Hulu trailer: https://rb.gy/f5lk4w

For the first six or so episodes I didn’t get the hoopla, this is considered to be one of the best series of the past year.

But then…

I’ve been to Belfast. I went by Van Morrison’s home, I actually walked down into the hollow, but didn’t see that brown eyed girl.

And I learned about the Troubles, I saw the paintings on the walls, the walls themselves, there was now peace but the remnants of what once was were highly visible.

And I thought I had somewhat of a grasp on what had gone on there until I watched this series.

“Give Ireland back to the Irish”

That’s what Paul McCartney sang back in ’72, it was the first Wings single.

And of course Bono sang about Bloody Sunday.

Then again, that was in the early eighties, when we took our music seriously, before Bono decided to save the entire world, before how much you made eclipsed what you had to say.

And there were the Catholics and the Protestants and the Brits and…

I live in America, where we believe it’s the greatest country in the world, to the point where we don’t have to even learn about the rest of the globe.

Meaning, chances are you don’t know the essence of this story either.

Now the initial episodes are all about IRA activities. Shooting, blowing things up, death and…

It doesn’t wholly ring true. I mean you accept the story, but the series is lacking a realistic edge, you don’t feel the grit, you don’t feel the danger.

Having said that… Lola Petticrew as Dolours Price is beyond belief. She’s got that devil may care attitude, the belief in the cause the young possess. But she can feel fear too.

And the story revolves around the activities of Dolours and her sister Marian. And it’s good TV.

And then…

Gerry Adams becomes a politician and negotiates peace.

I guess I thought Gerry Adams was a hero. But after watching this series…

But I don’t want to ruin it, I just want you to commit to it.

This is a true story. People fighting for their freedom. You wonder if this can happen in America…

And the fight goes on for decades and then…

You’ll remember some of this, the bombs, assuming you were alive back then. You’ll remember when all the terrorism happened over there, when we believed we were immune.

But not anymore. Can you say not only 9/11, but New Orleans?

There is a visceral quality that emerges in the story deep into the series. Ironically, it’s got less to do with action than feelings. How certain people feel sold out, feel duped.

And if you’re living over there, in Ireland, this is all 101.

But if you’re over here…

You mean people truly risked their lives for freedom? Killed in the name of the cause?

When this series is over you’ll feel this sense of emptiness. And you don’t have to have experienced the Troubles to understand it. You only have to get older.

You think ultimately things are going to work out. That you will always be able to depend upon certain people.

But then those you trusted most do what’s expedient. It’s like you don’t even know them anymore. They treat you like you’re still friends, but they’ve changed and you have not, and you’re creeped out about it.

Commit to all nine episodes. “Say Nothing” will stay with you.

At first it might seem like lightweight Scorsese, but ultimately it’s more meaningful than most of Scorsese’s work. There’s a gravitas along with an emptiness, more questions than answers… Is this how the world really works?

You watch it and you decide.