Vigil viewers divided online over hotly anticipated series finale
The final episode of BBC’s Vigil aired last night (26 September) and drew mixed reactions from fans online.
The limited series kept viewers on the edges of their seats for the last five weeks, as DCI Amy Silva (Suranne Jones) investigated the murky ongoings of HMS Vigil.
The end of episode five looked like the end of the road for Silva, when she realised that Matthew Doward (chillingly played by Lorne MacFadyen) was the dangerous Russian spy onboard the submarine.
In the final moments of the penultimate episode, Doward hit Silva on the head and shoved her inside a soundproof torpedo tube, leaving the detective to die.
From then on, the only thing rising faster than the water level inside the torpedo tube was the urgency to find out whether Jones’s character survived the deadly attack.
As expected, the high-octane finale left viewers divided on everything, from the romance between Silva and her love interest DCI Longacre (Rose Leslie), to the writing, acting and the show’s ending.
While some were thrilled to see an on-screen gay couple get the happy ending they deserved, others found the lack of chemistry between Jones and Leslie disappointing.
One user even called their romance “completely unnecessary”.
Loved Vigil but thought the Amy/Kirsten romance completely unnecessary. #Vigil
— Vance (@Vance14347) September 27, 2021
the love story of amy and kirsten on a prime bbc tv spot is the most beautiful thing to come out of 2021 #vigil pic.twitter.com/vFd9DDrS3F
— jade (@marisasbailey) September 26, 2021
Fans also couldn’t agree on whether episode six was brilliant or boring.
One Twitter user wrote: “#Vigil left me cold. Disappointed.”
Conversely, another user tweeted that the makers of the show had saved the best episode for last.
There was, however, widespread appreciation for Jones’ performance as the steely detective.
#Vigil one of the best programmes i’ve ever seen! Suranne Jones was ourstanding! BBC does it again, what a show!
— Connor Wilson (@ConnorWilson02) September 27, 2021
The biggest gripe with viewers appeared to be the show’s unanswered questions — including why Doward was working with the Russians in the first place.
Interesting that a nuclear submarine can basically be sunk by one guy and a spanner. #Vigil
— Peter Warne (@pzwarne) September 27, 2021
One user said the drama was unintentionally funny, calling Vigil the “the best comedy series BBC has released in decades”.
#Vigil #Vigilbbc these dramatic scenes aren’t adding up. How can they not detect a trawler and an oil tanker on one of the world’s most superior submarines? You see the radar images but they are relying on human eyesight and sound. It’s giving me Line of Duty season 6 finale.
— J'Moul Francis (@jmoulfrancis) September 27, 2021
Another said the show was “entertaining nonsense” but questioned why MacFadyen’s character would need to be on-board HMS Vigil when Jackie was already doing the Russians’s bidding, rendering Burke’s killing a moot point.
A more balanced critique of the show read: “A great show but with some questionable moments, leaps of logic and the final 20 minutes rather fizzles out. I still enjoyed it though, particularly the final two episodes.”
#Vigil thought that was ace. Not sure how accurately they depicted life in a submarine but not arsed tbh. Great acting. Great plot. Pretty stressful.
— Nicki Minaj's cousin's mate (@carterfox) September 27, 2021
In conclusion? The finale of Vigil fell somewhere in the middle of the spectrum of Twitter fan reactions — between anti-climactic and gripping.
You can read a full recap (spoilers included) of episode six here.
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