'That stark lighting can only mean one thing, something sinister is about to happen.' Photos: Handout
Isolated installations, mysterious menaces, possible paranormal phenomena... where have we seen/heard it all before? Everywhere, from the amazing John Carpenter's The Thing to The Abyss to the more recent Kristen Stewart horror-thriller Underwater (which achieved the distinction of actually bringing HP Lovecraft's Cthulhu to the screen without any fanfare).
The Rig, an ecological-themed SF mystery-suspense-adventure offering, offered up a similar combination and atmosphere when it made its debut in early 2023.
After its initial six episodes culminated in a cliffhanger of sorts, and it faded from view, few would have blamed us for thinking it had gone the way of so many other streaming series – one season and prematurely done.
Yet, almost two years later, Season Two is upon us, and most of the cast is back. But let's rewind things a bit.
So, Season One of The Rig (for those who have yet to check it out) is set on the Kinlock Bravo, a remote oil rig in Scottish waters. Suddenly cut off from the mainland by a strange fog and affected by bizarre phenomena, the crew struggles to figure out what's going on while racing to avoid a potential ecological disaster.
Led by stalwart site manager Magnus (Game Of Thrones and Silo's Iain Glen), the crew consists of folks like scientist and oil company rep Rose (Emily Hampshire, Schitt's Creek), comms officer Fulmer (Martin Compston, Line Of Duty), medic Cat Braithwaite (Rochena Sandall, Line Of Duty Series Five), rookie Baz (Calvin Demba, Supacell), divisive veteran Hutton (Owen Teale, GOT's Jon Snow tormentor Ser Alliser Thorne), and the wise, well-read Alwyn (Mark Bonnar, Napoleon).
Tensions rise as strange occurrences terrify all on board, leading to a big reveal that, I'll give the show, is somewhat unexpected (I just can't say more about it since, apparently, the spoiler statute of limitations is five years; kidding, but why spoil your fun?).
Season Two sees the scene shift slightly, though a "rig" of some sort is still involved, as is a remote location.
Not all the crew members from the debut season make it this far, but Mark Addy's (hey, it's a veritable GOT reunion) arrogant executive Coake, from Pictor – the monolithic oil company that owns the Bravo – comes along for the ride.
Also aboard for the sophomore year are Pictor CEO Morgan Lennox (Alice Krige, Star Trek: First Contact), and assorted personnel from this new rig including scientist Askel (Johannes Roaldsen Furst) who might as well be renamed Deus Ex Machina for the number of out-of-the-blue "saves" he performs.
Most of the human drama comes from the central trio of Glen, Hampshire and Compston, as their personalities clash while Fulmer and Rose's romance develops. There are corporate shenanigans and intrigue aplenty as Coake, Lennox and those Bravo crew members they pick as pawns navigate hard questions from an angry public.
And, for sure, large amounts of suspense and the occasional burst of violence as hidden agendas boil over and moves are made against the (ahem) entity or such at the heart of the mystery.
There are rousing moments of high adventure as our intrepid oil rig workers and their newfound associates hesitantly venture forth into the strange and dangerous new world hidden below the surface.
As the ever-astute Askel puts it, that's 95% of the world's habitable area and we're just exploring it by candlelight.
That sort of sums up The Rig, too, which has an intriguing premise but takes its time developing its central mystery to the point that it can seem laggardly and in dire need of some urgency. After all, with so many precedents established in entertainment, these aspects of storytelling certainly don't need to be explored by candlelight.
Overall, this will still appeal to fans of undersea mysteries and ecological thrillers, and the sluggish bits are buoyed by strong performances from the ensemble. While a third season has yet to be greenlit, the second ends with enough compelling questions raised for hopeful viewers to... keep a candle burning in the window, as it were.
Two six-episode seasons of The Rig are available to stream on Prime Video.
Summary:
Needs more Cthulhu.