Weekly Round Up #5

Where to start with this show? It just gets more and more compelling all the time. We're in the final stages of season two now and everything is coming to a head- Cole and Ramse are at cross purposes, each has a mission they feel should take priority and neither is willing or able to compromise. The red storms are close and time is running out- it's time for a resurrection on 12 Monkeys. Spoilers ahead.

"There are many endings." And the right one is "The one that you'll choose." That is the heart and theme of this one. Most of the episode concerns the shifting alliances within the facility, and Ramse and Cassie escape confinement and try to take over, so they can take on the Witness. Cole and Jones of course are fixated on getting Cole to 1957 so he can stop the final Paradox. Neither side wants to budge- and Deacon ends up being the tiebreaker as he helps Cole get help- from Jennifer and the Daughters.

I'm not entirely convinced by the back and forth between Cole and Ramse- it seems like all season we've had Ramse play hardball against Cole, then they reconcile, then Ramse goes hardcase again- for best friends they're sure pointing guns at each other a lot! I liked the tense atmosphere in the building and Deac was a hoot as he kept singing "Don't You Forget About Me" from the breakfast Club. He even does a John Bender fist pump as he saves the day for Cole.

The ending was smashing- when Cassie went back for Cole, and joined him in '57- I was like yess. It's about time they get together- even if they're together together yet- but it's a start.

Observations:

I like seeing the turtle in the beginning- sharp eyed viewers may remember Jennifer adopting a turtle in 2016. Well apparently it's still alive- and quite large!

Did Jones really headbutt Ramse? Yes she did. I love her.

I was worried something was going to happen to Hannah- I was like no, after her and Jones finding each other, please don't go there. I really want them to have some happiness.

Jennifer from the present arriving in 2044 and shrieking with joy. "Again! Again! Whoa, there is gonna be a long line for this one next year. Got to be at least this tall, no heart conditions, and definitely no preggers." The writers must have a blast writing her stuff.

Jennifer meets Jennifer. A powerful moment, well done. What comes first, the chicken or the egg? Never know on this show!



Zoo is back and I was actually waiting for this one with some anticipation. The last season ended on a cliffhanger and finally tonight we get to see what happens with people vs. animals. Largely though I was disappointed with this two hour premiere- it just wasn't grabbing me. Kristen Connolly as Jamie is probably the most compelling character of the bunch, but she spends the entire episode alone and on the run. The other members of the team do the usual jetsetting as they try to track down an animal with a secondary phase of the mutation- or whatever. Turns out the mutation is now turning people into vicious predators- because of course. This felt like a lot of setup for wherever the second season is going, but mainly I'll be watching for Connolly and Nora Arnezeder as Chloe- they're easily the most interesting members of the team. I liked Jackson last season but he irritated me for some reason this time out- and the subplot of him harboring the virus did not really work for me.