A British military submarine found itself dragged into a strange occurrence that claimed the lives of a group of Scottish fishermen working on a trawler (the Mhairi Finnea). Setting quite the tone for a high-seas mystery, "Vigil" season 1 delivered thrills and intrigue that will stay with you long after the finale.
James Strong and Isabelle Sieb did notable work directing all six episodes. Writers Tom Edge, Ed Macdonald, and Chandni Lakhani wrote a captivating script.
Glenn Gregory and Berenice Scott's musical scoring was amazing. Matt Gray and Ruairí O'Brien's cinematography was engaging. Great work on costume, production design, and sound effects. Outstanding work by the stunts and editing teams. Art direction and set decoration were quite good.
The submarine at the heart of this story is H. M. S. Vigil. That said, this show is a fictional drama, and not based on any actual events, navy vessels, or people.
DCI Amy Silva, played by Suranne Jones, was great. DS Kirsten Longacre, played by Rose Leslie, was memorable. Cdr. Neil Newsome, played by Paterson Joseph, was quite good. Lt. Simon Hadlow, played by Connor Swindells, was good.
RAdm. Shaw, played by Stephen Dillane, was great. Det. Supt. Robertson, played by Gary Lewis, was quite good. Jade Antoniak, played by Lauren Lyle, was great. Coxswain Elliot Glover, played by Shaun Evans, was amazing. Lt. Cdr. Mark Prentice, played by Adam James, was outstanding.
CPO Gary Walsh, played by Daniel Portman, was great. Lt. Tiffany Docherty, played by Anjli Mohindra, was good. CPO Tara Kierly, played by Lois Chimimba, was also good. Lt. Cdr. Erin Branning, played by Lolita Chakrabarti, was remarkable. CPO Craig Burke, played by Martin Compston, was quite good. CPO Matthew Doward, played by Lorne MacFadyen, was notable.
All other cast and crew did good work in "Vigil" S01 now streaming on BBC iPlayer.
Britain's nuclear deterrent capabilities were captured in a vulnerable light. The series managed to shed some light on probable systemic loopholes, including foreign interference. They bottled significant tropes that pointed to crucial current affairs.
In just six episodes, season 1 "Vigil" managed to convey a depth of meaning and possibilities. It was amazing to watch them solve not only a murder that occurred inside the submarine H. M. S Vigil but also the case of four fishermen whose boat had the misfortune of being entangled in an unidentified sub. This soon unraveled a web of inter-governmental conspiracies.
"Vigil" expertly captured the nuances of a great whodunit. It left no loose ends, and proved it could hold its own in a sea of streaming productions all vying for viewer attention. With "Vigil", I found a script that contained all the elements of a great murder-mystery plot set in the real world. The last two episodes particularly kept me on the edge of my seat.
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