Photo Credit: Alicia Gbur/Syfy
Warning: Some spoilers ahead
I have a confession to make here, and considering I am reviewing the new series 12 Monkeys, this may come to a surprise to some people. I haven’t seen the 12 Monkeys film (and no, I’m not joking). And, when I decided to cover the show, I toyed with the idea of breaking down and watching it, but given that it has been said that the movie served only as inspiration for the overall storyline for the series, I decided against it. I didn’t want it to bias me in any way towards the show, and instead, I opted to to just look the movie up and get a basic idea of what it was about. That’s it. And, honestly, I’m glad I made this decision, because after having screened the first 2 episodes, I can see that the series is fantastic and can stand on its own.
The basis for the movie is, in my opinion, not particularly interesting, and it ends with a paradox that every time I think about it, gives me a migraine. As Aaron Stanford discussed on a press call last week, in the film time was considered immutable, and it is impossible to change anything by going back. To me — who gets excited about the notion of going back in time to correct a mistake, to do something better, etc. — this is somewhat boring. The good news is this is something the writers of the series have changed, and, yes, everyone, it is very possible to go back and change just about anything. Yay.
In fact, this is the focus of Cole’s entire mission in the new Syfy drama. The present time in the series is 2043, and the vast majority of the world’ population has been wiped out by a plague that erupted in 2017. Based upon small bits and pieces of information scientists have gathered, Dr. Cassandra Railly (Amanda Schull) is a doctor who worked for the CDC and who is somehow able to deduce that the person ultimately responsible was a man named Leland Frost (Zeljko Ivanek,). Cole’s mission is pretty simple — with the help of Dr. Railly, track down Frost and to put it bluntly, kill him. But, of course, they have only incomplete information, at best, and as we might suspect, things don’t turn out quite like Cole had hoped or planned.
That’s all I’m telling you now, because anything more would be crossing over to major spoilers. But, I can say that the entire episode is excellent in just about every way and definitely worth the watch. I love the storyline and especially liked the way the pilot ended because it raised so many questions but at the same time, opened the door for so many possibilities.
Photo Credit: Alicia Gbur/Syfy
The acting by the entire cast was top-notch, with everyone giving stellar performances. Stanford and Schull are particularly good, and you can immediately see a chemistry between them, which is strange in itself since Cole is actually a convict and Railly is an accomplished doctor. Stanford said that they put a lot of thought and time in casting the Cole and Dr. Railly characters, because it’s this exact chemistry that they wanted to create. Well, I can tell you with confidence that they succeeded.
Zeljko Ivanek also delivers an amazing performance as the alleged villain, Leland Frost. Ivanek is one of my favorite actors and always does a spectacular job no matter what project he works on. 12 Monkeys is no exception, and if his mission is to creep everyone out as Frost, then I give him top marks for that.
All in all, a great episode and a great start to a series that everyone have been anticipating for months. You can never really tell until the first 2 or 3 episodes of a new show airs, but my money’s on Syfy having a winner here.
The series premiere of 12 Monkeys airs tomorrow night at 9/8c on Syfy, followed by the season 2 premiere of Helix.
You can also check out my interview with stars Aaron Stanford and Amanda Schull where they talk about the new series, that all-important chemistry, and what’s to come for the rest of the season.
VIDEO
“12 Monkeys” First 9 Minutes:
“12 Monkeys” The Gritty Look – BHT Clip
Exclusive Preview 2:
Exclusive Preview 3:
Exclusive Preview 4:
Exclusive Preview 5:
PHOTOS
All photos courtesy of Alicia Gbur and Syfy
