous decades during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. During this time, Rea appeared in the film for which he is arguably best known in the United States: the 1992 romantic thriller The Crying Game. In this film, Rea plays Fergus, an extremely reluctant and ambivalent member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) – the same organization Price was involved with for many years. I will start by saying that the production on this series is excellent, the acting is excellent, and the overall story is captivating.

This sort of thing usually only interests locals, people who have been directly involved or history buffs

As someone from Northern Ireland, it is always great to see something from here represented on television or in film, but it generally feels like a “B” production at best. I am delighted to say that this is not the case with Say Nothing, this show has been so well done that I imagine it will be seen and celebrated by people all over the world. But I think it will appeal to a wider audience as it is presented as a drama series with characters at the heart of it. I can’t tell you how many times I have watched something and heard the Northern Irish accent butchered to the point of making my teeth cringe.

We don’t know where they were hiding, but they finally found them!

I always thought to myself “if only we had some A-list actors (who aren’t Liam Neeson) who could play these roles”. The acting has been excellent throughout the series, and it’s great to see some local talent getting some much needed and deserved recognition. I wasn’t familiar with most of the actors in this series, but if at least one or two don’t become household names in the UK I’ll be surprised (especially the actors who played the Price sisters). I haven’t read the book, but I imagine it’s more historical and fact-based about what happened during the Troubles.

The series definitely keeps the historical and cultural impact in mind throughout, even though it’s mostly character-driven

It does a great job of developing the characters and showing all sides of the characters involved and shows a multitude of emotions for people we’d probably prefer to see as one-dimensional in real life. My only reservation about this series is that I felt the narrative of the Troubles was slightly one-sided. The focus is of course on the IRA/republican movement, as such it’s not really surprising that they’re seen as the protagonist. However, there are two sides to the story of the Belfast conflict and it feels like the Protestant/Unionist side has been completely left out.

I expect it will be difficult viewing for many people, especially those directly affected and those who may still be grieving the loss of loved ones

That being said, I think they have done a good job of showing how bad things got and how the lines between right and wrong have blurred, even in times of war and even when you are convinced that the only valid opinion is your own. I hope people can appreciate it for what it is, a great piece of television on a subject that most people in the world may have forgotten or never even heard of, and I hope that prejudices don’t stop them from enjoying a good programme.