Say Nothing (2024) s01e08 Episode Script

1
- Dolours, are you drinking?
- Jesus Christ, Marian.
You know, it's lemonade.
Some of the men are worried
you're sitting down
with moderates.
What we accomplished
had its limits.
How many bombs? And nobody's
listening, nothing's changed.
So there would've
been an order, right,
for what they did to my mother?
Who was the commander
of the Belfast Brigade
in December 1972?
[Dolours] I'll never really
know Gerry's motives.
Was it an act of conscience?
Or was he trying to
save his own skin?
Anybody see you come in?
You're paranoid, Gerry.
[Dolours] One thing
is for certain.
I didn't approve
of his new friends.
How are you, Father?
Well, I've been better.
Do you suppose, Father, they'll
have me killed for this?
Ah, you've managed to stay
alive this long, child.
You're a survivor.
You know, some of the lads think
my willingness to negotiate
is tantamount to treason.
Brendan.
Brendan's suffered a lot.
Aye.
Gerry, the IRA isn't achieving
what they think
they're achieving.
On some level they
must know this.
We have to stop our own
people killing, Gerry.
Honestly, Father, all they're
achieving at this stage
is killing my voters.
I can only apologize
so many times.
This is gonna cost
me the friendship
of some very dear people.
Peace doesn't come without cost.
That's it, then?
That's it.
Good luck to you, Alec.
God bless.
[Dolours] Gerry had
to be careful indeed.
In that envelope was the
first fragile seed of peace,
delivered through
the Catholic Church
into the hands of
Gerry's political rivals.
What is the purpose of your
visit to the United States?
I'm here for peace talks.
I'm a negotiator.
I'm gonna need you
to come with me.
Is it possible there's
been a mistake?
I believe I got a
waiver from, uh
Well, from the President.
[Dolours] The peace process
would see Gerry Adams
reach heights unimaginable
for a humble wee boy
from Ballymurphy.
It would bring him to America.
Welcome to the United
States, Mr. Adams.
Good luck with the peace talks.
And we are back
with Participant H.
What year are we in?
I thought you could take
us back to April 1994.
Oh, Lord.
[clears throat]
How were you feeling back then?
Anxious.
I'd moved to Dublin. My
marriage was done for.
I felt like I was
itching out of my skin.
I'm so sorry, madam.
We refilled this
prescription two weeks ago.
I know. I know, I'm sorry.
That is my fault. I
Oh, God, this is
so embarrassing.
See, I was having a wee
glass of wine, you know,
winding down for the evening,
and I accidentally
It was just a clumsy moment.
I knocked the bottle
into the sink.
Anyway, I spoke to the
doctor. He's a true angel.
And he, um Well, he was
quick to get it sorted, so
I understand, madam.
It's just
the new prescription, um
The doctor's signature
doesn't match.
It doesn't?
See, that's the one from today,
and that's from two weeks ago.
Oh. That's peculiar.
If there's a request like this,
we are required to
check the signatures.
Of course.
I mean, you must.
It's good that you do.
Since, you know, Valium's
a controlled substance.
Absolutely. It's just,
you know, I, uh
I did see the doctor sign it
so what do you
think happened here?
Madam, I thought maybe
you could tell me.
I'm not some druggie in
off the street, you know.
- I have a condition.
- I didn't
I would never forge
a doctor's signature.
Okay, alright, but I
still can't release
That's outrageous. You
know, this is outrageous.
Let me just speak
with the chemist.
Would that be alright?
If you're gonna treat me
like some bloody felon,
I'd just as soon find
meself another chemist.
[phone ringing]
- What's up?
- [Marian] What are you doing?
- Nothing.
- Well, I hate to tear you away
but you need to
get up to Belfast.
There's a meeting
at the Felon's club.
Looks like he's done it.
- Who?
- Gerry.
There's gonna be some
big announcement.
They're talking
an end to the war.
Dotes, you got to get up here.
[Dolours] Living in the north,
you were always on the
verge of the war ending.
It was our own special
kind of purgatory.
If you had told me it was
gonna drag on 20-odd years,
I don't know if I'd
have picked up a gun
in the first place.
Nice hat.
Did you start fucking
Boris Yeltsin, then?
Well, we can't all
dress like Aunt Bridie.
At least she had
blindness as an excuse.
I like this outfit.
I got it on sale,
you cheeky wee shit.
Right, let's say a prayer and
hope for some good news tonight.
So, what's on the table? Are
the Brits gone, do we know?
We don't know.
There's only two
ways a war can end:
one side surrenders or there's
a negotiated settlement.
I know Gerry. He's
not for surrender.
His ego couldn't bear it.
I don't know. I saw
him on Larry King.
Apparently, he's some kind
of fucking wee pacifist now.
He has to say that stuff, Da.
It's the only way
they'll give him a visa.
I always knew your generation
would be the ones to do it.
I just never thought
it'd be someone like him.
Alright?
Alright, Mackers?
How's the baby?
Up half the fuckin'
night, Marian.
Shit.
Have you tried using a wee
bit of scotch on the gums?
Dolours Price, it is an honor.
I'm fucking with you.
You don't actually
have to kiss it.
Dotes, look.
Is that?
[Marian] Aye. It's
Brendan Hughes.
He looks skinny.
He lives at the Divis flats now.
- [feedback on mic]
- [Brian] One, two.
[Bangs mic, clinks
spoon on glass]
Your attention.
I've a statement,
direct from HQ.
"We believe
"that the opportunity for
a just and lasting peace
"has been created"
Where's Gerry? Should
he not be here?
"IRA leadership has decided
"that as of midnight tonight,
"there will be a total cessation
of military operations."
[applause and cheering]
"In return,
"the British have promised
"Sinn Féin will be treated
like any other political party.
"The British government has
spelt out its commitment
"to dialogue with Sinn Féin
"and to addressing
other matters,
"including cutting back on the
British military presence."
Cutting back? They've
been cutting it back.
What the fuck does that mean?
Are the Brits leaving or not?
"As peace talks continue,
"a crucial first step will be
the process of decommissioning."
- Decommissioning?
- Decommissioning, my bollocks!
You'll not be taking
our fucking guns.
No deal 'til the
Brits have gone.
- That's the position.
- It's always been the position.
It's time to face facts,
Jimmy. The war's not working.
- There's got to be concessions.
- [Jimmy] It's fucking surrender.
Gerry's fucked us,
and you know that.
Where the fuck is Gerry?
30 years' struggle and
we're back to square one.
We appeal to stay
united as comrades.
Ah, fuck that.
Lads, calm down.
This is the first step
in a long process.
Dark.
What do you think?
I think it's over.
He sold us out.
[Dolours] You know,
I was six years old
when my father first told
me he'd killed a man.
It was a bombing in Coventry.
Daddy.
I was horrified.
I remember him saying,
"No, no, no, no, no.
"Everything's gonna be okay,
"because we're at war, and
"well, once we have
a united Ireland,
"once we've achieved
that glorious outcome,
"then it'll all
have been worth it."
But what have we achieved?
You know, for what Gerry
Adams has brought about,
what has my father
ever achieved?
Other than death.
- Sláinte.
- Sláinte.
- So, we got nothing.
- We got fucking nothing.
I can't believe he sent his
fucking houseboy to do it.
When has Gerry ever
done anything himself?
I mean, what, robbed
a bank, run a crew?
I don't think he's
ever even fired a gun.
It was always
gonna end this way:
him on the fucking mountaintop.
Fucking coward.
Well
at least we can be British now.
[Marian] Fuck off, you.
Do you ever get the feeling
it was all for nothing?
Aye, that's grand.
No bother, Frankie.
How did they take it?
The majority of people,
it's fucking Christmas.
They're getting
pished in the streets.
You know,
if you can pull this off,
it's a Nobel Prize for you.
You can put the wee statue
on top of the toilet.
- It's a medal.
- Huh?
The Nobel Prize, it's
a medal they give you.
Right.
Well, then you can put
it wherever you like.
Oh.
And what about our hardliners?
How worried should we be?
There's a small
group of individuals.
Small but vocal.
They're less enthused.
We're beefing up
your security detail.
Just in case.
And what about Brendan Hughes?
Apparently, he walked
out of the meeting,
said very little.
Sorry. I know you
two were close.
Well, these are
hard-headed people.
It's more or less
what I expected.
[footsteps approaching]
Mr. Adams?
I am so sorry.
The VP's running a
few minutes behind.
That is perfectly alright.
Yo-Yo Ma's giving a
concert in the Rose Garden.
It's running a little long.
Well, if you, uh
If you happen to see Mr. Ma,
tell him I'm a very big fan.
Of course.
D'you suppose they'll have me
put me down a hole for this?
It's not too late to back out.
I'll support whatever
you wanna do.
Fuck 'em. They're
guilty as sin.
Welcome to Ulster Talk Radio.
We are on the air
with Helen McConville.
She is the daughter of a woman
who vanished without a trace
nearly 25 years ago.
Her name was Jean McConville.
[Helen] I remember it
like it was yesterday.
Ten of them came to our flat
and took away my mother.
And do you know who
they were, Helen?
The men and women
who took your mother.
I do. They were members of
the Irish Republican Army.
And why have you decided
to finally break your
silence now, Helen,
after so many years?
The IRA wanna talk about
a just and lasting peace.
I couldn't bear it.
What's just about this?
Where is the justice
for my mother?
I hope this wasn't a mistake.
Nah, you were brilliant,
love. Proud of you.
[phone rings]
Hello?
Are you serious,
Helen? On the radio?
You might be okay
getting a bullet.
Michael, no one's
No one's getting shot.
They can't do shit.
There's a ceasefire on.
And if it breaks down?
These people are
right on top of us.
I saw one of her
kidnappers in McDonald's.
Did you say anything to them?
No, no, no. I kept my
fucking mouth shut.
Helen, I've worked so
hard to get past all this,
to get to a place where
I feel, uh, normal.
Actually, Mickey, I'm gonna
need to call you back.
Helen, get the fuck back inside.
Are you Helen McConville?
Yeah.
I heard you on the radio.
You were good.
Thanks.
My son, Eamon, he
went missing too.
July of 1975.
Eamon Molloy was his name.
And I think there
are more of us.
[indistinct chatter]
There's something on
TV you need to see.
[Helen] We are the families
of the Disappeared.
Nine families.
Each of us has a loved one
who was abducted, murdered,
and secretly buried by the IRA.
My mother, Jean McConville,
was taken on December 7th, 1972.
Everyone knows who
carried out these orders.
We know it. Sinn
Féin knows it.
The dogs in the street know it.
So I have a question for
the leaders of Sinn Féin
and for Mr. Adams.
Where are the bodies buried?
Where is my mother?
Get me a meeting.
[overlapping shouts]
[reporter] Mr. Adams.
Mr. Adams, what will this
mean for the peace process?
Stand back, please.
- Will negotiations continue?
- We're making steady progress.
I believe a deal is possible.
Right now, the important thing
is that we all do our utmost
to bring comfort
to these families.
- Now, if you'll excuse me
- That's enough now. Thank you.
You have a lovely home.
Scone?
My granny used to
make scones like these
with currants in them.
Fly cemeteries, we
used to call them.
I need to find my mother.
Yes.
A grave injustice was done.
I'm encouraging anyone
who has any information
to come forward now.
Well, okay, but
We'll work together on this.
I'm not one for politics.
That's understandable.
Can I ask, why'd you
call my mother a tout?
Well, now, Helen, I never
personally said that.
The IRA said it.
And I accept you may
dispute that account
and reject that conclusion.
You should've told them
to stop spreading lies.
You could've done something.
Your mother was taken away in
December, was it? '72.
December 7th,
1972. That's right.
Helen, I was in
prison in December.
I'd been interned.
You've my word,
I had absolutely
nothing to do with this.
Mr. Adams, you lost your
mother recently, yes?
I did. Well, a few years ago.
Do you go to her grave,
say a wee prayer?
That's right.
So you understand.
We need to bury her.
Otherwise, this will never end.
Look, I know what
you've been through.
I don't think you do.
I mean, do you know why
we never left Belfast?
Sure, I wanted
to. So did Seamus.
But I just kept
thinking: what if?
What if one day she comes back?
See, it's the not
knowing, Mr. Adams.
That's the part that wrecks you.
Even when
Even when a boy
showed up at our flat,
even then, with my ma's
purse and her wedding rings,
even then I held out hope.
That's what you did.
Helen
I can accept that she's dead.
She's dead.
I cannot accept not having
a body to grieve over.
I need to see her.
I need this to end.
Helen, I am doing
everything humanly possible
to find your mother's body.
The thing we have to remember is
that this is a delicate moment.
Peace is a fragile thing.
All of us need to be
very careful what we say.
I've been careful. I spent
20 years being careful.
I'm only saying it
would be unfortunate,
for you, for me, for everybody,
if anything was to
jeopardize the peace process.
You want me to shut up?
Find my mother.
An investigation is
already underway.
You have my word.
We need to start
an investigation.
Uh-huh.
A real one?
[children's program on TV]
Shit.
[clears throat]
How about you, Frankie?
Dolours Price. What about ye?
- Do you want a cup of tea?
- Well, I'd love one.
Wow. How the other half lives.
- Eh?
- So
I suppose congratulations
are in order.
I hear even the
kneecapping has stopped.
- Mm-hm. And the six-packs.
- Mm-hm.
And how's our Gerry, then?
[Danny] Gerry fucking Adams.
[chuckles] He's solid.
Yeah? I hear he even
has a book deal now.
And he's just clean as
a whistle, that fella.
There's still a whiff of
Semtex off you, though, Frank.
Well, nobody's perfect.
So, look, as it turns out,
Gerry Gerry needs your help.
[coughs]
My help?
[laughs]
Why ever would he need my help?
We've started an investigation
into the Disappeared.
We wanna ask you
about Jean McConville.
[Danny laughs] Who's
Jean McConville?
Upstairs.
- Gerry's asking me about that?
- Keep your knickers on.
We're asking all
the rank and file.
Everyone who was
around back then.
So, you've no idea?
About where the widow might be.
You know, I don't.
You can't think of anyone else
who might be able to help?
As a matter of fact,
I know just who you
should be talking to.
Okay. Who's that?
- Gerry fucking Adams.
- Dolours.
We all need to be singing
off the same hymn sheet here.
You know, what I
can't understand
is how your boss,
my friend,
singlehandedly gave this
country back to the English
and then convinced smart guys
like you that you've won.
Alright.
Dolours, you've been
talking around a fair bit.
You need to be more
careful about what you say.
And here, I thought
we'd given up the gun.
Well
Most of them.
Anyway, I'll keep poking about.
You stay out of
trouble, young lady.
[Dolours] Oh, Gerry
made it very clear.
He said it to the press.
He said it to the lads.
He even said it to the victims.
You know, if Ireland
is ever to be at peace,
there's a price to
be paid, you know
[Mackers] What was that?
Our silence.
[Marty] They found a body.
Eamon Molloy.
He was another informant.
They say he was the one behind
your arrest back in '73.
His wife, Kate,
she must be going through
a tough time right now.
Has anybody checked in?
I'll pop round later.
What about Jean McConville?
There's rumors she's
in Dundalk by the sea.
The landscape, it's all changed.
I can't go back to that family
and tell them we can't find her.
Just keep digging.
Oh, look. We got a mention.
Oh, aye? What's he said?
That we drove him
home that one time.
Look, do me a favor.
Let it go.
I have a question.
Did you not want to
mention the bombing?
Excuse me?
The London job.
We planned it together.
I was sitting on the
arm of your chair.
This is not the
time or the place.
You recommended
that I take a plane.
Remember?
You know, I actually
regretted that.
Did I ever tell you?
It just really
pissed everybody off.
Well, you and I clearly have
very different recollections.
I did things for you.
Not just the bombing.
Because I thought they
would mean something.
For what you've accomplished
I wouldn't have traded
a good breakfast.
- Okay, Dolours.
- I mean,
is this what it's all for?
What, a a book
launch and a big house?
Is Is that why I went
to prison for eight years?
Is that why my aunt lost
both her fucking eyes?
- Sign it.
- Dolours, that's enough now.
I want you to sign it.
Make it out to my Aunt Bridie.
Dolours
is everything alright?
[bursts out laughing]
He won't sign my book.
This is a hard, hard
time for a lot of people.
Change can be very traumatic.
If you're poorly, we have
people you can talk to.
Fuck off.
"Change can be traumatic"?
He gave the fucking orders!
"You fucking
architected my trauma."
That's what I should've
said. Fuck's sake!
[door slams]
I mean, Jesus Christ, Dotes.
What were you even hoping
to get out of that?
It pisses me off. He talks
about peace and justice.
And he can't even tell
the fucking truth.
Do you wanna have
a tantrum or
I want to have a
fucking tantrum.
Fuck's sake.
Well
some of us are
actually strategizing
and thinking next steps.
If we wanna send a message,
we just need to be louder.
Some of the lads are
getting organized.
There's a meeting
this afternoon.
You should come with.
So, it's back to
operations, is it?
Well
talking gets us nowhere.
I love you,
but you're too
fucking old for this.
Your call.
Good luck to you.
[Dolours] I've always
been a sensitive person.
You know, looking back, I
find that I was asked to act
contrary to my nature.
I followed my orders.
I I always obeyed.
I did as I was instructed.
Fuck.
[tires screech]
Oh, fuck.
And it's only years
later that you
well, when you have time
to sit back and ruminate,
that you ask yourself
all the big questions
you never asked at the time.
[sobbing]
[phone rings]
[footsteps, phone picked up]
Hello?
Aye, that's right.
Hold on a second.
They think they've
found something.
Sorry, go ahead.
Yes.
Uh-huh.
Okay.
Hi, Michael.
Helen.
Jesus, is that Agnes?
- Alright, Archie?
- Alright?
Seamus.
[teaspoon stirring tea]
Are you still at
the corpo, Archie?
Aye. I am.
Got meself a wee promotion.
[Helen] That's good.
What about the day
Mummy won the bingo?
- Youse remember that?
- I don't remember that.
She did. Didn't she, Helen?
[Jim] Mummy never won nothing.
[Tucker] You just
don't remember.
Her tweedy coat,
I remember.
And her pin.
- I remember her wee pin.
- [Jim] Yeah.
On her lapel.
What color was it?
- Blue.
- [Agnes] Aye.
Baby blue.
At least we got that
all squared away.
[Agnes] I keep wondering
if they hurt her, like.
Before it happened.
[Jim] They said she
was interrogated.
You'd admit to anything then.
Aye.
All this shite.
- This tout shite.
- It's fucking lies.
Sure, I was with her
every second of every day.
[Agnes] What could she even
have told 'em? The Brits.
She never left the flat.
[Helen] I'll tell
youse one thing.
She was thinking of us all in
the moments before she died.
I can feel her
near here, I swear.
[digger whirring and beeping]
[indistinct shouting]
[Michael] Helen.
- What is it?
- Ah, it's a dog's skull.
So, that's it? It's over?
They dug up half
the beach, Archie.
This whole fucking
thing is just
The Ra made a laughing
stock of us then.
They're making a
laughing stock of us now.
What the fuck are we
supposed to do now, then?
I guess we wait.
[Reporter] When do you think
you'll see your mummy again?
We're just keeping
our fingers crossed
and praying hard
for her coming back.
[newsreader] The
Irish government
now promising immunity
to anyone coming
forward with information
as to the whereabouts
of the missing body
[ringing tone]
[phone rings]
Hello?
- Mum?
- [gasps]
[Danny] Can I have
some Frosties?
Jesus, Danny. You
gave me a turn there.
I'm sorry.
It's alright. It's
okay. Come here.
[knock at door]
Well? What about
you? Come on in.
- Thanks for seeing me.
- It's no bother.
Come on through.
Sorry, the place is
in a bit of a state.
- I'm doing some laundry.
- You're alright.
D'you want a beer?
Aye. Why not?
- [bottles chinking]
- Glass or bottle?
I'll have a glass.
I live in Dublin now, you know.
- How are you doing?
- I'm alright, yeah.
You know, it's just this
whole business, you know?
Peace and that.
Aye, it's a lot.
It's a fucking lot.
You know, I'm happy that
the killing stopped.
It's just Well,
it's grand, it
It's all grand,
like. It's just
Well, it's rotten.
It's rotten to the core, Dark.
You know,
I just keep going back there,
thinking about operations.
You been sleeping?
Now and then.
Most nights
I just lie there thinking,
"What was it all for?"
It was for nothing, Dolours.
It was for fucking nothing.
Not one death was worth it.
Thank you.
Finally someone with the
fucking balls to say it.
You know, I don't even
blame that sneaky wee cunt
for ending the war, right?
I just resent the
whole devious way
it was all brought
about, you know.
Like
I ran this one operation, okay?
And it was it was a balls-up
fucking disaster, okay?
We'd got the idea somehow,
let's put 20 bombs in the town.
Bloody Friday.
Right, Bloody Friday.
So, the bombs is set.
We call in the warning.
I'm sitting in a
car with the lads
and we start hearing
the explosions, right?
Boom, boom, boom.
And the guys,
they's all cheering.
But I'm sitting there
and I'm thinking,
"They're too close together."
You know? "The explosions
are too close together."
And I knew
I knew a lot of people
was gonna die that day.
Seven?
It was nine.
Nine.
And Gerry, he didn't plan
it, right, but he was the OC.
He could've stopped every
bullet from being fired.
And now he's saying he
was never in the IRA.
- It's disgusting.
- What it is is selfish, Dolours.
It's selfish.
Because it means you, me,
we gotta carry all of it.
All the responsibility
by ourselves.
[Dolours] Precisely.
He wasn't there, he didn't
do it, so it was us.
All those deaths are on us.
I suppose Gerry was sitting
there with his fucking
his fucking feather
duster, trying to stop us?
- Have you ever thought about
- What?
Going public.
You know, telling people
what really happened.
No.
No. No, I couldn't.
Me neither.
There's this guy I know.
A guy I talk to, a
guy I did time with.
You met him once, actually.
Mackers, at the Felon's.
He's doing an oral
history project.
It's confidential,
like. All on tape.
And what do you tell him?
[sighs]
I tell him everything.
- Everything everything?
- Aye.
It's like going to confession.
Well, except you can drink.
Fucking hell, Brendan.
- Is that safe?
- It's totally safe.
No one hears it
'til you're dead.
That's the whole deal.
[sighs deeply]
And do you talk about
our Gerry, then?
I may have let the
odd thing slip.
That must feel good.
It feels fucking fantastic.
And you're sure you
weren't followed?
[Mackers] No, no. Very careful.
And can I get arrested
for what I tell you?
You know, I'd rather
not go back to prison.
You've got full protection.
We're a private project
through Boston College.
The tapes are hidden away
in a vault on campus.
No one's gonna hear 'em but me.
Until I'm dead, you mean?
That's right.
And you're still a young lady.
[laughs]
[sighs]
[clears throat]
You're doing a very
brave thing, Dolours.
You're giving people access
to our actual history.
Future generations are going
to know what really happened
because of you.
That's good.
That's nice.
[dog barking]
What? What you got there?
[barking]
Jesus!
[coroner] The remains have
been identified as a woman.
- Did she even wear a cardigan?
- Nah. She didn't.
[Archie] Was there a pin?
Was she wearing a pin?
[coroner] A pin?
Like a
Like a nappy pin.
It would be under her lapel.
[sobbing]
It's alright.
We found her. We found her.
I knew she was on that beach.
He's really friendly, Ma.
Aye, he's quite handsome, but
if you wanna be keeping him,
you can release
some of the others.
[indistinct]
[car door shuts]
Alright, folks?
We found a bullet lodged
in the base of the skull.
And two more close
to where she fell.
Well we'd like
to press charges,
but them boys that done it,
they get immunity, yeah?
That was the deal.
Well, they would've,
had the IRA done what they
said and led us to the body.
Your mother was
found by a civilian.
It's an open murder case now.
It's been nigh on 31 years.
I can't bear to get
my hopes up again.
How likely are you to
find out who killed her?
Depends.
Forensics, these old cases,
really won't do us much good.
Someone has to talk.
I was a driver.
I drove across the border.
But you know that. Um
I was carrying explosives.
Arms.
I also ferried people.
I picked them up.
Sometimes they knew
where they were going.
Sometimes not.
But it was my job
to deliver them
to the men on the other side.
Where they would be executed.
And the families
were never told.
You're talking about
the Disappeared?
Yes.
Dolours
Can I ask you a question?
Of course.
Are we gonna be talking
about Jean McConville?