Each week I go into the new 12 Monkeys episode thinking this will be the one where we’ll all say “Ah ha!” and everything will start to make sense. However, the complete opposite has occurred with each episode delving us even deeper into “What The F**k” land. Fortunately, this week we DO get some answers, and actually quite a few. Some of the reveals aren’t that surprising, but the big punchline and the primary motive for the creation of the virus will no doubt knock your socks off.

80% OF THE ANSWERS IN 4 MINUTES OR LESS

This show has spent nearly half a season piling one piece of a puzzle right on top of the other and being to connect virtually none. In fact, some may have started to doubt if it were even possible to pull all these clues together into something that would actually make sense. Yet, in the opening scene in tonight’s episode and in less than 4 minutes, we get a giant whirlwind summary of everything that has been going on and connecting most of the dots into something that ironically seemed plausible. And, it all starts with a lecture by Dr. Oliver Peters, that weasel doctor that Leland Goines called his “rolling stone” in the Pilot. I knew that guy wasn’t as innocent as he looked.

Viral strain M5-10 was derived from remains during an expedition in the Himalayas in the 1980s. From the preserved tissue, we extracted a previously unknown pathogen which was genetically modified by Markridge into this weapon. It is to be deployed in Chechnya. If released in this room, it would kill everyone in 2-3 hours — Dr. Oliver Peter

Okay, cool, that corpse in the Night Room was the real source of the virus and not some red herring. Not too surprising, but the real shocker comes just moments later when Dr. Peters goes on to say that the target of this elaborate plan is to eliminate the show’s equivalent of Snowden, Adam Wexler (Ari Millen). What! Wexler is apparently holed up in Chechnya, and the plan is to release the virus into his compound. Because the pathogen has been engineered to cause death so quickly, the idea is that it would kill the few in Wexler’s barracks so quickly that it wouldn’t have the time to reach a large population.

Dr. Peters is giving this presentation to a panel of the members of the CIA, and can you take a guess as to who is the center of all of this? Yes, Aaron’s (Noah Bean) employer, the good Senator Royce. Apparently, Wexler is out of control (or so the CIA thinks), and they decide it’s perfectly fine and dandy to risk the population of the entire planet just to blot out one individual. So, I guess we finally know what Operation Troy is all about.

CASSIE AND COLE GET A SECOND DATE

So, after that big roller coaster ride before we even make it to the 5-minute mark, the episode quickly switches to Cole (Aaron Stanford) and Dr. Railly (Amanda Schull). Cole is still trying to figure out what the monkey on the piece of paper he found at the greenhouse in the last episode means, but with Cassie being the smart cookie that she is, she doesn’t find the answer immediately but she does stumble on a clue. The photograph was taken by a Dr. Edward Garrett, a Professor of Middle Easter Antiquities. And, the good news is he’ll be attending a fundraiser at one of the local museums. Time for Cole and Cassie to get that 2nd date!

The next few scenes are actually quite amazing, as it illustrates just what a great chemistry these 2 characters have. Cassie is all business and immediately begins searching for Dr. Garrett, all but ignoring Cole. In contrast, Cole is the one who is laid back and just wants to enjoy the evening. He enjoys the music, the art and the food, and there is a great scene where Cassie teaches him how to dance.

We could just be us — Cole to Cassie

Is this the same James Cole we met in the Pilot? These scenes are fun to watch because they highlight how close these 2 characters have become in such a short period of time and also how they have changed one another. Mr. Serious Cole decides to take a moment to enjoy the moment while Dr. Railly seems to be the only one in the room who still remembers this thing called a plague that wipes out most of the human race.

A TEARFUL, FINAL “GOOD-BYE”?

The only bad thing about the new apparent closeness between Cassie and Cole is the fact that when a series puts 2 characters together, that is often an omen that something bad is about to happen to one (or both) of them. It turns out that this happens to be true in this episode (well, sort of).

With the information that Cassie is able to get from Dr. Garrett, Cole then splinters to Chechnya. In fact, Cassie gets a phone call from Cole just moments after he splinters back to 2043, and he informs her that he’s in Chechnya and that Operation Troy is happening. Right now. He has the virus, but is under fire by some men who’s chasing him. While dodging the bullets, Cole tells Cassie that he will be splintering back in 1 week, but it’s imperative that she doesn’t mention a thing about the virus. If he succeeds now, he will have destroyed the virus, and she mustn’t do anything that could jeopardize that. Then, the line goes dead.

In the meantime, Aaron decides to be the good guy again this week and goes with Cassie to confront the CIA that Operation Troy has been compromised. Their plan is to try and get them to abort the mission but little do they know that it is already too late. Cole is apprehended by Wexler’s security team who take him, along with the briefcase containing the virus, to his compound. Wexler thinks the briefcase has only money in it, and even with Cole’s pleas not to open it, he does anyways which then sprays the entire room with the virus.

Just like Dr. Peters had warned, Wexler and all his men are deathly ill in a matter of hours, and now, the only option to make sure the virus never makes it out of the compound is to completely destroy it. This is where Cassie comes in. They finally convince the CIA that they can’t risk the virus making it out of Wexler’s base, and doing this means bombing the compound. But, they need the exact location of the compound, which means Cassie has to call Cole again. A cell signal will give them the latitude and longitude they need in order to launch the missiles.

And, it works. Cassie calls Cole back, and while they are on the phone (and while the missiles are heading straight for the base) in a very touching scene, we learn the meaning of the title of the episode “The Keys,” and we also see just how much Cassie cares for Cole. Of all the places on earth, the one place Cole had always wanted to see was the Florida Keys. That was his dream, and as Cassie sobs, the missiles detonate and the base explodes. Yes, everyone, it is OK to cry now.

BUT IS IT REALLY GOOD-BYE?

It happens exactly how Cole had said, and in 1 week, he returns. Cassie remembers what Cole told her and does keep her word — she says nothing about the virus. However, the problem is her emotions are now involved, and I actually believe she’s in love with Cole.  How can she send someone she cares so deeply about to a certain death? So, while she keeps her promise, she does the next best thing — she tells Cole “good-bye” right before he splinters. And, with that look on Cole’s face before he disappears, he knows. The question now is what will he *do* with this information?

Stay tuned, folks, because you can bet next week’s episode will be super-intense.

12 Monkeys airs on Fridays at 9/8c on Syfy.

 

 

 

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