The plot that unfolds onboard the nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine “HMS Vigil” is the subject of the miniseries “Vigil,” which airs on BBC One.
The author, Tom Edge, is able to create a complicated story by drawing inspiration from seemingly unrelated sources, such as the several conspiracy theories surrounding the sinking of the FV Gaul.
However, the modern-day plot, along with the movement to prevent financing for nuclear warfare, adds a depth of intrigue to the six-part miniseries that viewers will find compelling.
Let's go down to the bottom of the ocean and figure out what the deal is with the HMS Vigil.
Overview of Vigil
The Mhairi Finnea, a Scottish trawler, gets snagged by an unknown submarine at Barra Head, Scotland's west coast. Craig Burke (Martin Compston), a sonar operator aboard HMS Vigil, a neighboring submarine, detects the strange sound.
Burke requests his captain, Commander Neil Newsome (Paterson Joseph), to help the trawler crew. To avoid revealing the submarine's location, Newsome refuses to raise the vessel's subsurface. Newsome sends Burke to his bunk for arguing.
After the trawler sinks, Chief Petty Officer Craig Burke is discovered dead in his cabin in Vigil. A Royal Navy Rear Admiral (Stephen Dillane) visits the Scottish Police Service in Glasgow to inform them of the tragedy that occurred on the British Territorial seas.
Shaw arrives at HQ with DCI Amy Silva (Suranne Jones) and Detective Superintendent Colin Robertson (Gary Lewis). Shaw tells the police about Burke's heroin overdose and asks Amy to board the submarine for three days so she can conduct a proper inquiry into the situation.
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The Royal Navy will not take its Vanguard-class nuclear-powered submarines like Vigil off patrol for some bureaucratic probe, despite the fact that Vigil has been in service for more than 50 years.
DCI Silva is getting ready to board Vigil because he has a responsibility to do. DS Kirsten Longacre (Rose Leslie) is summoned to talk with Burke's coworkers and friends before she departs.
From Dunloch Naval Base, DCI Silva boards Vigil and takes off. On board, Warrant Officer Elliot Glover (Shaun Evans) serves as a coxswain, helping Silva with her inquiry into the murder of Officer Craig Burke.
Who Killed Craig Burke?
According to DCI Silva, an autopsy on Burke's body revealed that the heroin had not been snorted. Rather, the substance was rubbed into his nose. Burke had been poisoned with a nerve toxin similar to sarin, according to her subsequent investigations. Vigil chef Jackie Hamilton incorporated the nerve agent into Burke's meal (Anita Vitesse).
Sean, Jackie's son, was convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to ten years in prison in Indonesia. Sean, on the other hand, was scheduled for publication in a year. A traitor, Silva reasoned, may have struck a pact with Jackie to get some sort of advantage over her. Eventually, the nerve gas spilled out of the missile compartment and killed Jackie.
In Jackie's bunk and apron, Silva found letters written in her name. She had a hunch that another saboteur was on board Vigil, attempting to bring it down.
The Mystery Of Port Havers
Much of the drama suspected that Burke's murder was connected to what happened at US Port Havers, Florida earlier this year. Lieutenant Commander Mark Prentice (Adam James), the Vigil XO, claims that Vigil visited Port Havers for missile maintenance. The group, on the other hand, ventured out into the street and began drinking and fighting.
Ross Harmison, a junior mechanic, was on duty at Port Havers when the reactor was cooling down for maintenance, DCI Silva was told by Gary Walsh. He returned from shore leave early and took a snooze at the office. Harmison failed to notice that the reactor's temperature had risen to the point where it had to be shut down.
The steam generated by the over-pressurized generators was lethal. Upon his return to the turbine room, Walsh saw two local contractors working inside. In the end, they died because he failed to save them.
In order to prevent the facility from turning into another Fukushima, Walsh summoned the EO to begin the cool-down procedure immediately.
Ross Harmison was reassigned to HMS Riffa in the Middle East immediately after the event by the British and US Navy. DS Kirsten discovered a news story detailing the drowning deaths of two Davis Marine contractors working in the area. Kirsten, on the other hand, was certain that the Navy was covering up the Port Havers event when she matched the date.
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This generation of nuclear-powered submarines, according to Gary Walsh, is nearing the end of its useful life. Somehow, Burke discovered the Port Havers cover-up and other Navy failures that placed the lives of its crew at peril.
As part of Burke's decision to go public, DS Kirsten discovered a pen drive in the Burke Room at Dunloch that included video evidence Burke had captured.
How did Jade Antoniak, Burke's Girlfriend, End Up Killed?
DS Kirsten Longacre discovered the drowned body of Jade Antoniak at the peace camp of the HM Naval Base in Glasgow. Kirsten discovered that Ansell Holdings, a limited corporation, was depositing money into her account on a regular basis.
An MP named Patrick Cruden had a shell corporation that operated as a front for his opposition to British nuclear weapons. Jade was Patrick Cruden's unofficial daughter, he admitted. He had s*x with Jade's mother when he was campaigning against nuclear proliferation. He gave Jade a monthly allowance but had nothing to do with her death through Ansell.
During her investigation into the film of the peace protests, Kirsten came upon an unidentified man called Peter Ingles. Peter was detained by the Scottish police, but he was eventually released.
Piter Vasiliev (also known as Ingles) was a Russian Intelligence operative with full diplomatic immunity, according to MI agents. Since Vasiliev could leave the nation before being examined, it permitted him to do so
Kirsten stumbled and encountered Ben Oakley, a friend of Jade's who lived at the Peace Camp while following the trail left by Vasiliev. On Jade's stolen laptop, Kirsten noticed a photo that had been copied to his phone and erased from the original.
The photo taken by Jade showed Piter Vasiliev meeting up with the traitor crewman on Vigil, which Kirsten deduced after Ben was taken into custody.
Jade intended to expose Piter in the media since she suspected he was an MI5 agent. Piter had to wait till Ben told her about Jade and the image before she could publish the article. As a result, Piter drowned Jade and killed her in order to cover up the tale that may have revealed the presence of Russian spies in the area.
Who Sabotage Vigil? And Why?
Several times after Burke's death, Russian assets aboard Vigil attempted to compel Vigil to the surface. A Russian GRU officer, Piter Vasiliev, gave the designs for Vigil's ventilation system with the asset.
Kirsten learned about the asset's identity via Jade's photograph. DCI Silva's sonar operator Mathew Doward was the Russian operative on board Vigil, Burke's replacement.
Silva in Vigil deduced that the Russians had threatened Jackie with the death of Burke in order to deploy their own asset to damage the boat in her stead. Doward was eventually apprehended and transported back to Glasgow to be investigated by the police.
Piter addressed Burke about sabotaging the ship, and Doward admitted to that under interrogation. However, Burke refused to be a whistleblower, so they had to murder him to keep his mouth quiet.
In exchange for the release of Burke's kid, Jackie poisoned him. While Russian ships were circling Vigil, Doward was sent in to compel an evacuation of the sub. However, they were only there to take a few pictures and then pull the ship back to Scotland.
The parliamentary decision to eliminate the Tridents was influenced by a purely public relations ploy intended to harm the deterrent's reputation. Asserting Britain's nuclear deterrence using a method as slick as today's contemporary warfare
The ‘Vigil' Ending Explained – Who All Survived?
However, in spite of his knowledge of the submarine's involvement, Admiral Shaw chose to accuse Russia at a news conference, knowing full well that Russia would not respond in kind.
Cruden wanted to know the truth, but Shaw believed that notifying the public about a Russian spy onboard Vigil would be a declaration of victory for Russia. The Russians have their heart set on it.
The sabotage of Vigil, like Port Havers, was covered up, but the British Royal Navy had to deal with serious fatalities in the newest catastrophe. Mark Prentice was stabbed to death by Mathew Doward; Craig Burke was slain with a nerve agent, and Jackie Hamilton was killed by Mathew Doward (killed by an accidental nerve agent gas leak).
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MP Cruden's daughter Jade Antoniak died while he was away. Even better news for Elliot Glover: He survived the nerve agent poisoning and elected to spend time with his family instead of returning to the Vigil crew. After Silva revealed their relationship with Vigil, he and Tiffany Docherty (Anjli Mohindra) ended their extramarital romance.
DCI Silva had hydrophobia after the loss of her husband, yet she continued to investigate Vigil. Reflecting on her own bereavement and friendship with Kirsten Longacre was facilitated by the stay.
With Poppy, Kirsten learned that Silva was considering obtaining joint custody of Poppy and moving in with Kirsten. Silva, on the other hand, was unsure whether or not she was ready to commit. Silva, on the other hand, was haunted by a slew of questions that she couldn't seem to put to rest. After the loss of her spouse, she was reluctant to commit again.
Silva, on the other hand, realized the gravity of her condition when she came near to death in Vigil. When she came out, she told Kirsten the same thing, and they decided to start a new life together. It's likely the end now.
Tom Edge is the creator of the criminal thriller series Vigil. The six-part BBC One police procedural miniseries is produced by World Productions.
