The Rising

Waking in the middle of a lake, disorientated and with the suspicion that something is watching her from the trees, 19-year-old Neve (I Am Mother’s Clara Rugaard) returns home to discover that her desperately worried family cannot see her. With no memory of what happened at the party the night before, as well as finding vicious injuries on her neck and body, the horrible truth that she’s been murdered soon dawns on the teenager. And from herein, The Rising, Sky’s supernatural detective thriller, sees Neve embark on the hunt for her own killer.

As far as murder mysteries go, this series presents viewers with a compelling case to crack. Everyone is a suspect, and everybody seemingly has something to hide. Neve is as lost for answers as viewers here, which allows audiences to go through the same journey of discovery as the lead on equal footing. Likewise, Rugaard’s strong performance drives each scene forward as she draws ever closer to the truth. Noteworthy performances from Solly MacLeod as the suspicious boyfriend and Nenda Neururer as Neve’s new but troubled friend Alex round out the cast. However, it’s a dazzling outing from Emily Taafe as the teenager’s grief-stricken mother which frequently steals the spotlight.

The plot grows thicker within the first few episodes. In terms of genre, though, this is very much a typical teenage affair in which the drama revolves around who’s been sleeping with who to the backdrop of upbeat pop music. Thankfully, there are enough nuggets in the script that touch upon bigger themes of agency and grief that can see viewers through the hormonal teens. Similarly, hints of a bigger supernatural mystery will compel viewers to watch further. Hopefully, the latter revelations will be able to shed some more light and logic upon the rules of Neve’s abilities. How she can ride a dirt bike around town without anybody noticing the riderless vehicle is perhaps a bigger mystery at this early stage.

After watching the first few episodes of The Rising, it’s evident that there’s a lot more to come from this supernatural thriller. The mystery of what happened that fateful night, alongside the ghostly happenings, is still shrouded in secrecy. There’s enough of a hook to snare viewers, though the teen drama may prove to be too much for some.

Andrew Murray

The Rising is released on Sky Max and NOW on 22^nd April 2022.

Watch the trailer for The Rising here: