tsode

A previous reviewer described this show as a mix of 'Deepwater Horizon' and 'Alien'. If I may clarify: this show has absolutely nothing in common with 'Alien'.

It does, however, borrow liberally from 'The Abyss'.

'The Rig' follows the tired workers on a North Sea oil rig who find themselves pitted against a mysterious force from below in a way that does nothing if not depict the fossil fuel industry (rightly in my view) as a zero-sum game - both for its own people, and the planet.

Unfortunately, after a fairly solid opening, the 'The Rig's contrivances and illogical character behaviour are too burdensome to build any real interest in either the story's message or it's thrills. What might have held together for 90mins, is spread thin across some 240mins or more. With far too much po-faced discussion at every turn.

There are some gripping set pieces as the crew battle to keep the rig's systems alive amid bizarre (un)natural events. But all in all I just found it too hard to suspend my disbelief. Especially whilst watching characters frequently unable to locate their crew-mates within the vast wilderness of.... a fixed rig platform in the ocean.

5/10 - An unusual setting. Diverting silliness if your expectations are low and you love the premise. But I think everyone else should skip it.

'Moonhaven' is a diverting sci-fi series on some levels, and I definitely admire its effort to try something new.

While it isn't an especially strong story, and there are definitely some silly devices (like a dull terrorist with a Mohawk)... I do like the eco-utopian nature of the Moon community. I also enjoyed the discussions about humanity's destructive nature, and the need to fundamentally reset this and to live differently. It feels like a story rooted in 1960s sci-fi novels, which were frequently optimistic and depicted utopian, even hippy, futures.

But one major gripe - the name of the main protagonist is 'Bella Sway', which is distracting. It's clearly far too close to 'Bella Swan' from 'Twilight'. Not that I care about 'Twilight'. But the book is famous. And it'd like creating a new sci-fi or fantasy series with a character called 'Luke Skyrunner'. Or 'Harry Porter'. Or 'Katniss Evergreen'. Why make such an egregious fumble? It's so unnecessary and seems like a deliberate nod - despite the stories being nothing alike.