Vigil Series 2 Episode 1 Recap

As this episode of Vigil begins, Anthony Chapman seems distraught as he splashes water on his face. He tells Sabiha that she needs to pack a bag before giving her an hour. She listens to her father speak to someone about putting a stop to this. At the Al Shawka Airbase, Eliza Russell (Romola Garai) runs into Anthony Chapman (Alastair Mackenzie) who says he saw a doctor while he was in Dubai. They found a mass on his liver. If it goes the way they think it will, he’d rather be in Scotland at home. He admits it might be liver cancer before asking Russell to take command of the squadron. In the car, Anthony tells Sabiha (Hiba Medina) she is coming with him to Scotland.

He doubts they’re coming back. Nicole Lawson (Shannon Hayes) moves in with her team before getting the drone ready. Marcus Grainger (Dougray Scott) gets in touch with the pilots. Sam Kader (Oscar Salem) is told there shouldn’t be any lag this time. Colin Dixon (Anders Hayward) confirms he is in position. Callum Barker (Chris Jenks) makes sure his drone joins them. Grainger gives them permission to begin their attack. The drones fire at the enemies. Grainger is informed there is a trespasser on the beach perimeter. He wants a team sent to the perimeter. It appears a man is using a drone to record their activities. He flees when a vehicle approaches. Lawson tells the others they’re waiting on orders.

At Dundair Air Weapons Range, Marcus Grainger says the weapons test is complete so they’re moving to phase two. Ali Bilali isn’t sure there is any need since they’ve seen what they can do. They’re exactly what the military needs so His Highness will be very happy. He might even increase the order. Simmonds tells the other soldiers that they’ll be out of a job soon. Grainger tells Ali that you could launch from the back of a van if necessary. The next iteration will have full-spec targeting software and 3D situation rendering. Now, the pilots will surrender control and the autopilots will return them to the launch pads. Derek McCabe (Steven Elder) says that is one of several preprogrammed routines aimed at conserving assets. As the other drones head back, Dixon’s drone turns around and looks at the soldiers on the ground.

The drone ends up shooting them. Grainger yells to get security to the APC. Dixon is told to get control of the drone now. Soldiers try to get to Dixon who is locked in an armed vehicle. The drone comes and shoots them. Lawson gets control of the Bravo unit. The drone begins targeting Grainger and those with him. Lawson manages to destroy the alpha drone. Dixon is thrown to the ground and kicked. Simmonds succumbs to his injuries. Amy Silva (Suranne Jones) walks with Poppy (Orla Russell) and drops her off at school. She gets a call about the drone incident. At the station, Amy tells Kirsten Longacre (Rose Leslie) that they are holding the man they believe is responsible. Amy says the MOD asked for her. They talk about working together on the same case.

Amy says she prefers someone who has experience with the military. She argues it isn’t too late to put Kirsten on maternity leave. They meet Flying Officer Clothier who is going to escort them to the prisoner. Paul Townsend (Noof Ousellam) comes with them. Amy tells Paul and Kirsten to speak to the other pilots before leaving with Clothier. She approaches Colin Dixon who is still outside. Amy asks if he has been assessed for his injuries. Colin claims he is fine and just wants to talk to her. He is cuffed and cautioned before Colin insists he hasn’t done anything. Lawson tells Kirsten that they were only there as props. She wanted to stay with Simmonds. They’re friends since most of them were deployed together in Afghanistan. Kirsten asks who she was with during the weapons test.

Lawson says five of the British Air Force Regiment. Patrick stuck a dressing on Simmonds. Lawson admits to moving to get a better view, but she insists she wasn’t hiding. Kirsten asks where she was when the R-PAS started shooting. Colin says he didn’t do this even though it was his R-PAS, remotely piloted air system. He set it to autopilot before the attack. The comms cut out when it was taken over. When the soldiers tried to get in, he tried to open the latch before the bullets started hitting. Colin explains that you can take over any unit on auto or standby once you’re logged into the system. Anyone could’ve taken it over except Lawson since she shot it down. Amy asks if there is any way to prove he didn’t do this. Colin tells her what happened before the R-PAS was put on autopilot.

After that, he never touched the controls again. He tells her that the other pilots were Sam Kader and Callum Barker, but they’re in Al Shawka Air Base in Wudyan. Russell tells Barker and the others about the incident. Simmonds and Davidson died on the range. Jansen is in critical condition. Barker asks about Dixon who has to have surgery on a shattered cheekbone. He complains that Dixon got the crap kicked out of him by his own people. Russell confirms they’re all suspects because this was their operation. Kader and Barker are told to go to separate rooms to write statements to avoid collusion. Russell doesn’t tell them the names of the Wudyanis who were killed. Colonel Bilai has that information and it is up to him to release it.

Russell reminds Barker that she is upset as well. Colonel Bilai says they all want to get home so further treatment for a wounded man can wait. Marcus Grainger tells Bilai that the police will find out who did this but they need time. Derek McCabe believes someone wants to destroy their relationship. Bilai says His Highness is considering ending the R-PAS program and cutting all funding. McCabe says their politicians are hypocrites, but they want this partnership to work. Bilai says they need their soldiers to fight people who want to destroy them. In return, their courts threatened to ban British companies from selling to them. Amy asks Clothier why the demo was called off early. He believes that was an operational matter. Clothier says there was a security issue at the perimeter which happens a lot. When they looked for the trespasser, no one was found.

Amy wants to speak to the Air Vice-Marshal. Clothier offers to check to see if he is available, but Amy argues she can do that. Grainger greets Amy who is introduced to McCabe with Alban-X which makes R-PAS. McCabe says the crashed drone needs to go back to the factory to get the flight data. That’s how they’ll find out what happened. If they try to remove the unspent munitions, they’ll likely lose all the data. They’re analyzing data from the operating system at headquarters which is outside Glasgow. Amy says they’ll need people in there since they need the data. McCabe insists there is nothing to hide. Although they manufactured the gun, they didn’t pull the trigger. Amy speaks to Kirsten on the phone before an explosion.

Everyone is fine. Grainger suggests the system was hacked although McCabe argues it is a closed system. Kirsten comes over to check on Amy. Clothier (Angus Yellowlees) tells Grainger that the video link is ready. He will be speaking to his team in Wudyan so Amy wants to join him. She says they’ll need her written permission to move anything off the base. McCabe wants to continue testing because they have a multibillion-pound contract on the line. Amy says the lost lives are more important than their share price. She tells Kirsten that they need to find the trespasser. Grainger tells Amy that the bodies are still warm and McCabe is practically demanding indemnity. She didn’t know they had a base in Wudyan. Grainger explains that Wudyan is supporting a legitimate neighboring government against insurgents.

They’re only providing operational support. Wudyan is one of their most important partnerships. They get in touch with Eliza Russell who is given more information about the causalities. Wes Harper interrupts to tell Russell something cannot wait. Amy and Grainger learn Wes is in charge of the development program for R-PAS for Alban-X. He calls himself the technical lead.

Via video conference, Wes Harper (Jonathan Ajayi) informs Amy and Marcus that the warehouse logs are complete. Amy orders all equipment utilized in the operation of drones sealed ASAP. Wes rejects the order but Eliza agrees to do it. He claims three of the five drone controllers, two of which are in Scotland, are secured away. He says when the Alpha R-PAS, manned by Colin Dixon, went to auto-pilot, the other three pilots followed the same procedure. He adds that Anthony Chapman took control of Alpha R-Pas until Bravo R-Pass, manned by Lawson, shot it down. Lawson got back on the system 30 seconds after Anthony who must have covered the console camera. Marcus tells them that Anthony, who has cancer, returned two days ago for his surgery scheduled for today. He suggests the system has been compromised. Wes assures him that the Glasgow logs will reveal the same thing. Raising his voice, Marcus says Anthony is probably on a morphine pump.

After the conference call ends, Eliza warns Wes against sharing information with Marcus and Amy without his employer’s knowledge. He refuses to stay quiet. After urging him to cover his butt, she warns that Alban-X is about to get slapped with a lawsuit. She immediately starts grilling him about the failed test. Shocked by her questions, he claims to have been in the armory. When she asks if others were there, he reminds her that she is not his superior before threatening to stop answering her questions.

During a phone call, Amy informs someone of Anthony missing his 4pm. Surgery appointment. She requests a team dispatched to a local hotel as she jumps into her vehicle.

Kristen tells Paul that the trespasser was last seen at the beach. She suggests they traveled north along the coast since there have been no reported sightings. He says they could have stashed a boat somewhere. An officer launches a drone search.

Amy escorts a team to Anthony’s hotel room to find it empty. CCTV footage inside the hotel shows Anthony at the front desk. Elsewhere, Kristen and Paul are utilizing a drone to track a trespasser veering off the path. Paul suggests the trespasser is aware that security is nearby. A short time later, Kristen and two armed officers close in on the trespasser in a tree. She orders the man to drop his phone and bag on the ground but he refuses.

Barker tells Eliza that Nicole is scheduled to return tonight. She says Dixon is having surgery. He asks if the plan is to restart missions tomorrow. She asks if he is well enough to perform his duty. He assures her that he is fine. She complements his report but requests his opinion on past operations omitted. She asks if he knows anything about an altercation in the rec room involving Anthony and another individual. He denies hearing anything about it. Upon leaving, Barker encounters Sam in the lobby. He vows to walk away when his service period is over in two years. Sam urges him to lay low. Barger assures him that they had it come.

Firas refuses attorney representation. Kristen asks what was the purpose of his Dundair Air Weapons Range visit. He claims to have gone there today to watch birds, no species in particular. She if he prefers a drone to binoculars. He assures her that he never broke any rules walking there. She accuses him of evading the Air Force patrol. He kept to his route. She asks why he filmed the weapons test. He describes the experience as “fascinating” but his drone only takes photos while theirs kills lots of people. She asks if he objects to what they are doing. He questions why a detective inspector would be interested in a trespasser. She informs him of the seven Dundair causalities. He denies any knowledge of the incident. He refuses to answer any questions about Anthony. Laying multiple prescriptions for diabetes medicine on the table, she points out that Doctor Mohammed Rajab practices in Bhahrat Wud which is near the Al Shawka airbase. He shuts down. She detains him under the Protection of Freedom Act for up to 14 days. He admits to being on the side of the angels.

Marcus tells Colin that Anthony requested a six-month leave for cancer treatment. Amy informs him of Anthony missing his surgery appointment today. She says Anthony and Sabiha’s phones have been turned off. He tells her that Sabiha is enrolled in a school outside Edinburgh. Amy says they have already been in contact with the school. She asks if Anthony was aware of his details being recorded when he logged into the R-Pas. Marcus assures them that Anthony would have known the risks. Colin asks about the Wudyan mission. Marcus explains the British Air Force and Wudyan’s joint R-Pas squadron. Colin asks if he is a supporter of Wudyan’s conflict with its neighbors. Marcus denies the allegation. Amy asks about the R-Pas drone testing. Marcus boasts of it creating 600 high-skilled jobs before claiming Wudyanis are investing money into the program. He says Wudyan intel was passed on to Firas.

Amy asks Colin Robertson (Gary Lewis) and Grainger if there have been any questions about Anthony Chapman’s loyalties. Grainger admits there have been leaks coming out of the base. They were passing secrets to a journalist named Firas Zaman (Tommy Sim’aan) who was caught trespassing at the base. Daniel Ramsay (Amir El-Masry) joins Kirsten as she interviews Firas Zaman. Daniel says Firas left Wudyan 15 years ago and claimed asylum there. He is a known associate of Mohammed Rajab who is in prison on terrorism charges. Zaman claims Rajab is a human rights activist.

Daniel mentions the terrorist group Jabhat Al’huryiya, but Zaman says they’re not a terrorist group. Daniel read the report. Someone logging into the R-PAS control system would need to know exactly when the autopilot was engaged. They’d need someone to observe the test and make a call. Zaman is asked why he wiped his phone. Kirsten says Zaman claims not to know Anthony Chapman. Daniel tells Kirsten he’ll email her with everything else they have on this guy before leaving. Zaman believes Kirsten is going to have difficulty working with Daniel. He goes on to say MI5 will run things if they want to.

Zaman says the drones won’t only be used in Wudyan’s proxy war with their neighbors. They’ll be used on the population because peak oil is coming. He claims this is how the regimen remains in power. Someone told him about the test so he went there to record it. Amy wants to interview the pilots only to learn that Lawson is going back to Wudyan. Amy steps out when Townsend calls. Colin Robertson tells Grainger he’d be wise to treat Silva with respect. He checked all footage from Dundair and there wasn’t any of the attack. It cuts out when the R-PAS goes to autopilot. There were two GPS matches for the range at Dundair and two in Wudyan.

There was a fifth one for the R-PAS Chapman got onto which GPs pinpointed in a little village in the Trossachs about an hour from Glasgow. Amy interrupts Kirsten so they can go there. In the car, they talk about Kirsten not being due for another two months. Once they arrive, Amy asks Kirsten to stay in the car until it’s clear. The soldiers hike up first with Amy following behind them. They shoot armed police before kicking the door in. Inside, Amy finds evidence that Chapman was there with her daughter. She asks the police to check the perimeter before Kirsten interrupts. Anthony Chapman is found shot dead outside. They discuss the bullet stuck in a tree. An officer says the tire tracks suggest a vehicle has turned around and left.

Amy says Sabiha either ran or she was abducted. Back at the car, Amy and Kirsten go over the questions they have. Kirsten hears something in the woods so they decide to investigate. The officer warns Amy that they’ve found a vehicle so the shooter may still be there. When they find Sabiha, Amy tells Compton to get down there. A man wearing a mask approaches with a rifle and opens fire.

 

Vigil Review

The first series of Vigil was hit and miss, but it managed to be successful at attracting eyeballs. Therefore, series two obviously had a great deal of hype coming into it. The cast is just as good as the first series with many great newcomers and those viewers already enjoy. Nevertheless, Vigil’s second series doesn’t get off to a great start. The episode set up an interesting premise with the drones being hacked and used against the operators.

That’s pretty much the only good thing about the opening episode though. Within the first five minutes, the camerawork was ungodly hideous. When Eliza Russell and Anthony Chapman were talking about his health, the camera was circling repeatedly to the point of needing an emesis bag.

The camerawork was bad at other points as well. Some of the actions and dialogue are far bigger black eyes though. In terms of the dialogue, it is common for the characters to repeat the same things multiple times before moving on. This doesn’t happen once or twice. Instead, it happens at least 10 times in this episode alone. Towards the end, Amy mentioned starting a search twice and that’s just one example.

Some of the dialogue is too sophisticated. It tries to be clever but fails on every attempt. The story is agenda-laden which to them is enough to warrant a second season.

Certain aspects of the dialogue are cliché, such as Amy’s comment about the company’s share price. That gives me concern that this will be another show that follows the same path and does the same old things every other show is doing. The performances are surprisingly odd with lots of monotonous deliveries. Then, there are stupid actions from the characters such as Colin Dixon being kept outside for so long instead of being taken in and detained somewhere when he is accused of mass murder.

The armed guards with Amy shouted before kicking the door in instead of trying to catch Anthony Chapman off-guard. Truthfully, the script is so shoddy it feels like it was written by someone with a lack of common sense and limited ability to form coherent sentences in the English language. At this point, the series shouldn’t have been renewed. It’ll need a few excellent episodes to right the ship but I am pessimistic about its future.

The episode scores a 4 out of 10. Recaps of Vigil can be found on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support our independent site at this link. Learn more about advertising on Reel Mockery here. Discuss this series and others with friends at the Reel Mockery Forum.