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Say Nothing (2024) is a gripping political thriller set against the backdrop of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Drawing inspiration from real events and Patrick Radden Keefe’s acclaimed 2018 book, Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland, the series delves into the turbulent streets of Belfast, where generations took pride in their roles within the IRA, fighting for a united Ireland.
The narrative centers on the mysterious disappearances of several individuals, most notably Jean McConville. These disappearances are shrouded in suspicion, with the prevailing belief that those who vanished were informants for the British—a fate often met with swift and fatal retribution from the IRA. At the heart of these covert operations is Gerry Adams, whose evolving strategies and public persona have created a complex and polarizing figure. Over the years, Adams has denied being an IRA member, a claim that enrages many within the organization.
As the series unfolds, it probes deeply into the question of Jean McConville’s fate and whether Gerry Adams played a role in her disappearance, weaving a tense narrative of loyalty, betrayal, and the relentless pursuit of truth.
This article contains spoilers.
Say Nothing (2024) Episode 1 “The Cause” Recap:
The series opens with a narration about how the British took over an island that belonged to the Irish people. The Irish people fought the British but did not finish the job. So, the British kept the top part of the island for themselves, and the Irish Republican Army (IRA) has been fighting a battle to reunite the country. In Belfast in 1972, a widowed mother, Jean McConville, with ten children, moved to Divis. On a tiring night, the mother sends her daughter Helen to get some food for the family. After sending Helen out, Jean takes a long bath.
At that time, there is a knock on the door, and some masked men and a woman arrive at McConville’s house. The woman asks Jean to put on clothes as they need to leave. The children start to panic. Twenty-nine years later, in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Dolours Price is interviewed anonymously for the Belfast Project. From here, we learn the story of Dolours Price and her involvement with the IRA. Growing up, Dolours and her sister Marian/Mar Price would listen to stories of war compared to the girls their age growing up with stories of fairies. This is because Albert Price, Dolours’s father, served in the Army. Even Dolours’s mother served in the Army.
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Why did the Catholics not attack the mobsters?
The Price family lives in West Belfast and they are Catholic. This meant they had terrible jobs and lived in bad neighborhoods. Dolours and Mar used to take part in non-violent protests for equality between the Catholics and the Protestants. That night, Dolours and Albert get into an argument as Albert believes that only through violence one can achieve their purpose, but Dolours thinks a lot can be achieved through non-violence.
The next day, Dolours and Mar join the non-violent protest- they walk into the Protestant-heavy neighborhoods. Sadly, the cops are on Protestant’s side as well, so it is difficult to know who to trust. During the march, the police lead the group through Glenshane Pass, where a big mob starts pelting the protestors with stones. Since the group decides it is going to be a non-violent protest, nobody attacks the mob even though they are getting hurt.
Is Dolours a member of the IRA?
Sadly, Dolours gets hit by one of the mobsters. Soon after that, the Catholics of Belfast start to attack the local police stations. So, Dolours takes Mar to the place of the protest as she is curious. Unlike her mother, who was part of the Cumann (Women’s branch of the IRA) taking care of the wounded soldiers, Dolours is interested in fighting alongside men. At the site of the attack, Dolours gives sensible strategic ideas to men who are fighting. Seeing this, Gerry Adams tries to recruit Dolours, but soon, Dolours realizes Gerry is expecting Dolours to do the same duties as Cumann. Another day, there is a robbery in the bank, and leading this is one of Dolours’s acquaintances, Brendan Hughes, A.K.A the Dark.
The next night, soldiers come barging into the Price’s house, and by then, Albert has fled town. The next day, Dolours and Mar meet the members of the IRA and convince them to meet “The Big Lad.” After a long wait, out comes Gerry, who is known as the Big Lad. Gerry tells Dolours that serving with the IRA means following orders without asking questions, which sometimes may lead to death. After careful consideration, Dolours enlists with the IRA. At the end of the episode, the interviewer asks about Jean, so Dolours says it was taught that the IRA is fighting for a cause and everything the IRA does is for a free and united Ireland. According to Dolours, this is not the case. In the post-credit scene, the makers convey that Gerry Adams has denied being a member of the IRA or participating in any IRA-related violence.
Say Nothing (2024) Episode 2 “Land of Password, Wink, and Nod” Recap:
The episode opens with Dolours and Mar dressed as nuns robbing the bank in the name of the IRA. Once the job is done, Dolours is thrilled as people talk about the bank robbery incident. There is a new officer within the British Army, Brigadier Frank Kitson, who has a history of being able to shut down organizations like the IRA. The Brits now have Gerry Adams’s dog and hope to find Gerry Adams with the help of the dog. According to Brendan, when the Brits came looking for Gerry, Gerry, and Brendan were in the opposite building and quickly escaped.
Sadly, after that day, Gerry and Brendan were on the run. The Brits had one member of the D-Company, Jimmy, who doesn’t say anything to the Brits. Since what Dolours and Mar did is not an IRA’s order, Gerry and Brendon are mad. However, Dolours has an idea to save Jimmy from the Brits, which will boost D-Company’s morale. This can be done as Jimmy is in the hospital getting treatment for his appendix. This is Dolours’s and Mar’s chance to prove themselves. So Dolours, Mar, and Brendon sneak into the hospital and take Jimmy away. Before leaving the building, Dolours is suspected by the British soldiers outside. When Dolours pulls her gun out, she is unable to fire it. Fortunately, Mar comes to Dolours’s rescue, and they save Jimmy.
Do the Brits know who Dark is?
Once the D-Company finishes a job, they go to Divis as the whole community has each other’s back. This is where Jean and her family have moved in recently. One of Jean’s neighbors asks Jean to hold onto a bag that Brendon has given. But Jean refuses to get involved, which makes the neighbor mad. There is a spy from D-Company within the Brits office who tells Gerry and Brendon to be careful as Frank had stopped a Kenyan revolution before and is now targeting the D-Company. So Brendon asks the man to sniff around and get more information. On one such day, a lady officer, Private Sarah Jane, immediately recognizes the spy as an IRA.
The only two times the IRA members are together are for a wake or a funeral. Now it’s the wake, and all the IRA members meet, which the Brits know. From afar, Sarah and the other officers keep an eye on the members entering the venue. Soon, Sarah enters the building, hoping to get some prints of the IRA people. One of the members, Seamus, is close to Brendon. Sarah overhears Seamus saying he needs to drive ‘Dark’ somewhere the next day. When Seamus gets out, the Brits capture him.
As expected, Seamus does not talk to the Brits. However, Frank uses a different strategy and tries to win over Seamus first. Elsewhere, Brendon hangs out with his friend when the Brits start to attack him. When the Brits call out to Brendon, Brendon knows his identity is revealed. While escaping from the Brits, Brendon hurts himself and calls Gerry to bring a doctor. Before the doctor starts the procedure, Brendon tells Gerry that these are Brits and that someone has probably revealed Brendon’s identity. The one after Brendon is Frank.
Say Nothing (2024) Episode 3 “I’ll Be Seeing You” Recap:
The episode opens with Dolours and Mar’s first border run. The person taking them is Joe. During the border run, the plan is to head south into the borderlands, stuff the car with as many explosives as possible, and smuggle it back to Belfast. At the border, Dolours uses the name Rosie to get by. While one of the officers suspects the trio, Dolours flirts with the other. Thanks to the flirtation, the trio gets away from the situation. In 1970, the IRA planted 150 bombs, and by 1972, the IRA planted a thousand bombs. By this time, Gerry was running all of West Belfast.
Furthermore, Gerry would not sleep in the same house twice and had a lookout at every corner. The only exception Gerry made was when he went to meet his wife. One night, the Brits sneak into Gerry’s house and arrest him. However, no matter what they try, Gerry claims he is not the man but known as Joe. Now, Frank tries to use another tactic, forcing Gerry to sign a document. Since it is a habit, Gerry starts to sign as Gerry, but the officer in the room is called outside the room.
Sadly, the Brits get a message to release Gerry Adams for negotiations. When Gerry is released, Mar and Dolours will pick him up. The reason Gerry is released is that the Brits want to make a deal with the IRA, and the IRA agrees only if Gerry is released. There is a ceasefire order immediately, and at Divis, Jean’s kids go out and play during the day for the first time. The IRA members hang out, and Dolours reveals that Joe is in love with a woman named Rachel.
Who are ‘The Unknowns’?
That night, Joe and Dolours go to the bar, but Rachel does not turn up. Unfortunately, the British soldier Dolours flirted with has come to the bar. After hanging out with the man, Dolours comes back, and Joe says some nasty things to Dolours. It’s the day of the peace negotiations, and IRA Chief of Staff Sean McStiofain is sure this is a trap. So Sean gets to the point and asks the Brits to remove the British troops from Occupied Ireland immediately. Furthermore, Sean asks the British to apologize in public in three days. After this, the killings begin once again. In Divis, Jean helps a wounded soldier in her building, which one of her neighbors sees.
Meanwhile, Gerry asks Dolours if she will join his unit, which is called ‘The Unknowns.’ Dolours agrees, and she reports to Pat, who reports to Gerry. Elsewhere, one of the D-Company men shoots the other, making Brendan angry. Soon after the incident, Pat visits Dolours and explains the situation. The D-Company has identified who the person is, and Dolours is to drive the man across the border, and the others will handle the rest. Before leaving, Pat says Dolours knows the person well. The next day, Dolours picks up Joe as he is the one who ordered his subordinate to kill another member. The reason Joe does this is because his lover Rachel is married, so Joe wants to take the husband out of the picture. Dolours drops Joe, and on the way back home, Dolours cries as she knows what is going to happen to Joe.
Say Nothing (2024) Episode 4 “Tout” Recap:
The episode begins with Jean getting taken away by some people. When Helen gets home, she takes Archie to a bar where some men inform her that Jean is an informant. It’s a typical day with the D-Company, and Brendan and Jimmy are messing with Kevin, A.K.A Beaky. On a routine run to fetch some guns and ammunition, Jimmy and Brendan arrive at the location only to be attacked by the Brits.
After this incident, Brendan knows someone is spying on the D-Company. However, Brendan does not have to look hard as Kathleen (Seamus’s wife) tells Brendan that she suspects Seamus is spying for the Brits. Jimmy and Brendan find Seamus, who tells Brendan that Frank gave Seamus two options. The first is to either get a prison sentence or take a full-time job and move to London with Kathleen. So, Seamus did not have a choice but to spy for the British. Furthermore, Seamus says Beaky/Kevin also is a spy.
Will Gerry give Seamus and Kevin a second chance?
An argument between Jimmy and Brendan ensues as Jimmy wants to kill Seamus and Kevin, but Brendan wants to give them another chance. Brendan asks Seamus and Kevin to spy on the Brits for D-Company. To Brendan’s surprise, Kevin turns out to be an intelligent kid. Eventually, Kevin gives Brendan an Intel that the Brits are using laundry to determine who is using guns. After watching the Brits with Mar and Dolours, Brendan and Jimmy attack the officers. After that, Brendan tells Seamus and Kevin that they are back in the game. Sadly, Gerry thinks otherwise and has already made arrangements for Seamus and Kevin to be punished. Despite that, Brendan asks Gerry to let them go, but Gerry makes an argument that it will become easy for other men in the company to snitch and be forgiven.
As they have this conversation, Dolours drives Kevin and Seamus to the border. By now, Seamus already senses that this is the end. As expected, once the border is crossed, Jimmy arrives and takes Kevin and Seamus to a graveyard. There are two holes in the ground, and Kevin and Seamus are shot in their respective graves. Meanwhile, Sarah informs Frank about the informants, so Frank says either they get Intel or force these men to kill each other. On the other hand, Dolours is unhappy being a chauffeur for people. When Dolours and Mar get home, Birdie says people should be reminded they are at war.
Say Nothing (2024) Episode 5 “Evil Little Maniacs” Recap:
The episode opens with Jean’s children trying to survive. It’s been four weeks since Jean was taken, and now there are officers at Jean’s house. When the officers realize there are only children living alone in the house, they separate them and take them away somewhere. Meanwhile, Dolours and Mar witness a bombing and are furious. So Dolours has an idea to blow up the courthouse in London as many of the IRA members have been tried and tested there. After some deliberation, Gerry and Brandan agree to let the girls go through the plan. Dolours has eight more teens joining in on this mission. After teaching the others how to rig the vehicle, the team is ready to leave for London.
How are Dolours and Mar caught?
Before the mission, Gerry tells Dolours that she does not have to ride with the explosives. In the end, Dolours leaves Mar in charge and takes a flight to London. On the way to London, Roisin breaks down, afraid of getting caught by the authorities. So, Mar calms Roisin down and promises her that she does not have to go through with the plan. Once everyone is in London, the group visits a museum, and Dolours yells at Chalky for being irresponsible. Later that night, Dolours comes to the hotel and finds Chalky drunk in the hallway.
A stranger helps Chalky along with Dolours. At that time, Chalky starts asking about the cars. Meanwhile, the Brits in Belfast get information about teens in London wanting to blow up someplace. In London, all goes according to plan, but information has reached London about the cars and bombs. One of the cars is secured and saved from blowing off. The bomb squad member warns the security that the bombers might leave the city before any of these bombs go off.
At this time, Dolours and the group are at the airport, ready to leave. Unfortunately, the group gets caught. The mission is semi-successful as two cars blow up, and 200 people are either injured or dead. The police question Dolours and Mar, who are unwilling to admit to the crimes. In the end, Dolours yells at a British reporter when he asks if the Price sisters regret their actions. Furthermore, Dolours admits to believing in the aims and principles of the IRA.
Say Nothing (2024) Episode 6 “Do No Harm” Recap:
The episode begins with Dolours and Mar getting transferred to Brixton prison. Since it is an all-male prison, Dolores tries to reason with the officer to be transferred to a female prison in Ireland. From the officer’s point of view, Dolours and Mar are terrorists, so they do not get any special treatment. The next problem is Dolours and Mar are not going to be sharing a cell, so Dolours asks Mar to start something the next day.
The next day, both Dolours and Mar begin their hunger strike. They tell the officers to inform the governor that until they agree to transfer the sisters to Ireland prison, they will go on a hunger strike. After spending 17 days in prison, Chrissy visits the girls in prison. There, they realize Chrissy is unwell, and Chrissy informs them that Gerry and Brendan were both arrested. Sadly, that was the last time Dolours and Mar met their mother. Starting the next day, the correctional officers and the doctors forcefully insert a tube down Mar and Dolours’s throats to prevent them from dying. As days go by, Dolours befriends Dr. Mansuri.
Will the British Government succumb to the Price Sisters’ demands?
Dolours tells Dr. Mansuri that what they are doing is torture. Even though the officers and doctors believe they are saving the Price sisters, they are actually torturing them. Meanwhile, Chrissy goes on the radio and tells the host that the Government of Britain can save the girls by sending them to an Irish prison. This brings people out to protest against the British Government.
A few days later, Chrissy calls to say her health is deteriorating, but she is keeping hope. The next day, Dolours is mad because Dr. Mansuri is not present. One day, Mar chokes on the food that was sent through the pipe and faints. However, Mar is saved, and Dr. Mansuri assures Dolours that Mar is okay. The next day, Dolours puts up a fight and tells Dr. Mansuri to inform his government that this is how it’s going to go forward, as Dolours will not cooperate and will give Dr. Mansuri a chance to kill her.
The next day, a nurse comes to the cell to give breakfast, and Dolours is happy. After the incident, Dr. Mansuri and others quit based on their ethical concerns about the treatment. The girls continue the hunger strike and become weak. Now, they are put together in a terminal ward. One day, Dolours wakes up and thinks Mar is dead. While Dolours panics, the nurses come in and inform Dolours that they have won and will be going to Ireland. To Dolours’s relief, Mar wakes up. On the way home, Dolours and Mar finally eat a full meal.
Say Nothing (2024) Episode 7 “Theatre People” Recap:
The episode opens with Mar and Dolours sent to Armagh women’s prison in Ireland. In 1981, the authorities told the Price girls that they could qualify for medical release. Before that happens, the officers question the girls about their plans once they get out of prison. Dolours says she wants to get married and settle down. Furthermore, Dolours states that she is not interested in joining the IRA again. Instead, Dolours will spend time talking about non-violence. When the officers ask Mar, Mar agrees to everything Dolours says.
One day, in a bar, Dolours meets an actor, Stephen Rae, and they hit it off. After a fantastic night, Dolours comes home to find Gerry waiting for Dolours. Gerry is running for the Parliament and wants Dolours’s help. However, Dolours declines, saying politics is not her gig. That night, Dolours attends Stephen’s play and hangs out with his friends. One of Stephen’s friends, Lyra, dons the role of Dolours for a play. When Lyra and others start questioning Dolours about the things that took place, Dolours loses her cool. Thankfully, Stephen understands Dolours and consoles her.
Brendan and other IRA members are in prison watching Gerry’s interview. During the interview, Gerry says that he was never a part of the IRA, disappointing all the men in prison. In 1993, Dolours has grown up and has a child of her own named Danny. Dolours have married Stephen, who has become a movie star. Dolours question certain things she did when she was an IRA member. Meanwhile, Helen is also married and still looking for answers about her missing mother. One day, Helen meets a former IRA member and asks him about Jean. But the man does not have any Intel to give. Elsewhere, Brendan and Gerry argue that Brendan does not like the fact that Gerry is disassociating from the IRA. In a bar somewhere, Helen sees Gerry’s interview and realizes it must be Gerry’s order to kidnap Jean.
Say Nothing (2024) Episode 8 “I Lay Waiting” Recap:
The episode opens with Gerry meeting Father Alec and giving him an envelope to pass on to Gerry’s enemies through the Catholic Church. After Gerry becomes a politician wanting to have peace talks, some members of the IRA, including Brendan, are unhappy with the way Gerry behaves. In 1994, Dolours started consuming Valium to keep her sanity. When Dolours is out, Mar calls her as the results of the peace negotiation are out. The members of the IRA are together, and as per the negotiations, the first step is for cessation of military operations. The British will be cutting back its troops, and the IRA will be decommissioning. The step infuriates a group of IRA members, including Brendan and Dolours.
Who finds Jean’s body?
Helen goes on the radio, breaking her silence about what the IRA has done to her mother. After that, a man visits Helen, saying his son Eamon went missing in 1975 as well. Furthermore, the man thinks there are more such families out there looking for their missing family members. The families go on TV and ask for answers from the IRA and Gerry Adams. When Gerry sees the news, he visits Helen. It is evident to Gerry that he needs to find Jean; otherwise, the situation is going to get out of his hands.
So Gerry promises to find Jean at any cost. The investigations begin, and Frankie visits Dolours, asking if she knows something about Jean. This question infuriates Dolours, and she asks Frankie to ask Gerry about Jean’s whereabouts. Through the investigation, Gerry’s team finds one of the informant’s bodies, but they haven’t found Jean yet. Gerry has released a book, so Dolours storms in, asking Gerry why he has not mentioned anything about the London bombing as Gerry and Dolours planned this together.
Outside, Mar tells Dolours that some of the IRA members are strategizing to make their voices heard and asks Dolours to join. But Dolours thinks Mar is too old for operations. A while later, Helen’s family gets a call, and it seems they have found Jean. Sadly, the bones turn out to be dog skulls. One day, Dolours calls Helen, wanting to say something, but hangs up.
Soon after that, Dolours meets Brandan and asks if Brandan ever wants to go public with the IRA story. So he tells Dolours about Mackers and the Belfast Project. One day, a civilian finds Jean’s body, and the McConville children are relieved. A police officer gives the family a choice to either let it be or file a case, as the body is found by a civilian and not the IRA. This now becomes an open murder case. In the last scene, Dolours admits to driving some of the disappeared members, facilitating their deaths.
Say Nothing (2024) Episode 9 “The People in the Dirt” Recap:
The episode begins with Mackers asking Dolours about Jean McConville. As per orders, Dolours would take people across the border, but when Jean was taken, Dolours was not present. The reason Jean is taken is because she is a British informant, according to IRA. When Dolours hears about it, she wants to put Jean on the streets as an example. As usual, Dolours takes Jean across the border, and this time, Mar rides with them as well. While this is going on, Mar gets arrested for buying some guns to shoot at British officers. Hearing this, Dolours is mad and tells Mar, who is in prison, about the Belfast Project.
One day at work, Brendan has a heart attack and dies. During Brendan’s funeral, Gerry walks in and carries the casket, infuriating Dolours. At this time, Mackers says it’s going to be a long time before anyone hears the tapes. That day, Dolours calls a reporter from the Irish News and asks to set up an interview as Dolours has something to say about Jean. The following day, Allison Morris from the Irish News arrives to interview Dolours. During the interview, Dolours reveals that Jean is an informer and is seen in the Hasting Street barracks. The way the IRA caught Jean was because of her red slippers, as Jean used to hide behind a blanket and reveal to the officers if someone was an IRA or not. When Dolours gets involved, she is told that Jean has confessed and needs to be driven across the border.
Say Nothing (2024) Ending Explained:
Was the IRA involved in Jean’s disappearance?
Dolours reveals that she used to report to Pat, and Pat would report to Gerry. Hence, the order to kill Jean was given by Gerry. In the news, Gerry hears what Dolours has said and starts to worry. Soon, Gerry’s men inform him about the Belfast Project. After the news breaks out, Helen makes a formal complaint with the police to investigate Jean’s death. One morning, Dolour’s son Danny finds his mother dead on the bed. Immediately, Gerry is informed that Dolours has died because of an overdose. After that, the cops inform Gerry that he is going to be arrested. So Gerry walks into the police station on his own for questioning. When the officers play the Belfast Project tapes and show pictures, Gerry continues to say he was never a part of the IRA.
Furthermore, Gerry adds that everything Dolours and Brendan have said is just their opinion and cannot be proven. Briefly, Helen and her family are excited to hear Gerry is in custody, but that is short-lived as Gerry is released without any charges. During Dolours’s funeral, Mar is worried that there will be people knocking at her door for what Dolours has confessed. But Mackers assures Mar that she has nothing to worry about.
Off the record, Dolours tells Mackers that Dolours was called back to finish the job across the border as the gunmen were unwilling to kill Jean. Dolours, Pat, and Mar reach the place, and Dolours is shaky and misses Jean when she fires. Mar takes the gun and kills Jean. During a press conference, Gerry is asked if he does not feel the blood of the victims on his hands. Gerry denies feeling any guilt as he was and is not a member of the IRA.
In 1999, the UK and the Irish governments established a committee to find the remains of abducted and murdered during the Troubles. Out of 17 people who disappeared, only the remains of 13 are found. Among the remains that are yet to be found are Joe and Seamus. Gerry Adams denies being involved with the IRA or the murder of Jean. Furthermore, Marian Price also denies being involved with Jean’s murder. After an investigation, there was no proof that Jean was an informant for the British.
The reason Dolours jumped the gun and spoke to the Irish news is because she is unable to tolerate seeing Gerry Adams as a peacemaker when Gerry was the reason so many people lost their loved ones and fought for a free Ireland. Brendan was disappointed with Gerry changing and losing the camaraderie they once had. Eventually, the truth about the IRA and everything that went on came out because of critical members like Dolours and Brendan.
