Initially resembling a science fiction narrative lacking the TARDIS, this series evolved into a compelling eco-thriller narrative. David Macpherson, the creator, integrates elements of science fiction with geological theories to craft a tale focused on environmental extinction and the enduring survival of Earth.
Set on a remote oil platform in Scotland, the six-part series chronicles the experiences of the Kinloch Bravo crew. After experiencing an unexplained tremor that cuts off all communication with the outside world, the rig becomes enveloped in a dense fog, isolating the crew at sea.
The Ancestor’s mysterious powers transform and challenge the crew (Photo: The Rig/FirstStage Studios)In the middle of the turmoil, the crew discovers that their oil rig is slated for decommissioning by the energy company Pictor. As tensions rise, crew member Baz (played by Calvin Demba) finds himself exposed to the fog and survives what should have been a fatal fall. His subsequent visions and cryptic comments about rings and waves suggest that something extraordinary is occurring.
This extraordinary element transforms the narrative into a blend of virus thriller, conspiracy drama, and apocalyptic science fiction. A closer look reveals the implications of the ending and hints at a possible continuation in a second series.
The Microbial Lifeform Beneath the Waves
Deep beneath the ocean, an intelligent microbial lifeform lies dormant, endowed with a range of science fiction characteristics. It emits light, spreads rapidly, infects humans, alters their physiology, populates environments with plant life, and converts oil back into organic matter.
Rose, portrayed by Emily Hampshire, speculates that this lifeform could be the foundation of all life on Earth, earning it the moniker “The Ancestor” among the Kinloch Bravo crew.
As the Ancestor microbes infiltrate some crew members’ bloodstreams via ash particles in the fog, they enhance healing abilities and detoxify the body, causing the expulsion of non-organic materials such as dental fillings and tattoos.
Baz, Leck, Garrow, and Fulmer all fall victim to the infection, with Baz suffering the most severely, having been revived from death after his fall, while the others recover from less severe injuries. The Ancestor communicates with them through a process known as Quorum Sensing.
Despite compelling Baz to commit murder, the Ancestor exhibits a protective nature, as illustrated by its recognition of Cat’s pregnancy and its desire to safeguard the new life she embodies. It aims to prevent humanity from harming the planet through oil extraction. Although it has sent warnings, humanity has ignored them, and now the Sixth Extinction looms.
Mass Extinction and Its Representation
The Ancestor is believed to have played a role in rejuvenating life on Earth after previous mass extinction events, with its concentric rings on the seabed (and implanted in human minds) symbolizing the five mass extinction events Earth has experienced, akin to the growth rings of a tree. At the series’ outset, the sixth ring, representing an impending mass extinction that could extinguish human life, is nearly complete.
The closure of this final ring by the Ancestor in the penultimate episode signifies the commencement of the Sixth Extinction. Humanity faces obliteration, paving the way for the Ancestor to regenerate life on Earth once more, as it has done in prior occurrences.
Uncovering Pictor’s Hidden Agenda
After David Coake, played by Mark Addy, arrives (alongside former Game of Thrones actors Iain Glen and Owen Teale), it is revealed that Pictor had prior knowledge of the Ancestor and was actively trying to eliminate it.
Coake was part of Project Cirein, a covert initiative aimed at neutralizing the microbial force that had been transforming Pictor’s oil fields back into organic matter. Interestingly, Cirein derives its name from a mythological Scottish sea monster.
Coake instigated the explosion on the Kinloch Charlie platform not to extract oil but to inject poison gas into the seabed to eradicate the Ancestor. Pictor viewed the organism as a threat to their operations and mistakenly regarded it as an adversary.
The Bravo was equipped with unlisted containers filled with the poison gas intended for this purpose. Although Coake attempted to replicate this process on the Bravo, he was thwarted by the quick actions of Harish and the crew.
A Grim Future for Earth
Rose and her colleagues predict that Earth is on the brink of the next “Great Dying,” a cataclysmic event that nearly extinguished all life during the Palaeozoic Era over 250 million years ago. This dire scenario appears to reveal in the series finale as the final concentric ring closes.
The onset of the Sixth Extinction echoes the historical “Storegga Slide,” a sequence of underwater landslides off the Norwegian continental shelf that triggered a massive tsunami in the North Atlantic around 6000 BCE. A collapse on the ocean floor results in a similar tsunami in The Rig, threatening to forever alter Northern Europe in its final moments.
A Selfless Act and an Uncertain Future
In the closing scenes, Magnus urges Baz to join the other survivors—Rose, Fulmer, Easter, Harish, Coake, Cat, Heather, Colin, and Hutton—on the Pictor helicopters activated by Coake’s timer. However, Baz declines, believing the Ancestor requires proof of humanity’s willingness to sacrifice.
A mysterious fog isolates the Kinloch Bravo crew in a fight for survival (Photo: The Rig/FirstStage Studios)He sacrifices himself for the planet, walking into a radiant wall of light just before the tsunami crashes into the Kinloch Bravo. There is a possibility he may have survived due to the Ancestor’s regenerative abilities and the strange sci-fi elements at play.
The season culminates in a dramatic cliffhanger, with the tsunami engulfing the platform as it moves toward the mainland, where Cat’s wife, Kacey, observes its approach. The remaining Kinloch survivors, minus Baz, escape by flying above the wave, diverting to an undisclosed location known only to Coake.
Unresolved Mysteries for Future Episodes
According to the creator of The Rig, David Macpherson, a statement on his agent’s website indicated that the team is developing a second season, though this line has since been removed.
While this does not confirm the production of a second series, if Prime Video decides to proceed, viewers can anticipate the global expansion of the sci-fi narrative involving Baz, the Ancestor, the Sixth Extinction, and Pictor’s hidden motives.
The fate of Baz stands out as a pivotal question for a potential continuation, along with that of fellow infected crew member Fulmer, and possibly Magnus, whose hand injury might have allowed microbes to enter his bloodstream.
Considering the Ancestor’s unique characteristics, it is also crucial to inquire whether its exposure could impact Cat’s pregnancy. Will the organism proliferate as Coake fears, and critically, can humanity learn to collaborate with it instead of viewing it as a competitor?
