12 Monkeys
Season 1, Episode 10 – “Divine Move”
Air Date: March 20, 2015
Grade: A-
It’s all crystal clear now, Cole is Kyle Reese, Cassie is Sarah Connor, and well, you’ll find out who plays The Terminator! The entire season of “12 Monkeys” so far has been a roller coaster thrill ride of epic proportions and this week’s episode is no exception.
We pick up with Ramse destroying the meeting room, burning the collected clues on the wall, and stealing the injections that Cole needs to travel back in time. The bromance is truly dead as his interest is solely on protecting his family. Still, seeing him so adamantly against Team Splinter after being a part of it for so long is unsettling to say the least.
In 2015, Cassie and Aaron are enjoying normalcy as they try to figure out what to do next now that they’ve saved the world. Apparently that includes some sexy time until Cole enters, completely ruining their moment. While Cole is relieved to see the virologist alive again, she is completely surprised and shocked by his appearance. Aaron gets completely upset since it means that they have to get back in the game and I’m sure he’s none too pleased that his competition is back. He storms off after yelling at Cole that he doesn’t know how to save Cassie and stop the virus from spreading.
Cassie then realizes that Peters, who was previously a Markridge scientist and had been at the CIA, must be how the virus gets loose. She finds his last known address via the CDC’s database and Team Casserole heads out. Unfortunately as they drive over, Cassie’s mood is decidedly dark as she confesses that the situation seems hopeless. Cole understands as he struggles with his own damaged relationship with Ramse that feels irreparable.
Their destination turns out to be lab with a dead body inside and the tell tale signs of Pallid Man’s work (more flowers to mask the smell of death). The Army of the 12 Monkeys have beaten them yet again. The victim this time was Peters’ husband and they figure the scientist must have been coerced into recreating the M-510. Cassie does manage to find Peters’ personal journal and discovers that the plague’s origin, aka the body, was excavated in the Himalayas during the 80s. There’s also a clipped Japanese article inside and Cole decides that this has to be another clue, remembering Leland Goines’ claiming to have met him in 1987. While Cole is excited with this new development, Cassie remains apathetic. She recites monotonously that she’ll use her capacity with the CDC to trace any shipments of animals for testing that Peters’ will undoubtedly need, thereby tracking him. Cole confronts her and Cassie admits knowing that splintering is killing him. He tries to reassure her that he’ll be fine, but as he vanishes a nearby plant starts to turn from green to red. Now what is that about?
In 2043 all is not well. Cole tells Jones that he’s discovered the origins of the virus to a club called the White Dragon in 1987 Tokyo. She meets his eyes with an unsettled look and shows him the destroyed meeting room. Cole is shocked that Ramse would do such a thing and then collapses, the effects of time traveling rapidly catching up with him. He is put on bed rest while a machine is prepped to help keep his body together for one final jump. However, their more immediate problem is that Ramse has the injections. Jones promises Cole that no harm will come to Ramse and dispatches Whitley and his men to retrieve the stolen goods (after Cole reveals his former bff’s likely location). Jones though inadvertently gives the soldier a license to kill Ramse if it comes down to the injections and the other man.
Speak of the devil, Ramse is at a nearby amusement park called the Wilderness Adventure and has allied with a group of other survivors. He tells Elena that he’s stopped Team Splinter by taking the injections but she’s worried that they’ll come looking for it. And of course she’s right! But before Whitley and company arrive, Ramse goes off and meets with a new enigmatic group calling themselves the Daughters after seeing the image of the Army of the 12 Monkeys on the side of one of their caravans. Things take a turn for the weird when he is introduced to their leader who is none other than Jennifer Goines!!! What the what?!? Yes exactly, what the hell is going on here?
Jennifer is naturally much older now and whether or not she has immunity to the virus is unknown. She is still talking in riddles and mentions Cole to Ramse. He asks her how she knows what he needs and she hands him a necklace with a strange symbol etched on it, telling him that it will be useful later. Jennifer then comments that he’s a good friend adding, “not yet but you will be.” She also somehow knows that something important is going to happen to him tonight, revealing that she’s probably met Ramse in her past and his future. More baffling questions!!
Back at the Wilderness Adventure things take a terrible turn as one of Whitley’s men accidentally kills Elena. Whitley shoots the individual to prevent more bloodshed, but he knows that there is no hope of Ramse ever coming back to their side. This defining incident basically drives Ramse over the deep end and all hell breaks loose after.
He makes his way back to the facility determined to truly eliminate Project Splinter. His plan was to blow up the time machine itself but circumstances go awry and he ends up shooting Max in the gut. I know, I’ve been wondering where Max has been this whole time as well. She’s sadly only in the episode for a brief time because she soon dies from the gunshot wound. Cole had been inside the body repairing machine and hadn’t heard all the commotion. In a moment of desperation, Ramse trapped in the time machine chamber decides to save his son by becoming a chrononaut as well. He injects himself with the serum and orders one of the scientists to fire up the device. By the time Cole is released from his statis he only manages to see Ramse before the man splinters to 1987 Tokyo.
Yes, Ramse is The Terminator trying to eliminate John Connor from one day leading humanity in the battle against Skynet. Though not quite a perfect fit, Ramse will be there to stop Cole from destroying the source of the virus. Jones tells Cole that his former friend’s jump was a one way trip because they do not have the means to track and return him to 2043. While Ramse’s intent was noble in doing whatever it took to save his son, he would also probably never see Samuel again. That seems kind of short sighted in retrospect. Alas, the two ex-friends will soon be battling it out in the land of the rising sun.
Let’s not forget about the good Dr. Railly though. She’s convinced Aaron to come with her to a container yard where she’s tracked a shipment of monkeys that has likely been used for Peter’s experiments. She finds the scientist and has a moment of weakness nearly taking his life after he asks to be given death (granted he just got news that his husband was dead). Instead Cassie tells him to vanish and puts the gun away. Meanwhile, Aaron encounters the lady from the Army of the 12 Monkeys and she urges him to listen to her. She explains that Cassie is very important to them and asks what he is willing to do to keep her alive. Uh oh!
So what have we learned in this episode? Well things have definitely gotten even more crazier that we could have possibly have imagined. With Ramse back in the past, who knows what kind of havoc he’ll wreak and could he join the Army of the 12 Monkeys now that their agendas are somewhat aligned? In fact, could he be the Witness who might have started the whole group in the first place?!? I don’t even know how to process this because that would be so amazing and messed up at the same time.
The Daughters are also an interesting new development, as Jennifer seems to have created some kind of cult between 2017 to 2043. Still she looks great for her age! How involved she is in with Ramse and the Army of the 12 Monkeys is still a mystery and what role does she really play in all of this?
Aaron may also now be allied with the Army of the 12 Monkeys after his encounter with the lady in his interest to keep Cassie alive and his anger towards Cole.
Cole really is in an ugly position as he tells Jones at the end of the episode that if Ramse tries to stop him then he’ll kill his former best friend. This just so sad that it’s all come to this.
Cassie seems to be the one person who’s still trying to save humanity without any hidden agendas. Why do I feel like this can’t last?
The question of whether to save one person or billions of lives is a recurring one and characters are constantly coming up against it. What makes the show so interesting is how they’ve all acted when put in the situation. Each individual believes that they are doing the right thing, but their choices have consequences. At the heart of the show it’s seeing what people will do to protect themselves and their loved ones.
“12 Monkeys” continues their fast paced narratives and I am just happy to be along for the ride.
PS: I hear by acknowledge that the above speculations may sound crazy.
“12 Monkeys” airs Fridays 9/8 central on Syfy.
Follow Nicole on Twitter: @niixc.
Images courtesy of Syfy.
