12 Monkeys “Cassandra Complex” is another fast paced, well-acted episode. The episode was written by Rebecca Kirsch and was directed by Michael Waxman. Kirsch also wrote for Mind Games, Dominion, Dracula, and Leverage, so she knows how to write both SF and mystery. Waxman’s many credits include Nashville, Touch, The Event, and Friday Night Lights. This episode continues to expand both the time travel and the world of the future.
There are a couple of tie-ins to the movie. The most obvious one is the title of the episode. I posited that Cassandra got her name from the reference in the movie to the Cassandra Complex. This is psychological phenomenon in which a person accurately predicts a crisis and the person is repeatedly dismissed or ignored. We’ll see that manifest a little more in this episode. Cole wears an outfit in the episode that is almost identical to one worn by Cole in the movie. The other really fun tie-in to the movie actually relates more to the last episode. The mental institute where most of the action takes place is called the JD Peoples Mental Institution. Janet and David Peoples actually wrote the screenplay for the movie!
This episode sees Cassie (Amanda Schull) and Cole (Aaron Stanford) working together and separately. In fact, Cole has to go back to 2014, but he has to make sure that Cassie doesn’t see him even though they’ll be in the same place. We also get to see some of what happened to Cassie between being kidnapped and waiting for Cole at the hotel. In the present, Cole teaches Cassie a new skill and tells her a lie. Cassie is also offered a very interesting job. One scene that I really liked was getting to see Cole struggling with some of the things that we simply take for granted – once again drawing a nicely subtle line between now and the apocalyptic future.
We learn a little more of both Cole and Ramse’s (Kirk Acevedo) past. We meet someone from their past – Max (Romina D’Ugo), and see that they don’t get along with everyone in the compound. Whitely (Demore Barnes) is not their biggest fan for instance. I was very excited for Barnes to finally make an appearance and I’m looking forward to seeing his character more fleshed out. You may recognize Barnes from The Unit, Supernatural, Hemlock Grove, or Hannibal. The other actor I’ve been waiting to see on the show is Todd Stashwick, but we only catch the barest glimpse of him in this episode…
Once again, it’s interesting to watch how the timelines play out in the episode. And once again, time travel proves not to be a simple feat. This time Cole has to deal with “temporal interference” which will cause a new set of problems. If you’ve missed an episode, not to worry, the series begins with a re-cap to catch you up and remind you of the important points! Don’t miss this episode
Friday, January 30 on Syfy 9/8c. You can read my review of the last episode
here.
About the Author - Lisa Macklem
I do interviews and write articles for the site in addition to reviewing a number of shows, including Supernatural, Arrow, Agents of Shield, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Forever, Defiance, Bitten, Glee, and a few others! Highlights of this past year include covering San Diego Comic Con as press and a set visit to Bitten. When I'm not writing about television shows, I'm often writing about entertainment and media law in my capacity as a legal scholar. I also work in theatre when the opportunity arises. I'm an avid runner and rider, currently training in dressage.
