All language subtitles for The Walsh Sisters Official Podcast s01e06

You think you should have gone up to
have sex with him?

Why not?

He booked the Jasmine suite!

Come on!

There was a mini bar!

There was chocolate, there was loads of
drinks! There was strictly, there was

strictly, there was a bar!

Hello and welcome to the sixth and final
episode of the Walt Sisters official

podcast. I'm Stephanie Preissner. And
I'm Marian Keyes. And we are joined

by two of my sisters who you haven't yet
heard from. Marie Tyers and joining us

through star gazing on Zoom is Danielle
Galligan who

plays Claire.

welcome sorry i was trying to think of
what way did marion describe aiden quinn

when he was joining us on zoom and then
i was gonna say starlink but then i

didn't want to bring elon musk into the
whole thing but you know that danny sent

me a picture earlier of a possible zoom
background and it was like her in a

galaxy really yeah

She definitely didn't send it to me.

When Ian was in on episode four, he said
that where

two or more sisters are gathered, Jesus
is present.

And so now Jesus is also present in the
room, in this podcast. That means you're

marrying Jesus.

I am actually Jesus. What does that
mean? Yeah, beard shaved off.

And the hair in a ponytail.

Well, you are the Jesus of this
creation. Like, you are... Well, no,

God, I would imagine. The source of
denial.

Well, Holy Trinity, they're the same
thing, God and Jesus.

Yeah, yeah.

I don't think my mother is going to
enjoy this conversation.

I am going to get into terrible trouble.
We're sorry, old woman. I am not. I am

not impersonating God, I promise.

Okay. Don't get nervous now. We will
move swiftly to our first clip.

Go for it. Before I get into more
trouble.

I understand.

I do.

That you're upset that you didn't have
Aidan's baby, but... God works in

mysterious ways, OK?

Claire, don't be bringing God into this.
Helen, you're a child. I'm sorry,

you've no idea how the real world works.
Do you know what the truth is, Claire?

You can't handle the fact that all of us
have our own lives and that we don't

exist solely to babysit your spawn.

Oh, my God, Helen.

What?

Oh,

that's funny, is it? OK, well, you'll be
delighted to know that I told James

today that I don't want Kate full -time
anymore.

I want her every second weekend, and he
agreed. Excuse me?

What?

You'd better be joking. Hang on a
minute. Like, I literally built her

inside my body from scratch, and then I
pushed her out, and then I fed her every

two hours, even through the night while
he had sex with other women, and then I

put her to bed every night for six
years. I mean, what have any of you

Every night for six years, and he just
gets to pop in whenever he feels like

You obviously cannot hear yourself when
you speak.

You must have some sort of syndrome
because there's no way that those words

coming out of your mouth and that you're
able to hear them. Look, your only job,

as my sister's, is to hate James and
support my decisions.

No, not this. I don't care. No,
absolutely not. I don't support any of

this poor me, single mother narrative,
it doesn't shine.

In fairness, Claire, we do all help. I
brought her to her vaccines because you

didn't want to be the bad guy. He said
she didn't mind.

I didn't mind.

That's the point, Clare. None of us
mind. We love Kate.

And we do as much as we can, as often as
we can. And you shouldn't have had to

do any of that because she has a father.

It shouldn't be up to me to find people
to help me. Find people?

Clare, we are here all of the time. You
make it sound like you're queuing at a

food bank. You have a child. Grow up.
Deal with it. I am dealing with it. I

cooked all of her meal. And I put them
in the Tupperware. And I put the

Tupperware in your fridge. And all you
had to do was microwave it.

It's called the maternal load, Maggie.
What would you know about it?

Right. Well, well, well.

Okay. I think they're all very mean.

To each other?

Well, to Clare.

Because what is really going on here is
that they're worried about missing Kate.

They're worried about Kate being taken
from them. They're not really able to

focus on how it is for Clare and how it
is for single mothers.

Yeah, for sure. But they also feel like,
well, I babysit her every now and

again. So like some people have no one.

That's what really strikes me about this
scene is I feel like it starts with

like all the sisters being nasty and
being so mean. And as you say, they're

concerned with their loss of Kate rather
than what Claire wants or doesn't want.

And then I think it flips when.

Particularly with Maggie, when Maggie
starts saying, I brought her two

because you didn't want to be the bad
guy.

I cooked her meals, put them in
Tupperware so you didn't have to make

just had to throw them in the microwave.

Then I think when you find out the
context of that, you begin to come

what the sisters are saying, slightly.

But I do think that Anna is the one
who's like, okay, look, so none of us

actually have kids. Let's just like back
up on Claire as kind of the

peacekeeper. And I do think that for...

people sisters who don't have children
they think that it's just like well i

the top wear and i did the vaccines so
you can't complain but claire is trying

to say like actually it's so much more
than that and it's exhausting yeah i

really feel for claire in that moment
that's my favorite scene of the entire

show go on yeah i think it's just the
pace of it

the fact that it's like, yap, yap, yap,
yap, yap, drop a bomb. Like that every

sentence, it's very efficient.

Every sentence leads to something else.

Nothing is extraneous.

I think it's very, I think it's, it's
very well crafted, if I do say so

Yes, you're allowed it is. I'm very
proud of it. I think it's very good. And

spent a lot of time on it. Oh my God,
yeah. But I think which was good, like I

mean in rehearsals, I feel like we
rehearsed, I mean rehearsals on the day.

And actually, sorry, in rehearsals.

Yeah. Did we do it? We did, because we
changed a few lines in rehearsals.

But I feel like, I'm glad we gave it the
time that it needed. I mean, then when

it came to filming it and we had to do
all the angles on all five of us, it was

horrific. It was hard to kind of
regenerate that feeling, I think. Yeah,

single time.

For people who don't kind of know how
the filming world operates.

So you do a shot in a wide, so you do
the scene once.

And then every time, it cuts away to one
of our faces that's a different shot so

like you have to do it once where it's
on Anna once where it's on Helen once

it's more than once so a few times on
Anna a few times on Helen a few times on

Maggie a few times on Rachel a few times
on Claire and my god by the end of it I

was like I now see why super big stars
just have a tennis ball in place of

head when they're not actually on camera
but you're trying to be a generous

actor and give all of the emotion that
you give for your shot when it's on

someone else. But my God, it's
exhausting.

I think you did an amazing job, Dani.

Incredible job.

I think everyone does an amazing job.
And I think as well, I agree with the

writing stuff. I think what's really
elegant about it is that like you've

up the culmination of two characters arc
like into one scene that includes like

all the sisters or almost nearly. I
don't know, but I feel like for Claire

Rachel specifically.

i think that it's like really really
neatly like intertwined and i think that

that's what's nice about the sisters in
the show as a whole that like and it's a

nice collective thing about families and
everything that like two two characters

might be dealing with similar issues at
the same time and not be able to see

that So they end up feeling quite alone,
but they're not. And I think that's

really lovely. Like they all have like
shared wounds all the time, but they're

all kind of so obsessed with their own
wounds that they can't look at anyone

else's. Similarly, like, you know,
Maggie's there worried about not having

when she can't see like Claire is
hurting in a different way.

And Claire is just worrying about her
own hurt that she can't see how this

hurt the family. Like very, very
elegant, I think.

Do you think that Claire, like that any
of the arguments presented by any of the

other sisters changes?

Like, does Claire think, oh, my God,
what have I done? Or what reaction was

expecting?

I think it's what she says. I think she
was expecting them to support her

because I think she thinks that she's
solved the conundrum in that she always

feels like a burden to the family, but
at the same time feels so burdened by

motherhood. I think that she's like,
right, well, this keeps everyone happy.

will be a weekend dad. This will solve
all the problems.

So then for all the sisters to come back
at her, I think it's, again, like just

super destabilising for her.

And I think that...

Whatever she was expecting, I don't
know, but I think she really needed them

support her in that moment and they
really didn't.

And I mean, you can see her point. I
mean, men do it.

Men, parents, they do like two days out
of every 14.

Yeah. You know, and that's fine.

Like, that is absolutely fine. Like, as
a society, we're very comfortable with

it. Like, why shouldn't it be the
mother?

Yeah, why does it seem so unreasonable?
Yeah, why does it seem so kind of...

in unnatural and unmaternal, selfish,

you know, cruel, lazy.

All of those words would never be used.

about a man well no if a man took the
weekend every second week and went

swimming or did five activities it would
be like lauded as god isn't he very

good and he's looking after by herself
like yeah i want to listen to the the

moments that you tell james that you
kind of before you tell the sisters

you have this revelation that we just
saw um on tonight's episode let's have a

listen here you think i'm a shit mother
i think i'm a shit mother

But you know what? I don't want to be a
different kind of mother. I don't want

to get swallowed up by motherhood,
chewed up by playdates and milestones

food pyramids and balanced meals and
sleep schedules and screen time limits.

Like, this is who I am.

And I might be a terrible mother, but
I'd be an amazing weekend dad.

And that's what I want.

And if we have to go to court to make
that happen, then so be it.

You take case, and I will do holidays
and weekends.

You're crazy.

Maybe, but if I'm doing so badly, let's
swap.

Let me do what you do and watch me
shine.

I mean, once again, she makes a great
point.

You know, he's always telling her she's
a shit mother. Like, you know, he's

always giving out that she doesn't do
things and she doesn't ring him on

birthday and all of that. Like, yeah.

like measure me by your the metrics that
you are measured by yeah and i will

fucking shine yeah well that was
hilarious like the level of of

he he finds on her incompetence yeah
inverted commas and then the phone call

this episode when she goes just buy her
a new pair of uh swimming and

then he goes what size is she six six to
seven her age

But then, of course, she's a competent
mother. I know what you're saying, maybe

I'm not a good mother.

She's not a perfect mother. And I don't
think it comes naturally to Clare, is

the thing as well. It's not something
that she gleans loads of satisfaction

from. And I think that that has to be,
just because we have reproductive organs

does not mean that we are naturally
maternal. And also, I don't think that

need to be naturally maternal.

To be able to do it. Yeah.

People are good at different things and
some people are better than others at

anything. You know, and expecting people
to be like natural parents.

Like, there's no guarantee.

I think that if women were given the
choice, like, do you want to be a mum or

dad?

I'd be the dad, thanks very much. It's a
different role. Like, I'd like to be a

dad, please.

I would choose that role. And what
difference is it? You have kids.

It shouldn't be a completely different
role. It's not fair.

And thank you for saying that the
writing is clear. It's because I feel

passionately about it.

And like the way that James cannot.

Get his head around this.

Yeah, crazy.

But like, what are the options?

She's a shit mum.

What do you want from her? She's not
going to be a better mum just because

tell her she's shit. Like you've told
her she's shit for six years and it

brought about any noticeable
improvement.

So, you know, let's try something else.
And he is freaking out because he

doesn't want to have to do what she
does.

Yeah, because he doesn't want to be a
mother. No.

so excruciating. But I love how it comes
around.

First of all, I love how then Helen
leaves that.

She's like, there are ads at Christmas
about people like you getting dogs. Oh

yeah, that's such a great line.

And you're talking about a human child.
And then she just like potters out with

her little quiz. I knew you were going
to say that.

Also, there's many times in that scene
where you can see my quiff bobbing and I

wish I had more control over it. I love
it. Generally. I love it so much.

But yeah, I think it's pure panic for
Helen that you can't hear any of these

arguments that Claire's making.

But straight up to Mammy, which I think
is so interesting. We all go to Daddy

Walsh. in like oh I need IVF and for
comfort but Helen is like oh yeah you

the heavy guns the heavy guns need to be
brought in here but that whole like

what that conversation I remember
speaking with that in rehearsals like

mammy so highly strong or why is she
kind of so kind of critical of us

dad then is the softer more comforting
presence and their kind of roles being

mom and dad and I always think that like
dad was afforded the ability to have

space to be emotional and to be present
for us in that way.

Mammy was busy making the lunches,
making the dinners, doing the washing,

that stuff. So no wonder she is not able
to contain us when moments of panic

happen. But I do think she's the person
to go to when something needs done.

Yeah, because imagine if I was writing
the scene of Helen goes to Daddy Watch

and it's like, Clare's giving away Kate.

Oh, he's in feeling. Yeah. He's having a
point. He's watching the game.

That's right.

Exactly. Do you know what I mean? That
proves the point.

He's trying to get the right.

He's trying to get the right. He's
trying to prove the point. Funny.

I love that. I love it too.

She's a rock star. Where in my head do
you think I have space to think about

that? Yeah.

Have a bath.

And I love that. Oh no, that's later.
But when Claire says, go on, mom, you're

going to miss the flamboyant if you're
not careful.

I actually loved that moment. I loved
filming that day, I think, because it

quite early on in the whole filming
schedule.

So like.

you know like I love prep I love doing
my prep and my reading and my notes and

everything but like there's sometimes
you only learn things about your

through actually like playing them and
it was that moment when like Carrie

Crowley who obviously such a fucking
flawless performance by her but um but

she marches in in that moment and she
goes like you know Claire you're you are

good mother I had these like two
realizations about Claire simultaneously

Carrie's coverage that I was like Claire
is like I think all Claire wants the

whole way through is for someone to tell
her that she's a good mother and no one

ever does And then finally, when she
finally hears it, it's too late and it's

the wrong moment and it doesn't complete
her in the way that she would hope.

And also I had another realisation that
she's there staring at her mother.

And I think Claire is so terrified of
mothering, of being the mother that

Mammy Walsh was to her.

Like she doesn't want to repeat the
style of mothering that she had growing

I kind of feel for Mammy Walsh for she
is absolutely withered. Like is it too

much to ask?

that I just watch strictly on my own.
Yeah. That cannot be too much to ask.

you're up banging on the door with your
little quips and Clare's giving them

away. She's just like, I can't with you.

Like, we'll talk about this tomorrow.

Meantime, I'm going home.

Yeah. Can you just give me one day?

I kind of felt for her. How did you
feel, Marion?

Oh, God, you see, I was quite sad then
when...

Daddy Walsh had gone through the trouble
of booking the suite and everything and

he was like on a promise and terribly
excited about it all and she just shot

down in flames and I felt sad about
that.

Do you think she should have gone up to
have sex with him?

Why not?

It's in there.

It's in there.

What? They've just... They've written a
lot to sound sweet. Yeah.

He booked a Jasmine suite.

Come on.

Jasmine. There was that many... there
was loads of drink there was strictly

there was a bath Aidan was dead already
he cried that

day he barely knew him if I ever like
delivered

a speech like that at anything I'd want
to crawl under a rock I think like in a

moment like that like we're on a day
like that you've got to find who your

allies are, you know? But if he had
said, we'll slip away together now and

a drink and feelings, that's different
to like, come upstairs and let's have

sex.

No, he didn't say, come upstairs and
let's have sex. He said, come upstairs.

he was, yeah,

yeah, yeah. And she goes, what?

And he just kind of smiles. Yeah, he
could have been just inviting her to the

minibar. He could have been, yeah. Or to
the bath or to watch the telly.

You seem disappointed with me, Steph.
You're looking at me sadly.

I don't seem disappointed with you at
all.

I, I, I, I'm not disappointed. I'm just
surprised that

you thought, I thought that Daddy's move
was very inappropriate.

But you thought that it wasn't.

I thought that it wasn't.

I want to listen to this clip of what
was a seminal moment for us as actors to

watch this speech happen.

Have a listen to this.

And they went to China.

He loved the Chinese.

Beside us, Rainbow Garden. He adored the
food there.

Loved it.

And there he is on a motorbike.

He loved Harley Davidson.

And cars.

Big petrol head. So he was.

And he lit up every room he walked into.

Mum,

shut up. Shut up. Sorry.

Shut up.

You have no idea who Aidan was.

Because you had no interest in getting
to know him.

None of you did.

He thought it was just a phase.

You never asked him about himself.

We never went to China.

We went to Japan for the first cherry
blossom, and he hated motorbikes. I took

that photo when we went for a romantic
weekend away, and there was a biking

convention on.

that I have to say like as an actor that
day that we filmed that speech was the

hardest day of my life like I still
can't get through it without laughing

Carrie Crowley was standing there
looking at all of us and I was standing

to Danielle standing next to Claire and
I was like this the whole time

There was like all these supporting
actors so like maybe 40 of them in the

sitting at the table.

The Killfeathers. The Killfeathers et al
and they're all like okay guys come on

it's nearly home time and we're trying
to get through this.

And then it was Carrie kept changing the
name of the Chinese.

Rainbow Garden.

Jasmine Garden.

There was multiple different ones.

But, like, then Louisa came up and did
her monologue straight after. And then I

was weeping, like, and Aidan Quinn was
weeping. And then Aidan was telling...

Oh, what?

Yeah, because it's so, like, it's so
beautiful when she realises that he

her. And then Aidan was telling Ian what
cut to use. He was like, that's the

take you need to use.

Louisa's incredible.

Use that take. And Ian was like, I think
I'll decide what to use. Yeah, do you

mind?

so um like you just really summed up the
nature of the show for me in that way

you know like it like makes you laugh to
make you cry like opens you up and then

you have all this like rush of emotion i
feel which i think is everyone's

performances and stuff like inherently
marion keith like i just think there's a

way you just like you reel them in with
the humor and then when they're close

enough to you just stab them in the
heart yeah that's like yeah i feel your

books are so that's what i was
constantly trying to do and like never

get too sad or whatever okay so we are
gonna take a break when we come back

we're gonna talk about um rachel slowed
mine

Welcome back to part two of the Waltz
Sisters official podcast with me,

Stephanie Preissner. Me, Marion Keyes.
And our two wonderful guests for episode

six, Marais Tyres. And Danny Galligan.
On Zoom.

Are you still with us, Danny? He is. The
light is on.

I've got a lamp on now. I'm losing
light, so.

You're glowing.

We're intimate.

So I want to talk about Rachel and...

Her relapse, I guess. There's no
spoilers now. Everybody's seen the

Did you guys, the first time you
experienced the show rather than the

you expect Rachel to relapse in the
series?

I don't think I did expect her to
relapse.

And I don't know why not.

It just seemed more optimistic than the
book, the series.

Yes, yeah.

A lot of the time when people come out
of rehab or, you know, if they start

going to like 12 -step programs or
whatever, they have to pull back from

Yeah, from familiar dynamics or from
like, you know, friendship groups or

stressful work or stressful family stuff
or whatever. You know, you've got to

take time to build up your sobriety
recovery muscle.

And like it is perfectly possible to do
that.

Recovery is the word.

You know, it's like a convalescence.
It's like if you have a broken leg,

not going to be able to start walking
immediately once the six weeks are up.

You're going to have to be doing physio
and walking further distances.

People need time to actually recover.

They have to be granted that. I think a
lot of people think that you go into

rehab and...

Mysterious things happen in there during
the six weeks and then they come out

and they are like good as new and they
can function perfectly in the world and

they don't drink and everything is
grand.

Like it's not like that. It's a process.

Actually, let's have a listen to the
scene and then we can talk about it.

You don't have to do that. You're doing
really well.

I think you need to go now.

Well, then go with me.

No. Rachel, you can't get through this
without alcohol.

Just hold on for ten minutes. Let's go
for a walk.

And this need will... This need will
pass.

Celine, you have been amazing.

You supported me all day.

Knowing you were here was like having a
back brace. I felt strong.

So why now?

There's no point in going back with you.

I cannot be a part of that family and
stay sober.

I can't not be a Welsh.

I'm just going to have one drink and put
the whole sobriety thing to bed and

I'll do the same with my death.

You know where we are whenever you want
to come back to us.

I know that there are people who think
that Celine should have put up more of a

fight.

I would assume that she can.

Like, from her job, that she's not able
to. What strikes me about that scene is

when she says to her, and I really hope
you do, I think that she knows

ultimately, or hopes, obviously,
ultimately, that she will come back and

that that's the only way that she can
possibly think about being sober again

you know.

But the question I have about, one of
Rachel's lines, she says, I'm just going

to have one drink, put the whole
sobriety thing to bed.

And then do the same with myself.

And then do the same with myself.

And go to bed.

But the sobriety, putting my sobriety to
bed. So is that her saying like.

Like, I'm going to just put this whole,
like, I can't be a waltz and be sober.

I'm only fooling myself thinking I can.

I'm just going to put an end to it. Stop
trying.

And then we'll just move on with my
life.

I think in that moment she believes that
she's going to have one drink and then

at least that bit's done. That's it. I
feel like she at this point has bought

into what Mammy Walter's idea is of
rehab, where if she's going to go for a

couple of weeks, calm down, realise that
maybe she's doing it a bit too much and

just needs to have a bit of a detox and
that she's just going to have the one

drink, drink normally, go to bed, it'll
help me sleep and then I'll be...

Mad brand. Dry January, back on it again
in February in a less festive way.

But what you're saying, Marion, about
using the analogy of if you had a broken

leg, you wouldn't go out walking the
next day. I think to carry on that

metaphor, her turning up to this is like
going for a marathon the day after

breaking your leg.

maybe if she went for Sunday lunch at
the Walsh family home I think that would

still be very difficult for her not to
mind this situation like I think she

would have managed this situation if
other people had been

slightly more understanding of what was
going on for her but like there's a few

like let's listen to a few more clips of
like the things she has to contend with

throughout the day

Donna didn't talk any speeches.

What about that? It's so hard for you to
understand.

Give over, Rachel. No, you realise that
you chose keeping up the kill feathers

over your own daughter.

Are you happy, Mary?

Happy? I don't go around thinking about
how happy or unhappy I am. Maybe if you

stopped tracking your own emotions,
you'd feel a whole lot better.

So that's why you hate me?

Because I think about myself.

Hate you? Oh, grow up, Rachel.

Where did I go wrong? You are all upset
with yourself.

Something goes wrong and you stomp
around with a whiny like you're fecking

Martin. Like Claire and Anna and I have
had an objectively harder time.

What has Maggie ever had to deal with
apart from losing money on her

Everyone has problems, Rachel.

Maggie just doesn't make a movie out of
hers. She goes quiet.

But you'd actually have to care about
other people to notice that.

But you do not.

So what?

If I think about other people more and
put aside all my own fears and issues

desires, you'll love me more.

So basically, if I was an entirely
different person.

Give me a break, Rachel.

You're hard work, do you know that?

Hard, bloody work.

I don't know why I find that so
emotional, but someone telling me I am

work. It's like the most hurtful thing.

I felt like when I was writing that
scene, that is the most hurtful thing

could have said in that moment. Yeah.
Like you are hard work.

And I think it really, it feels like
when she said, you know, when Rachel

so if I was an entirely different
person, you'd love me. You'd love me

yeah. Like her love is, feels
conditional.

Completely conditional.

So back to the thing, like should she
have gone or should Celine have stopped

her? See, Celine had no authority over
her.

I mean.

Rachel is an adult.

And I think that that's what's important
for people to know that it has to come

from the person. It's not like you see
in films where you get very rarely taken

in against your will and sectioned and
you're put in an institution.

Selene is saying and sponsors would say
I will not stop you. I cannot stop you.

You have to stop yourself and if not you
know where we are.

Really sorry about that.

Come back to me when you're better. And
it happens.

I mean, it happens, as you say, Mairead,
it happens.

And Danny said it too, like, and
sometimes people will try again and will

eventually get sober, you know, or
clean.

And sometimes they'll die.

I mean, that's, that isn't talked about
enough, in my opinion.

That could be the last decision you ever
make. Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, that really struck me. Yeah,
especially with alcohol.

I think people are very kind of blasé
about alcohol.

A lot of people, for sure. Yeah, it's
only a couple of drinks.

Let her have a couple of drinks. She'd
be grand.

As if it doesn't kill people.

Yeah.

I don't want you to be mad. Oh, yeah, go
on.

Just between Claire and Rachel, I always
saw this parallel of, and Helen says it

as well when we're in the hospital, can
they get a bed for Claire?

Because Claire is just a ha -ha
alcoholic, not an alcoholic alcoholic.

And it's kind of like that other Irish
film, Dublin Old School, about the drug

use. There's recreational drug use and
then there's no bad drug use. And I

that Irish people aren't very good at
being able to tell the difference or

wanting to talk about it.

I think the difference between Claire
and Rachel is the second part of the

step, which is like we admitted we were
powerless over alcohol and our lives

were unmanageable.

Whereas I don't think that Claire's life
is unmanageable because of alcohol.

No, I don't think Claire's an alcoholic
at all. No, I don't think so either. I

think Claire is a good time person.

Yeah. Claire enjoys, like Claire.

enjoy the drink, which is, I mean, I
know that's kind of an Irish euphemism.

doctor might say, based on the amount of
units you consume, it is bad for your

liver. But I don't think that Clare is
alcoholic.

She's definitely not. I think that's the
thing that is hard for Rachel to be

like, I've often been out with Clare and
she drinks more than me. Yeah.

Massive difference.

Because it's not about the volume or the
amount. No, it's about the reasons for

drinking. It's what it does. What it
does to your head.

Right, Clare isn't an alcoholic. That's
grand.

Sorted that out.

At least that's sorted.

In season one anyway.

What?

No, then nothing. Doesn't matter.

Did you say not in season one anyway?

Yeah.

No, Clare is not an alcoholic. That's
not happening.

Then we, let's question whether or not
we think this is a bridge too far for

Mammy Walsh. Let's watch.

Copy, Rachel. Not in that dress. You
look like a prostitute.

Sex worker.

I swapped dresses with Anna because she
needed to look more presentable.

Who's going to be looking at me?

You're useless.

The lot of you.

She's quite mean.

She is quite mean.

But I do think that that is all spurred
on by the kill feathers.

The kill feathers and the double
fascinators.

The kill feathers, the double
fascinators and the pressure that Mammy

feels to be like.

Poor Rachel having, like, taken the fall
for Anna. Like, giving her the demure

dress. Literally. Yeah.

Tiny little thing. Yeah, and wearing the
sex worker's dress instead.

And then getting called names.

You know, it's awful. But it feels
inevitable that she's going to relapse

this. Yeah. Like, you know, I don't know
if that's a very negative thing to say,

but I think it's completely inevitable.

Yeah. I think, like, what I try to do
all the time, like, if I, like, if my,

goal in life with my writing is to be
surprising and inevitable, that a scene

all at once is surprising but
inevitable. Like, it was going to

is a surprise that it happened. And I
would feel shocked when it did.

Yeah.

I think people were, like, willing her
to, like, not pick up the glass. But if

you've read the book, her relapse in the
book is much more severe and immediate.

Do you know what I mean? So in the book
and actually in the show, Chris

Coyne, who is in rehab with her, who
we've seen her flirting with in episode

five with Josephine, he played a bigger
role in the book. And actually we did

shoot a scene where he was part of her
relapse in this, where he came to the

memorial. But then for timing and for
narrative and like timelines and stuff,

didn't work.

in the book she he is part of her
relapse and it's just like so brutal and

but you get this beautiful like inner
vision that Rachel like that you get the

experience that Rachel is having when
she's having a relationship with Chris

she's like oh my god what am I doing
this is horrific I wish he would stop

it's not rapey it's like it's definitely
consensual but she's like not enjoying

it not enjoying it and also what am I
doing to myself and then okay mommy

Walsh realises that she's had sex with
him because Philomena who is his mother

who she knows is on a cruise and she's
away and she knows that she was at his

house and the parents are away and
immediately so Mammy says to Rachel I

she calls her a slut she calls her a
slut and that's the thing that sends

down to like inner city Dublin where she
meets Tiernan

So she meets Tiernan in inner city
Dublin and she waits for him in a bar

gets drugs and she like goes proper
straight into the drugs. It's not a slip

through alcohol.

And we tried that and the financiers
were like, that's too dark for an

We can't end on that.

People are going to like open their
veins like this.

We keep it a little bit lighter. So it's
a smoother, not smoother, a softer.

It is a softer.

Ultimately, it's a very sweet ending.

Like everyone together.

Yeah. And the news that Maggie is
pregnant has made them all so happy.

I do love the ending.

I love the ending too.

We had a big discussion and you guys can
pitch in here. So in the ending as it's

filmed, Anna's lying down, her eyes are
closed and Rachel's kind of looking at

her and Rachel nuzzles into Anna. And
then Anna does a kind of a inhale and...

get comfortable in Rachel's hair.

And Ian didn't want that last bit. So he
wanted Rachel to nuzzle in but for Anna

not to respond.

And Dixie wanted the response and then
others of us had to vote on like whose

side we were on. So we cut both versions
and then we showed it to a few people.

And the nuzzle won.

The nuzzle won. I'm glad.

Yeah, I would agree with that. My vote
would have been nuzzle. Yeah, because I

mean a lot has happened in that last
episode.

So this isn't a scene from episode six,
but because we have the icon that is

Maria Tyers here, we need to discuss
this iconic scene on the park bench.

So?

Mum tells me you're a lesbian now.

Excuse me?

Jesus, Clare. What? Said she saw you
kissing a girl down by the village.

No, that makes me a lesbian now. Does
it? Does it not?

Fundamentally, yes.

No, it doesn't.

Well, then what are you?

What do you mean, what am I?

Come on, I can't be dealing with all
this woke stuff. Are you gay or not?

No, I just... You know, there's so few
sane people in the world that if I meet

one, I tend to want to spend more time
with them.

Fair.

And wise.

Very wise. So, so wise.

You see, Helen has the best lines in so
many ways.

Like, you don't...

say that much but when you do it's
always meaningful.

And there is a wisdom and I know she
jokes, I know she says that to Rachel

from watching you guys mess everything
up all the time and I mean there's

obviously a, she's quite cocky and can
be arrogant in her in her I guess

critique of everyone else but I do think
that she she's her own individual

person and like and there is definitely
a pressure on you know

queer people to put a label on what they
are or what they aren't. And I get such

satisfaction out of her just saying the
sentence.

There's sound people in the world and I
want to spend time with them. I don't

really care who they are or what they
are.

I think if a lot of us lived by Helen
Walsh's wisdom, we'd be an awful lot

happier. Yeah. But then she is also
depressed.

She is depressed but also like still
wise.

And she has a very often the wisest
pragmatism about her that I think is

helpful to her. Yeah. And to other
people. And I think the wisest people in

world are depressed because they're
wise.

When you're wise you see the truth.
There's a lot to be depressed about.

Yeah. And Helen sees it. Yeah.

I can't wait for Helen's journey in
season two.

Oh it's going to be a cracker.

So that's it. What do you think is going
to happen in season two?

You hold the cards. Take notes.

Yeah. Who knows?

Who knows?

Do you think that Anna and Rachel wake
up the next day after episode six and

things are grand again?

I think they're a lot better.

They obviously can't be grand because
Rachel's relaxed and Aidan's still dead.

Okay.

But they're not as vicious?

No, I don't think so.

But then again...

You're the creator.

I know, I'm just trying to get a
feeling.

It can be anything you want it to be
because that's what human beings are

Yeah.

Unpredictable. Everybody has their own
storyline.

If we do season two, should we skip
forward?

You're still writing books about these
characters and they're 50. I am.

I wish I was allowed to do more.

Why are you not allowed to do more? I
did two. So I did Rachel and I did Anna

and I was all set to do Claire again and
my publishers were like, no, why?

I'm not really sure.

Write an ensemble piece about other
people. I don't know.

We want more.

I really wanted to write Claire. I might
after this one if I ever finish the

second thing.

Your time. Thank you.

Busy and all as you are. Thank you for
giving us your time.

I have loved being part of this. All of
it.

I'm so excited about it. I cannot wait
for everyone to see it and to be as

excited as I am. They've seen it now.
They've seen it now. I'm sure they did

enjoy it as much as I did. I hope that
everybody globally sees it. I hope that

it is an astounding success.

Yeah, they will see it in Antarctica.

People who have seen it but have not
read the book, go and find the book and

find the wonderful like three
-dimensional world that you've created.

Thank you. That we couldn't put into
this.

Yeah, but you did a really, really,
really good job of creating it in a

different way.

And thank you for that.

And thank you, Mairead. And thank you,
Danny. And thank you to everyone who

worked so generously. And it's been such
a pleasure.

It really has been such a pleasure. It
has. It has.

And it's been really satisfying to have
it all happen in a matter of six months.

It's been very quick, hasn't it?

And it feels like there's a, yeah, I
mean, it's not complete until people get

see it.

Sorry, we can't finish talking about
episode six without talking about Luke.

Oh, okay.

We forgot to talk about Luke. So Luke
comes to the memorial.

Oh, yeah.

Luke comes to the memorial.

Tells her he loves her. Tells her he
loves her. Well, no. First of all, says

came to see Anna and he didn't expect to
see her there.

That was a lie. For sure it was a lie.
But when he says it first, I was like,

ouch. You can see on Rachel's face that
she's like, oh, you weren't expecting to

see me.

Yeah.

But now he's given her the snog and he's
tasted the alcohol.

And once again, once again, he has
ruptured his trust.

And I think that could be a long, long
time returning.

Because he just feels stupid and
humiliated.

Yeah. He feels like an idiot. Yeah.

But then again, what do I know? You're
the creator.

Well, what I know is that in, again,
Rachel, multiple decades in the future,

Luke is still around.

Yeah.

So he definitely isn't dead.

We know that. We know he's not dead.

Thank you so much for listening, for
joining us after each episode and for

listening to the Walsh Sisters official
podcast. It's been an absolute pleasure.

Thank you for your social media
engagement and all of the things that

said nice about the show. I'm very
grateful.

I'm very grateful.

I have been Stephanie Preissner. I have
been Marion Key. And will continue to

be. Thank you so much. And hopefully
we'll see you for season two. That would

delicious. Thank you.