The Rig Season Two review: A Tense, Turbulent Return

Amazon’s Scottish sci-fi drama The Rig will be back on our screens in early January, two years after its debut. Created by David Macpherson, the six-part season resumes straight after the climatic season one finale, which saw the Kinloch Bravo oil rig and neighbouring cities being overwhelmed by a gigantic tsunami. 

Moments before the wave, the Bravo crew were helicoptered to safety in a nail-biting cliffhanger, where season two picks up from. Ushered like prisoners, the Bravo crew are taken to an offshore facility known as the Stac in the secluded Arctic Circle.

Shrouded in mystery, the first season introduced a Doctor Who-like nemesis of a supernatural fog, but now there’s a much more visual representation of this environmental threat in the depths of the North Sea known as the ancestors. The visual effects for this Avatar-blue like entity are one of the strongest elements of the second season, as it swarms different vessels in a hive-like formation to defend and protect it’s home – the sea bed. Though it’s intentions and motivations are not revealed within the first two episodes, there’s a strong environmental message of trying to understand and co-exist with this powerful natural force that will resonate with present day climate challenges. 

On arrival at the off-shore facility, the crew aren’t given a warm welcome as the tension between them and the Pictor employees only continues to grow. There’s an added suspicion around Fulmer (Martin Compston), who is still connected with the ancestors. This is teased to possibly become more of a threat if the tie works both ways. 

While he has premonitions of the supernatural entity, perhaps it has the same visions of the crew’s movement too. All of which poses a threat to Pictor’s highly secretive mission this season. 

This season moves into another interesting genre blend landing somewhere between The Day After Tomorrow and a sci-fi epic, as it navigates the aftermath of this devastating event both on land and for the rig crew. 

There’s an interesting shift this season as while the battle intensifies between humanity and the environment (or the ancestor), a new human enemy emerges too. 

Coake (Mark Addy) assumed the role as the ‘baddie’ in season one, hiding his true mission and purpose on the Rig, while working his own agenda. But he is only a corporate cog working under the influence of his boss, Pictor CEO Morgan Lennox (newcomer to the show Alice Krige). 

An interesting new dynamic starts to emerge with Lennox’s presence, who Rose has a previous relationship with, as she starts to manipulate the loyalty of her staff and the Rig crew by offering whatever they want… but for a price. The human element to the plot – mainly the ever-changing dynamic and loyalties – helps to ground the series, as it leans more into it’s supernatural qualities and asks bigger questions about the presence of other life on earth. 

MacPherson has upped the stakes since season one, as the ancestors appear to pose a much bigger problem than anticipated, stretching the vast breadths and depths of the oceans. It’s not only a threat to mining – there are wide-scale repercussions to the rest of the world. Unfortunately, as the scale of the show grows, the dialogue seems to become less innovative and more predictable. As the in-fighting between the crew fizzles out and they start to work together, the series picks the pace back up again and starts to flow better. 

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Cat (Rochenda Sandall) offers a window into the real-world effects of this harrowing ‘natural’ disaster, but only briefly. Hopefully, this continues later in the season, and we’ll get to see the bubble the crew merge with the world beyond, revealing the human impact of this tragedy. Otherwise, the show could find the tension of the high risk of humanity battling this volatile otherworldly presence being swept out to sea. 

Arguably the most compelling part of the show is the ensemble. The Bravo crew are desperate to learn the truth of their predicament and how much they knew about the wave and the ancestors, before they encountered it in season one. 

Everyone pulls their weight in this strong cohort of actors – rounded out by Rose Hampshire, Owen Teale, Iain Glen and Abraham Popoola, – with no one person hogging the spotlight for too long. Though as a result, not every character is properly fleshed out – Popoola and Teale are prime examples.

Though the isolation on the rig granted much of the first season to operate in a bubble, this season needs to expand beyond these confines to show the human element of this drama. Sometimes the real-world impact, mostly shown in TV news clips, feels too distant from the narrative. It’s difficult to comprehend the scale of the ancestor’s threat to humanity, as it’s glazed over or only shown in small snippets.

The second season does benefit from leaning more heavily into its wacky, supernatural genre, with jump scares and displays of the ancestor’s ethereal and unyielding power. There are still some thrills from season one, but with a more intentional and clear plot – there’s no bizarre fog, strange deaths or missing persons to contend with. This aims to unravel all the secrets of Pictor and their understanding of the ancestors. 

The ancient living network bolsters the series’ ecological messaging and their investigation of that entity is one of the best parts of this show. The big question is whether the season can conclude within the final four episodes, as to a clear victor or a way for these volatile elements (humans and the ancestor) to co-exist. 

It’s difficult to see whether the season can handle the scale of the show, as it avoids directly looking at the real-world repercussions of discovering and probing this powerful supernatural force, but perhaps that is to come. 

Should you watch The Rig season 2?

The first two episodes of The Rig season 2 feature strong performances and a tense supernatural threat, with impressive visual effects and jump scares to keep audiences on their toes.

However, as the plot becomes more complex, the dialogue loses its innovation. The show also struggles to accurately represent the gravity of the threat of the ancestors to the rest of the world. Hopefully, the remaining episodes offer a satisfying development towards either a revolution or a full-blown conflict.