12 Monkeys - S1E6 - The Red Forest
Previously on 12 Monkeys, ‘The Night Room’
Last week on 12 Monkeys, we were left in with a WTF moment that still has me scratching my head. So I cannot wait for this week’s episode.
We start out with a quick flash into 2015 with Cole and Jennifer racing to get to Cassie as she’s shoved into the back of the van and then jump right to 2043. Paint (or maybe blood) is dripping from the ceiling as Cole pops back into his time traveling chair. The facility is overtaken by the West VII group and they’re using it mostly to hang their laundry. Some guys take him to Jones but she has no idea who he is or about their mission. He shows her his injection sites as his mind goes on the fritz with the memories he knew and the new memories he should have since the future is now different. The Monkeys and the plague of 2016 is now completely different and Jones has no idea who Cassie is because Cassie was murdered after Cole splintered. Her death caused the divergence of the future and if Cole can’t correct the past, his split memories will kill him. He asks to get sent back but Jones doesn’t call the shots anymore so they ask for the head honcho. But it’s not Deacon. It’s Ramse rocking a killer eye patch and a scar (looking like Dr. Dre in the California Love video). He says Cole is dead and points a gun to this supposed imposter’s face. So Cole starts spouting off facts about Ramse to prove who he is and they share a nice bro moment.
Ramse considers letting Cole head back to 2015 but the black guard shoots Jones to stop her from starting the machine up. Ramse tackles him to the ground and twists his neck. Damn. Black guys just don’t make it out alive on this show. Jones takes the last of her energy to get the machine going and send Cole back.
Handsome Aaron is talking to the senator who happens to be working on Operation Troy – the new plague that hit the world when Cole changed the future. Interesting. As he’s walking to his car, Cole basically carjacks him at knife point. This is a capitol building. You mean to tell me there are no guards and no cameras and this is just happening in broad daylight (okay, they’re in a parking garage, but it’s still daytime) with nobody seeing or caring? Not likely, but okay. Cole demands to be taken to Cassie but Aaron refuses. He guns the car straight into the back of another car, setting off an alarm and his air bag, but not deterring Cole at all. Clearly he did not think that one through. Guess he’s just too handsome to be all that bright.
Aaron takes Cole back to the book shop and still refuses to believe him or try to help him get to Cassie. But only Cole knows where she is, and he mentions Operation Troy, so he starts to buy in. Unfortunately, he’d called 911 and the cops are pounding at the door. So they slip out the back and because these are the worst cops ever, they get away.
They make their way to the Night Room and Cole hands Aaron a gun. Aaron asks where the safety is and Cole politely explains that it’s a revolver – there is no safety. But you can see in his eyes that he realizes he chose the wrong dude to try to help him on this mission. What’d I say earlier? He’s too handsome to have it all. Aaron looks scared as shit and doesn’t take his shot when instructed. Instead he sets off a car alarm so everyone knows they’re there and exactly where they are. Then he shoots Cole instead of creepy old dude (and there’s a flash of Jones sewing it up in the “new future” so that back in 2015, Cole is nicely stitched up. Don’t even try to rationalize that. It will cause a migraine. Just go with it.) and the bad guys get away with Cassie. Seriously, worst accomplice ever. But he pulls through when he’s able to call in a favor and get info on the license plate. Okay, so he’s not handy, but he’s fairly resourceful. And did I mention handsome?
Cassie is locked in a large room but can somehow hear creepy old dude and his boss talking about the “brotherhood” and how the virus wasn’t in the Night Room like they thought. Old dude wants to kill Cassie; boss lady says no. The “witness” won’t allow it because Cassie is too important. Instead they force her to drink some concoction and she starts seeing visions of a red forest guided by boss lady. Seriously, the visions are trippy as hell. It’s not immediately clear what they’re doing, but I’m sure these visions will prove useful later. It seemed like they were trying to get a memory out of her, but they also could’ve been planting an idea. Either way, Cassie suddenly seems to be so much more than she was before.
Aaron and Cole have traced the van back to a landscaping business – because creepy old dude is really into “flowers and stuff.” The place seems deserted but they see shapes and lights coming their way so they duck down. Cole asks Aaron for the gun but he left it in the car and Cole gives him the best “are you shitting me?” face I’ve ever seen. Seriously, this guy is the worst helper in the history of time. So Cole kicks their ass the old fashioned way and almost slices one guy open but Aaron says they need him alive. Not sure how he knows that, but Cole complies. He instead beats the guy senseless because he won’t tell them where Cassie is. Aaron steps in to stop him and actually proves useful for once and gets the info they need.
They ride in the car together and Aaron waxes poetic about Cassie and not losing her again. Awkward. Cuz Cole is obviously in love with the girl, too. He rambles on about wolves, but basically concurs that Cassie is a good chick.
They get to the warehouse and again, Cole has no plan. Aaron insists they need one and they share some humorous banter. When Aaron says he’ll “cover” Cole, Cole simply says, “don’t do that.” Yeah, dude, didn’t go so well the last time. Just sit tight and look pretty.
Cassie runs away and somehow slips right past everyone even though she’s not all that quick and she’s unarmed with no idea where she is or how to get out of there, but still she runs. And bumps right into Aaron and Cole. She wants to go back in and kill the “Witness” but Cole insists she leaves. He hands her a pamphlet and covers her and Aaron while they slip away. Cole splinters back to the future and Aaron has the big “holy shit” moment of realization as Cassie yanks him away. Been there, done that Aaron. She tried to tell you months ago. Now just run pretty boy, you are not good for much else.
Back in the future, Cole returns to things as they used to be and he cackles like the crazy person his split memories and time travel are making him become.
At the bookshop, Cassie is haunted by the visions they implanted in her mind. Aaron wants to talk about it but Cassie doesn’t. So instead he apologizes for ditching her two years ago and I see the beginning of a fun little love triangle.
In 2043, Ramse is teasing Cole about the “new future” he’d created and then undone and they share some endearing bro talk. Jones calls a meeting and says their new focus is Operation Troy. Afterwards she and Cole talk about his health and we discover he only has a few more jumps left before the time travel will kill him. He knew going into this that he was going to die at the end, but now we learn that he might die before he’s able to complete his mission. Dun, dun, dun
While this episode didn’t move the story forward, it quite literally moved everything backward, it was damn good. There’s so many nuances and sidebars and twists and turns that it just keeps getting more exciting. And I’m super excited that handsome Aaron is back. Even if he is useless. Not sure where this new Operation Troy will take us, but I hope next week brings back Jennifer Goines. I missed her this episode. Damn this show has a good cast. If you’re not watching it, you should be. Until next week…
