In December 1995 Universal Pictures released a film by the name 12 Monkeys, starring Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe and Brad Pitt. If Wikipedia is to be believed, the film was based on Chris Marker's 1962 short film La Jetée. Fast forward to 2015 and Terry Matalas and Travis Fickett have re-imagined the story once again as a weekly television programme airing on the SyFy network.
The plot revolves around a plague that was released in present day (2015) and by the year 2043 has wiped out all but a few members of the human race. In the year 2043, James Cole (Aaron Stanford) is sent back through time to find a doctor by the name of Cassandra Railly (Amanda Schull) and help her to stop the plague from ever being released. Kind of a “stop the plague, save the world” situation. Of course, it continues to get more complicated as things unfold.
Now, I LOVE this show. I truly believe that it is one of the best shows on television. So in an effort to try and rope in a few of my fellow comic book movie fans, I'm going to set out just a few of the reasons why I think you should watch.
It's A Strong Premise (and one that X-Men fans might find somewhat familiar)
There's a reason that this is third incarnation of the same idea. It's a strong premise that makes for interesting viewing. When so many of the CBTV shows which I love fall into the “villain of the week” category, 12 Monkeys offers something different. There is one goal and the entire series is about achieving that one goal. Stop the plague, save the future. It makes the stakes much clearer and allows for more time being spent on character motivations and relationships.
Great Cast/Characters
12 Monkeys follows a handful of characters and the writers do a really good job of giving each a very strong voice. Often times in TV programmes involving a group of characters it can be easy to lose the individual personality of each character, until certain characters start bleeding into one another. This is never the case in 12 Monkeys. Each character is well-defined and properly fleshed out. The two leads, Aaron Stanford and Amanda Schull, are superb in their roles and bring a real sense of believability to a very science-fiction-y story. While their characters evolve a great deal over the first 1.5 seasons, Stanford and Schull continue to impress week after week. The same can be said for every member of the main cast. Barbara Sukowa as Dr. Jones and Todd Stashwick as Deacon are both fantastic. Kirk Acevedo plays Jose Ramse, Cole's best friend, and is a particular highlight for me. But the special mention goes to Emily Hampshire as Jennifer Goines.
Jennifer Goines is a character that I can't really say a lot about without giving away some spoilers for any newcomers. When we first meet Jennifer she is a tangential character who is mentally unstable, but as time (pun intended) progresses, she becomes much more of a key player. I will say that she is probably my favourite character (edging out Ramse) and kicks a lot of ass. Emily Hampshire is phenomenal in the role and 12 Monkeys might be worth watching for her performance alone.
A Fair Amount of Mystery
A great talking point of 12 Monkeys is the many ongoing mysteries which reach across episodes and entire seasons. Like who are the 12 Monkeys? Who is the witness? Where did the plague come from? It really is compelling stuff and makes for great speculation and discussion. You know, if you're into that sort of thing.
New Locales
James Cole's primary time period is the year 2043, where Dr. Jones has built a time machine with the purpose of sending someone back to present day to stop the plague. The bulk of the action in season 1 takes place in 2015 but Cole has so far journeyed to the 1940's and the 1970's as well (that I can remember, if I'm missing any then help me out why don't ya!). The changing environments is a really fun aspect of the show but what is also interesting is exploring the fabric of time and how time travelling to the past can affect the present. Or the future. Or, you know, both. This might be a good time to also say that thinking about time travel too much can lead to illness. Symptoms include headaches.
"It's Awesome" - Me, 2016
This editorial was a tricky one to write because there's only one GOOD reason that you should be watching 12 Monkeys: it's awesome. It really is. If you're already watching, then leave a comment and I might start posting reviews for each episode on this site so that we can maybe get a bit of discussion going (seriously, who is the witness?!). If you're not watching, then basically i'm asking you to give it a go. I recommend catching up from the beginning of season 1 since trying to jump in now might be difficult, but trust me it's worth it. It's a great sci-fi show that hopefully comic book fans such as myself will find not just enjoyable, but addicting.
12 Monkeys airs Mondays 9/8c in the US and Wednesday nights on SyFy in the UK.