"Better a fallen rocket than never a burst of light."
~ Tom Stoppard, The Invention of Love

Friday, April 10, 2015

12 Monkeys (2015-Current)

Late update tonight, since I wanted to wait for this sci-fi series’ first-season finale to air.  Inspired by the Terry Gilliam film of the same name, 12 Monkeys first came on my radar due to its male lead, Aaron Stanford (Birkhoff from Nikita); after finishing Nikita, I was jonesing for more from its cast, and the prospect of Stanford was enough to overcome any presumptions about the quality of SyFy originals or apprehension about the show’s premise.  Lucky I got past both of these hurdles, because it’s a terrific show.

The premise that gave me pause?  A worldwide pandemic that wipes out 7 billion people.  Brrr…  In a post-apocalyptic 2043, a single-minded scientist reignites a long-abandoned project to save the present by changing the past.  With the aid of a rickety, temperamental time machine, she sends world-weary survivor James Cole back to 2015 to prevent the virus.  His mission changes the life of Dr. Cassandra Railly, a dedicated virologist, in the process; initially, she’s his only lead on the virus’s origins, but shaky temporal tinkering throws them together too early in her timeline.  Despite her early skepticism, Cassie is soon converted to the cause, and she works with Cole to uncover the conspiracy behind the virus’s release.

No, it’s not a perfect show.  It sometimes gets tangled up in its own intricately-crossed timelines, it takes occasional detours that, while still entertaining, distract from the central story, and a few episodes suffer from separating Cole and Cassie for too-long stretches.  However, it’s pretty darn great – savvy sci-fi with a geeky eye for detail, strong characters at its core, and lots of stylish design elements.  There’s some terrific dialogue, weighty without being overwritten, and all the various character voices are distinct and engaging in their own ways.  The show takes full advantage of its time-travel framework and, so far, seems to be maintaining as reasonable an internal consistency as one can expect of a time travel show.  Best of all, thoughtful character work and themes remain at the heart of the story.  In the midst of all the action, conspiracies, and timeline shenanigans, we’re anchored by the growing connection between Cole and Cassie, and the show always takes time out to explore larger issues.  When nearly the entire world is dead, how far can one go to change the past?  If someone died of a virus anyway, is it wrong to kill them in the past?  Will creating a new future absolve the sins it took to get there?

Aaron Stanford is excellent as the brusque, obsessive Cole.  He conveys the weight of the ravaged life Cole has lived in 2043 while still bringing humor and heart to his lighter moments.  Amanda Schull does a fine job as Cassie, carrying us on her journey from disbeliever to crusader.  She’s intelligent, strong, and caring, and her scenes with Cole sparkle.  Other notable performances include Barbara Sukowa as Jones, the scientist desperate to change the past, and Emily Hampshire as Jennifer, an unstable young woman with secrets about the virus locked within her fractured mind.  A lot of Stanford’s friends from Nikita along for the ride as well.  Noah Bean (Ryan) plays another major character on the show, and Xander Berkley (Percy) and Peter Outerbridge (Ari) both make guest appearances.  How long before Maggie Q or Lyndsy Fonseca show up?  Season 2, please?

Warnings

Violence, swearing, sexual content, murky moral quandaries, and disturbing content.

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