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12 Monkeys is Awesome, and You Should be Watching It

Hello, sir or madam, can I tell you about the Army of the 12 Monkeys?Syfy’s latest attempt at […]
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Hello, sir or madam, can I tell you about the Army of the 12 Monkeys?

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Syfy’s latest attempt at rebuilding their brand after a few years of more misses than hits is, simply, an outstanding science fiction product with just the right amount of twists and drama to sustain, but not confuse. It expertly delves into the highly fictional and bizarre time travel loops and alternate realities, but just as deftly hits the all-too-real fears about a plague that can (or will? Or did?) wipe out nearly all human life.

The first half of the season (available now on demand on most providers and syfy.com) established the lives of Cole (Aaron Stanford), a time traveler from the future hoping to do nothing less than erase his own existence, and Cassie (Amanda Schull), a virologist who may be the future’s only hope. Together with allies that come in and out of the story in both the present day (2015) and the plague-riddled future of 2043, Cole and Cassie are trying to figure out what they can do in the past to end the viral threat before it begins.

Of course, it’s not as easy as “pop back and kill X person” or “blow up Y facility.” Indeed, Cole successfully does both these things at various points in the first half of the season (we won’t tell you exactly what or when in case you decide to catch up on your own), and all he succeeds in doing is making things more complicated, or even altering his future to make it even worse.

Dr. Cassandra Railly is just as interesting as her time-traveling partner, a testament to how the show is written. Because here’s the thing, she doesn’t actually know all that much about what’s coming. But thanks to a recording she makes in the future, which makes it to the far future, Cole and company know that she’s important, and that she will know something. Her willingness to trust Cole brings her into progressively worse situations, but as she realizes she’s doing it, truly, for the sake of humanity, and not just for some guy or even herself, her conviction grows, as does her role in the grand play.

This all sounds awfully crazy when trying to iron it out, but when you’re watching 12 Monkeys, absolutely nothing there is confusing. Every aspect of time travel is introduced gradually enough to let it make sense, and to let you catch up on what’s happened so far. Rather than a head-scratching “what?” you’re left at the end of each episode, after some of the best cliffhangers ever put to use in a serialized TV show, with a pillow-throwing, table-knocking-down, “WHAT?!”

Mind-bending sci-fi? Check. Excellent primary cast? Check. Storytelling that’s simple in its complexity and just twisted enough to make you desperate to see what comes next? Check. That’s plenty of reasons to watch this excellent program. We can’t end there, though, not without talking about the supporting cast. Recurring characters like Katrina Jones and Ramse in the future, or Aaron who starts as a bit of a stick-in-the-mud but gradually grows on you, all play expertly into the story. Tom Noonan’s Pallid Man is just about the creepiest villain I’ve seen on screen, ever, especially when he smiles. And Emily Hampshire’s Jennifer Goines is an expertly played, special brand of crazy that any actor would love to take a crack at (and few could pull off even half as well).

Ultimately, if all of this hasn’t sold you on having your own marathon before the 8th episode airs Friday night, March 6, 2015 at 9pm, all you have to do is watch a single episode. Just one. It doesn’t have to be the first episode, either โ€“ catch a repeat on TV, or jump in while a friend or significant other is watching.

I guarantee, you’ll have a particular response when you start up and join the fight against the Army of the 12 Monkeys. As Aaron says when he sees Cole splinter for the first time, “Holy sh*t.” Holy sh*t indeed, Aaron. Holy sh*t indeed.