The Conversion of Mrs. Wilson

When the three-part BBC series, Mrs. Wilson, was offered on PBS a few years ago we wanted to watch it but we missed the first episode of this period piece. We are fans of the acting of Ruth Wilson, the lead in the series which is based on a true story of a woman who discovered that she and her two sons were the victims of the fraud of polygamy. The Mrs. Wilson of the title --Alison-- along with three other women married the same man over the course of several decades, all of them deceived by someone who claimed to be a British spy (he was for a time).

Alexander Wilson "married" Alison during WWII as his third wife and she only discovered what he had done after he died suddenly in the early 1960s. Wilson fathered seven children in different relationships. He was a total cad, and remarkably ingenious. 

We did watch Mrs. Wilson recently, through a streaming service, and discovered that Alison Wilson (third wife) was the grandmother of actress Ruth. In interviews Ruth describes how emotionally demanding it was to enter into this role and the scariness of being so vulnerable. Still, she is brilliant. 

Through the course of the series Alison Wilson struggles to comes to grips with the terrible deception which affected her in every way, including financially. She kept her humiliating secret from her two young adult sons for some time, but confided in a priest, even though in one episode she refers to "your God."

In one more remarkable twist to the story, in her turmoil Alison Wilson entered into a spiritual quest which led her to obtain a theology degree and to a Christian conversion. She had a mystical experience during her First Communion which resulted in her spending the rest of her life as a member of the Servite Secular Institute as a not-quite nun. This is from the description of the Servites which the organization offers: 

Members live and work as consecrated individuals wherever they find themselves. Vowed to God, their first obligation is to love Him and serve Him in all things, living a fully Christian life and giving witness to God’s love for all. This is done in the context of the Institute’s Constitutions and Directories which show that a consecrated life demands daily fidelity to prayer, to spiritual development and in the case of the Servite Secular Institute, fidelity to the charism of the Servite Order which places great emphasis on compassion, sharing, a family spirit and humble service.

This is a celibate vocation. The vows of chastity, poverty and obedience give members freedom to become the best possible version of themselves. 

We were both struck by the sensitivity with which this aspect of the story was portrayed and how Ruth Wilson conveyed the power of this conversion. So often dramas fumble with depicting religious experience, but this was moving and refreshing in its respect.  

In reading about the series I discovered that Ruth Wilson was instrumental in bringing together the four remaining sons of Alexander Wilson (centre of the photo) along with the tribe of almost biblical proportions. They were given the opportunity to watch the episodes together. What a story!