The Rig – Season 2 Episode 3 Recap & Review

Episode 3

Episode 3 of The Rig season 2 starts with Rose waking up after a bad dream at her desk. The scientist, Askel, shows and explains that he’s never been to the Poles and he’s not really a rugged explorer. However, he does give some solid advice here, pointing out she doesn’t need a map, but actually to find a guide.

Fulmer continues to struggle while doing his job, and eventually collapses listening to a signal. Magnus scrambles to get him to the med-bay, with Coake believing that this is a result of listening to the pulse. This strengthens Coake’s resolve, believing that Fulmer is one with the entity.

As Fulmer is checked over, there doesn’t appear to be anything wrong so the doc comes up empty-handed. Alone with Rose, Fulmer points out that he heard the pulse but also numerous voices, one on top of the other, which could be the key here. He’s reluctant to experience it again but tells Rose he’s only here because of her. “This is bigger than you and me,” She reminds him, and walks away.

Meanwhile, Kat and Hutton have checked everywhere and there’s no sign of Kacey at the camp. However, there’s one place they haven’t checked – a tent full of the deceased. Hutton waits outside while Kat heads in alone. It takes a while but Kat does get her answer – Kacey isn’t in there so she may still be alive.

After listening to Hutton’s story about his family, Kat decides to go and play doctor for a while. She’s not happy with Pictor and wants the truth to be revealed. Hutton feels the same way, but he has a deal with Lennox and has to see it through. Anna Dunlin is among the grieving families, and Lennox tells him to give her the letters but stick to the script she has concocted up or she gets nothing and Hutton will face legal action.

At the same time, Darian York shows up at the Casualty Camp. He apparently insisted on showing, and speaks to Lennox. It’s frosty between the two, and Darian immediately warns her that the board are watching so she needs to be careful and make sure there are no “further complications”. Darian York is a rich kid who is sponging off his parents’ money it seems, so he has a pretty narrow and materialistic view of the world.

Meanwhile, Magnus has managed to work and encrypt the files on the computer. Apparently, the operation at the Stac for deep-sea mining is way bigger than they thought. It’s not just one mining site here but instead, an entire region. It would appear that Pictor are trying to grab as many of the rights as possible – mining, oil, processing – and monopolizing it all when everything goes south.

Rose, of course, believes Lennox is still trying to do the right thing, despite the evidence pointing out she’s not, but Magnus and Harish have checked the details and it would appear that Pictor are shady. We then cut to Lennox who all but confirms she’s with Pictor, although she’s not 100% onboard with the Arctic plan.

While all this is going on, Coake approaches Fulmer and propositions him. He believes he can get the organism out of him and he has a dose of a serum he’s been working on with Pictor that will do just the trick. Fulmer seems to buy into it, and Coake even shows off his little spying operation, with cameras hooked up everywhere. He explains that while Fulmer is connected to the Ancestor, he’s a risk to every mission.

In exchange for this blocker from the Ancestor, Coake wants the data card that Dale Cameron has. Cameron is definitely not in the sharing mood, even with Easter whom he’s grown quite attached to.

Fulmer shows up to see Cameron and tries to talk him around, believing that Rose and the others will be able to do what’s right and take Pictor down. Cameron hands it over after this little speech and reminds him that he’ll know if he’s lying.

Bremner pounces on Cameron after, trying to take him out, but the diver is way too clever for a simple ploy like this and locks him in the mechanical room.

Fulmer hands over the tape to Coake, but it turns out Cameron has actually switched the drives and this isn’t the proper one. Coake is livid and heads out to “get his hands dirty”.

The rest of the crew however, are up in the control room, looping a signal they think is from the Ancestor. Askel deduces that this could well be the Ancestor talking, but they need to be careful because it’s a different entity and they won’t be able to directly “talk” to it.

Coake shows up to see Cameron and antagonizes him, but he turns his back for a second, thanks to Harish arriving, and Cameron stabs Coake in the neck. As he’s pushed into the water, it would appear that Coake is dead.

The Episode Review

So Coake has been killed and as a result, the whole power dynamic inside the Stac is going to change. This certainly sets up a lot of drama to follow, as it would appear that the group are determined to communicate with the Ancestor, unaware of the potential risks that they’ll have doing so.

All of this is certainly set up for a dramatic second half to this series, and there’s at least some movement for the drama outside the Stac too. Hutton is told to move forward with fighting back against Pictor, while Rose is steadfast in her belief that Lennox is a good guy and not on Pictor’s side, even though she’s the CEO of the company and all but confirms she’s agreed to the plan. 

The drama itself is pretty superficial, especially the interpersonal drama, but perhaps Coake’s death is just the spark needed to kick things into high-gear.