The Rig Season 2 Review: Mystery Thickens in the New Season of the British Thriller Series?
On January 2, 2025, all six episodes of The Rig Season 2, the second season of the British thriller TV series that debuted two years ago on Prime Video, dividing the public among those who considered it a deadly boredom and those who welcomed it as a fascinating and engaging work like few others. Since we are part of the second group, we had high expectations for this season 2, and judging from the first episodes previewed we can be satisfied. So here is our review of The Rig Season 2, which begins with a summary without spoilers (but with a short introductory “where we were”) of the plot of the new episodes. A year ago, to the serial line which includes the various The Terror, The Head, Daily Alaskan, and A Murder at The End of The World, added The Rig, the first original Scottish production of Prime Video that took viewers to an oil rig that was about to discover something incredible below it. We find her a year later in the second season after the shocking revelations of the finale, ready to put her nose out in the cold again.
Since the literary and audiovisual dawn of The Thing, it is clear how much immense love from readers and the public for thrillers in the ice. These are very ancient mysteries that came from the deep halfway between myth and reality, between metropolitan legend and popular beliefs, something mystical that watches over us, fascinates us, and worries us at the same time. Once again, the series immerses itself in a mix of eco-thriller, science fiction, and supernatural drama, but this time the narration pushes beyond the limits of the credible, abandoning all traces of realism to immerse yourself in a decidedly crazier and more visionary world. In this review, we analyze the new adventures of the protagonists of the Kinloch Bravo oil platform, but also the oddities and narrative choices that, on the one hand, are fascinating and, on the other hand, can be difficult to digest.
The Rig Season 2 Review: The Story Plot
The second season of the Prime Video series opens with the direct consequences of the last epilogue when Rose (Emily Hampshire) understood that they were dealing with an ancestral entity that had characterized all the major extinctions in history. Now everyone – including the mainland – was about to fall into a terrible and dangerous tsunami. We find the surviving crew of Kinloch Bravo transferred by helicopter from the team of the terrible Coake (Mark Addy) to a new structure offshore secret called Stac. Here the Magnus team (Iain Glen) is trapped by the company, terrified that what they have discovered spreads and ready to make everyone sign NDAs with a large annual sum paid into their accounts, to cover up everything and keep silent. Most of them do not accept because they should live with having kept silent about a possible threat to the whole world once it comes out, inevitably.
The characters – from belligerent Lars Hutton to Easter Ayodeji pilot to Rose’s lover, radio communications manager Fulmer Hamilton (Martin Compston) – face the emotional and physical consequences of the devastating natural disaster that hit them and their families at home. Family from which one of them, Dr. Cat Braithwaite (Rochenda Sandall), desperately wants to return. To this are added some + new entries, including the most important, Morgan (Alice Krige*), CEO of the company who came to try to settle the matter … and perhaps their conscience. A tough, stubborn, and determined woman who could prove to be much more aware of what is around her, especially towards her with Rose. With her some scientists (Ross Anderson and Johannes Roaldsen Fürst).
The survivors of Kinloch Bravo, after seeing a tsunami hit their oil platform just as they were leaving by helicopter, and after greeting Baz who entered “in the vortex generated by the so-called Ancestor which unleashed the strength of the elements, are safely transported by the head of the Pictor, David Coakes. But they do not return to Britain, which is grappling with the devastating consequences of the anomalous wave that has swept away entire coastal cities, but towards the North Pole. Here Magnus, Rose, Fulmer, and the others will discover that Coake is certainly not the shadiest of Pictor, and also that the company they work for is carrying out a project at the Polo from which an even more terrible reaction from the Ancestor could be triggered, with lethal consequences for humanity. But let’s not say further so as not to ruin the vision of The Rig Season 2: thoroughly review you will find the official trailer of the new season.
The Rig Season 2 Review and Analysis
The new season loses that sense of closure – overwhelming but also in a strangely comforting sense – given by the unique and isolated location of the first season, but also in The Rig Season 2 claustrophobia is an important factor. As well as the cold and humidity that enter the bones from the screen. In the same way, it continues to intrigue the whole story of the mysterious Ancestor – that supernatural entity that first cured the wounds of Baz and Fulmer and then entered their minds, allowing them to communicate telepathically and perceive the intentions of the Ancestor – and its role in Storegga landslide of 6000 BC, a warning that Pictor seems to want to ignore and indeed contrast with all his might even after the tsunami devastated Great Britain. Of course, the pressing rhythm and the rapid evolution of the elements are not a peculiar feature of The Rig even in the second season, but if like us you loved the first with all its slowness and gloom, then you can dive quietly into the icy waters of The Rig Season 2.
One of the distinctive features of The Rig is the cast, which sees the participation of great-caliber actors, including Iain Glen, Mark Addy, and Owen Teale, known for their roles in Game of Thrones. However, the talent of these actors is put to the test by dialogues that seem more to come from a science fiction manual than from a serious script. The lines of dialogue, often exaggerated and far from scientific plausibility, make the series seem more like a parody than a serious ecological drama. This aspect, which many may find a flaw in, is one of the elements that contribute to the bizarre charm of the series. In a world where the plots are increasingly complex and the expectations of the spectators higher and higher, The Rig manages to surprise precisely because of his ability to never take himself too seriously, embracing his oddities without trying to justify them.
In addition to the spectacular appearance and fast pace, The Rig seeks to raise issues related to the environment, the exploitation of natural resources, and the contradictions of corporate policies “green”. The figure of the CEO of Pictor Energy, Morgan Lennox (played by Alice Krige), represents the face of greenwashing, that corporate practice that masks pollution and the exploitation of natural resources behind the screen of sustainability. The series, despite its science fiction vision, places reflections on our impact on the planet and on how, despite the declarations of intent “ecological”, large companies seem to push for progress that could irreparably damage the environment. It is an important issue, but dealt with in a somewhat superficial way, as the narration at times focuses too much on action and entertainment and little on the deepening of ecological issues.
The second season of The Rig is a real roller coaster of emotions, among sea monsters, eco-sustainable trends, and sequences that seem to come out of a ’70s disaster film. Unfortunately, the series never completely detaches itself from the irrational and improbable, making it sometimes difficult to follow, especially for those looking for a solid and well-built plot. On the other hand, for fans of ecological thrillers and crazy adventures, The Rig represents a pleasant escape from reality, with its mix of tension, action, and a pinch of involuntary humor. In The Rig Season 2, the stakes become even higher through two opposing factions: on the one hand the oil company that perhaps used that platform and that project with other intentions that were not scientific research but exploitation; on the other the protagonist team, divided between idealists and opportunists but all united by wanting to try to improve the human condition.
The current geopolitical and atmospheric situation between oil interests and increasingly sudden climate change, inevitably becoming cardinal themes. Also, they could lead in a diametrically opposite direction to what one would expect, reminding us how much in all these science fiction stories the real threat is always humanity at the end of the fair, more than anything we could ever find buried under the ice or in the depths of the ocean. The thriller series exploits even more than the inaugural cycle the suggestive whitewashed landscapes, bewitching but impervious, inviting but repelling at the same time through the direction of John Strickland, which alternates the panoramas of the exterior and sea depths with the narrow spaces of the structure and the spacecraft, constantly creating a sense of oppression and claustrophobia. Also, thanks to the writing of David Macpherson, there is continuous ambivalence at stake, both visual and narrative, significant and significant. A force that emerges in the new six episodes that once again brings us back to the secrets of the earth’s mantle.
The Rig Season 2 Review: The Last Words
The Rig continues to be a series outside the box, which for some may be unmissable for its ability to entertain and push the boundaries of the sci-fi narrative. However, the lack of scientific realism, the often ridiculous dialogues, and a plot that does not always manage to be coherent could frustrate the most demanding. If you are looking for a series that is not afraid to dare, which mixes ecological themes with unbridled action and a visual style from catastrophe films, The Rig could be for you. Otherwise, get ready to fly over a sea of improbability. The Rig Season 2 is a compelling continuation of what was presented in the first season. From the platform we move on to an equally claustrophobic secret structure, without forgetting to explore once again the abysses and snows of the Arctic, mixing live footage and CGI and obtaining a result that makes the most of the locations and a little less own means available. The relationship between humanity and the planet that hosts it is deepened, and the result may surprise once again.
Cast: Iain Glen, Martin Compston, Emily Hampshire, Rochenda Sandall, Owen Teale, Mark Addy, Molly Vevers, Abraham Popoola, Stuart McQuarrie
Producer: Derek Wax, David Macpherson, John Strickland
Streaming Platform: Prime Video
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3.5/5 (three and a half stars)
The Rig Season 2 Review: Mystery Thickens in the New Season of the British Thriller Series? - Filmyhype
Director: Derek Wax, David Macpherson, John Strickland
Date Created: 2025-01-02 18:06
3.5
Pros
- New entries, starting with Alice Krige.
- The landscapes of the Arctic Circle, narrow and not postcard.
- The ending, which overturns expectations ...
Cons
- for this reason it may not please everyone.
- Rhythm and CGI, a little ’ claudicating.
- The duration of the episodes.
