12 Monkeys S2x04

Paradox! Cassie and Cole are stuck back in 1944 and Jones has to send Ramse back to get them. They don't trust each other but she guarantees his freedom- as well as his son- if he cooperates. So Ramse goes to 1944 and Jones meanwhile investigates the space/ time anomalies. Apparently the structure of space and time are collapsing and time is short, but no one knows why it's happening. "We are in uncharted territory."

Jennifer is back in this episode and enigmatic as ever. Jones goes to see her to get answers, but that's never easy with Jennifer. "No straight lines," Jen tells her as she tries to explain how time works. This episode is structured in such a way that we are revisiting snippets of the last episode interspersed with Ramse being there and trying to get to Cole in time. Ramse arrives barely in time but runs into Vivian, one of the Messengers of the 12 Monkeys. She has him at knifepoint but he tells her he can help her- he can stop Cole and Cassie but she doesn't believe him. We then reach the end point of last weeks episode and get to see what's next.



Somewhat surprisingly Ramse manages to rescue Cole and Cassie and they have some time to kill while waiting to get back to 2044. Ramse  has to place an ad in a newspaper that Jones will see in the future to know the time and place. As they wait we have a nice character moment with Ramse and Cassie, and he tells her to forgive Cole. He says Cole is loyal and is torn up over what his actions have done to her life. We also get some nice moments with Jones as she frantically tries to deal with the anomaly crisis.

As they're waiting Cole finds out that Vivian survived and tracks her down, which brings him into contact with Agent Stack, who by now knows something is up. Stack listens to Cole and they both go to see Vivian and ask her questions, but she gets the drop  on both of them and escapes. She says "The Witness has spoken" and for that reason cannot kill Cole- again a hint that there is something special about him. Jennifer meanwhile tells Jones that time and man evolved together somehow and that the Primaries are innately linked to time. That explains I guess why the 12 are trying to kill Primaries. Kill the Primaries and you get Paradox, and time unravels or ceases to exist. Or something.

The thing about these shows is the mystery is always better than the answer, and for me that's the case here. Just like in Continuum, another great time travel show, the mystery is entertaining but once you get answers they're not always satisfying. Anyway Cole and the others get back to 2044 and everyone is bickering over next steps and Cole tells them "We need to bury the past. It's the only way to save the future."  So the stage is set for whatever comes next.  The episode winds down with Agent Stack at the hotel writing the note that starts the whole trip back to 1944- he writes Columbia University on the note that convinces Cole and Cassie to go back to 1944 in the first place. Nice twist.