As I have said many times before, I’m not in the same camp as most of the 12 Monkeys  fandom in that neither Cole nor Cassie are my favorite characters (this includes the Casserole ship which seems to have become a character of its own!). My fav in any television series tends not to be any of the leads but one who, while not necessarily in every episode, gives the show that added punch in the episodes he does happen to be in. For 12 Monkeys, that honor goes to our Theodore William Deacon AKA “The Scav King.” Yes, he started off as a royal asshole. Yes, he has wanted Ramse dead, and even Cole, depending on what day it is. And, yes, he killed old Jennifer in “Resurrection” just a couple of weeks ago.

But, as Deacon so well put it, “contrary to popular belief and my sociopathic tendencies, a heart beats in this chest.” Yes, the first time we met the former leader of the West VII in season 1, he came off as cold, ruthless, with not even an ounce of compassion being able to get through that force field. But, since then, he has proven that there is so much more than meets the eye. There’s definitely plenty of heart there as is demonstrated by his obvious feelings for Cassie. And, he showed in this week’s season 2 penultimate episode that he’s willing to go down with the team, if the mission is for the greater good.

Fortunately, I was able to chat with the amazing talent behind the Scav King, Todd Stashwick, this week where he talked about Deacon’s journey since season 1, THAT “end of the line” party that fans will never forget, and what’s next for the character as we head into Monday’s season 2 finale. Check out what he had to say.

TV GEEK TALK: For me, Deacon is one of the most interesting characters on 12 Monkeys. He started out as the show’s villain, and I don’t think many expected him to last that long. Truthfully, at the beginning, I thought he was just a glorified red-shirt. Yet, 2 seasons later, he’s still here, and he’s somewhat redeemed himself. When you signed up for the show, how much did you know about Deacon’s path and how he was going to be such a big character?

TODD STASHWICK: “Well, I came onto “12 Monkeys” in season 1 just as a guest-star. I was in 4 episodes of season 1, and then, when we were shooting the season finale, Terry Matalas, the show’s co-creator, came to me, and just started going off and telling me all of the ideas he had for Deacon for season 2. He saw great potential for this character, and we had such a great time shooting in season 1 that I think they wanted to expand the role and see what kind of trouble he could cause in season 2 [Laughs]. And, I think he also knew that for a show to have legs, it should be about more than just 2 people, which would be Cole and Cassie. They needed to branch out and grow the ensemble. So, that’s when they made Jennifer Goines, Dr. Jones and myself series regulars and then, expanded each of our stories.”

“So, I knew while finishing up on season 1 he had plans to go forward and knowing if you’re going to bring this character into the fold, [Deacon] couldn’t be what he already was. You needed to expand it, you needed to explore who else this guy is in order for him to last, or have any audience interest. Because if he was just a villain, he had already played that part. So, we couldn’t just keep going back to that.”

TV GEEK TALK: Your character has had some really great scenes in the past few episodes. However, I think THE Deacon scene that just about every fan will remember was in the last episode with your character’s little “end of the line” party. Can you talk some about making that scene?

TODD STASHWICK: “Well, unfortunately, I think it will be burned into people’s eyeballs by seeing my naked behind [Laughs]. About a month or so before we shot that scene, they came to me and said, ‘Hey, Deacon’s going to be naked.’ It’s going to be all is lost, he doesn’t give a crap. He’s at the end of his rope, and we just wanted to have this moment in the episode that is so serious where we say, ‘What in the hell is going on.’ The thing about this scene is aside from the one where he’s trying to confess to Cassie his true feelings for her, it literally as well as emotionally is Deacon being the most naked. It’s a nice metaphor for a man who has nothing to hide and nothing to lose and literally baring it all, his soul as well as his physique. And, to be telling things to Cole and revealing things to Cole that are private, his connection to Cole in relation to his brother, his feelings of lost about his position in the West VII, his feelings of lost with regard to Cassie, just a man without a home and without hope. He really doesn’t care.”

“Now, the actual physical shooting of the scene, it’s always a ridiculous proposition standing in a room butt-naked, and a lot of people are pointing cameras at you. It’s just silly. But, the interesting part is that it wasn’t a sexy scene, it wasn’t about having to look attractive at all. It was about being in someone’s darkest place. So, I didn’t feel self-conscious. I didn’t feel any of that that would go with doing a nude scene. “

“The fun part was going to the make-up department and telling them I need to look like a battle horse. Give me scars, give me all the wounds that he’s carried with him through the years. That way, when Cole gets to the line where he lists all of the things [Deacon] has survived, you can see it on his body, all of the things he’s survived.”

TV GEEK TALK: Did you have any input for the scene? For instance, who chose the drunk song? I grew up as a teenager in the 80s, and so, I immediately recognized it and had to laugh.

TODD STASHWICK: “You know, Terry and I were walking and talking about that scene, and I said 2 things. First, Deacon should be singing. So, then, I think Terry is the one who came up with ‘Don’t You Forget About Me.’ Because Deacon would have been a teenager in the mid-2000’s by the time the plague hit. So, he would have seen all the movies. It’s like I have an 18 year-old son, and he’s well-aware of The Breakfast Club. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that in 2044, he would know that song. It’s a famous movie, and so, Deacon would probably know that song.”

“Another thing I changed was originally they wanted him cleaning a gun. Then, I said, ‘It’s far-weirder and creepier and calls back to the first time we saw Deacon if he’s sharpening a knife.’ A naked man sharpening a knife is a dangerous proposition [Laughs]. “

TV GEEK TALK: Of course, related to that scene is the naked butt question that I’m sure you saw on Twitter. I’m sorry, I nearly choked laughing so hard when I saw that. Ummm, so you want to answer that? Is there anything you do to “prepare” for such scenes?

TODD STASHWICK: “Oh [Laughs], that was actually a buddy of mine. Yeah, what would be my exercise routine be. I think any actor who knows he’s going to be in a scene naked would probably push away from the dessert table for a little while and do some more push-ups [Laughs].”

TV GEEK TALK: Now that Deacon’s little pity party is over, he does seem to finally be a part of the team. The only question is whose team. I mean, where does Deacon’s loyalties lie? He seems to be more Team Cole, and yet, we saw in the last episode Deacon joining Ramse and going to Titan. So, is he Team Cole, Team Ramse, and maybe even Team Deacon?

TODD STASHWICK: “I think, oddly, going to Titan, he’s Team Jennifer. I think he carries with him the guilt of accidentally killing old Jennifer.”

TV GEEK TALK: Ah, yes, very good point.

TODD STASHWICK: “And, I think he’s protective of her now. Again, he’s a sociopath, and he kills for the reason that he kills. He wanted to kill Ramse, but he never meant to kill her. Then, there’s a little bit of a ‘dead man walking’ at this point, but if he could do anything in these remaining days of the storm, it would be to try and keep Jennifer safe.”

“But, he’s also Team Deacon. I think he’s a survivor [but] he’s never splintered. So, going to 1957 was not on his plate of options. I think going to Titan definitely makes sense. He doesn’t have the West VII anymore. Cassie’s gone. So, all that’s left for him is to go to Titan and see if he can stop the world from ending that way. But, yeah, I would say he’s now more part of the team. He’s less of a mercenery. He has been humbled, and softened, and broken a little bit. But, he’s Team Jennifer right now.”

TV GEEK TALK: You know, when I screened the season 2 finale, I was blown away. I mean, Holy Shit, wow. Terry Matalas, I swear, is a mad genius! Now, when you first read the script for the finale, what was **your** initial reaction?

TODD STASHWICK: “You know, this show never ceases to surprise me. From the time when I was reading the scripts for season 1, I never know what to expect when they hand me a new draft. It always continues to shock me, and every episode feels like a season finale. So, going into the season finale, I was amazed that we were able to credibly sustain so much storytelling in 45 minutes. So much in the season finale. So many questions are answered, as well as new ones are asked. It just blew my mind.”

And, Todd isn’t lying, folks! The season finale will most definitely blow your minds, and trust me, the fandom will be talking about this one for a good long while. One of the big questions is what’s next for Deacon after that penultimate episode where he, Ramse, Whitley, and Hannah are executed by the Witness’ acolytes? You’ll have to watch, and just remember, folks, this is 12 Monkeys. Things often aren’t as they seem, and it’s not over til it’s over.

I’ll be posting a non-spoilery Advance Preview of the finale this weekend, and also, be sure to check back after the East Coast airing on Monday for Part 2 of this interview.

The season 2 finale of 12 Monkeys airs Monday at 9/8c on Syfy.

s are closed.