12 Monkeys: Tensions Rise as the End Draws Near

First Aired July 11th, 2016.

In January, 1957, Cole (played by Aaron Stanford) and Cassandra (played by Amanda Schull) begin their search for the last Primary. They get jobs at a company where the Primary works but with no leads they have to investigate hundreds of employees over the next few months.

However, by November they are down to just two days before the Messengers kill the paradox and destroy time, and they still have no leads and the pressure gets to them. Cassandra learns of a new project at their company and theorizes that the Primary could be one of the day laborers. Cole and Cassandra join the project and investigate a worker named Reginald (played by Maxwell McCabe-Lokos) who has the characteristics of a Primary. Drawings he made of Monkeys confirm he’s the Primary. Meanwhile, in the future, Ramse (played by Kirk Acevedo) and Jennifer (played by Emily Hampshire) lead an attack against a violent group of scavengers on their way to find and kill the Witness. One of Jennifer’s Daughters dies protecting her while another named Emissary (played by Ayisha Issa) is resentful of Jennifer and doesn’t see her as their true Mother. When a scout reports that Titan doesn’t exist, Emissary urges the others to leave and disowns Jennifer. She and Ramse fight and he nearly kills her until Jennifer intervenes. Jennifer reveals she can’t handle the pressure but Hannah (played by Brooke Williams) convinces her not to give up hope.

Even with a year to investigate, the fate of the world comes down to the wire. It always seems to end up that way. The search for the final Primary was one of the slower parts of the episode; what should have been a high stakes story started off as lackluster. The only drama came when Cole and Cassandra spent more time arguing about their past and relationship. While things picked up as the episode went on, this is the penultimate episode and any slow spots can also impact the finale. Ramse is on a mission to save his son and the world and yet he still comes off as a bad guy that you want to root against. Emissary and the other Daughters expect Jennifer to have the same wisdom as her older self, but Jennifer is behind by a couple of decades. It’s no surprise she cracked under the pressure—but using fortune cookie messages to make herself seem all-knowing was both genius and hilarious. While Jennifer provides lots of humor, it’s her emotional journey that continues to make the character a crucial part of the show.

Cole prepares to kill Reginald but he reveals he was paid off by a Messenger named Charlie (played by Joey Klein) to fool Cole; the real Primary is a woman dying of cancer and willing to die. However Charlie fell in love with her and couldn’t bring himself to kill her but she convinces him they can live forever in the ‘red forest’ and Charlie paradoxes her. The blast leaves Cassandra in a coma for six months and finds Cole has since left believing she would be better off without him. Months later, Cassandra is working in the hospital and finds Cole living in a remote home (the same she saw in her vision with the Witness). She chastises him for abandoning her and Cole tries to convince her to live her life and forget about the plague and the Monkeys but she refuses to just let the world die. During their argument Cassandra reveals she always knew of Cole’s feelings toward her and he expresses resentment that she pushed him away; but their anger turns to passion and they sleep together.

Love is in the air and it’s causing people to make dumb decisions like destroy time and abandon all hope. It’s funny, nearly a year of searching for the Primary and it all came down to just a few seconds; but although they failed, time hasn’t unraveled so they must still have a chance. Cole and Cassandra finally consummating their relationship was a big relief. The ‘will they won’t they’ was getting old since it was obvious they would end up together. The big reveal that the house Cole leased was in Cassandra’s Witness vision turned into a huge letdown. There was no connection to the Witness or clues hidden in the house that could have helped them. Instead the entire thing seemed like a coincidence. However, this could change in the finale and hopefully it does otherwise it was a wasted opportunity.

In the future, Ramse finds Titan but has only a few people willing to follow him inside. They explore and eventually confront the Witness as he/she stands on an ornately lit clock in a mask. However several masked people appear and one shoots Ramse with an arrow and forces him to watch while the others are stabbed to death. Although I’m frustrated that we still don’t know the identity of the Witness, you have to admire that instead of the usual tactic of taking hostages he/she killed them all. Of course the fact that Ramse is not the most liked character (at least for me) it wasn’t all too heartbreaking to see. But things have gotten as worse as they possibly can, so in the season finale they have nowhere to go but up.

Quotes & Thoughts

“This is how you lead?” “Spoiler alert I’m not wise old me, am I? And if I’m being frank my daughters are assholes.”

With everything that happened in this episode, what could be left for the season finale?

“This whole world could eat sh** and die, wouldn’t matter if you were together.”

The show’s narrative continues to expand as it goes on, the plague virus that started it all seems so irrelevant now.

If you enjoyed Manny’s review, you can find the rest of his work right HERE on Sci-Fi Bloggers. You can also follow him on Twitter @KN_Manny.

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