12 Monkeys Season 1 Episode 3 Review: Cassandra Complex
Henry A. Otero
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Let me just start by saying this show gets better and better every single week. It's brilliantly written and the cast blows my mind.
12 Monkeys Season 1 Episode 3 allowed us to witness the events in Haiti that lead the medical community to lose faith in Dr. Railly. We learned how Cole's first visit already impacted the course of her life. Imagine knowing a deadly plague was coming; you'd be freaked too.
We met and learned secrets from "the one that got away," and the Pallid Man proved to be stronger than he has any right to be.
There was a ton of jumping back and forth through time this week, but it didn't feel confusing at all.
We picked back up in 2015, with Cole teaching Cassie how to shoot. Did you catch the undeniable attraction between the two? Yeah, at some point Cole's going to struggle with being erased. He's already fallen for this woman; you can tell. It was an interesting way to start the episode considering Cole's actions at the very end. Wow!
The exchange about General Tso's Chicken was hilarious! It was so much fun to see a lighter side to their relationship. They were all smiles.
Last week, 12 Monkeys Season 1 Episode 2 gave us that clever moment where the 2006 newspaper clipping lead Cassie to the mental institution. Here, the police detective presented Cassie with a photograph of the slaughtered scientists and pointed to the survivor. I expected this episode to be about locating "the one that got away," but there he was and Cassie knew the man; quite well, as we learned later on. Again the writing and pacing is spot on.
The photo brought our heroes to the CDC to inquire regarding his whereabouts. How creepy was it when Cole recognized the building?
Cole: Wait a minute. I know this place. This is...
Cassie: It's not everyday you see the building you're going to die in.
Once they learned the Haitian doctor was dead, Cassie seemed to forget her partner was a freakin' time traveler. Of course, Cole no longer thinks in that linear fashion. He's like, yeah the dude's dead here, but I can jump back and get the info before he dies. When Cassie warned him to stay away, did it have anything to do with her affair with Henri? Cole never did realize how close the two were.
I've got to admit, I still love the splintering effect. It doesn't get old. It was great to meet some of the other scientists this week, as well. Now we understand Jones is not the only decision maker. They're definitely a team, though her opinion seems to carry a bit more weight. This time, when Jones warned running into Cassie in 2014 could be catastrophic, Cole seemed to get it. Besides, Cassie asked him to stay away too, so no 2014 face time.
Wasn't it strange that Cassie arrived in that tented camp without a mask on and in a t-shirt and jeans? What if this had been the plague that killed seven billion in Cole's time and she got sick too early? I mean, we've been told the past can be changed right? Is she overconfident because she knows she's supposed to be around until 2043? I'd be taking precautions, that's all I'm sayin'.
The Haiti scenes were shot with a handheld camera, for that guerrilla documentary style effect. Normally, that tends to bug me, but it wasn't overdone so I dealt with it. It did give this particular installment a different vibe and urgency to it.
Anyway, though local doc, Henri, was drawn to Cassie's fearlessness, I wasn't expecting them to hookup. Good for her, getting a little action right? Still, this complicates things because how's she going to feel if/when she learns the truth about his death?
Nature doesn't break, it only bends.
Henri
Cole was absolutely unrecognizable in that get up, but why did he keep taking the mask off? It was like he was inviting Cassie to spot him. She almost did too, until he rushed off. Was there any meaning to that monkey head shrine? Or are they just hiding monkeys in the show now for our amusement; like the hidden Mickey's at Disney World? I'm thinking it means something; any ideas?
Naturally, Henri thought Cole was out to get him (if he only knew right?) but when the time traveler mentioned Jennifer and the "Night Room" the doctor seemed to come around.
I need you to tell me the location of the night room. They want to take what's in that room and they want to use it. They call themselves the Army of the 12 Monkeys and they're looking for you too.
Cole
What did we find out about the mysterious room? Well, apparently they were working on viral gene therapy and extracting the DNA from very powerful viruses. The doctor's were always blindfolded and the thing's a mobile lab. It's always on the move. That's not going to make it easy.
Henri told Cole that by tracing the specialized equipment or "big burn" used to torch the lab in case of contamination, he could locate the lab.
Of course, the Pallid Man showed up to cause a little trouble or continue his chat with Henri as he put it. Wasn't it funny when he said he wasn't a people person? Yeah, no shit psycho dude! I noticed he referred to Cole as Henri's "friend," which meant he had no knowledge of the time traveler. However, how did that fragile old man stand up to Cole in a fight? He's unusually strong, which makes me think he's from the future. The splinter injection's side effects include superior physical and mental abilities right? How's that for a theory?
The surprising twist this week came when Cole realized he could not let the Army of the 12 Monkeys get that valuable information from Henri.
You never make it off this island. You'll never make it out of here.
Cole
While it surprised me that Cole killed the poor doctor, his actions made perfect sense. Again, I wonder if Cassie will feel that way if she ever finds out. She still blames herself for sending Henri to get those meds inadvertently getting him killed.
Cole returned to 2043 and told the team he knew how to find the virus. It's not going to be that easy.
It looks like the scavs are going to raise a little hell in the next installment. I'll only touch on them briefly because we don't have enough information yet. We learned the scavs are like animals, living off the weak. It didn't take a nuclear physicist to know Max was bad news. It was very cool of Ramse to not trust her and send the girl packing. We briefly met their leader, Deacon, and he's after Cole and the facility.
What did you think of "Cassandra Complex"? Did Cole's choice to kill Henri shock you? Why is the Pallid Man so damn strong? Will the scavs attack the temporal facility that houses the time machine? Your turn guys, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
As always, you can watch 12 Monkeys online via TV Fanatic at any time. There were important moments this week, you might want to re-watch this one.
