Caution: Spoilers for all episodes of The Woman in The Wall follow
In the second-to-last episode, a shocking revelation unfolds. James Coyle, previously known as Ignatius J. McCullen, is revealed as a central figure in the theft and sale of children from a mother and baby home and other locations, including Lorna Brady’s child and Detective Colman Akande himself.
Coyle, the founder of the Aedrom Group, was secretly running a trafficking ring with the late Father Percy. They took “donations” from adoptive families to cover up their crimes by renovating key locations.
Out of 298 children at the Kilkinure convent, 208 were stolen and sold, leaving 87 unaccounted for, believed to have died and been buried secretly on-site.
Lorna and Colman teamed up to uncover the scandal, and the series finale is looming. But what happens to Coyle, Lorna’s child, and Aoife Cassidy? Read on for the final episode’s breakdown.
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The Woman in the Wall ending explained – Who killed Father Percy?
Aoife confronted Percy on the night he passed away to address his involvement in the criminal operation. During their encounter, she stumbled upon a box containing letters of appreciation from adoptive parents, Christmas cards sent by the stolen children, and fake death certificates.
Young Father Percy (Michael O’Kelly) and Young Aoife (Orla Gaffney). Motive Pictures/Chris Barr
Percy claimed he was safeguarding the children, saying, “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.”
However, Aoife was filled with shame, responding, “You’re deluded. We didn’t save anyone. We made these children vanish.”
She seized the incriminating evidence and attempted to escape, but Percy pursued her, trying to retrieve the documents. A scuffle ensued, leading to Percy falling down the stairs. Initially, it appeared the fall had killed him, but he emitted a cough as Aoife fled with the papers.
The exact events following this were not disclosed, but Colman deduced that Percy had reached out to Coyle, warning him that their secret was in jeopardy. Concerned about Percy’s potential threat, Coyle enlisted a woman named Lesley, who had previously posed as Aoife’s daughter during a visit to Lorna, to go to Percy’s house and silence him.
As all this transpired, Coyle was delivering a speech in front of nearly 200 individuals, providing him with an indisputable alibi.
Was James Coyle held accountable for his crimes?
After a harrowing pursuit, which resulted in Colman suffering a knife wound, he successfully captured Lesley, leading to her arrest.
During their conversation, it became evident that Lesley had been manipulated by Coyle, with the two exchanging smiles from a distance before she was taken into custody.
As the final credits rolled, the authorities had yet to apprehend Coyle or the other individuals involved in the trafficking ring. The extent of their network remains unknown. However, Sergeant Massey assured Sister Eileen that those responsible would face justice, one way or another.
“I’ll be seeing you…soon,” he declared.
What happened to Aoife Cassidy?
When Lorna placed Aoife inside the walls of her home, she believed not only that Aoife was deceased but also that she might have unintentionally caused her demise, perhaps while sleepwalking or in an intoxicated state following their pub incident. However, Aoife was very much alive.
She was suffering from catalepsy, an uncommon side effect of untreated epilepsy triggered by intense emotional stress. After experiencing an episode, it could give the appearance of death.
Aoife eventually regained consciousness within the wall of Lorna’s house and managed to make her way into the attic, where she ultimately passed away.
Lorna blamed herself, stating, “I killed her, even though I didn’t intend to.”
Prior to her passing, Aoife had initiated the process of reaching out to the women from the mother and baby home to reveal the fate of their children. This action set in motion the exposure of Coyle and Percy’s abhorrent operation.
Aoife Cassidy (Fiona Ball) , Motive Pictures/Chris Barr
Colman implored Lorna to assert that she wasn’t in a rational state of mind when she concealed Aoife’s body. However, Lorna, who was weary in every sense of the word, of being characterized as “mentally unstable,” decided to accept the consequences.
As a result, Massey arrested her, and she was subsequently sentenced to imprisonment. Yet, an unexpected and heartwarming surprise awaited her.
What happened to Lorna’s daughter?
During Colman’s visit to Lorna in prison, he delivered some incredibly positive news.
He asked her if she recalled the peculiar amounts recorded in the church’s account books, including the specific figure of £10,887.09, which Lorna remembered well. This odd sum was the result of a currency exchange, converted from pounds to dollars.
Colman went on to explain that St. Alma’s Primary School, which Lorna had previously visited, used to function as a processing center where children were temporarily housed while the nuns sorted out their paperwork and passports before sending them abroad. This revelation unveiled that her child had been raised in Boston, Massachusetts.
Detective Colman Akande (Daryl McCormack) and Lorna Brady (Ruth Wilson) , Motive Pictures/Chris Barr
Not only had Agnes’s adoptive family informed her of her adoption, but she had also been searching for her birth mother ever since. Colman had arranged a call between the two, and as the story concluded, Lorna finally had the opportunity to meet her child face to face.
While many women were not granted this chance, such as Clemence, who tragically took her own life before reuniting with Breda, Lorna, and Agnes were now a part of each other’s lives, even though they could never fully erase the past or recover the lost time.
Source: Radio Times
