The second episode of The Rig's sophomore season commences with an intriguing twist as Dale Cameron strikes a Sonar pulse, apparently inflicting pain upon the Entity. However, the resultant shockwave traverses vast distances and collides with Fulmer, intensifying his bond with the Ancestor due to their interconnectedness. The Rover finds itself in dire straits, its glass panels fragile and on the verge of shattering. In response, the surface team devises a daring plan. They intend to detonate charges and bore through the ice, utilizing these explosions to shift the rig and retrieve the stranded rovers. The task ahead is monumental, requiring them to mark and detonate over twenty charges. Despite the challenges, the team on the ice rises to the occasion, meticulously fulfilling their objective.
Yet, a significant obstacle arises. The ice proves to be unstable, causing Magnus and Fulmer to rush to save a comrade who plummets into the freezing depths. Miraculously, he avoids the clutches of hypothermia, but in the commotion, they lose their radio. The coldness of the water is starkly highlighted when Magnus's hand begins to freeze, yet curiously, his suit appears dry when the camera scans it. A peculiar but welcome respite, perhaps?
With all charges successfully placed, Rose gives the signal to detonate the ice, enabling the rig to maneuver towards them and secure their rescue. However, the narrative cuts short our view of Ester and Dale's ascension, as well as the rover's salvation, transitioning abruptly to the technical area. They also manage to retrieve the other rover, accompanied by the fallen team members.
Amidst these high-stakes events, tensions flair between Dale and Magnus. Dale resents the lack of recognition for his contributions, believing Magnus to be self-serving. Meanwhile, Hutton and Kat soar above the UK, witnessing the widespread devastation firsthand. Coastal areas are engulfed in relief efforts, with casualties from the city being transported to clearance centers for triage before proceeding to hospitals.
This episode paints a vivid picture of survival, sacrifice, and the intricate dynamics within the team, setting the stage for further thrilling developments in the season.
Edinburgh is off-limits right now, and so this is the only place to start to hunt for Kat’s family and Casey. Kat wants to go out looking but Lennox pulls the strings and has her do a press conference for the public instead. This comes right off the back of a call from Darian York, who I’m sure we’ll learn more about as the season progresses!
Back on the Pictor Rig though, and Rose is not happy. It would appear that Pictor has nothing on the Entity and what’s going on, and she’s convinced that Lennox is not a bad guy. She thinks Coake is working with people at the top and that this goes all the way up to shady executives. Except for Lennox of course, whom Rose trusts completely.
Magnus speaks to Coake, who brings up that what he’s doing is actually for the good of humanity. Magnus though does not believe that greedily taking resources from Mother Nature is the right way of playing things, and he thinks that humanity have become way too dependent on this.
Rose shows up and explains that Mother Nature is fighting back and there’s no stopping that, despite Coake’s arrogance. However, she does learn that Fulmer is still attached to the entity so whatever is happening down there, Fulmer could be the key.
With tensions high, things are made all the worse when they tune in to the broadcast from Kat, who reads out the PR puff piece for everyone in attendance. Those on the rig are not happy and believes she’s betrayed them. Rose is not sure and still sticks by the “Lennox believes in green energy so she’s a good guy” story.
With Lennox distracted and lost in his thoughts, Kat and Hutton ventured into the myriad of tents, their mission to locate Casey growing ever more urgent. Kat, steadfast in her refusal to lend a hand to anyone else, was nonetheless taken aback by the sea of individuals searching for their beloved ones. Signs, bearing the names and faces of the missing, adorned the steel railings everywhere, a poignant testament to the scale of devastation and the breadth of this calamity. Hutton, ever the consoler, stood by her side, imploring her to persist in their quest amidst the overwhelming sorrow.
Meanwhile, back on the oil rig, Dale and Easter detected a peculiar anomaly in the underwater mining operations. The seabed revealed no traces of mining activities; not a single mineral was to be found as the rescue team delved into the depths to retrieve the stranded crew. This raised a pertinent question: what exactly had they been doing down there?
Rose, grappling with the emotional turmoil surrounding her, struggled to reach Lennox, her suspicions towards Fulmer growing ever deeper. Secrets seemed to permeate every corner, with Dale Cameron adding to the pile by concealing the safety log, which he conveniently possessed.
Elsewhere, Coake reprimanded the scientist in the lab, only to receive further clarification on the enigmatic entity they had dubbed "The Ancestor." This ancient living network, woven through the seabed, was revealed to be interconnected across the globe, as evidenced by the samples analyzed from both the North Sea and the Arctic.
Pictor, intent on continuing their mining endeavors, saw the necessity to "deal" with The Ancestor, which Mother Nature seemed intent on protecting. Their plan was to eradicate the swarm by destroying the hive and, ultimately, the Queen. The system, believed to be held together by Nodes, was targeted for poisoning, thereby annihilation of The Ancestor itself. This revelation shed new light on the Survey team's objectives and hinted at their potential success in locating the Nodes. In retrospect, it seemed that The Ancestor had been defending itself, rather than initiating an attack.
Overhearing this confidential conversation, Coake set his sights on eliminating the weakest link - Fulmer. As the episode drew to a close, Cameron scrutinized the Rover's log, uncovering a startling revelation: the ongoing project was named Cirein. Indeed, the plot had taken yet another intriguing turn!
