“The Rig” Has “Physician Who” Vibes and a Scottish Butch Lesbian
Helen Stewart, the very Scottish Governing Governor of HMS Larkhall within the early aughts UK primetime cleaning soap Unhealthy Women, was liable for 80% of my sexual awakening — and so, I all the time leap on the likelihood to see extra Scottish lesbians on my teevee. In actual fact, “Scottish lesbian” is the one factor I knew about Prime Video’s new collection, The Rig, earlier than I jumped in. Now I do know sufficient to name it what it truly is: a supernatural eco-horror thriller that had me leaping out of my dang pores and skin! However the promised lesbian is there! And he or she’s dykin’ with the boys! Additionally, on the plus aspect, it solely took my ears quarter-hour to heat up so I might perceive what “I’ll gie ye a skelpit lug” means. (“I’ll wallop you within the noggin’!”) (UPDATE: “I’ll wallop you within the EAR!” Ought to’ve left the subtitles on a bit longer.)
The rig in query is the Kinloch Bravo, a crude oil driller on the North Sea. When the collection opens, a gaggle of rig-workers who’ve been offshore for a very long time are on the point of head dwelling, however the electronics on the rig, and the telephones, and the web, all of them begin glitching after which fully shut down. The crew finds themselves stranded, reduce off from all outdoors communications with the mainland, as an odd fog envelops them. That is particularly irritating for our Cat (Rochenda Sandall), a brash butch medic who has a pregnant spouse again dwelling. She’s one in every of solely a really small handful of girls on the rig, together with actual life queer Emily Hampshire, who performs Rose Mason, an organization boss who actually needed to be a paleontologist. The Ripley, if you’ll. (And why wouldn’t you?)
At first the crew thinks the climate’s simply bizarre. Then they suppose possibly there’s some type of, oh I dunno, local weather disaster or one thing. THEN they begin to understand they’ve woke up an historical supernatural monster with their drilling, and the monster is PISSED. There’s a lot staring out into the mist, a lot working down underlit hallways, so some ways to drown or practically drown. It feels type of like a Physician Who ship siege episode, on the water. And scarier! As a result of, properly, what occurs if you stare too lengthy into the abyss.
Nevertheless it’s not all doom and gloom! I imply, it’s principally doom and gloom! However there’s some corny dialogue to maintain issues attention-grabbing. For instance, “Out right here, issues that may’t occur occur on a regular basis.” And, “I don’t must guess; that’s the wonderful thing about science.” And, my private favourite, “In case you maintain punching the Earth, it’s going to punch again.”
Cat’s storyline will get simply as a lot time as the opposite characters who aren’t performed by Sport of Thrones actors. She’s one of many guys! However she’s additionally a lady who promised her spouse that she’d stop this mess and take a job nearer to dwelling to allow them to elevate their child collectively. In fact, she’s gotta get dwelling first. No small activity if you’re in a battle with human nature and Mother Nature.
All six episodes of The Rig are streaming now on Prime Video.
