Review: Vigil - A Deep, Dark Mystery

The BBC’s recent crime drama, Vigil – centered around the mysterious death of a crew member onboard a British nuclear submarine – has awoken a fear of submarines that I didn’t know I had. As Detective Amy Silva is dragged down to the depths of the ocean to investigate the death - and subsequently forced to confront her own crippling claustrophobia, the secrets and lies begin to unravel causing even more danger.  

The series is six episodes long which does seem unusual for a BBC crime thriller as they are more commonly shorter with 3-4 episodes. However, the writing is so good it keeps the intrigue consistent throughout - using red herrings, subplots and plot twists that give the audience some satisfaction without revealing the central mystery. The main character, Amy, with her tragic past and her relationship with colleague Kirsten, as well as her commitment to finding the truth make her a perfect protagonist

Putting aside the constant paranoia and suspicion onboard Vigil, there are many things about the sub which send a chill down my spine. For one, the interior is tunnel-like and cramped and DCI Silva’s bed leaves barely any room for movement, whilst the continual plunging causes her motion sickness. From the outside, the chilling close ups that show the huge, sharklike submarine ploughing through the murky, endless blue of the ocean are extremely ominous. The fact that they seem to very easily have mechanical issues which nearly cause the whole submarine to flood or blow up terrifies me. Therefore, it triggers an immense sympathy for DCI Silva who’s trapped down there (especially during a certain scene with the torpedo tube!)  

The way I always judge a good crime drama is if it had a shocking ending and Vigil passed this test with flying colours. When the truth was discovered, without giving too much away, I was surprised not so much by the identity of the killer but by the motive which was clever and unsuspecting. Because of this, I really enjoyed Vigil and if you’re brave enough to face the menacing submarine, then I bet you would too.