12 Monkeys, “The Red Forest,” was written by Christopher Monfette and directed by Alex Zakrzewski. This is actually Monfette’s first writing credit for television, but he comes from a comic-writing background, having rebooted Hellraiser and worked with both Clive Barker and Stephen King. He describes himself as a lover of genre fiction, and he puts all of that to good use in this episode which is deliciously creepy. He’s the real deal and one to watch – I’m hoping we’ll see a lot more episodes from him! Zakrzewski, on the other hand, has a long list of credits including Salem, Law & Order: SVU, 666 Park Avenue, and Numb3rs. The episode picks up a little before the action ended in “The Night Room.” This episode had me on the edge of my seat the entire time, and you are definitely not going to want to miss this one!
This time around we find out that Cole (Aaron Stanford) is back in 2043. There’s been a point of divergence. The West VII are indeed in charge as we saw in the last episode, but there’s been some really interesting re-structuring from the last time we saw the West VII. Given last episode’s focus on whether the means justify the ends, it’s interesting to note that everyone we see in this altered reality seems to be, at their core, essentially the same people.
I really love the folds in time we get in this episode. We start to see that the future really can be changed. There’s a funny scene in a Dollar Store early in the episode. For those waiting for Noah Bean to have more to do as Aaron, this episode won’t disappoint. Cole must turn to Aaron for help. There’s a fun good cop/bad cop scene between the two. Nikita fans are going to find one of the scenes absolutely hilarious. Watching it, I could tell that Aaron Stanford and Noah Bean had a blast shooting it.
Cole will have a piece of information that’s going to prove very significant to Aaron. Cassie will be the one to visit the red forest of the title. Alisen Down joins the cast as “Striking Woman.” And of course, Tom Noonan continues to be the ever creepy Pallid Man. We also get a bit more Demore Barnes as Whitley.
Here are a few random lines from the episode – see if you can guess who said them!
I missed your lovin’ arms.
Holy shit!
Everybody’s got two wolves inside them.
You’re a good man in any reality.
Landscaping. That’s flowers, right?
We’re breaking the unwritten rules of the universe.
You’re walking through a red forest. The grass is tall.
You will not want to miss this episode! Remember to tune in on
Friday, February 20 at 9pm on Syfy!
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.
