12 Monkeys

"Change the past. Save the future."

### Created by:

Terry Matalas, Travis Fickett (tv series), David Webb Peoples, Janet Peoples (1995 movie), Chris Marker (1962 original short, La Jetee)

### Starring:

Aaron Stanford, Amanda Schull, Kirk Acevedo, Noah Bean, Todd Stashwick, Emily Hampshire, Barbara Sukowa, Tom Noonan

### Episodes:

47

12 Monkeys is an American Sci-Fi Post-Apocalyptic Television Series loosely based on the 1995 movie of the same name and the Short Film La Jatee. The series was developed by showrunners Terry Matalas and Travis Fickett and ran from 2015 to 2018, featuring a rebooted storyline that expands upon the lore of the original film.

## Plot

In the year 2043, a mysterious virus has nearly caused humanity's extinction, with very few left behind to survive on a broken world. With foreknowledge that the virus started in the year 2015, a group of humans invent a time machine and send ex-convict James Cole back then to find the source and method of prevention for the Virus. Cole teams up with a doctor from the past, Cassandra Railly, and must travel back and forth throughout multiple time periods in order to save humanity from a horrific tragedy of apocalyptic proportions.

## Why it Rocks

1. The movie, while great, suffered from a somewhat muddled plot that dragged somewhat, or rather feeling too short. The series uses it's much longer timeline to build up the plot line and bring a much more coherent storyline while still keeping a lot of the surprising twists and the confusing nature of it.
2. The characters are much more likeable and arguably more interesting than those in the movie, having a more clearly defined goal and being willing to do much more to actually prevent the virus from happening. They're also completely overhauled to the point where Dr. Jones is a morally dark grey but well meaning scientist and Jose Ramsey is a dedicated friend to Cole, concerned only about his well being, and Goines is still crazy, but with a good reason.
	1. Cole himself also acts much more rationally compared to his movie counterpart, who literally gets himself arrested on his first trip back. Though he's still violent and paranoid, he's not nearly as volatile.
3. Likewise, the plot is much more consistent and has them actually try to prevent the virus rather than trying to claim it for "insurance", which offers a fresh new perspective to those already familiar to the movie and even to some non-fans of it therein. It also offers a new plot point, where the virus is mutating in the future and killing more people, thereby bringing more importance to them actually stopping it rather than keeping it in the future.
4. It greatly expands on the worldbuilding and lore of the film, showing much more of the future and even plenty of other timelines, as well as much more lore concerning the virus and it's origins.
5. Like the movie, it takes a very different and unexpected approach to the Time-Travel genre, with many things happening regardless of what they do and them thinking that they've stopped the virus, only for the timeline to say otherwise, making it seem as though it's fate for humanity to die out and they can't really prevent it.
6. It uses it's time to unravel a lot of the mystery slowly, which helps with a lot of the tension therein.
7. Lots of great themes that are also faithful to the movie and arguably improved, like Cole's desire to live in the past timeline given his otherwise hard life and his specific desire to see the Florida Keys, though he knows that for any of that to be possible, he'll have to save the past. There's also themes of whether or not their actions are acceptable even when they can reverse time, whether that will really change anything, and what will change if time is changed.
8. Wonderful musical score, especially the opening theme song.
9. Great acting from all those involved, which even includes plenty of great guest stars.
10. Loads of phenomenal plot twists, especially concerning the time-travel, such as how plenty of timelines can converge on one another and the irony that the characters often cause a lot of events in the future inadvertently, but don't actually cause them until they travel to the past once more, and the fact that they can often meet their future selves as a result.
11. The series gets more complex as it goes along, but it's not too difficult to understand whether or not you're a time-travel aficionado.
12. Very good production value, especially with all the times and places that are throughout the series.
13. Lots of great references to the movie.
14. Unlike the movie, not only does the show have a happy ending, but it even has one that ties up pretty much everything in the story, which many would've thought impossible due to it's complexity and the sheer detail in the storyline. It's also often voted one of the greatest series finales of all time for that reason and gives a wonderful payoff to those who stuck with the show despite the otherwise low expectations put on it beforehand (and it's fittingly titled The Beginning parts 1 & 2).

## Bad Qualities

1. The fact of the Army of the 12 Monkeys existing this time feels a little out of place, considering how they were just a group of sociopathic animal rights activists in the movie, though in this case, they're an active threat to the world, which feels like it goes against the whole point of it.
2. The first season wasn't the best way to start the show, with many critics feeling it was even more convoluted than the movie, being somewhat cliche, and having a rather repetitive structure, particularly in the first half. Luckily, the show would greatly improve in their eyes (and those of the audience) in the remainder of the series.
3. Goines is gender-bent in the series for little to no reason, even if they mostly kept the personality of the character, and Emily Hampshire, while good, arguably isn't as great in the role as Brad Pitt was.
4. Some of the themes of the movie aren't as prevalent here.