Season 1 - 13 episodes (2015)
Season 2 - 13 episodes (2016)
Season 3 - 10 episodes (2017)
Season 4 - 11 episodes (2018)
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Created by: Travis Fickett, Terry Matalas
Starring: Aaron Stanford, Amanda Schull, Noah Bean, Barbara Sukowa, Emily Hampshire, Kirk Acevedo, Tom Noonan
Rated: TV-14
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Plot
A time traveler from the post-apocalyptic future appears in present day on a mission to locate and eradicate the source of a deadly plague that will nearly destroy the human race.
Verdict
The show improves after the first season when it's no longer beholden to the movie. This bends the physics of time to suit the narrative and story while also jumping into nearly every paradox and time travel story. It's fun show where the stakes are always high, but it doesn't delve that deep into contemplating the inevitability of fate. This manages to have quite a bit of fun with story and characters hopping through time, though that often veers into well known scenarios. There are frequent movie quotes and references which I enjoy. A great aspect to the overarching story is that the writers planned for the end after season one, so the narrative never feels like it's filling space. The first season is the only one that felt like that, and the other seasons tie into each other. While this has a planned conclusion, it's a bit too 'happy ending' for my preferences.
It depends.
Review
The writers had conceived of an epic time traveling series. The producers from the original 12 Monkeys movie wanted a series tie in and convinced them to adapt the series pilot to fit the movie. After the first season the writers conceived of a narrative that would end with season four. They didn't want to make up the story on the fly without a specific end point in mind.
I wondered how this would expand upon the movie. It spends a lot more time in each setting while detailing the characters. James Cole (Aaron Stanford) is the time traveling trying to save the world who teams up with a doctor from his past, our present, Cassie (Amanda Schull).
This gets long in the middle as it goes back and forth with stopping the apocalypse. Towards the end of the season I kept thinking I was watching the last episode only to discover there is yet another episode. That happened twice. The actual final episode introduces some strange elements that are too pulpy for what I expected. It seems the introduction of these elements is just to provide a reason for another season.
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| Aaron Stanford plays James Cole |
Part of what hurts the first season is how succinct the movie is. The series adds a lot of secondary characters and villains. It's impossible not to compare the series to the movie. The first season certainly has its moments, but the episodes stretch the story too far. It would have been better not to tie this so closely to the movie, but upon reading more about the series, that was not the original intention. I'm also frequently annoyed at how time travel isn't realistic and instead caters to the plot.
Season two opens with an exposition heavy recap of season one. I wasn't sure I would continue the series, but an internet search provided me with assurance that his concludes well.
This season resets the end of the world. Now the series is no longer tied to the movie, but it becomes more dress up in different time period than a cohesive narrative. I like the series is has more fun and freedom to play in the timeline, but some of the time hops seem to be just because the series can.
This season also expands the canon with "primaries," people that keep time in check. They really just function as a plot device. This season is what the show wanted to be, and it's a bit of a different show than season one. The time travel logic is still unrealistic, if not more so. We even get a requisite time loop episode, but I'm no longer comparing the series to the movie. This season is much bigger and more engaging than season one. They're still saving the world, just from a different source. Season two is definitely better than the first season.
Season three certainly feels like a continuation of season two, but we're introduced to "the witness," a person that's pulling all the strings. Throughout the season the characters try to find the witness and find out more about this person. This hints at the question of causation and fate. Can the future be changed? Every effort Cole and team has made to stop the apocalypse has only delayed it or changed the source. They've been completely unsuccessful, and I wish characters wrestled with that question more. Instead each of them believes they can 'win.' This season has a strong finish and reveals the identity of the witness. I was afraid the show would try to draw that out until the end of the series, but it doesn't. That reveal is a great episode.
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| The time travel device |
Season four is more wild. Being the final season, the stakes are raised and this does a great job of doubling back on story lines we've seen in previous seasons. Some of the time travel locations seems a bit cliche, as this takes us to World War II Germany. I began to wonder how does the narrative solve the puzzle box of time travel. Is fate predetermined? Will this end as it began? The show seems to hint at that possibility. Will we get a definitive answer.
I really like where the conclusion starts to go. It feels like closure with real stakes. It's poised to be a bittersweet, but fitting ending. Unfortunately this diverts course and becomes a happy ending for everyone.
This is a show that jumped into every time travel paradox and story. The stakes were always the end of the world. It certainly had some fun with the concept while introducing some new ideas on how time works. Emily Hampshire does a great job playing Jennifer Goines. It's a wild character, and she steals every scene she's in. Her character is very fun as Jennifer constantly references movies and pop culture. This isn't a must see show, but I enjoy time travel so if you're into sci-fi this isn't a bad watch. While the first season is uneven, the rest of the seasons improve. The ending nearly got it, but instead it succumbed to a boring happy ending for everyone.
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