Viewers Say Vigil's Tense Finale Is 'Most Stressful' Thing They've Ever Watched
The series stars Suranne Jones as DCI Amy Silva, who must investigate the death of a crew member on board the Trident nuclear sub HMS Vigil.
WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS
Tense BBC drama Vigil has come to a dramatic end this evening, with many viewers saying the finale was one of 'the most stressful' pieces of TV they've ever watched.
The series stars Suranne Jones as Detective Chief Inspector Amy Silva, who is tasked with investigating the mysterious death of a crew member on board the Trident nuclear submarine HMS Vigil, while simultaneously trying to stop her own past trauma rear its head amid claustrophobic life on board.
For the series finale, Adam James' Mark Prentice ended up sacrificing himself so that Silva could run to escape Matthew Doward (Lorne MacFadyen), who then proceeded to don a gas mask and chase her around the submarine armed with a knife in an eerie game of cat-and-mouse.
As the drama unfolded, many people tweeted to say the episode was the most stress-inducing TV they'd seen in a long time - and, in some cases, ever.
One viewer said: "This is the most stressful tele I have watched in a long time #Vigil."
Another wrote: "Heck #Vigil has to be one of the most stressful things I've ever watched."
A third added: "Sorry, I probably can't work tomorrow. Ep5 of Vigil didn't come with a warning that it would be the most stressful hour of TV ever broadcast. No chance I'll relax enough to sleep."
Someone else said it was even more full-on than Game of Thrones' famously intense episode 'The Red Wedding', writing: "#Vigil must be one of the most stressful bits of TV I've ever watched, and I say that as someone who watched all of Game ofThrones. (Inc The Red Wedding)."
Some even joked that the red-hued chase made it look like 'it was filmed down at the local laser quest'.
Others said the finale was the 'best epsiode' of the series, while some suggested it felt more like a 'horror movie' than a BBC drama.
Ahead of the show's launch, Jones had promised there would be shocking twists and turns right up until the final episode.
In a press Q&A, she said: "That's the bold thing about the show.
"That it is about human stories and like I said, it is so busy with content.
"It's a bold show, with two female leads. It has a romantic story but the thrills that come to the last episode were amazing and quite shocking."
She added: "I have never seen something like this before."
Jones also explained how she did all her own stunts for the show, revealing she ended up getting whiplash and putting her back out, while also being 'covered in bruises' during filming.
She said: "When I first read the script I was like, 'Oh my god this sounds amazing - I get to do all these stunts!'
"But I forgot how old I was. I thought I was 23 when I was reading it, and that's not true anymore! So I had to do a lot of working out just to build up my strength in order to do those scenes.
"And then we had a gap partway through filming because of lockdown, and anyone who had a bit of lockdown belly will know it's quite hard to get your strength up after that.
"Most of the stunts were when we were coming back after the break, so that was quite hard to build myself back up. I got whiplash, I put my back out a couple of times... I was covered in bruises.
"Everytime I went home my husband was like, 'What the hell have they done to you now?'
"It was fun to do and I watch the finished series and go, 'Oh, Amy's great!' But I was hobbling home and having Epsom salt baths during filming!"
Featured Image Credit: BBCTopics: Entertainment, TV and Film, Suranne Jones, Vigil
Jess Hardiman