The Vanishing Triangle (DVD) – Review
By Karl Hornsey
This six-part series from Acorn TV has recently finished a run on Channel 5, having previously been broadcast on Virgin Media in Ireland last year. Filmed in County Mayo, this thriller follows a young reporter aiming to solve a series of disappearances, which is where the title comes in.
Although broadcast in this country as simply The Vanishings, the more commonly used title allows the producers to add the tagline that it’s ‘based on true events’. Those events are the disappearance and/or murders of countless women in Ireland in the late 1980s to late ‘90s, in an area that became known as The Vanishing Triangle. That in itself is a fascinating, if appallingly grim, story, and it comes as no surprise that producers were keen to create a fictionalised version of it.
“Utterly believable”
While the accuracy of how closely this series mirrors what happened in those dark days can be debated, the main thing that The Vanishing Triangle has going for it is the quality of the acting. The lead investigative journalist (Lisa Wallace) is played by India Mullen, a star on the rise following parts in the likes of Red Rock, Normal People and Brassic, and her portrayal is utterly believable, making the viewer root for her even though her decision-making may be somewhat lacking at times. Mullen’s lead co-star is Allen Leech, who is also one of the executive producers, and best known for his role as Tom Branson in Downton Abbey. Mullen plays detective David Burkely, who helps Wallace in her search for a missing woman, heading back and forth across Ireland in a seemingly hopeless quest, as further disappearances start to become apparent.
While the acting helps keep the series afloat, the ending has proven more than a little frustrating for many and, with no suggestion that a second series is going to follow, it seems as though those frustrations are here to stay. It’s vexing when investing in a series, even one as relatively short as this, if it doesn’t provide answers at the end, and that’s certainly the case with this one. As the finale winds up the tension, it’s somewhat let down with a lack of clarity about what has actually transpired, and the feeling that this needed an extra, seventh, episode, is one that’s hard to shift. That said, is this worth a watch? The ending may not be the best, but yes, it still is, if only to give some indication and learning as to what went on in that tragic period, as well as for the acting of the two leads.
The Vanishing Triangle is released on DVD by Acorn
Karl’s love of writing was piqued at the age of eight, when he won a Blue Peter badge in an essay-writing competition. The location of said badge might be a mystery now, but the memory never fades. Hours spent writing about sport as a teenager, in pre-internet years when you had to make your entertainment, honed his skills, and Karl has worked in TV and radio listings at PA Media for 28 years, and the age of hybrid working means 50% of that can be at home listening to Classic FM and thinking about his next visit to his beloved Yorkshire Dales.
@KarlHornsey, hornskar
