The sci-fi drama “The Rig” brings forth an intriguing narrative that once again urges us to see how important it is to conserve nature. Be it our reckless use of natural resources or other exploitative practices, time and again, nature has given us a warning and told us that unless we retrace our steps and mend our ways, there won’t be any hope left. But human beings are so blinded by their greed that they take the path of destruction voluntarily and call upon their own doom. In the very first episode of “The Rig,” we get to witness how zestful and carefree Baz Roberts is. He killed time on the Kinloch Bravo by playing video games and pestering others. Baz had already planned a vacation to Prague with his cousin when he saw the list and came to know that he had been bumped and Fulmer had taken his place. A general meeting was called, and that’s where Hutton noticed that Baz was not in his usual, playful mood and his spirits were lowered. Baz told Hutton about Fulmer replacing him on the ride back home, and Hutton got an opportunity to take a jab at Magnus, the OIM of the rig.
Spoilers Ahead
Everybody knew that Rose and Fulmer were dating, and Hutton didn’t leave any chance to make the former look prejudiced. Rose said that a request was made by Pictor Energies for an experienced radio operator, and that is why Fulmer had taken Baz’s place on the helicopter. Baz had booked his flight tickets, and he wanted to be there with his family at all costs; probably that is why he agreed to accompany Fulmer to the signal tower, though he had little or no expertise in that area. All of a sudden, all the generators on the rig went down, and they started encountering problems with the wells too. There was a thick fog that approached the rig, and the crew didn’t understand what was happening. Hutton warned Magnus that it was not the right decision to send Fulmer and Baz up on the tower when visibility was so low. But he didn’t have any option, as he needed to establish communication with the beach as soon as possible. Baz did it because he wanted a seat on that helicopter, which was going to take him back home, but he clearly underestimated the entire situation and had no clue about the perils awaiting him.
Did Baz Get Possessed?
While climbing up the tower, Baz almost fell from the tower stairs when a bird came right in front of his face. Fulmer and Baz reached the top, where the former became a little physically aggressive as Baz was constantly making objectionable remarks about Rose and how she favored Fulmer. While coming down, Baz fell from those stairs, and Fulmer couldn’t understand how the accident happened. Baz’s condition was critical, and Cat immediately took him under her care. She told Hutton, Magnus, and others very clearly that she could try to stabilize him, but they needed to take him to an actual hospital as soon as possible. Baz was barely breathing and looking at the severe injuries that he had sustained, Cat knew that she wouldn’t be able to save him. Hutton got word that the rig was being decommissioned, and he called everybody on the helipad to let them know what the management had been plotting behind their backs. Their meeting got interrupted when they noticed ash-like particles falling from the sky. The crew heard someone climbing the stairs of the helipad, and what they saw shocked them beyond their wits. Baz was walking all by himself, and it was difficult to believe that he had met with such a major accident just a while back. Though it seemed like Baz was in a much better state, something had snapped inside him, and he was acting very weird and saying all sorts of things that didn’t make any sense. He said that a wave was coming for them, though Rose knew that it couldn’t be possible in reality. Cat was relieved that Baz was alive, but she knew that something was wrong. His injuries had miraculously healed, and how he was still standing and functioning normally was beyond anybody’s comprehension.
Baz had started getting these hallucinations where he saw the entire rig submerged under a huge wave. He didn’t know if those visions were trying to depict the future, but he knew that someone was out there trying to establish contact and tell him something. Baz escaped from the infirmary, and a search party was deployed by Magnus to find him. Alwyn found Baz in one of the rooms, and he saw that he was making circular rings on the windowpane and acting in a deranged manner. Baz confided in Alwyn and told him that he was hearing all sorts of noises inside his head and that there was something in the light that he couldn’t decipher. He once again escaped from the room and hysterically ran as if being guided to act in a particular manner. The sudden demise of Lewk made matters worse, and Rose and others knew that there was something in the ash that was causing some reaction in those who were exposed to it for an extended period of time. Magnus had given orders that everybody should be indoors unless and until they completely understood the kind of damage the ash was capable of doing. Alwyn went out in search of Baz as the SBV was coming, as he knew that if he stayed on the bridge, he would definitely drown. Alwyn found Baz, and he looked as if he had unraveled the mystery behind the anomalies that were happening in the rig. Alwyn saw that there was something glowing inside the water, and Baz said that there was life emerging from the depths of the ocean. He was certain that the life form was trying to establish contact and warn mankind about impending doom. Baz assaulted Alwyn, and the latter died on the spot. When Cat came and did a medical analysis, she surprisingly found out that Alwyn had died of drowning, though Dunlin had clearly seen Baz strangle him. At the end of the second episode of The Rig, Rose finally found out that the ash particles reacted with blood in a certain way, and it was possible that a person got infected with it.
Is Baz Dead Or Alive? What Did He Want To Do With The Ancient Life Form?
Fulmer found Baz in the room where Rose had kept all her research data. Even Baz was trying to decipher what was happening to him. He said the light thrived on human life, and that is why it needed them. He said that he couldn’t go back home because he needed to do something that was of the utmost importance. At the latter end of the series, we saw a transformation happening inside Baz, where a carefree and reckless guy was now understanding the responsibilities, he had and how their survival was at stake if they didn’t do the right thing from that point in time. He had gone and hidden in the basement, and his visions were getting stronger and more potent. There was an abnormal plant growth in and around the production module area at the basement of the rig, and Baz knew that he needed to be there in order to bring about a change and stop the ancient life form from wreaking havoc. He knew that whatever was in the water was trying to make the humans hear what it wanted. It made Baz see what existed inside those waters millions of years ago. The ancient life form had a memory of events that had happened since. It had been there during all five mass extinctions, and now it was just trying to warn and assess if it needed to bring another such catastrophe to put things in order. Baz tried his level best to establish a bond of trust and mutual respect with the “ancestor,” but he was not able to do it till the very end.
Pictor Energy was exploiting the resources, and many such oil rigs belonging to different companies were doing the same thing throughout the globe. Baz knew that in order to bring about a change, he had to stay back and make the sacrifice. He was aware that he was not going to survive the tsunami, but he had to do it to save mankind from their own actions. He realized that the will to sacrifice for the greater good and the priceless memories are what made humans who they are. Somebody had to put an end to the endless cycle of exploitation and destruction, and Baz decided that he was going to lead by setting an example. Magnus had seen Baz change in front of his own eyes and told him that his sacrifice would be remembered. We hope that Baz’s death does amount to something and gives a leverage to Magnus and that the others who had survived. We don’t know if the Ancestor would trust mankind, or it would bring its wrath upon the planet. We would get to know in the second season of “The Rig,” though we know for certain that the road to redemption would be filled with even greater challenges.
