26/21

Plot

Spanning four turbulent decades during the Troubles in Northern Ireland

The real Dolours Price was married to Irish actor Stephen Rea for two decades (1983-2003). During this period, Rea appeared in the film for which she is arguably best known in the United States: the 1992 romantic thriller The Crying Game. In that film, Rea plays Fergus, a highly reluctant and ambivalent member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA)—the same organization that Price was involved with for many years. I’ll start by saying that the production of this series is excellent, the acting is great, and the story is overall captivating.

It’s always nice to see anything from Northern Ireland depicted on TV

or film, but there’s usually a sense that it’s a “B-rated” production at best. I’m happy to say that’s not the case with Say Nothing, this series is made in a way that I think people all over the world will watch and appreciate. Usually, things like this only interest people from the island, those directly involved or history buffs. But I think this will appeal to a wider audience as it’s presented as a drama series with characters at its heart.

the accent slaughtered me to the point where it made me cringe

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched something and heard Northern Ireland. I’ve always thought ‘if only we had some great actors (that aren’t Liam Neeson) who could play these roles’. We don’t know where they’ve been hiding, but they’ve finally found them! The acting throughout was excellent and it’s great to see some homegrown talent getting some much needed and deserved recognition.

The show definitely has this historical and cultural influence in mind, although it’s mostly character-driven

I didn’t know most of the characters in this show, but if at least one or two don’t host in the UK I’ll be surprised (especially the actors who play the Price sisters). I haven’t read the book yet, although I would imagine it to be more historical and focused on the facts that happened during the Troubles. It does a great job of developing the characters and portraying all sides of the characters, and shows a range of emotions in people who we would probably see as more one-dimensional in real life. My only reservation with this show is that I felt the narrative of the Troubles was a bit one-sided.

The focus is of course on the IRA/Republican movement, as such, it’s not really surprising that they are seen as the main characters

However, there are two sides to the story of the Belfast conflict, and it seems as if the Protestant/Unionist side has been left out entirely. Still, I think they did a good job of showing how ugly things got and how the lines blur between right and wrong, even in times of war, and even when you’re convinced that your own opinion is the only right one. I think that’s going to be hard for a lot of people, especially those directly affected and those still grieving the loss of loved ones. I hope people can enjoy it for what it is, a great piece of television about a subject that most of the world has forgotten or never heard of, and I hope that prejudice doesn’t get in the way of enjoying a good show… There’s a lot to love about Hulu’s streaming offerings this month — get excited for brand new series premieres and your favorite movies to watch at home.