Say Nothing – Season 1 Episode 7 Recap & Review

Theatre People

Episode 7 of Say Nothing begins with the sisters serving time in a women’s prison in Ireland. They are released many years later due to health concerns, shortly after Dolours celebrates her 30th birthday in prison.

Upon their release, the sisters return home, only to learn that their mother had passed away while they were incarcerated, and they were not permitted to attend her funeral. Dolours feels that she can no longer think the way she used to, while Marian feels unsatisfied with their seemingly ordinary life. During this time, Dolours meets Stephen Rea, a theater actor, and the two eventually begin dating.

Gerry visits Dolours at her home and reveals that he has changed his tactics since serving time in prison. Now aspiring to run for Parliament, he seeks Dolours’ help in his political campaign by leveraging her popularity. However, she refuses. Later, the sisters are asked to smuggle explosives but respond that they will think about it.

Dolours grows increasingly regretful and guilt-ridden over what she did to Joe, who had been her friend. Stephen tries to support her through this internal struggle. Meanwhile, Gerry appears in a televised interview, shocking his IRA comrades still in prison by denying any affiliation with the IRA.

Years pass, marked by continued bombings and violence. By 1993, Dolours is married to Stephen and has a child. As she prepares for a red carpet event in London, Marian expresses her disappointment with what she perceives as Dolours’ ordinary lifestyle.

The narrative then shifts to an older Helen, who visits a church and spots one of the men responsible for her mother’s abduction. Elsewhere, Brendan is released from prison and visits Gerry, now a full-fledged politician who has distanced himself from their earlier activities.

Dolours continues to wrestle with her past actions as an IRA member, especially her guilt over Joe’s death, to the point where she sometimes hallucinates seeing him. She joins a support group for alcoholics but is advised to find another outlet, as the group cannot shield her from potential legal consequences for sharing sensitive details about her past. Meanwhile, Marian resumes her work for the cause, helping train the younger generation of IRA members.

As Helen investigates her mother’s disappearance, she learns from a former member that a strict chain of command had been followed. This leads Helen to wonder if Gerry was behind her mother’s abduction.

The Episode Review

Unlike Marian, Dolours seems disillusioned with her past IRA activities, exhibiting a profound sense of guilt and regret over Joe’s death. Although she seeks an outlet for her painful experiences through therapy, she is ultimately asked to leave the group. This might explain why she agreed to participate in the oral interviews in the first place. Over the years, her feelings toward the nationalist struggle shift significantly, and this episode delves deeply into her evolving perspective while also charting the journeys of other characters.

Helen’s storyline continues to explore her unresolved trauma stemming from her mother’s disappearance. The devastating ripple effects of this event are evident in Helen’s estrangement from many of her siblings and the shattering of her family, all triggered by her mother’s fateful decision to help a wounded soldier.