Say Nothing

It's not often that I write a review but this series it's extremely well done and moving.

It narrates real events that took place in northern Ireland between 1971 to recent years, including the bombing of the old Bailey in London.

The fact that it's not fiction it makes it a lot more interesting to watch. It's very raw, and at times very painful to watch. Rightly or wrongly, It was incredible for me to see the conviction of some of the IRA members, especially the two sisters, and what they were prepared to do for the cause of a unified Ireland.

I think everyone should be watching it to remember and not forget this tragic contemporary history.

This series begins with the IRA's shocking abduction of a mother, Jean McConville, in front of her children. Then it slows down a bit, and settles into the story of two sisters who facilitated a fair number of murders and bombings. The mystery of happened to Mrs. McConville--and why--looms over every episode, but there are many other compelling narratives.

It all looks and seems very authentic. Every episode has a disclaimer stating that Gerry Adams denies his involvement in IRA military actions, but the show defiantly suggests otherwise. Even if some of the details are wrong, the series does bring this ugly period to life in a way that feels real.

If I have one quibble, it is that the sisters are a little too appealing and charming, especially Dolores. No matter how much guilt they may express at any point, it has the effect of romanticizing their lives as terrorists/soldiers/whatever.

A person who plans and carries out a bombing designed to kill or maim hundreds of civilians has a screw loose, yet that scary, unhinged viciousness doesn't come through. Maybe it's impossible to depict it, but these two sisters, and their male IRA cohorts all seem a little too sane and likable. Whether it's seething hatred or callous obliviousness to the suffering of others, some additional exploration of the thinking of people who do this sort of thing would have been good.

The sisters' time in prison is also glossed over rather quickly. Some of the unpleasantness is shown, and they describe how bad it was, but it's all over rather fast.

Still, these are quibbles.

Much of this show is hard to watch. There is just so much sadness and futility and senseless death. And yet the reality was even worse, and this show does a good job of bringing the period back to life. It's definitely the best streaming series I've seen in a while.

Historical accuracy: 9

Acting: 9 Dialogue: 9 Camera work: 8 Editing: 8 Budget: 9 Story: 8 Theme: 9 Pure entertainment factor: 8 Video quality: 8 Special effects: 7 Pacing: 8 Suspension of disbelief: 9 Non-cringe factor: 6 Lack of flashbacks: 5

I read the book and watched the new documentary on The Troubles. I think this TV show is basically as good as you can make it today far surpassing all other media. I was afraid it would be a typical British low budget historical TV series with very few small sets and comedic acting. But this is on par with big American productions as it is one. Mainly what needs to work is the history and setting and it does. When you follow a terrorist group you can't really make them look fully inhumane and cruel as that would be boring to watch. On the other hand you can't sympathize with a group whose main purpose is to kill and harm people to achieve a goal so vague they can't even define it themselves 50 years later. It's hard to make a TV series about such a group as you need to explain what they are doing and why and then also show the bad sides without making viewers turn away in disgust. We need the flair and charisma to feel engaged, but in real life there was little to none of it.

The TV series starts out with a few seconds long intro about Northern Ireland and that's that really. We get no more background info. Unless you know about the voting rights you will not be able to understand what they mean when they mention it. Households voted not people. So the big Catholic households where the pope forbids them to use condoms would have more people per household. This made them feel marginalized. But the bigger households also meant they had less money for day to day stuff so they were poorer too and felt the system was unfair. We hear the English people mock the Catholics after the terrorist attacks like when the terrorist sisters went to prison. Their statements are based on hate at that point, but this is what the TV show uses to show us a tiny bit more without offending anyone who doesn't already understand this history. These offensive statements are actually used to convey history the TV show doesn't dare go into.

What is shown in the book and documentary is just how low-brow the IRA members were. You can't really show a sheer lack of elegance and glory in a movie. They have to be younger, more attractive, more heroic, and have more exciting lives and indeed the initial episodes are flashy heists and young people flirting. Later on the show becomes more grounded. The book goes over how they decorated their cells with their excrement in protest and how dirt poor some of these IRA followers were. The apartment complex was so rundown that when an apartment got available inhabitants came by to demolish everything inside so that no one could move in forcing the government to finally tear it down. In the TV show the poverty is seen a bit in edges. The various bars they visit don't show poverty but rather affluence as they get to relax and have fun in every second scene and never hold a real job. I guess the indoor sets were too clean, but that's just TV for you. I get why some viewers who experienced the deaths from IRA may not love this show. But at the end the last few episodes do show us how it was not all glory and I think this is a show for everyone. For me it's one of the best TV series ever. It's that high quality.

I'll start by saying that the production of this series is excellent, the acting is great, and the overall story is gripping. As someone from Northern Ireland it's always great to see anything from here portrayed in T. V or film, but there is usually a sense that it's a "B rate" production at best. I am thrilled to say that is not the case with 'Say Nothing', this series was so we'll done that I imagine it will be viewed and praised by people the world over. Things like this are usually only interesting to people from the island, people that were directly involved, or history buffs. But I think this will appeal to a broader audience as it is portrayed as a drama series with characters at it's heart.

I can't tell you how many times I have been watching something and have heard the Nortern Ireland accent butchered to the point where I cringe. I have always thought to myself 'if only we had some top actors (that aren't Liam Neeson) who could star in these roles'. We'll im not sure where they've been hiding, but they finally found them! The acting was excellent throughout the entire show, and it's great to see some home grown talent getting some much needed and deserved recognition. I was unfamiliar with most of the cast in this show, but if at least one or two don't go on to be house hold names in the UK I will be surprised (particularly the actors who played the Price sisters).

I haven't read the book, though I would imagine it's more historical and focused on the facts of what happened during the troubles. The show definitely keeps this in mind the historical and cultural impact throughout, although it is mostly character driven. It does a great job of developing the characters and portraying all sides of characters involved and showing a multitude of emotions for people we'd probably rather see as one dimensional in real life.

My only reservation with this show 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 no real surprise that they are viewed as the protagonist. However, there are two sides to the story with the Belfast conflict and it feels as thought the protestant/ unionist side was left out completely.

That being said, I think they done a good job of showing how nasty things got and how the lines got blurred between what is right and wrong, even in war times and even when you are convinced that the only right opinion is yours.

I expect this will be a hard watch for many people, especially those directly effected and those who may still be grieving the loss of loved ones. My hope is that people can enjoy it for what it is, an excellent piece of television on a topic that most of the world may have forgotten or never even heard of, and I hope prejudice doesn't get in the way of enjoying a good show.

As someone from the north, it's very surreal to see such a high quality TV series about this period. The series clearly attempts to provide balance when looking at this period. Obviously the main focus towards the end is the disappeared, particularly Jean McConville and a few ex IRA volunteers, but it does an excellent job in portraying the motivations and circumstances of those who got involved with the IRA. The characters on all sides are developed and acted brilliantly, particularly Dolours Price and Brendan Hughes, and the odd bout of humour is very welcome and lands well. Overall this is a sometimes exhilarating but also thought provoking watch, I certainly felt it was worth taking a day out to watch!