The Vanishing Triangle

Twisty plot contrivances get a little unhinged in final episode, but creepy tone and excellent performances particularly from the two lead actors kept us glued to the screen.

Based on true still unsolved murders, this show depicts a what-if scenario to try to explain the disappearances of missing women in Ireland in the 1990s. The feeling of dread and tension doesn't exactly fit in with Irelands identity as a charming friendly country.

The unique element of the show is that it doesn't just search out the bad guy serial killer. It also shows how the institutions of the time were totally corrupt.

I am a crime writer who has studied the individual cases that are commonly associated with Ireland's so-called Vanishing Triangle.

This show basically just took the phrase and spun it into yet another far-fetched, cliche crime drama series.

It's a cash grab by someone who realised that the title would garner some interest.

Another reviewer said that it is based on true events. This statement is so false that I suspect it was written by someone who is associated with the series.

The vast majority of the women who went missing in Ireland's "Vanishing Triangle" are believed to have been killed by someone who was well-known to them. There is a very strong suspect in each case.

Only two are believed to have been the victim of a stranger abduction.

When I first heard that someone was creating a series called The Vanishing Triangle, I thought that we'd get an in-depth look at the victims and their cases. Or at least a factual dramatisation that accurately represented their stories.

Instead, we got a series about a journalist taking a murder investigation into her own hands and some lad running around in a balaclava.

After sitting through what was a tolerable but not great series, we are presented with an ending that suggests that bigotry and violence are the way to go. If it was intended to show that this was the case, at the time this series was set in, you could perhaps get some satisfaction. I suggest that this is not the case for the majority of viewers..as least I hope so. I never quite understand programs that do this...there are others and I suspect most viewers have seen similar. Perhaps it is not always probable to present positive outcomes. If this ending was a statement then the closing vignettes should have been more pointed.

These cliffhanger series endings are becoming far too common and very irritating. Without revealing any spoilers, the viewer should be forewarned. I doubt that with such a low rating there will be another season to tie up the storylines, but I hope at least there would be. But what a disappointment after investing so much time watching this series. Allen Leech is one of my favorite actors, and while I wasn't familiar with any of the other actors, they were all very good, especially India Mullen. This series is supposed to have been modeled after a true story, so it's hard to believe that this was the way the case ended. I guess I can only hope that there will be a second season to find out.

. . . If a TV drama doesn't have an ending, then it shouldn't be given a beginning !

This is one series that should never have been allowed to be released on TV.

{Overall thoughts/opinion:}

~~ The series is mind-blowingly inept.

~~ Poor storyline, with appalling lack of structure.

~~ Why are so many threads left straggling and incomplete?

~~ The ending : WHAT ending?!

~~ Generally, the drama was put together with no solid framework. There is too much flimflamming all over the place. Lots of wildly different plot ideas were included, but these elements were too numerous. This gave the meandering tale NO sense of direction.

The only 2 good things in this drama are:

(1) there was considerable viewing excitement generated in the programme. This at least entertained the audience of this thriller.

(2) the acting was good: the two lead actors did excellent work in their roles, as did the actors in smaller parts. So they showed some true skill in the drama.

Other than that: if I cared to do so, there are a million more shoddy plot components about which I could complain.

But, frankly, I don't give a hoot! The more time spent on this dross drama, the more of my life is wasted.

So: onto watching more promising dramas, I hope . . .