Vigil

Very nice series,keeps you anticipating for the next episode! A real spy thrilles series,most of the action happens into a submarine.it's a serious ,well played and directed new series.

I mean, if you want to know about life on a nuclear submarine watch a documentary. This is a drama and a gripping one, well acted IMHO.

As for the review which hinted at the BBC anti-nuclear stance (after watching just the first episode), we were trying to remember what gave that impression. It must've been the mildly questioning comment a character made, wondering what is the point of nuclear weapons. So. The Beeb is anti-nuclear because of a line uttered by a chapter in a fictional drama? Really? NB It might be worth remembering quite a few ex-services people have also questioned whether nuclear weapons are anything other than a political tool. 'Trident- what the bloody hell is it for' - Field Marshall Lord Carver.

Most of us have no idea how accurate the drama as to the actual inside of a submarine, and it matters little to the actual plot.

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! :)

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.