Welcome to our World! Where we serve you cookies to ensure you get the best viewing experience on our site.

Did you know that you can remove censorship board-wide, use our advanced search functions, be notified when new content is posted, join our memberships, set episodes to show in any order you want & more if you are logged into your account?

Register or sign in here: ucp.php?mode=register

01x06 - A Little Resurrection

Episode transcripts for the TV show, "The Woman in the Wall". Aired: 27 August – 24 September 2023.*
Watch/Buy Amazon


Lorna wakes up to find the apparently dead body of a woman in her house.

01x06 - A Little Resurrection

Post by bunniefuu »

The convent was selling our children.

Private donation £10,887.

- They sold her.

- Who's this?

That's one of the men Father Percy

introduced us to.

The Wisconsin Holy Cross

Adoption Agency,

formerly the House

of the Sacred Shepherd,

founded by Jim McCullen.

That's James Coyle.

I think you know exactly

where Aoife Cassidy is

and you'll tell us right now.

The last time I saw her, she was

walking away with my baby.

She was a nun in the convent

and she was trying to help me.

I k*lled her! I k*lled her!

I remember Aoife Cassidy.

She died and she rose again.

- There was a body.

- Then where is she? Where's Aoife?

[KNOCKING]

[CROWS CAW]

[BANGING]

I'm not awful sure

what I'm supposed to say.

You could ask what it is

I'm doing here after 30 years.

What is it you're doing here after

30 years, Sister Cassidy?

Not Sister.

No, you'll remember

I never completed my final vows.

[CHURCH BELL]

Something happened that day.

PERCY: Yes, I remember.

Catalepsy.

That was the name they gave it.

A rare side-effect of untreated

epilepsy, apparently.

Sister? Sister Cassidy?

[BELL TOLLS]

[RAGGED BREATHING]

[COUGHING]

[LOUD GASP]

[SHE COUGHS]

The condition gives

the appearance of death.

Doctors say it's often

triggered by

extreme emotional stress.

The moment of prostration is

always an emotional one.

It wasn't that.

It was something I heard.

[CHILDREN CRY]

It was the sound of children.

Dozens of children, Father.

And I recognised every

single one of them.

It was all the children that you

and I stole from their mothers.

- Now, hang on

- That we stole and that we sold

- to complete strangers.

- Calm down now, Sister.

We stole them, we sold them,

and then we lied

and we pretended they were dead

in case their mothers went

looking for them one day

and found out what we had done.

Let me show you something.

Letters of thanks from parents.

Christmas cards written to me

from their children.

Safe and sound and happy.

Living with good Catholic families,

all of them.

- You kept these?

- I kept copies of everything.

If anyone came

looking for these children,

I had to make sure no-one

would find them.

I had to protect them.

We saved these children, Sister.

You should be proud

of the work you did.

You're mad in the head.

You're deluded.

We didn't save anyone.

We disappeared these children.

And you have all this just sitting

here rotting away in a box,

when you could be using all this

to help reunite mothers

- with their babies.

- They're not their mothers.

They never were in the first place.

- Now, give them back to me.

- No!

Give them! Come back!

No! Stop it!

[WHEEZING]

[HE GROANS SOFTLY]

[HE GROANS MORE LOUDLY]

That's Breda, in the middle.

She wouldn't give me her name,

but she left you something.

I know what happened to your child

They're not coming.

What did you say?

I thought maybe you'd been stood up.

Sorry, you don't remember me.

We were at school together.

How did you know she wasn't coming?

- I don't understand what you're saying.

- Get your hands off me!

[VOICES ECHO]

[DOG BARKS]

Don't worry.

We can talk in the morning.

[DOOR CREAKS]

[DOOR CLOSES]

[DOOR CREAKS]

[SHE PANTS]

[BABY CRIES]

No! Where are you going?

SCREAMS: Give me my baby!

[BABIES CRY]

[BABIES CRY]

[BABIES CRY]

[SHE GASPS]

Lorna. [SHE GASPS]

Please!

Help me!

Episode 6/6

[WHEEZING BREATH]

[SHE PANTS]

[SHE WHIMPERS]

[SHE SCREAMS]

Hello?

[PHONE RINGS]

COLMAN: Lorna.

Can you get over to the station?

I think we've found something.

Hello, I'm James Coyle,

and I'm here to talk to you

today about the Eadrom Group.

The Eadrom Group was founded

to help bring Catholicism

into the 21st century.

Why are you showing me

this shite talk?

It's him.

Coyle.

He's Ignatius McCullen.

He's the man my mother paid

to adopt me.

Wait, wait. Wait.

You're saying that Coyle is the one

who trafficked our children?

He worked for the House

of the Sacred Shepherd

alongside Father Percy.

Maybe Aoife too.

I mean, God knows who else.

Coyle is just one of many.

What, so he sold my Agnes?

Yeah. He's been

using the Eadrom Group

to cover his tracks for years. Look.

Alongside out advocacy work,

we have helped raise funds

from all over the world

to restore and refurbish

community centres, churches

orphanages, mother and

baby homes, laundries.

He's destroying the evidence

of everything they did

and he's calling it charity.

[EXHALES]

I was right.

That's why he wanted us

to sign that f*cking contract.

- To shut us up.

- The man has a lot to lose, Lorna.

We think he's involved

in Father Percy's m*rder.

but rather to have

- Go back!

- What?

Go back, go back, go back.

There!

It's a primary school. St Alma's.

That's the place

that Breda was talking about.

Where most of the kids were sent

from the Kilkinure

mother and baby home.

[KEYS CLACKING]

Eadrom refurbished it in '91.

It used to be a children's hospital.

Do you see what I see?

Sisters of the Seven Joys.

That's no coincidence.

They ran a mother and baby home.

They must have run

this place too. Where is it?

Slow down, Lorna, all right?

This isn't as simple

- as you'd like to think.

- But that's it.

That's the place.

That's where they took Agnes.

Someone there must know something.

- But

- No.

I'm going, Colman.

It's an hour from here.

[DOOR CLOSES]

How are you, Lorna?

I think it's about time

we talked to Mr Coyle.

And how old is your daughter?

She's three.

Three. Lovely.

So she'll be starting with us

in the nursery,

which is just up this way.

What's her name?

- Agnes.

- Agnes. Beautiful.

Well, I'm sure she'll love it here.

Is it true this used to be

a children's hospital?

It was originally, yes.

And they brought kids

from the mother and baby homes here?

Sorry Are you a journalist?

No.

I'm one of those mothers.

And I've been looking for my kid

for a very long time.

Here, look.

So, do you mean

your daughter was brought here?

Yes, I think so.

She was taken away from me

30 years ago.

Look, I'm so sorry

that I lied, I just

This could be my last chance to find

out what happened to her

It's OK. Look,

I'm sorry, but I'm not

really sure how I can help.

I don't know, is there

someone here I can talk to?

Maybe I could speak

to the Board of Governors?

Some of them have been here

since the school first opened.

That would be amazing.

It's worth a try.

Mr Coyle? I'm Detective Sergeant

Colman Akande.

This is Sergeant Massey.

We've a few questions for you

in relation to the m*rder

of Father Percy Sheehan.

Of course. I, um

Let me see if I can find somewhere

a bit more private so we can talk.

Here's fine for us.

Did you take a call from

Father Percy at the Imperial Hotel,

the evening of October 30th?

I did.

The night of his m*rder.

What did you talk about?

Not much.

Small talk. I, er

I congratulated him

on his recent award.

[PHONE RINGS]

He didn't mention

anything else, huh?

No. Nothing significant enough

for me to remember.

I find that hard to believe,

considering he'd just been

attacked and robbed.

Did you see him

as a liability after that?

Excuse me?

Considering he knew all about you

and your friends

at the Sacred Shepherd.

The children.

Ignatius McCullen.

Is it a crime for one

to use a different name?

Child trafficking.

That's a crime.

Falsifying death certificates.

There's another.

m*rder.

That's a big one.

Do you have anything

to accuse me of here, Detective?

Where were you the rest of

the night? After Percy called you?

I was giving a talk.

Not dissimilar to the one tonight.

It started at 6:30pm,

shortly after he called me,

and it lasted until

just before nine.

And er, can anyone

attest to that, Mr Coyle?

Well, I er, I don't want

to blow my own horn,

but it was a sold-out event.

So, yes, almost 200 people

can attest to that.

[SIGHS]

He must have called someone else.

Coyle.

He must have done.

He sent someone else to the house.

And how are we ever

going to prove that?

What judge would ever give you

a warrant for his phone records?

You're not even allowed

to be working,

and we've just established

the man has an airtight alibi.

Jesus, Massey, the man trafficked

children for nearly two decades!

- I was one of them.

- I know, lad. I know.

But that's not the crime

we're here to investigate.

[CHILDREN SHOUT]

Careful, guys. Don't fall.

Lorna?

You're in luck!

He said yes straight away,

he was delighted to help.

OK, he's just in there.

OK, so, I'll leave you to it.

- Thanks, Marie.

- OK. Good luck.

Lorna.

Hello.

My name's Dr Gabriel.

You're one of the governors?

I used to be.

I've still a few friends

on the board.

I'm with the Health Service.

We had a lot of dealings

with St Alma's back in the day.

When it was a children's hospital?

Exactly.

Please.

I'm really glad you asked to see me.

Marie told me

Jesus, what you've been through,

Lorna, it's, it's inconceivable.

I'm awfully sorry.

Thank you, Doctor.

Tell me, what do you need?

I'm at your service.

I think my daughter is still alive.

Can you help me find her?

Of course I will.

I'll do everything I can

to help you.

However, it's only fair

to let you know, Lorna

I've worked on

cases like this before

and sometimes these children

don't want to be found.

Right.

Er, what do you mean?

Adoptees can often feel resentful

towards their birth mothers.

They can feel abandoned.

So perhaps you're not

ready for that, emotionally,

- or psychologically.

- No.

I'm ready.

Believe me, I am.

Hmm.

I understand you were admitted

to a psychiatric hospital once.

And you had counselling afterwards

that didn't end well?



How would you know that?

Well, I wouldn't be doing my job

if I didn't go into your background.

Is it true the police have

spoken to you

in connection

with an arson attack?

Nothing was proven.

And it's not the first time you've

been in trouble with the Guards.

- No, please

- Is it? Trespassing.

- Please

- Criminal damage.

- I'm a good person

- Intimidating behaviour.

Intimidating? Who am I intimidating?

And all the lies, Lorna.

I'm not lying! What am I

What am I lying about?

Someone told me

that you turned up, unannounced,

pretending that you wanted

to enrol your child.

- No, no, I didn't. That wasn't

- That has to stop.

I wasn't doing it on

purpose, I'm trying to

People are worried about you.

They are scared.

- You're not f*cking listening to me!

- Oh, for God's sake!

I'm just tying to find

I'm not f*cking lying!

I'm not f*cking lying!

And what would your child think

if she could see you now?

All these stories

you've been telling yourself,

they're making you unwell.

If you continue like this,

you could be hospitalised

without your consent.

Indefinitely.

Do you understand?

And we don't want that for you.

We'll leave it at that, so

Thank you for talking to me, Lorna.





Do you remember one of the first

things I ever said to you?

What, that I look like

one of the Backstreet Boys?

[MASSEY LAUGHS]

No. No, I said that this

was a boring town.

And a couple weeks later,

what have we got?

There must be something else

we can do, Massey.

I should have done something

years ago.

Well, you didn't know

all of this was going on.

I was a part of it, Colman.

We all were.

We all knew what was going on

up in that convent,

and anyone tells you any different

and they're a liar.

I brought young girls up

and back to that place.

I let taxi drivers haul young kids

off to God-knows-where.

I saw the Cruelty Men

go up to that convent

and come out and say everything

was fine and I accepted it all

What did you say?

What?

You said, er

- The Cruelty Men?

- Well, yeah.

Yeah, that was just the nickname

we used for the inspectors from

the, the whatchacallit, the ISPCC.

You mean the Prevention

of Cruelty to Children?

Yeah.

It was just like a shorthand

we used, you know?

The Cruelty Man's coming

The Cruelty Man is coming. Run!

Those nuns

they locked me in a tunnel

and they'd say that

the Cruelty Man was coming.

"Don't make a sound

or the Cruelty Man will get you."

[WHISPERING VOICES]

[FOOTSTEPS]

I thought that he was a monster.

But he wasn't, was he?

It was a lie.

Those nuns were

protecting themselves

from the cruelty

that they were inflicting on me.

He was probably one of the few

people who could have helped me.

[HEARTBEAT PULSES]

- Where are you going?

- To put an end to all of this.

Colman

- Colman!

- [DOOR CLOSES]

[CROWS CAW]

[BIRDS CAW]

Lorna.

Are you all right?

I'm grand.

What's been going on?

I came to say goodbye.

You're leaving?

I was about to head to the station.

I tried calling you.

A few times.

I left a couple of messages.

Will you be coming back?

No.

Probably not.

You know what I'm

going to ask you, don't you?

Please.

Please.

Just let me

Let me take you out of this place.

I can't.

I have to be alone now, Michael.

Sorry.

OK.

I'd better be off, so

I'll see you

Lorna.

[PHONE RINGS]

This is Colman Akande.

Leave a message.

[DOOR CLOSES]

[SHE CLEARS HER THROAT]

Amy. Hello.

You got my message, so.

Yeah.

I've been staying with

Peggy and Deirdre.

They insisted.

I think they were worried after

the whole thing, you know.

Thomas.

Yeah, well, so was I.

And that's why you were

looking for me, right?

He wants to press charges?

Look, whatever it is, Massey,

will you just get it over with?

Is that your daughter?



The problem

is Catholicism's inability

to embrace its own reckoning

and move forward.

[APPLAUSE]

Thank you.

Thank you very much indeed

for what was an inspiring evening.

- Detective.

- Mr Coyle.

I wasn't expecting you

to stick around here.

Ah. I mean, of course.

That part about, er, what was it?

Embracing our own reckoning.

Yeah.

Well, thank you

for coming, Detective.

If you'll excuse me, I just need

How much did I cost?

How much did my mother pay for me?

I am coming for you

and all of your friends.

Ah, well

Well, I think that went

rather well, really.

October 30th, October 30th

[PHONE RINGS]

Hello?

Hello?

Mr Coyle?

Mr Coyle?

You rang me?

I didn't ring you.

Let me just check.

Come with me.

I don't understand.

But why is he calling me?

Look, he'll know by now

that I called you that night.

He'll work out that you went

to Father Percy's house.

Now, listen to me, Leslie.

You are going to be arrested,

but I need you to remember

there are a lot of good people here

with a lot to lose.

Now, we need to know we have

your silence, should it call for it.

I'm so sorry to interrupt, guys,

but could I speak

to your colleague here?

I'm Detective Sergeant Colman

Hey

Hey! Stop!

Hey!

- Hey

- Get away from me.

Calm down. Give me that knife.

sh*t

Hey! Stop!

You're under arrest for the

m*rder of Father Percy Sheehan.

You're not obliged to say anything

unless you wish to do so

WHISPERING: Our Father, who art

in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name.

Thy Kingdom

He made you do it, didn't he?

What happened that night?

I think Aoife stole

the evidence of their crimes.

Percy called his old friend Coyle.

Then Coyle panicked,

decided Percy was a liability,

and I think he coerced you

into shutting him up for good.

How far off am I?

It didn't make a difference,

you know that, don't you?

All of this is coming out

whether you like it or not.

Those families that were torn apart.

All the people

that benefited from it.

Eadrom's attempts

to cover it all up.

Listen, I know what it's like

to be misled.

OK, you think these are good,

Christian people, but they're not.

They're godless, self-serving

You are the godless ones!

You're not willing

to make sacrifices.

Are you sacrificing yourself?

For him?

[PHONE RINGS]

COLMAN: Lorna? Are you all right?

Can I ask you a question?

Sure.

Do you love your mam?

You know, the woman who adopted you?

Raised you?

Yeah.

Of course I do.

Did she make you happy?

Did she give you a good life?

Lorna, what's this about?

Please, please,

just answer the questions.

Yes.

I love my mam.

I'll always love her

for what she's done for me.

You know, I think

I think she saved me.

And what about your birth mother?

Do you ever think of her?

I think about her every day.

What if you never find her?

That's OK.

I'll always love her, too.

Because she loved me.

Didn't she?

Yes.

Yes, she did.

OK. [SOB]

Thank you.

Wait, Lorna

[CLICK]

[SHE SOBS]

[BIRDS CAW]

[BIRDS CAW LOUDER]

[WIND HOWLS]

[BIRDS CAW]

[SHE GASPS]

[CAWING GROWS LOUDER]

[MORE CAWING]

[WHISPERING VOICES]

[SHE GASPS]

[FLIES BUZZ]

I'm so sorry.

[INHALES]

You can't go in there! Stop!

I always wondered

what these rooms looked like.

We've got it from here, Sister.

Thank you.

What do you think you're doing?

Do you remember me?

Well, how about them?

I remember her.

Me too.

What is this? What Aiden?

AMY: 298 children

died here at the convent.

And thanks to Lorna Brady,

we have all their names.

Three of those children

have burial records.

208 of them, we now know, were

trafficked and sold.

That leaves 87 children

completely unaccounted for.

Like this one here.

Emily.

Emily Kane.

That's my daughter.

You know I wanted to call her Emily.

I remember telling the midwife that.

And there she is.

We know for a fact that Emily died.

So we're assuming

the other 86 children did too.

There's only one place

where they could be,

where my little girl could be.

And that's here.

Still at the convent.

Where did you bury

their bodies, Sister?

You can't come here

making new accusations.

Because you all signed an agreement!

That's right, Sister.

We can't.

But he can.

So what have you got to say, Sister?

No-one will believe a word

those women are saying.

You know, for a long time, most

of us would have agreed with you.

But I believe that's because

we couldn't possibly fathom

that such evil could exist

in this country.

Now, this is your

last chance to tell us

what happened to those children.

Because after that, I'm coming

after you with everything I have.

Because the way I see it,

you will be held to account

for this either way.

If not by me,

then by the man himself.

If he's half the man

you claim him to be.

[FRUSTRATED BREATH]

Very well so.

Good day to you, Sister.

I'll be seeing you.

Soon.

What happened?

How did she get up there?

She must have been still alive

when I put her in the wall.

I k*lled her.

I didn't mean to, but I did.

OK.

OK.

It's your daughter?

Aoife found her.

She's alive.

Listen to me, Lorna,

we have to get your story straight.

This wasn't your fault.

You didn't know

what you were doing, OK,

you have to say that

you were sleepwalking.

- No.

- That you were traumatised,

- that you weren't of sound mind.

- No! Colman.

I'm not mad.

I never was.

But what about Agnes?

Lorna, you are

so close to finding her.

My daughter's alive.

Look at her.

[LAUGH] Look at her.

She is so happy.

That's all I needed to know.

The Magdalene Song

by Sinéad O’Connor:

I am the cause ♪

Of misery ♪

To those I love ♪

And who love me ♪

I'm everything ♪

with instruments:

A woman's not supposed to be ♪

That's why they took ♪

My children off of me. ♪

LORNA, WHISPERING:

Do not stand at my grave and weep.

I am not there.

I do not sleep.

NORMAL VOICE:

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am the diamond glints on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn rain.

Do not stand at my grave and cry.

I am not there.

I did not die.

How are you feeling?

Well, I'm sleeping.

How about you?

You look tired.

Ah, we've got nothing on Coyle yet,

or anyone else involved.

They're all protecting each other,

but there's got to be someone

out there willing to talk.

Well, good luck.

Lorna, do you remember the payments

in the church accounts books?

Some of them were weird amounts.

Like Agnes's.

£10 887.09.

It was because of

the currency exchange.

Dollars to pounds.

It turns out St Alma's was

a sort of processing centre.

Kids were sent there while

the nuns got their papers sorted.

Got passports made up for them.

What, so you're saying

that they were what, sent abroad?

I found her, Lorna.

It took a little while, but

Who?

I found your daughter.

No, you didn't.

She's been looking for you too.

She's been looking for me?

Ever since her family told her

she was adopted.

What, so you spoke to her?

Yes.

And where is she?

- In Boston.

- Boston.

Boston

well, is she?

You know, is she?

It's OK.

It's OK.

Why don't you speak to her yourself?

I I can speak to her?

If you'd like.

There's a room you can use.

Now?

All right.

Now

You just press call.

What time is it in Boston?

It's nearly half seven.

Well, I I wouldn't want

to interrupt her breakfast.

She's waiting for you, Lorna.

[VIDEO CALL RINGS]

[PING]

Hi.

Sinéad with instruments:

But that's not going to happen ♪

I'm going to live ♪

Not for anybody but myself ♪

On the mountainside so steep ♪

Where the little donkeys sleep ♪

That's where I'll lay

my sorry head tonight. ♪