The Rig season 2 ending explained: What happened to the Ancestor?

Following a devastating tsunami, the crew are facing a major predicament with Pictor attempting to cover up their part in it.

In season 2, we see more danger, loss and another ending that could set up more for the show - as well as a host of new cast members.

Read on for everything that happened during the ending of The Rig season 2.

The Rig season 2 ending explained: What happened to the Ancestor?

The Rig season 2 ends with the Ancestor lighting up and showing itself to the world, thwarting Pictor's plans to poison it.

However, a final scene shows that not everyone is going to let it live peacefully, as multiple different countries are surveilling it - and potentially even targeting it. So, was Pictor really the least of our worries?

Here's how we got to those unsettling final scenes.

The episode picks up after Rose (Emily Hampshire) was shot and is, seemingly, dead. However, Fulmer (Martin Compston) notices that she's starting to heal, reasoning that she must have exposed herself to the Ancestor. Thanks to her new and strong connection with the Ancestor, she sees where its heart is – what they've been looking for all this time.

Bremner passes on everything from the rover data drive to Darian York, Pictor's new CEO (Jacob Fortune-Lloyd), who it seems is working with a mysterious third party. He messages them to say that the data is secure, and that the poison launch is ready.

The other person replies saying: "The Forum will publicly assign Pictor Energy full rights as agreed." The details of what they're speaking about remain to be seen but clearly there are some dodgy dealings going on.

Rose says that her vision showed her that the Ancestor didn't cause mass extinctions - it's what allowed life to regenerate afterwards, so the Ancestor needs to be saved from Pictor's attempts to eliminate it, or risk ending all life on Earth.

Cat (Rochenda Sandall) finds one of the journalists covering the news at Pictor's base, and hands her a confession from Morgan Lennox (Alice Krige), which airs on the news. Lennox admits that Pictor were involved in causing the tsunami and in covering up their involvement.

Lennox and Hutton (Owen Teale) arrive back at the Stac, reuniting with Magnus (Iain Glen). Lennox admits that she stopped the coastguard coming to rescue the crew of the Kinloch Bravo and apologises.

She says that by the time she discovered David Coake's (Mark Addy) plan, it was already in action and alerting the coastguard would have put more lives at risk as they didn't know what they were dealing with. She warns them of Pictor's power, and of the new CEO, Darian York.

She reveals that the data drive Bremner is taking to York contains not only contains the location of the Ancestor's heart, but the new plans on how to deliver the poison to it. York also conducts a press conference, condemning Lennox's comments about Pictor and saying that the tsunami was her fault, not the company's – and that she caused the deaths of a number of Pictor employees.

Rose points out that for anyone to believe them about the Ancestor, they need people to see it in the same way they have – by showing them its heart. Hutton and the team repair the rover and Fulmer and Rose agree to go together.

Magnus and Lennox realise that Bremner (Phil McKee) is still on board and he successfully releases the poison despite Magnus attempting to stop him at the last minute. Magnus shoots Bremner, injuring him, but doesn't manage to stop him in time, as he launches the poison and sends an ROV to the heart. As Bremner reaches for his gun, Magnus shoots him again (but doesn't kill).

Rose and Fulmer decide to continue their mission to attempt to save the Ancestor despite the submersible's depleting power and Lennox's insistence that they come back. Magnus instructs everyone back at the Stac to turn off everything non-essential to get it moving and get to them instead.

Rose decides to dive outside the submersible to get a better look at the Ancestor and sees the impact the poison has had. As she touches it, she realises it's regenerating and healing itself. It then lights up so as the world can see it. It has an immediate effect, making the news and prompting an investigation into Pictor Energy.

Rose and Fulmer share a kiss as they prepare to die after the submersible's power is used up... but thankfully Magnus's plan has worked and the Stac arrives to save them.

The crew prepare for what's to come as the world now finds out about the Ancestor - can they still stop humanity from trying to destroy it?

The Rig season 2 is streaming now on Prime Video - you can sign up now for a free 30-day Prime Video trial.

Read more: The Rig season 2 review: Martin Compston drama veers off-course

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