This Vigil season 2 episode 4 recap contains spoilers
After being taken hostage by Jabat Al-Huria, DCI Silva and Eliza Russell come to understand a little more about the dissident group and are pressured to help Captain Kader break into Al-Shawka air base. Yet they eventually escape, triggering a nail-biting chase that is one of the stand-out moments of the series so far.
After following Captain Kader to Jabat Al-Huria HQ, DCI Silva and Squadron Leader Eliza Russell have been taken hostage, and there’s not much chance of anyone tracing Kader’s car after he burns it out. This makes us feel quite sceptical of his relationship with Barker — or is he a double-agent? Time will tell.
The hostages are soon brought before Abdullah Ghazali and DCI Silva mentions her meeting with his son, before suggesting it was Kader who tipped him off about the previous day’s operation.
Yet while Kader is on his way back to Al-Shawka air base, Ghazali reveals how he wants Russell to help Jabat Al-Huria infiltrate the most secure areas of the base. Using her pass, Kader tries to access the key store in her office but still needs Russell to provide the code. When she refuses, Ghazali has DCI Silva beaten until she finally provides it.
Yet Ghazali says Jabat Al-Huria had nothing to do with the attack at Dundair. Russell believes him, but if the Wudyani dissidents didn't launch the attack then who did?
Is Captain Kader telling the truth?
Kader takes the key to the armoury, but when Air Marshall Grainger and Colonel Bilali enter Russell’s office discussing her disappearance, he finds himself trapped in the key store.
They’re discussing how to rescue DCI Silva and Eliza Russell and when Bilali says they can’t afford another failed mission, Grainger says he wants British Special Forces to lead the ground mission this time. He hopes to get the two hostages back and also strike a crucial blow against Jabat Al-Huria. “After Dundair, this is tantamount to an act of war” says Grainger of the kidnapping.
Meanwhile Captain Kader slips out of Russell’s office and feigns surprise when Barker tells him about her abduction, but it seems Barker has noticed something not right. His fears are confirmed when Lawson arrives and explains that Russell’s pass was used in the base just 15 minutes ago.
At the armoury, Kader finds that Russell’s pass no longer works, but manages to overpower the soldier on duty, before gaining access to the armaments mainframe. Russell gives him the password, but it takes two attempts and the failed try alerts Harper to what’s going on.
Yet while Kader starts to upload the data he needs, Barker walks in and pulls a gun on his old boyfriend. He asks him if he was responsible for Dundair. “You have to believe that none of this was us,” he replies. “They’re trying to make it look like my friends are killers, they’re lying to everyone.” When the soldiers arrive, Kader begs Barker to take the data stick from his pocket and he does so.
If Jabat Al-Huria weren't behind the attack then could it have been part of a plot between the UK and Wudyani governments?
Has DI Longacre gone too far?
Back in Scotland, DSU Robertson and Daniel Ramsay break the news to DI Longacre about DCI Silva’s kidnapping. She’s quite frantic, but Robertson puts her on desk duty until her maternity leave kicks in — good luck with that!
At the Jabat Al-Huria HQ, Ghazali is furious to hear that Kader has been captured and knows it was the wrong password attempt that tipped off the air force. Yet just when it seems he’s going to kill DCI Silva, Russell springs them both free and they flee the compound, before disguising themselves as Wudyani women. It's a nail-biting chase and one of several tense moments in very good episode.
Meanwhile, back in Scotland, DI Longacre and Daniel Ramsay are speaking to Firas Zaman, in the hope that he might know where the hostages are being held. Yet while interviewing Zaman, DI Longacre gets a call from DCI Silva, who’s managed to borrow someone’s phone and passes on a few details of where they are, before Jabat Al-Huria arrives to recapture them.
Ramsay passes the details on to Al-Shawka, who uses the details to narrow the search for Russell and DCI Silva down to three towns…
Yet DI Longacre isn’t finished with Zaman and she believes he will be able to point them in the right direction. He refuses, but she uses the information Ramsay has on Zaman’s family as leverage against him. It seems his brother has been assisting him with proxy servers for Jabat Al-Huria and Longacre says if he doesn’t help them, then she’ll share that information with the Wudyani Security Services.
Ramsay seems surprised his partner has used the information he gave her (despite it not being pertinent to the case). Has she gone too far in her threats against Zaman's family and will it come back to haunt her?
Will DCI Silva and Eliza Russell survive?
Back at the Jabat Al-Huria HQ, as the debate rages about what’s to be done with the recaptured hostages, DCI Silva takes Faisal’s gun and turns it on him. She fires a gunshot that alerts Grainger to where they are, yet in reality it was the intel that DI Longacre got from Zaman that led the Special Forces to them.
Yet Ghazali continues to claim his organisation wasn’t behind the attack at Dundair or the death of Chapman, while the truck and crates stolen from Al-Shawka simply contain evidence that the British government has been complicit in the air strikes that killed innocent Wudyanis.
It’s clear DCI Silva is conflicted about what’s to be done, yet Grainger is about to launch his operation and when the troops come in they take no prisoners. Ghazali’s son and many other Wudyanis are killed immediately, while DI Longacre is forced to watch on DCI Silva disappears into a cloud of bullets and smoke — but will she survive? And if they do, will they help Jabat Al-Huria uncover the truth?
