Vigil Episode One & Two Review

Vigil is the latest police thriller from World Productions, with Jed Mercurio, the creator of Line of Duty credited as a producer. The first two episodes were shown on Sunday and Monday night in the UK to ensure viewers would be hooked in.

A fishing trawler sinks near where the British nuclear submarine, HMS Vigil, was patrolling. One of the officers, Craig Burke (Martin Compston) clashes with his superiors and is later found dead from a suspected overdose. Since the incident happened in British territorial waters the police send a detective to investigate.

DCI Amy Silva (Suranne Jones) is the police officer sent to investigate the death and she suspects foul play. But she must deal with tight-lipped sailors and the murky issues of national security.

Vigil was a show the BBC has been promoting heavily. It has Mercuico’s name attached, even if he didn’t write the show, has a star-studded cast, and police procedurals and political thrillers are popular here. Vigil had an excellent setup with a death taking place on a submarine: it was the ultimate locked-room mystery. It was a cramped space where there were no routes in or out.

The first two episodes set up the situation, the characters and suspects, and potential reasons why someone wanted Burke dead. On the sub, Burke was unpopular, even hated. He’s seen as distrustful and hostile because of his previous actions and interactions with peace protesters. The series is already making the audience guess who the killer is and why they did it. The episodes suggest that Burke was a whistleblower of some kind and he needed to be eliminated.

The episode set out the wider context. There was politics within the navy. The episodes state that there had been issues with HMS Vigil’s crew in the past. Commander Newsome (Paterson Joseph) only kept his position because he agreed to Lieutenant Commander Prentice (Adam James) being appointed as his executive officer. Rear Admiral Shaw (Stephen Dillane) said HMS Vigil has been a problem for a long time and there will be changes when the sub comes back to shore.

HMS Vigil had to remain at sea until another submarine was ready. This was due to a nuclear submarine needing to be at sea so Britain’s nuclear deterrent can be maintained. Newsome reveals some shocking information that could shake British defence policy. These issues within the sub’s crew, the Royal Navy’s commands, and the revelation that HMS Vigil might be tracked by an adversary gave Vigil the feel of a Tom Clancy novel. Clancy was known for writing novels about American intelligence and military and Vigil is giving his ideas a British spin.

Silva’s partner, DS Kirsten Longarce (Rose Leslie) investigates on land. She does the usual police things: search Burke’s flat, check Burke and other sailors, and question Burke’s acquaintances. Her side of the investigation leads to her finding a USB stick which makes her the target of nefarious forces.

The episodes show Amy Silva to be a damaged character. She needs to go on a run to clear her mind and suffers from claustrophobia. These will be issues for her since a submarine is a tight space where exercise will be difficult. There were flashbacks to Amy’s life where she had a husband and daughter but there weren’t around anymore. You don’t need to be a detective to figure out what happened.

The first episode did have a terrific beginning and end. The episode opened with the sinking of the trawler which felt like the start of a Line of Duty series. It was the instigating incident where there’s more going on than it originally appears. That episode ended on a double climax which does the job because you want to find out what happens next.

For fans of shows like Line of Duty, Bodyguard, and Spooks, Vigil will appeal to them. The first two episodes had a great hook, a solid premise, and lots of twists and turns that fans would want and expect. It will be interesting to see how and where the show goes.