First things first: I don't wanna freak you out or nothin' but I'm loving this viral video which has a great Ringu kind of mood to it. It is rather creepy, though, for those of you sensitive to such things.
— 12 Monkeys (@12MonkeysSyfy) April 22, 2016
Now onto the show, as they say...
Given that we fortunate viewers were afforded SyFy's largesse of a two-week lead for viewing the season premiere, I thought perhaps I could then take my time in studying it and render my impressions. But any snark is affectionate because I do like this show, overall.
PREVIOUSLY ON 12 MONKEYS:
Boy from the future - where everything is terrible - is sent back in time to attempt to avert total disaster.
Boy eats a lot of cheeseburgers and meets the Girl of his dreams.
Girl spends one year thinking she's crazy because this hot Boy from the future disappears before her eyes (like all men eventually do).
Boy returns from the future and they enact a hurt/comfort scenario.
This goes on pretty much all season.
Cole and Ramse's Epic Bromance is broken, Jennifer finds a way to make her unique worldview a corporate mandate, people in the shadows attempt to treat history like a game of chess (like they always do), and everyone has lost something which they may find again in either a dead future or a tragic past.
The great and wise Philip Larkin once wrote:
This is the first thing
I have understood:
Time is the echo of an axe
Within a wood.
The implacable nature of Time renders it a faceless, formless force and yet we all have a relationship with it which is strictly our own...to rage and to rejoice, to treasure and to mourn.
Why am I being philosophical? Well, because time travel stories are at least in part about our personal relationships with time and causality. And that will prove a sticking point in Season Two, I believe.
So we begin with a beautifully-edited dreamlike montage recap narrated by Madeline Stowe, who played Dr. Kathryn Railly in the original film. And it does sum up most of the major concerns of Season One, though with little of the actual nuance. But that's okay, because you can always return to that story in our archival streaming television-on-demand culture. We then find ourselves in Budapest upon the Széchenyi Chain bridge serenaded by the original version of "Time Is On My Side" which is one of the classiest uses of licensed music that I've ever heard, I gotta say. Kai Winding, ladies and gentleman, whose trombone manages to sound a bit like a police siren in this particular scene whereupon Ramse is making a dash from The Usual Villainy through narrow streets and dark alleys, but alas they have him cutoff mid-span on that confounded bridge. Then all the sound is sucked out of the world as Olivia comes tap-tap-tapping onto the bridge like Three Billy Goats Gruff, black-clad and smirking. They have an exchange and we see that It's a trap! while Ramse bides for time, asking, "Why y'all tryin' to punch my clock?" He is calmly informed that his services are no longer required and just as the hit squad is ready to take aim he does that modern action movie thing: NOW WOULD A GOOD TIME TO SAVE MY ASS, JUST SAYIN.'
KABOOM!
It seems there's a lot more violence in this one episode than I remember seeing all last season, but maybe that's just me. Cole comes strolling into frame, his theme playing - pounding drums and sprightly strings - and it's so action hero, but not in a bad way - we can see that he is not the same desperate haunted man as he was in Season One. The three plot points interact, with Cole and Ramse bantering even as they deny their relationship, "Us? Naw, we ain't together." And that was one of the things which made me so mad last season, when the bromance became a casualty of the narrative superstructure. I realize it had to be done, but it hurt me bad. Olivia kinda has this Trent Reznor in 1999 thing going on, as she calmly announces their inherent doom, and sure enough there's a brigade of mad bikers bearing down on that confounded bridge. A hail of bullets, they cower on the struts, and c'mon, it's a bridge, Ramse, you can say Don't do that! all you want but what are ya gonna do? So it's into the Danube for our bromance (yeah I know, but it's still a bromance if I want it to be, damnit!). Seriously though, they have tried to kill Ramse at least three times now and they keep failing...the Army of the 12 Monkeys has terrible logistical management, I'd say.
And...title card! I really love the title theme, it's all about the metallophones, or glockenspiel, or whatever that chiming accent is.
In the present, Olivia is dealing with some of those aforementioned logistical problems, and we are treated to a daytime overhead shot of that lovely city straddling the Danube (accompanied by a very majestic sort of cue), meanwhile Cole and Ramse scuttle like cockroaches to their underground hidey-hole (during which we see Trevor and Paul's leading credit). A meta-esque discussion follows which takes care of both exposition and bromance banter and I tend to think I really do care about them more when they're together than when they're apart - Aaron and Kirk have such great chemistry. Cole is adamant about his I AM HERE TO SAVE THE FUTURE agenda which of course Ramse has to puncture with his EXCEPT FOR MY SON rejoinder. Ramse says, "You believe in the past, I believe in the future. It is what it is." Or is it what it will be? But anyway, who cares about the present is what I want to know. Cole suggests that they split up once they've managed to ditch their creepy stalkers - wait, what? Break up the bromance again?! He has a Ah-ha! moment when he realizes the Army keeps finding them no matter where they run...except the one place where they never surfaced. It's not about their prognostication, it's about hardware. Specifically whatever they put into Ramse to track him.
The theme playing in this scene reminds me a bit of the second half of "Cole On The Move" but with a lighter touch.
Meanwhile, in the era of Everything Is Terrible (aka 2043), Cassie is reliving her brainwashing and its' subsequent effects and outcomes until she wakes up to find herself with Dr. Jones, who I'm convinced at this point just wants someone to mother, but is still at the ready with her gallows humor quips. There were no scenes showing Katerina smoking in this episode, so I wonder if they've cut that out of the show bible now. Cassie's all, "So I've been here in the future for four days now and it really SUCKS." She tells Katerina about Ramse's turncoat behavior and Katerina notes of Cole: "When it comes to Mr. Ramse his judgement has always been - (dramatic pause) - unreliable."
(See, clearly a bromance! You always want the one who is bad for you.)
A bit more exposition and then Deacon comes swaggering into the room just as Jones is shooting herself up with the Splinter serum and Cassie recites its' purpose, finally understanding what Cole told her in the past. You can immediately tell by the way Cassie and Deacon look at each other that there will be UST between them. I think that's a little too obvious, although I don't necessarily object to the subtext. Deacon refers to Katerina as "Dr. Grimm" - whoa dude, harsh! I'm pretty sure that's just her resting bitchface.
So the Messengers - like any post-apocalyptic cult worth their salt - give their time-traveling cannon fodder...uh...acolytes a pep talk full of grandiose metaphors and motivatiional psychobabble and "We will meet again," which never fails to make me think of Vera Lynn. Does anybody here remember Vera Lynn?
(Whoops, wrong fandom, never mind.)
And dude is dressed like this is Carrousel from Logan's Run as he climbs into the chair (which showrunner Terry Matalas has already called dibs on when the show ends). But...the good doctor has thrown a monkeywrench into their plan and the Messengers will not be meeting this guy again, as the splintering process basically liquified him.
I like the percussion elements in this scene, very compelling.
She's laughing (See what I mean by gallows humor?) but Messengers don't play, Katerina basically taunts them to kill her, but as any effective terrorist knows, it's all about exploiting weaknesses. And then they go off on a tangent of causality and...destiny? I mean, that's how I interpret "If something is meant to Be, it shall Be." But there's already a flaw in that logic because Ramse wasn't killed in the past. Anyway, just as Cassie is about to be sacrificed to their pissing match, the Messengers' IT Support guy (seriously, dude could work for the Geek Squad) manages to bypass Jones' sabotage.
Now the guy they tried to send to whenever looked normal, then one of their hooded own is sent instead and she's not gonna pass for normal in any time, I'm thinking, but as it turns out she cleans up okay. So yeah, they cover themselves in ashes as part of their aesthetic regimen, apparently. That's not creepy at all! (Spoiler: it is.)
Cut to the present and a screed against bioengineering courtesy of Ramse's former colleague Dr. Benjamin Kalman - who, I observe, seems far more interested in hitting on students than teaching them - but Cole enters and interrupts to seek his assistance. Kalman blathers more of his Mother Jones rhetoric before they finally negotiate and then he makes what I feel is a way-too-perceptive comment about Cassie, but I did like Cole's line "She made me better."
(Awwwww!)
Cut to: said healer, who is still stuck in the Year of Wretchedness and being led away by Deacon. Cassie immediately diagnoses him with Wilson's Disease and attempts to bargain with her usefulness but as we know from Season One, Deacon is a guy who is not exactly the easiest to get along with. And he's all, "You are adorable."
(Oh he's gonna pay for that little bon mot at some point, you can bet.)
Cassie is, like, "Dude, this apocalyptic shithole you call your world? They're the ones to blame." He shuts her down and shuts her in. But Cassie is plucky, even as she's cussing in frustration.
(I'm showing my age but I will never get over the realization that people can now say shit on TV.)
Back to the present, where Dr. Kalman is performing a less painful form of trackerectomy than Ahnuld had go through in Total Recall. He's too enamoured of the sound of his own voice - typical professor. His speechifying has another purpose, though...he's actually hatching his master plan of deceit right under their noses and dropping hints at the same time. Blah blah blah, betrayal and exposition. Guess what: it really IS the Year of the Monkey! (No seriously, it actually is. Now that is some next-level marketing strategy shit.) Because he figures Ramse will be dead soon, he tells him the master plan. And Kalman obvs has no idea that Cole is a wiley kind of guy because he's all, "Stand still so I can kill you, mmmkay?" There's some nice ambiance in this scene which I'm going to say is Paul's doing, just to heighten the tension a bit. And Cole is, like, "Your narrative of redemption means nothing!" before he shoots Kalman in the head. Because apparently he feels the same about his own arc at this point: simply heroically nihilistic.
(That could absolutely be a thing, y'all! Greater good and so forth.)
In their expository aftermath, Ramse chooses not to share said Master Plan with Cole.
In 2043, Deacon has grown a mite desperate, since Cassie informed him he was going to die without treatment and he's all, "So this is a legit thing?" And she's all, "Totally." And that "make me better" thing comes back around...do you see where this is going, people? Now I don't like it, not one bit. But anyway, he is the vehicle of her possible escape, needs must. So he says, "We're gonna take this goon out, but mostly you 'cause you gotta stab him in the neck." And she's all, "Seriously?" But Deacon says it's not enough to overpower these creeps, they must die in order to be neutralized as a threat. Cassie equivocates...oh now she equivocates? Because she told Katerina it wasn't hard at all to shoot Ramse. And Deacon informs her that "Do No Harm died 30 years ago" which I'm assuming is a reference to the plague. So they go out to take care of her guard and after the deed is done Deacon quips "Welcome to the future, Dr. Railly...WHERE YOU TOTALLY KILL PEOPLE."
Deacon's crew is at the back door, and hey, there's Whitley! Who is surprised to see the woman he only knew from research in a future where she is supposed to already be dead.
Meanwhile, it's a fond farewell to Budapest and each other...and maybe it's because Cole calls him "brother" but...Ramse decides to tell Cole what's what. Cole seems a bit confused at Jennifer's involvement (remember, she's the one who called you Otter Eyes!) and Ramse reveals that he still cares.
(Awwwww!)
People, this is what I need from 12 Monkeys. For me, it's all about the bromance.
As they walk away from that confounded bridge they reminscise about old times, it's adorable.
Cut to: Thee Beeg Apple, where we catch up with Riot Grrrl on sensory overload (and clearly off her meds), we get to eavesdrop on all that noise in her head...yeah, I feel for her. But I'm not liking that version of "White Rabbit" so much. Anyway, this is a setup for the most hilarious use of the speed dating meme I've ever seen. Terry and Travis, I give you an A+ just for that scene alone. Especially how it's a rather brutal indictment of male entitlement...because after 15 seconds I would have said: "Can you please stop the words coming out of your mouth before I dose you with this plague I happen to be carrying, OKAY?!" You ask me, Jennifer was downright tolerant of that smarmy asshole. But her speech is both funny and disturbing and I have a feeling Our Showrunners are going to walk that line throughout the entire season.
(Seriously though, dogfighting is a perfectly legitimate reason to usher in Armageddon.)
Okay so what is it with everyone asking to be killed? Although I kind of get Jennifer's request because she is so incredibly fragmented. But that self-involved nitwit wusses out and calls 9-1-1 instead, which will prove to be significant later on.
Meanwhile in the era of Everything Is Terrible, the calvary, such as it is, is going to attempt to Take Back the Machine (yeah my slogans are a little mixed, I know). They enact a cunning plan, and Cassie frantically warns Jones to OMG DUCK! when suddenly...
KABOOM!
(There are a lot of echoes in this episode, have you noticed?)
The Messengers problem is dealt with, but at what cost? Well I'll tell ya: the future ain't what it used to be because the machine is officially broken. Again. As Jones gives her WAG as to how long it's going to take to fix it, Cassie has a look of OH SHIT I REALLY AM STUCK HERE, and I totally sympathize, because as we know from Season One there are no bacon cheeseburgers in 2043. This is what plague has rendered unto civilization. But Katerina - like all the female roles in this show - is a plucky gal. WE CAN REBUILD, she proclaims.
In the present it's now February 8th, Chinese New Year, and Cole and Ramse are playing Spot the Jennifer in Chinatown...in a city of, what, 8.5 million people (and two million rats), how hard can it be?!
Ramse still believes it's a fool's errand, but they split up, wandering amongst the revelers. Cole sees someone he thinks is Jennifer, but he's mistaken and then he sees a sign which reminds him of the Army of the 12 Monkeys insignia, and then...
Jennifer seems conflicted, not wanting to encounter her Otter Eyes when she's ready to unleash Hell and all, so she runs. They end up on the roof of some random building, and she's waving the Four Tiny Horseman and humming "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" for some reason.
(Well she is crazy, right?)
Anyway, she's now clearly relieved that Cole is going to stop her. All she wanted was someone to stop (her) madness. And here it is: the moment of truth, the moment that Cole has been traveling back-and-forth in time and all around the world for, and she's asking nicely and everything. But...
Well c'mon, seriously, we knew he wasn't actually going to kill her, so to me the moment is rather leeched of its' intended narrative tension. Even the Stabbing Violins of Significance cue is played for laughs. But then those aforementioned pesky meddlers show up to remind her of the mission. Cultists, what a buzzkill, am I right?! And who is really the Witness anyway then, if not Ramse?
Speaking of: he's walking down an alley when suddenly WHAM! The man has really taken a beating this episode, you know? Is the Army of the 12 Monkeys going to ineffectually attempt to kill him again?!
Back on the roof, Cassie the Killer splinters from The Year of Continuing Wretchedness 2044 and makes short work of everyone save Cole and Jennifer.
I have returned from the Future, my friends, and I want a goddamn cheeseburger!
Their reunion is bittersweet once Cole realizes Cassie means to assassinate Jennifer because Cassie and Katerina figured out she was Vector Zero, so to speak. But Cole knows there are greater forces at work - if Jennifer dies without freeing her Tiny Horseman, the Army will just find some other way to spread the virus.
Thus we end in a standoff with Cole lecturing about choices again...my former boss used to say: "We all have choices." I really hated that guy, btw.
"So what's it gonna be?"
Well lemme tell ya, Cole: while you two are bickering, Jennifer is gonna drop that vial right over the edge, is what. Duh!
Whew! Huzzah, I made it through another recap (after thinking I was officially burnt out on writing them for life) and I continue to give props to those who recap for a living - or just for the love of a show on a weekly basis - because it's a lot of work. It was a fairly propulsive episode, not overly burdened with exposition. Although there were a few cues I enjoyed I would say that overall the music was rather expected, but in an episode which tonally was meant to just keep moving along, I can understand why that was a better choice from a production standpoint.
So here we are, in the Year of the Monkey, and from most preview reactions I've read, this season is going to be weird, wild and wacky. Count me in!
