Vigil 2021 Series Amy & Kirsten Couple Review

『A Journey of Distance and Healing, Deeper than the Deep Sea』

📺 Series Overview

🎬 Title: Vigil (2021~)
🌍 Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
🎞️ Genre: Crime / Thriller / Drama
🗓️ Production & Broadcast: BBC One, Seasons 1–2 completed / Season 3 in production
⏳ Runtime: approx. 60 minutes (6 episodes per season)
📢 Directors: James Strong, Isabelle Sieb, others
🖋️ Screenplay: Tom Edge
📺 Platforms: BBC iPlayer, Watcha

👩‍💼 Cast: Suranne Jones – as Amy Silva
Rose Leslie – as Kirsten Longacre

🧩 In-Depth Story Exploration (Spoilers)

💔 Trauma and Emotional Distance

When Season 1 begins, Amy and Kirsten are already former lovers as well as professional colleagues, caught in a complicated situation. The root of their distance lies in Amy’s deep trauma.

🧠 Amy’s Trauma and Emotional Avoidance

Amy is haunted by a past car accident in which she lost her fiancé, forced in a devastating moment to save only her daughter, Poppy. This trauma instilled in her a profound fear of intimacy and avoidance of emotional commitment. Flashback sequences reveal that, despite Kirsten’s devotion to the relationship, Amy consistently withdrew from its sincerity and depth.

🔍 Kirsten’s Devotion and Frustration

Kirsten tries to understand Amy’s trauma and complicated circumstances (including the custody issues surrounding Amy’s stepdaughter, Poppy), approaching the relationship with honesty and commitment. But when Amy repeatedly put up emotional walls and tried to sever the bond, Kirsten felt betrayed and isolated. Their breakup was not Kirsten’s choice, and throughout the series she continues to show love and a protective instinct toward Amy.

🌍 The 'Connection' and 'Collaboration' Across Separate Spaces

In Season 1, their relationship finds its most effective expression through the unusual setup of being physically separated (inside the submarine vs. on land).

• Trust for Survival: Trapped in the submarine with no one she can trust, Amy realizes her survival and mission depend solely on Kirsten. On land, Kirsten uncovers the conspiracy and communicates with Amy through encrypted messages (Morse code).

• Fusion of Personal and Professional: Their relationship exemplifies the unavoidable blending of work and personal life. The professional clues they exchange (investigation leads) are interwoven with personal concern (love and care). The submarine–land divide intensifies their emotional connection, making it more desperate and heartfelt.

👩‍❤️‍👩 Reconciliation and Commitment to the Future

As the series progresses, Amy’s confrontation with trauma and her survival within the submarine mirror her readiness to acknowledge her true feelings for Kirsten and embrace commitment.

• The Moment of Reconciliation (Season 1 Ending): After surviving the submarine ordeal, Amy approaches Kirsten first, proposing they build a family together with Poppy. This signifies the collapse of her emotional barriers. More than mere reconciliation, it marks Amy’s courage to overcome trauma and create a new form of family, a powerful happy ending.

• Shared Life and New Challenges (Season 2): In Season 2, they are firmly established as both professional and life partners. Kirsten’s pregnancy signals their evolution beyond past pain toward planning a future together. The conflicts of balancing parenthood, careers, and dangerous missions highlight their role as partners in life, facing realistic struggles together (e.g., Amy’s worry over Kirsten working in the field while pregnant).

🎥 Revealing BBC’s Social Message

In 《Vigil》, Amy and Kirsten’s relationship carries particular weight as it put a lead lesbian couple’s survival and happiness at the forefront of UK prime-time television drama. Their bond is not treated as a subplot to the mystery, but as a central axis of human drama about overcoming trauma and seeking authentic connection.

🎯 Personal Rating (Based on Preference)

💕 Love Scene Intensity: ♥♥
⭐ Rating: ★★★★★