Martin Compston's supernatural thriller The Rig returns, but, alas, it's left much of the tension and intrigue back in season one.
While the mystery of who or what these strange 'infectious spores' were was enough to keep the story buoyant in its debut outing (despite some of the weaker areas) season two doesn't boast the same luxury.
Having learned that the spores were actually a distant ancestor of all the creatures on Earth, the team, fronted by Emily Hampshire's Rose, set about trying to ascertain whether this powerful entity (that's millions of years old) can be understood and reasoned with despite having attacked them.
It's an age-old premise when it comes to anything that is other than the human race: are we the threat or are they? This became especially true when Rose deduced that 'the ancestors' only attacked to protect themselves from the crew.
However, the re-hashed premise is made more interesting by the fact that it's backed up by a political message.
"What we're doing is messing up the planet and we know that, and most people have owned up to that now in the age that we live," said Magnus actor Iain Glen.
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"So this story tries to look at the idea of the planet biting back in a very real way."
It's an intriguing idea, but weakly executed and not even the brilliant Glen can make up for it. Season two's main issue, besides the script being a little on the stiff side, is the pacing.
The synopsis promised "swirling conspiracies, corporate conflicts and new threats from the dark depths of the world's ocean," and while it does deliver on all fronts, the story doesn't move forward quickly enough.
There are divisions amongst the expanding crew, which now includes members of the energy company Pictor. Mark Addy's Coake is still barking orders, but this season he's joined by Pictor CEO Morgan Lennox (Alice Krige) and Phil McKee (Ross Anderson), who bring with them ultimatums and suspicious behaviour.
Their differences of opinion steadily become dangerous, but it's hard to feel the urgency of their situation when the story plods along, resulting in iterations of the same arguments happening again and again.
Fulmer's (Line of Duty's Compston) relationship with Rose remains the emotional core of the show.
Season two sees the couple stretched and tested as they navigate Fulmer's connection to the ancestors and what it means for the wider cause, among other things.
It's easy to find yourself checking in and out of their relationship, though, as it feels somewhat underdeveloped. Yet when the stakes intensify towards the end expect to lock back in: there are some delicate moments between the pair that play out nicely, if a little on the hokey side.
In the wake of the tsunami there are land-based issues that take the story in a different direction and force members of the crew to make difficult choices. Through that we get some nice scenes between Rochenda Sandall's Cat and Owen Teale's Hutton that add a little more dimension to their characters.
Despite its issues, the show remains visually alluring thanks to the clever use of lighting making even the action away from the seabed feel oppressive with the gravity of the situation. However, season two fails to develop the story quick enough to retain that appeal.
The Rig season 2 will launch on Prime Video on January 2, 2025.
TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
