Ruth Wilson’s Striking Performance in The Woman in the Wall Doesn’t Make Up for the Gothic’s Dense Narrative

Created by Joe Murtagh, the BAFTA-nominated screenwriter behind Calm With Horses (2019), Showtime’s The Woman in the Wall begins with an image that is both haunting and unforgettable. It is 2015 in the fictional town of Kilkinure, Ireland. Clare Harner’s poem “Immortality” echoes across the soundtrack as a woman in a stark white nightgown wakes in the middle of a lonely road. That woman is Lorna Brady, portrayed by Ruth Wilson in one of her most commanding performances to date.

A Gothic Opening

The first episode quickly establishes the unsettling world Lorna inhabits. On her barefoot walk back toward town, she passes cows, watchful neighbors, and a landscape that feels heavy with secrets. It is immediately clear that this is not the first time she has woken in a strange place — Lorna suffers from violent episodes of sleepwalking, and this will not be her last.

At home, she deals with a troubling leak before heading to work as a seamstress. But her fragile attempt at normalcy is shattered by a note hinting at the whereabouts of her long-lost daughter, taken from her years earlier. From there, the story expands into a tale that mixes small-town gothic mystery with the real-life shadow of Ireland’s Magdalene Laundries, institutions where women endured forced labor and systemic abuse.

The Shocking Discovery

As if Lorna’s emotional turmoil weren’t enough, she soon discovers something far more shocking: a corpse inside her own home. The horror of this find is magnified by her disorientation — she has no memory of how the body arrived there or whether she herself is responsible. This gruesome discovery propels her into a spiraling journey through Kilkinure’s darkest corners, dragging buried secrets into the light.

Ruth Wilson’s Extraordinary Performance

Ruth Wilson is the undeniable anchor of The Woman in the Wall. Her performance captures the contradictions of Lorna: abrasive yet vulnerable, aggressive yet broken, filled with rage yet yearning for truth. Wilson imbues her character with a volatile energy that is impossible to look away from. Even in moments where the writing falters, Wilson maintains emotional intensity, grounding the series in the raw humanity of a woman who has endured unspeakable trauma.

It is a performance that critics will likely remember as one of the most layered of her career, balancing gothic melodrama with real-world anguish.

A Dense and Uneven Narrative

For all its atmospheric strengths, The Woman in the Wall often buckles under the weight of its own storytelling. Murtagh attempts to blend too many elements at once: a murder mystery, a psychological study of trauma, a historical reckoning with the Magdalene Laundries, and a gothic thriller aesthetic. Each piece is compelling on its own, but together they create a dense narrative that sometimes feels overburdened and difficult to follow.

Instead of heightening suspense, the heavy layering of plotlines can stall momentum. Flashbacks, extended monologues, and multiple subplots risk diluting the emotional core of the series. While the show’s ambition is admirable, it occasionally tries to do too much at once.

The Supporting Cast

Daryl McCormack, as Detective Colman Akande, delivers a thoughtful performance as the investigator drawn into Lorna’s nightmare. His own connection to the Magdalene system adds a layer of personal conflict, though the script often leaves his character underdeveloped. Other supporting roles, from Philippa Dunne to Simon Delaney, fill out Kilkinure’s uneasy community, but too often these characters serve as archetypes rather than fully realized individuals.

Atmosphere Overload

Where the series succeeds most is in its atmosphere. The fog-drenched fields of Kilkinure, the dimly lit interiors of Lorna’s home, and the unnerving silences between characters all reinforce the gothic tone. Director Harry Wootliff leans heavily into visual symbolism, making the environment feel oppressive, almost suffocating.

Yet atmosphere cannot entirely compensate for uneven pacing. What begins as hypnotically eerie can, over time, feel heavy-handed. The series sometimes seems more committed to aesthetic than to clarity, leaving viewers trapped in mood without a clear sense of narrative drive.

Verdict

The Woman in the Wall is a bold, ambitious work that deserves credit for spotlighting Ireland’s painful history while delivering an eerie, cinematic mystery. But ambition comes at a cost. Its dense storytelling, uneven pacing, and overstuffed narrative prevent it from fully realizing its potential.

What saves the show from unraveling completely is Ruth Wilson. Her extraordinary performance as Lorna Brady — fractured, furious, vulnerable, and unforgettable — ensures the series leaves an impression, even when the plot feels muddled.

For viewers seeking a gothic thriller with emotional heft, The Woman in the Wall will be worth the effort. But those hoping for narrative precision may find themselves lost in its dense shadows.