Vigil

If you are not a pedant on navy protocol in the event of a suspicious death onboard a nuclear submarine then this series offers sufficient drama, red herrings and emotional content to earn its prime time slots. It's a drama afterall, not a fact finding documentary and the cast play their respective roles very well.

I have absolutely no interest in anything navy storyline related usually, and so skipped over this a few times but Suranne is great, so ..... I'm not sure what the other navy-crazed reviewers were hoping for but calm down - it's a TV show, not a documentary on the workings of the navy. Also, how many reviewers need to use the work "woke"? Did people just learn that word? Move on - sit back and enjoy the show! :)

As an amateur navy buff, there are too many mistakes to mention in regards to the on board submarine sets, & navy protocols & procedures.

However,this is a crime fiction drama, and holds your interest, if you can ignore some of (the very obvious) flaws. The acting is good, despite some poor scripting. The sub plots and back story seems to now hold more interest to me than the main plot. Maybe the ending will surprise?

That said, when was the last time you saw a show, or movie on a submarine?

There could have been much better research done, and more thought put into the sets, and navy procedures and protocols, but at its heart it is a crime drama, not a documentary. I will keep watching, as what else is there to?

Firstly, let me make it clear that this is a murder mystery/conspiracy thriller set (partially) on a submarine and NOT a documentary about submarines, the navy, or nuclear missiles. As such there are inevitable inaccuracies and dramatic licenses taken (as they are in every legal drama, medical drama or police procedural). If you didn't like Line of Duty because it wasn't 'realistic' enough perhaps this one is not for you. If, however, you are able to suspend your belief for a few hours you might enjoy what seems to be a well written and superbly acted thriller.

***Mild spoilers***

In the modern way, Vigil opens with not one but two, big dramatic events that propel the plot forward. We are then given a somewhat silly plot contrivance to get DCI Amy Silva (a superb Suranne Jones) onto a Trident class submarine for three days in novel setting for the classic locked room murder mystery. The submarine feels suitably claustrophobic (although not enough for some of the previous reviews) and all the crew appear to be hiding something. Back on Land, DC Kirsten Longacre (Game of Thrones Rose Leslie), a former lover of DCI Silva's, investigates the naval barracks and some nearby anti-nuclear missile protesters.

The first episode had some heavy lifting to do introducing the characters and setting but the twin strands of the plot were intriguing, made even more so by that fact that Longacre was able to send messages to Silva but not the other way around. Aside from the use of a few tropes (tortured detective with a Past, big organisation closing ranks, etc) I found the show thrilling with precise camera work and skilful direction. Suranne Jones really is magnificent and Shaun Evans standouts as one of the few nice guys on the boat. If the show can continue to draw out performances from its excellent cast while keeping the plot afloat (!) then it should be a thrilling ride.

This is a thrilling six part series from The BBC, I've seen some hilarious comments about realism, it's very obvious that this is meant to thrill and entertain, not inform.

It's claustrophobic, energetic, gripping and fast paced, one of the best shows The BBC have out out in quite a while.

The acting is first rate, the best of Suranne Jones, Shaun Evans is also fantastic, the whole cast are terrific. Production values are off the scale, it looks incredible.

Part one gives you a massive shock, it doesn't hold back at any point, it's unforgiving and relentless. Part 5 is the peak for me, Part 6.....you'll either love it or hate it.

....Think Line of Duty meets Spyship, a 1980's BBC series, it's a cracking mix of both.

Loved it, 9/10.

Just a late update, I much preferred Series one to Series two, the ship setting added a level of claustrophobia, that the second series badly needed.