The Rig Ending Explained

Amazon Prime Video's The Rig Season 1 delivers a shocking cliffhanger in the finale, leaving many mysteries needing to be solved in season 2.

Warning! SPOILERS about The Rig season 1 ahead.

Amazon Prime Video's The Rig season 1 finale involved some shocking twists and left many questions needing to be answered. The threats to the crew of Kinloch Bravo exponentially grew throughout The Rig season 1, culminating in Baz's inability to stop the rig from working, thus leading to the final Ancestor ring being completed. The all-connected ring meant the Ancestor's defense of the Earth kicked in, originating the massive wave that Magnus and the others barely escaped, a chance at survival that the coastal inhabitants seemingly didn't have in The Rig season 1 finale.

Although The Rig season 1 started relatively slow, its season finale delivered one shocking twist after the other. From the impending threat of a mega-tsunami triggered by the crumbling seabed to Coake's persistence in trying to force Kinloch Bravo to execute his plan, the ending of Amazon Prime's sci-fi TV show proved full of plot twists with not enough explanations. Indeed, there's still a lot to be learned about how the Ancestor operates or how the apocalyptic events it created could be avoided. Nevertheless, The Rig season 1 finale still delivered a satisfying ending, with many storylines reaching their natural end while others evolved new mysteries to be solved.

Related: The Forgotten Sci-Fi Blockbuster That Was Meant To Destroy Star Wars

The multiple challenges faced by the crew of Kinloch Bravo weren't initially thought of as being connected in The Rig season 1, but learning about Baz's unusual behavior and the inexplicable weather conditions that kept arising pointed to a single reason behind all the absurd events. Although some Kinloch Bravo crew were deeply skeptical of an entity behind all the strange happenings, Rose (Emily Hampshire, also known as Stevie in Schitt's Creek) eventually established the Ancestor's existence. Although the Ancestor was initially unnamed, Baz planned to stop the rig from working, so oil wouldn't be extracted. This caused the area to overflow with plants and, more generally, life.

How the Ancestor kickstarted life-altering events throughout the Earth's history is established by The Rig season 1. While it's unclear what type of force is behind it, The Rig plainly explained how the Ancestor had been on Earth for millions of years, and saving both Garrow and Baz proved how it encouraged life. The plants whose growth the Ancestor facilitated and Cat's pregnancy being recognized by it hinted to the Ancestor being a positive force on Earth, set on protecting life and nature no matter what. Coake's unkind view of the Ancestor instead only focused on its threat against Pictor's oil production.

Baz (Calvin Demba, best known for the Kingsman: The Golden Circle movie) thought his sacrifice was needed in The Rig season 1 finale to convince the Ancestor they meant well and didn't want to destroy it or the Earth. His death was believed to be final, as his poignant goodbye to Magnus in the finale suggested. However, the Ancestor proved its ability to revive people throughout The Rig season 1, and it did so with Baz after his fall and Coake's gas plan that should have killed him. Baz's walk through the Ancestor's ring could have guaranteed his protection.

Indeed, Baz joining the Ancestor affirmed his faith in it. That could have been proof enough of Baz's good intentions without Baz having to sacrifice his life in The Rig season 1 finale, warranting the Ancestor's protection as it sought to protect life at all costs. Considering how the giant wave had already been created and couldn't be stopped, saving Baz could have been how the Ancestor rectified the destruction it caused. This was needed to destroy the rigs and Pictor's oil production but would have also caused loss of human life, going against the Ancestor's modus operandi.

Related: 1 Casting Would've Saved Star Wars' Forgotten Sci-Fi Blockbuster Rival

While Kinloch Bravo's Rose and Baz were inclined to believe in the Ancestor's noble goals, Coake wished to set his plans to destroy the Ancestor in motion from the moment he got on the rig. Representing Pictor's interests, it would make sense for Coake to try and preserve Pictor's ability to extract oil everywhere on Earth, even if the North Sea fields couldn't be used anymore. However, his plan caused two of The Rig season 1's deaths, establishing quickly that Coake and Pictor would remorselessly kill anybody who worked against Pictor's goals.

The Rig season 1 finale unveiled Pictor's secretive plan to deal with the Ancestor's attacks. This proved how the assault on Kinloch Bravo wasn't the first and revealed how the company moved tech onboard the rig without the crew or management knowing. Coake's plan revolved around taking out whoever opposed him and then pumping a mix of gases into the ground from which Kinloch Bravo extracted oil to try and kill the Ancestor. Despite the strategy having never worked on other rigs, Coake's plan never changed, highlighting how Pictor's determination to destroy the Ancestor exacerbated its response that resulted in the mega-tsunami.

The entirety of Kinloch Bravo's crew believed they were going home after the adversities they faced. However, the helicopter's course was known by Coake (Mark Addy, best known as Game of Thrones' Robert Baratheon). The route never included the mainland. While the helicopter's destination was one of The Rig season 1 finale's big mysteries, it could have had something to do with Coake's plan. The Rig season 1 finale revealed Coake's ambition had already been carried out in the rig next to Kinloch Bravo. That rig ended up exploding, with possibly many before that, meaning the Kinloch Bravo survivors might end up on another rig for Coake's plan to be implemented yet again.

The Rig season 1 finale's last scenes saw Cat's wife, Kacey, experiencing an earthquake before looking at something shocking coming from the waterfront, which cast a considerable shadow. Considering the mainland had previously experienced the radio silence and The Rig's fog and ash, which Kinloch Bravo all endured, the giant wave would be the final threat to the coastal inhabitants. However, given the tsunami was already large enough to submerge and destroy the rigs, it would have only grown by the time it reached the coast. Although The Rig season 1 finale ended before the wave hit the shore, the final shot likely means that it will soon, killing thousands in the process.

Related: The Peripheral Still Hasn't Revealed 3 Major Figures

The Rig season 2 is yet to be announced. However, as The Rig season 1 ended with various cliffhangers, it will hopefully be renewed. If it happens, The Rig season 2 could shine a light on Pictor's endgame, considering the helicopters with the Kinloch Bravo crew weren't bringing them to the mainland. It could also cover the apocalyptic scenario faced by thousands of people in coastal areas, especially as The Rig season 1 finale's last shot established the tsunami's arrival.

More: Every Unanswered The Peripheral Mystery Season 2 Must Explain