The Woman in the Wall's Colman learns a horrifying truth in episode 4
"But you're alive?"
The Woman in the Wall's Lorna Brady had always hoped that her daughter Agnes had not only survived life in the laundry, for however long she had remained there, but also that she would one day come face to face with her child – and possibly even form a relationship with her.
But in the last episode, she was dealt a crushing blow when she found her baby's death certificate.
Lorna had found the document at the wailing woman's house, where it had been hidden underneath a floor board by Aoife, whose body has disappeared without a trace.
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Following that heart-rending development, Lorna was determined to find her daughter's grave. But despite sifting through reams of archive material, she was unable to track Agnes down.
Like Aoife, and 295 other babies, she had vanished from the face of the earth.
"What did they do with their bodies?" she asked Michael as the pair sat surrounded by almost 300 death certificates.
"What if we're looking at another Tuam, here in Kilkinure? Like a mass grave?"
But in the final moments of the drama, she received a visit from Detective Colman Akande which could change everything.
He had previously quizzed his adoptive mother about the identity of his biological mother, which led to a concerning confirmation about The House of the Sacred Shepherd.
The adoption agency, which oversaw the transfer of children from the mother and baby homes to new families (one of whom was Colman) closed down in 1979 according to official records. But numerous signs now point to it continuing its activities underground.
"If what you're saying is right, we're looking at a decade or more of illegal adoptions," said Sgt Massey. "How many kids is that?"
"Hundreds, probably," replied Colman. "Thousands even."
A short time later, the detective, who had recently been ordered to take some leave from work due to his conduct, went to visit a local archive library, where he made a harrowing discovery: his own death certificate.
The piece of paper stated that on 12th December 1989, he had died aged 4 years, 10 months while living at Lazurus House.
"But you're alive?" asked Lorna. "Aren't you?"
"Yeah. I'm alive," responded Colman.
After comparing his death certificate with her daughter's, she began to laugh hysterically, the dark clouds parting briefly for her.
I questioned whether Agnes was really dead in an episode 3 recap, positing the theory that the document could have been falsified – and that could well be the case.
While her status is still unknown, Lorna's daughter might be out there, somewhere, which means there's hope yet.
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The Woman in the Wall continues on Sunday 17th September on BBC One. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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Authors
Abby Robinson is the Drama Editor for Radio Times, covering TV drama and comedy titles. She previously worked at Digital Spy as a TV writer, and as a content writer at Mumsnet. She possesses a postgraduate diploma and a degree in English Studies.
