12 Monkeys - Mentally Divergent - Review

12 Monkeys, “Mentally Divergent,” was written by showrunner Natalie Chaidez and directed by David Grossman whose many credits include Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Lost, and like almost everyone else on the show, Nikita. Chaidez is the showrunner, so for me, this was a very important episode. Chaidez does a great job laying the foundation for what’s to come this season – and hopefully seasons to come.

I finally got curious enough to watch the movie of 12 Monkeys. There are some really interesting similarities, such as the Dr Railly character delivering a lecture that looks almost exactly like the one in the Pilot. I’m not going to say more for fear of spoiling the movie for those who still wish to watch, however. There are a couple of significant differences, however. For instance the movie centers much more around Cole’s mental state. In keeping with this, Dr Railly is actually a psychiatrist, not a virologist. There is discussion of the state of being “mentally divergent” and this means a person experiencing a substitute reality. I think the show clearly picks up this thread with Jennifer (Emily Hampshire).

Someone in the comments wondered why Dr Railly’s first name was changed from Katherine to Cassandra. One reason might be the “Cassandra Complex” which is an actual psychological phenomenon in which a person accurately predicts a crisis and they are ignored or dismissed – just as Aaron (Noah Bean) tries to do to Cassie (Amanda Schull). Interestingly, in the movie, Dr Railly writes a book called The Doomsday Syndrome which is essentially about people with the Cassandra Complex. One further fun fact is that there is a heavy metal band called the Cassandra Complex and in one of her rants, Jennifer tells Cole (Aaron Stanford) that the Army of the 12 Monkeys is her cover band!

In fact, the show incorporates lots of dark humor that I really like. It also continues to create terrifically atmospheric sets that help to contrast the future and the present. The plot is once again intricate enough to be interesting with all sorts of little nuances falling into place, but it’s not difficult to follow. It’s also super creepy in places, which for me is what I want out of an apocalyptic science fiction story.

I very much like the dynamic between Cole and Ramse (Kirk Acevedo). The scene with them going to the mental hospital in the future was great. It gave us a good sense of how the future looks because we get to see the same place in the present later in the episode. We see that Ramse is actually the cautious one, trying to get Cole to make sure there are no scavengers around before going in. When Cole just takes off anyway, Ramse mutters, “Asshole!” Ramse questions whether Cole actually killed Leland as he was supposed to, and there’s a nice comedic moment after Cole kills the scavenger when he looks at Ramse and says “I didn’t miss” – he could almost have stuck his tongue out at him.

Ramse knows Cole and sees that he’s different since he came back. It’s clear that Ramse is a little jealous of Cole getting to go to a time when food was plentiful and so were people. But at the same time, he also cautions Cole that “You’re not from there. You’re from here. We do what we have to.” He sees that Cole is sad to be back in the horrible future. He doesn’t want Cole to feel bad about what he’s had to do, but he also doesn’t want Cole to lose his edge.

Another difference between the series and the movie is how dangerous the surface is in the future. There is a greater time difference in the series, so perhaps the virus has become somewhat less of a threat. In the movie, the decontamination process is much greater and the characters have to wear protective clothing to go outside at all.

Both Jones (Barbara Sukowa) and Ramse discuss the meaning of the message with Cole. The message said that the outbreak started with Leland – not that he started it. It’s clear that the Army of the 12 Monkeys is involved but Jones has no idea who they are – they could be a terrorist group or religious fanatics. Jones is clear that she doesn’t want Cole to involve Cassie any further, fearing for what might happen to the timeline. Of course, in the end, Cassie takes the decision out of their hands.

It’s clear that Cole’s “one and done” mission is not that now, setting us up for him to continue to go back and forth. We already know he has to go back to 1987 at some point, and we learn he’s had a violent past in addition to that. I loved Ramse telling Cole to “get some vintage” and then Cole taunting him about sleeping with his mother – hilarious and such a guy thing! It’s also pretty funny that they send him to North Korea in 2006 instead of Philadelphia in 2015. I loved watching the scientists all freaking out. We also learn that Ramse is only tolerated because he is Cole’s friend. The trip to North Korea – Jones mistake – or is it? – is what leaves the trail for Cassie to ultimately find Cole at the mental hospital.

Cassie reaches out to Aaron for help and starts her own investigation into the Army of the 12 Monkeys. I like how Aaron is slowly being convinced that something really is going on. Cassie’s investigation ultimately leads her back to Jeremy. I loved this scene with Tom Noonan as the new bad guy. He’s so utterly creepy! I loved the touch of the flowers and I’m sure that was more than just a link to Jennifer’s encounter with him. Schull is fantastic in this scene and plays terrified extremely well. I like that she’s both smart and strong-willed, yet we still get this side too. It’s a very well-rounded performance. It was a little stupid, however, for him to kill Jeremy for asking questions for her and not kill Cassie herself. Does he need her for Cole? He clearly knows they are connected.

Meanwhile, Cole is committed to the mental hospital and discovers Jennifer Goines. We don’t get an actual diagnosis of Jennifer’s mental disorder, but considering its onset when she hit puberty, it’s likely schizophrenia. This fits with the mentally divergent theme too as the condition generally manifests with splitting of mental functions – such as into alternate realities. It’s interesting that Dr Sandman (Sam Kalilieh) diagnoses Cole with PTSD – I’m betting that’s pretty accurate. I also really liked how Jennifer immediately sees Cole’s eyes as tickey-tockety – like a clock – a reflection of his time travel. She also sees “crazy” in his eyes, and a kindred spirit. They do both seem to have a shared trauma – a violent incident in their pasts. It’s a really nice moment when Jennifer says “773 days locked in a cell apologizing to ghosts. You don’t know what that’s like.” And Cole replies, “You’d be surprised.”

I’ll admit that the brief glimpse we had of Hampshire in the “Pilot” didn’t impress me, but her performance is very good in this episode. There’s a clear difference between her manic persona and the brief glimpse we see of her when she’s traumatized in the lab. Of course, her mental condition really prevents us from getting a clear, definitive idea of what’s going on. I loved both of the scenes between her and Stanford. Stanford is especially good in the scene in which he’s in restraints, delivering a terrific performance despite his restricted movement. In fact, it’s his stillness that really sells the performance.

We do learn that Dr Sandman is working for Noonan’s character. We also learn that while Jennifer thinks the 12 Monkeys are all in her head, they are very real and want her to tell them where her father’s shadowy Night Room is – the lab in which he keeps the virus.

I loved the scene between Cole and Cassie when he tries to tell her that she can’t “be here” and that it’s not her mission. I loved how angry she got with him and that she didn’t care about his “paradox bullshit.” They may worry about screwing up her timeline, but one way or another they have by dragging her in in the first place. Cole at least seems to understand that one way or another Cassie is in it now and she can be a big a help. I loved that she had Jennifer’s file from the hospital and that circled back to explain why it wasn’t there in 2043 when Cole and Ramse were looking for it.

The scene with Noonan in the tunnel was once again incredibly creepy. We saw how easily Cole took out the scavengers in 2043, but here he is easily defeated. Noonan’s scar was given to him by Cole – at some point in the past that Cole hasn’t been to yet. I loved the shot that’s almost in silhouette of Noonan and his thugs leaving the tunnel while he whistles.

Cole returns to be debriefed. It’s a bit hilarious that all of the scientists smoke – I guess they all assume the virus will kill them anyway. Jones tells Cole that he’s only trying to save his own soul, to redeem himself, while she’s trying to save the 7 billion killed by the virus. However, I think Cole is trying to save the ghosts that he apologizes to the same way Jennifer apologizes to hers. I like the layers that we are seeing come away from Jones too. Cole does convince Jones that they need Cassie.

What did you think of the episode? Did you find Noonan suitably creepy? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

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.