Ruth Wilson in The Woman In the Wall© Chris Barr,BBC

The Woman in the Wall viewers think they've worked out major plot twist in episode three

Spoilers for episode three ahead!

TV and film writer
September 4, 2023

BBC One's dark new thriller, The Woman in the Wall, continued on Sunday night with its third episode, and viewers think they've worked out a major plot twist. 

Episode three had viewers asking what exactly happened to Lorna Brady's [Ruth Wilson] baby, Agnes, who was taken away from her at birth.

WATCH: Ruth Wilson stars in new BBC drama, The Woman in the Wall

During Lorna's police interview with Detective Colman Akande [Daryl McCormack] about missing woman Aoife, Lorna told him that the last time she saw her was when the nun walked away with her baby after she'd given birth in the convent. Not knowing that Lorna has Aoife's dead body hidden in the walls of her home, Akande revealed that Aoife's daughter, Olivia, was on her way from Dublin to help with the investigation. 

Later on in the episode, Lorna discovered a heartbreaking document that seemed to reveal her baby Agnes' fate. It was a death certificate, which had been filled out by Aoife during her time at the convent, that said Agnes had died of "shivering". 

Ruth Wilson and Daryl McCormack in The Woman in the Wall© BBC
Detective Colman Akande interviewed Lorna about the disappearance of Aoife

Taking to Twitter, now X, fans questioned whether Lorna's baby was really dead, with many convinced that Olivia is in fact her daughter. 

One person wrote: "#TheWomanInTheWall. Is it me or is Olivia really her daughter? Death certificate a cover for the adoption," while another added: "I think Aoife's daughter could be Lorna's #TheWomanintheWall."

© Chris Barr
Daryl McCormack as Detective Colman Akande

A third person tweeted: "Aoife's daughter is coming to help with the search. What if Aoife's daughter is actually Lorna's daughter," while another agreed, adding: "I don't think Lorna's baby shivered to death. Who writes shivered to death on an official form? No, I think Olivia is her child, and she knows that Lorna is her mum. Why else would she randomly rock up at hers like that, really?"

While fans will have to wait until Sunday night to find out what happens next, a synopsis for episode four gives an idea of what to expect. "Aoife's body is missing and Lorna is devastated by the news of the death of her child," it reads. "The search for her daughter's grave becomes ever more fraught, so she takes matters into her own hands and heads back to the convent. Back in Dublin, Colman is reprimanded for his renegade actions, as a shocking revelation builds a new connection in the case."

READ: The Woman in the Wall viewers saying same thing about new BBC thriller

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What is The Woman in the Wall about? 

For those who have yet to catch up on the drama, the six-part gothic thriller follows Lorna Brady, a survivor of Ireland's Magdalene Laundries scandal.

One morning Lorna, who lives in the fictional Irish town of Kilkinure, wakes up to find a dead body in her home. 

© Chris Barr
The episodes are released weekly on BBC One

Lorna has no idea who the dead woman is or if she herself is responsible. This is because Lorna has suffered from extreme bouts of sleepwalking ever since being incarcerated in a convent at the age of 15, where she gave birth to a baby girl named Agnes, who was cruelly taken away from her at birth. 

The synopsis continues: "Unluckily for Lorna, Detective Colman Akande (Daryl McCormack) is now also on her tail, for a crime seemingly unrelated to the body she has discovered in her house.

© Colin Barr
Ruth Wilson plays Lorna Brady

"As Colman searches for a murderer and Lorna searches for her daughter, their paths collide in ways they could never have anticipated. Lorna's search for Agnes will take her deep into her own past and to the heart of Kilkinure's darkest secrets, as she and Colman seek the answers they each so desperately need."

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