Based on a Norwegian TV series, The Rig takes places on the Kinloch Bravo, an oil rig off the Scottish coast deep in the waters of the North Sea. At the end of their rotation, the rig’s crew are eagerly anticipating the helicopter that will return them to the mainland but when their communication systems fail and a mysterious all-encompassing fog suddenly rolls in, the already fraught relationships reach breaking point. 

What could have been a straightforward social drama becomes a strange supernatural sci-fi when an invasive parasitic ash falls from the sky and an ancient force is thrown into the proverbial mix. More than just figuring out a way to get back home, the crew of the Kinloch Bravo must also understand what this ancient force wants and how to stop it from creating a mass-extinction level event. 

Whilst it was fairly well-paced, the story as a whole felt muddled and confused, the drama wasn’t dramatic enough, the tension a little slack and the mystery un-mysterious. The characters were vague, uninteresting and one-dimensional and the dialogue was shockingly poor which was particularly disappointing considering the likes of Iain Glen, Owen Teale and Mark Addy – all Game of Thrones alum no less – were part of the cast.

If I’m being completely honest, I can’t really think of anything even vaguely positive about The Rig but, that being said, there must have been something there worth watching because we ended up binge watching all six episodes in one bitterly cold Saturday afternoon. I think it was the fact that just underneath the surface, there was the promise of something more substantial that kept me engaged. A promise that The Rig ultimately failed to deliver but who knows, maybe season 2 will be better?

The Rig is available to watch on Amazon Prime*

*At the time of publishing.