12 Monkeys S2x03

1944. We start out listening to Bing Crosby's "Pistol Packin Mama" as a young couple get ready for a night out. They're not going however- a woman shows up and kills the woman getting ready, and a man downstairs does the same. They take the couples place and head to Columbia University for some fancy event. The woman says "Our entire lives have led to this moment. The world will be forever changed." Okaay then. Meanwhile in the future Dr. Adler is telling Jones that there are temporal spikes throughout the timestream ever since the Messengers went back in time.

He says it's almost as if the structure of space/time is collapsing. Of course it is. And Jones is clearly frustrated, both with the anomalies and with the Dr. Eckland situation. She tells Adler "My suggestion is we all just get used to the new normal." Good luck with that. And then we have Cole and Deacon kicking the crap out of each other- apparently Deac was interrogating Ramse again and Cole took exception. Cassie arrives to break it up and they all seem to disagree about just who the asshole is. Deacon says he trained Cassie like he trained Cole, and her and Cole are definitely not on the same page. It's fascinating seeing the twist in the relationships here.

They have the picture from last time of 1944 so they know something happens there. Apparently a scientist was involved in a bio weapons program for the government and he was killed at Columbia University in '44- bingo. The killers- a man and woman- were never found. Cassie doesn't want to go back but Jones tells her she needs to help Cole navigate that time period- if Cole fails, they all fail. So... they go back.

They agree to rendezvous at the Emerson hotel if anything goes wrong. Cole goes back and then it's Cassie's turn. Deacon tells her to be careful, and she tells him to behave- they're quite cozy, aren't they? Cassie arrives in '44 during an air raid drill- and when she goes to the Emerson she attracts attention due to her attire. The hotel has a dress code and is about to throw her out when Cole shows up and tells the clerk she's his wife- after all, they don't give rooms to unmarried couples! Ah, the 40's. Turns out Cole has been there 2 months waiting for her. He tells her he's been drinking whisky sours and she's like "You like it here." He's like "What's not to like?"

They arrive at the gala and split up and Cole gets talking to a guy at the bar while Cassie sees Vivian with the scientist Dr. Crawford. Cassie and Cole are too late to save him, but they see a drawing of the red monkey. And we jump to the future where Ramse sees his son and then Jones comes to talk to him. She tells him she can no longer protect him. Jones hates him because he was involved (however tangentially) with the virus which killed the three people she loved. Okay I get that, but to just turn him over to Deacon- and not let him see his son again- that's cold. Just when I think I like Jones she does something like that. Back in '44 Cole and Cassie realize there's another Crawford- a son. The Messengers killed the wrong one.

Turns out the son is in a mental asylum. Apparently he's a "primary" and the Monkeys are coming for him. Cole and Cassie get there and it's already started- they're always late- and the kid escaped, but they see that he drew a red forest on the ceiling. They're caught flat footed by the Messengers (are these two inept or what?) and Vivian gets away with Cole.

Vivian has Cole restrained and says he doesn't know how important he is. Tommy meanwhile (the kid) says that the Witness has spoken and he is supposed to die, that they need it for the world of chaos and the red forest. Tommy exchanges himself for Cole and when they try to save him he goes with Vivian willingly- Cole says they're trying to cause a paradox. They break in to stop her just as she stabs Tommy- and everything goes crazy. Looks like they might be stuck in 1944 for a while. And in 2044 something weird is happening.