12 Monkeys - Tomorrow - Review

12 Monkeys, “Tomorrow,” was written by Rebecca Kirsch and directed by TJ Scott, whose other credits include Bitten, Orphan Black, and Spartacus: War of the Damned – among many others. Once again the episode takes place in multiple time lines, creating that disorientation that mirrors the characters’ own so well.

The episode  picks up in 2017 with Cole (Aaron Stanford) trying to get out of Chechnya. He sees Cassie (Amanda Schull) on the news asking the immune to come to Baltimore. She’s clearly taken a leadership role at the CDC now that the virus has taken hold worldwide. Interestingly, there is no sign or mention of Aaron (Noah Bean) in this episode. The military has shut down Chechnya, and as Cole tries to get through the military barricade a woman is shot. There is already panic and zero tolerance, but when a soldier recognizes the VII on Cole’s arm, he’s immediately taken out of the crowd. They’ve clearly been briefed to look for him and bring him directly to Cassie.

The scenes of desperation and conflict are nicely paralleled between 2017 and 2043. The military gets Cole through to the CDC. On the way in, we see Jennifer (Emily Hampshire) inciting the crowd. Hampshire is excellent, bringing just the right balance of crazy and earnestness to the scene. Cole finds Cassie looking a lot older than the mere two years that have passed should account for. She wants to know if he’s found the red forest, but of course, he hasn’t. She tells him, “I want to tell you everything, but I can’t change the path your’re on.” For his own part, Cole is devastated that no matter what he does, she always dies. It does seem like events are destined to play out in the same way.

Cassie gives Cole an address and tells him to keep it with him at all times. She tells him his life depends on it. She also tells him that they see each other many times between 2015 and 2017. Cassie succumbs to the plague in Cole’s arms, telling him she’ll see him soon. The last we see of Cassie, the watch is suddenly losing the scratch that Cole put on it – is this time resetting itself? Is this somehow changing their first meeting? Is this an indication that time really can’t be changed? However it happens, it’s clear that now Cole can find the watch in pristine shape in the future.

The future also contains scenes from 2041. We see that Ramse (Kirk Acevedo) and Cole are freezing and starving as they wander in the woods with winter looming. They come upon six guys with a deer and essentially give themselves up to Whitley (Demore Barnes) – it’s one way to get food and shelter. Whitley, of course, is more interested in protecting his people and treats them brutally, especially Cole. Jones (Barbara Sukowa), however, put a stop to it when she hears it’s Cole. She tells him she’s been waiting for him and asks him to help her. Even when he says no, she’s convinced that he will come back – all because of Cassie’s recording.

It’s heartbreaking to see Ramse and Cole trying to help each other through the beating. I did love Ramse telling Cole not to be Donovan – the guy they knew who shit his pants while being worked over by the military. It’s Ramse who encourages Cole to hope that Jones is telling the truth. The scenes in 2041 are heartbreaking because when Cole finally gets back to 2043, Ramse has lost faith in Jones and the mission and it’s driving a wedge between Cole and Ramse. He tells Ramse, “There is no future. Get it through your head.” I love both Acevedo and Stanford in this final scene.

Jones decides to take drastic measures. She tells everyone that the virus that Foster (Xander Berkeley) cured was one that went extinct after 2033. She tells them that Foster was lying to simply give his people hope. Barnes as Whitley is excellent in this episode as we finally get to see a little more of his character. It was also heartbreaking to see him reconnect with his father (Rutherford Gray) only to have his father killed in the firefight.

Ramse tries to get Elena (Amy Sloan) and Sam (Benjamin Meranda) to safety, but Elena convinces him that he’s wrong about the virus. Foster catches them in the lab and they barely make it out alive. Ramse, however, learns the truth. Of course, even if Foster had a cure for an outdated strain of the virus, with the time machine, they could still go back with a cure and stop the virus. It’s really the first big oops in the time twisting they’ve done. I hope we’re going to see them address this problem, but I suspect that it’s all going to simply end up being the result that Jones needs to reset the timeline further back. She wants at all costs to change the past to ensure that her daughter doesn’t die.

I have to say that Jones shooting and killing Foster really took me by surprise. The scene between Foster and Jones was an extremely powerful one. Berkeley is excellent in this scene, and I really found myself wishing we could have had more of him. All along Jones has been bemoaning the fall of civilization and the loss of culture. Foster has a different perspective, an arguably more optimistic perspective. He points out that Shakespeare doesn’t die. The person may be gone but their voices live on.

The fight at Spearhead was incredibly bloody and violent and as I said an effective mirror to the carnage surrounding the outbreak in 2017. It’s effectively shot – those white walls really pop with the blood spatter on them. It seems even more horrific if Foster really did have a cure. Jones takes the core, saying “all that remains is our work.” Cassie’s words that she will see Cole many times between 2015 and 2017 seem to reinforce that the work will continue and that Cole will survive splintering for many more jumps. But it also seems that in the end, nothing will stop the virus.

The stakes have changed for everyone. Ramse risks losing Elena and Sam if the timeline is changed. Cole risks Cassie’s death if it’s not. What did you think of the episode? Do you think that Ramse is right? Can they change the future? 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.