CHRISTOPHER STEVENS reviews BBC's Vigil
Lions can be fended off with a chair. A punch on the nose deters sharks. But never try to keep a polar bear at bay by belting it with a police truncheon. This will only antagonise it.
TL;DR
- Svalbard requires citizens to carry rifles for protection against polar bears.
- The series Vigil features Russian special forces as potential antagonists.
- The plot involves an attempted defection, firefights, murders, a bomb attack, and a kidnapping.
- The geopolitical situation in Svalbard, a territory rich in rare minerals and strategically important for an Arctic naval base, is a central theme.
- The series explores the potential for military provocation by Russia and the West's reaction.
- The Arctic landscape of Svalbard is highlighted for its beauty and contribution to the drama's appeal.
- The personal relationship between lead officers Kirsten Longacre and Amy Silva, including their child, complicates their work-life balance.