This article contains spoilers for S3E1 and S3E2 of Vigil.
August bank holiday television has become a major fixture for the BBC in recent years. Hits such as Bodyguard took the nation by storm, with Vigil initially debuting over the same weekend back in 2021. While Season 2 marked a departure from the claustrophobia of Season 1 – set aboard HMS Vigil, giving the show its title – Season 3’s opening episodes find a middle ground between high-stakes drama and a closer look at the personal lives of DCI Amy Silva (Suranne Jones) and DS Kirsten Longacre (Rose Leslie).
Season 3 opens with the pair having entered the next phase of their lives, happily married, with a teenage Poppy (Orla Russell) and their toddler son. Jones and Leslie’s chemistry remains the series’ highlight, even if this more domesticated setting will evidently be put to the test on more than one occasion this season. It’s also a testament to the show’s writing that this dynamic never once feels like tick-box representation or pandering to a subset of the audience, instead portraying a lesbian couple that feels both realistic – as realistic as a couple who find themselves in the dangers these two do – and at the heart of the plot.
Viewers hoping for a further look into their happy home life will be in part disappointed by the first two episodes. Longacre is returning to work following the birth of their son, something Silva is clearly nervous about despite believing wholeheartedly in her wife’s abilities. The pair therefore find themselves thrust into the action fairly quickly when a member of a British special forces mission in Svalbard winds up dead.
That said, Vigil returns with a plot that is interesting to follow, though blink and you will miss something detrimental, particularly within the first fifteen minutes of Episode 1. Alongside the murder, the opening episode introduces the disappearance of a young Chinese scientist conducting research in Svalbard, Shen Jia (Naomi Yang). She has seemingly discovered something valuable enough that both the British and Russians – who have an enclave in the Norwegian territory – want to get their hands on her, setting up a confrontation between both sides that officially never happened.
Longacre is chosen for the mission, switching up the dynamic established across the first two seasons. Leslie delivers her finest performance yet, perfectly capturing Kirsten’s confidence and determination while allowing her vulnerabilities, which revolve around impressing Amy, to show through. Silva stays behind for now, trying to link the two cases, and soon finds herself in the depths of trouble. From the trailer and promotional material, we know that this season takes both women to the Arctic, where they must solve the murder. It wouldn’t be Vigil if it were that simple.
Silva’s investigation soon takes a dangerous turn, with the DCI finding herself in the middle of an explosion that comes so unexpectedly you will flinch and a hostage situation. Jones is as steadfast as ever, slipping back into the role and Amy’s insecurities with ease. There’s an interesting tension in seeing Amy struggle with the fact that she cannot protect Kirsten from the dangers of the job, particularly now that Kirsten is the one heading into the field. Her need to micromanage every aspect of the investigation therefore feels more personal this time around, with the distance between the pair clearly adding to her worries.
As with previous seasons, Vigil takes on more than it can chew thematically. There are four episodes to go and plenty of room to explore these ideas further, but geopolitical conspiracies, greed, loyalty, climate change, and ecoterrorism are all introduced across the first two episodes. It can feel like a lot to take in, particularly when parts of the plot are bordering on the nonsensical and the release schedule means two episodes arrive in the same week. You may find yourself questioning whether a Scottish DS would really be placed at the centre of a potential politically motivated murder that threatens to trigger a Britain versus Russia conflict, but that does not make the series any less entertaining.
Vigil Season 3 returns with the same gripping blend of mystery, espionage, and drama, while successfully allowing Rose Leslie to step further into the spotlight. There is plenty to keep viewers guessing, even if the sheer number of themes introduced threatens to overwhelm at times. Still, if the remaining episodes can tie all the season’s threads together, Vigil looks set to remain one of the BBC’s most addictive dramas.
