12 Monkeys Episode 1 Recap: Time Will Tell (Season Premiere)

SyFy's highly anticipated new show "12 Monkeys" airs on Fridays at 9 ET. For those who didnt see the original movie (starring Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stow and Brad Pitt), it's a time traveling, apocalyptic fun ride. But how will a 2 hour movie stack up against a 13 episode series? Time will tell (haaa, see what I did there?). So far I'm enjoying the show. Of course I'm a big sucker for any time travel story. Here's what happened during the pilot episode:

Two men walk through a desolate landscape. A sign says CDC. They see a skeleton in a lab coat. On its wrist is a watch (which one man takes). Back to 2013. Dr Cassandra Railly is giving a presentation about the plague to a group of colleagues. She is car jacked. Her assailant (James Cole) says he is from the future (2043 to be precise). Is he a whack job or could he possibly be telling the truth? A police chase ensues. Cole is shot. Cassie tries to help. Cole says to meet him at a hotel bar on this exact date in two years. Then he promptly disappears. Fast forward to the Adams Bar in Philadelphia in 2015. Just when Cassandra is about to give up on him, Cole appears (complete with gun shot wound).

Splintering Is Just Like Visiting Your Dentist

Flash forward to the future. Cole is in a cell. A woman visits him. She says he will help her change the world. They ("they" being a bunch of scientists) inject him with some serum and discuss "splintering" (their term for time travel). Their past and our future is discussed. In 2017 a plague kills 7 billion people and humans are near extinction. A few are immune. The remaining humans either turn on each other or go underground. A group of scientists find a device that can send someone back in time (but it is imprecise). They must stop the plague before it starts.

Cole tells Cassie that when the world fell apart she was working for the CDC. She left a message in 2017 saying "the plague starts with Leland Frost". So she is the person that sent Cole on his mission in the first place. How's that for confusing? But present day Cassandra does not know Leland. Off they go to investigate. It turns out Leland Frost is actually Leland Goines. He's the CEO of a company (the Markridge Group) that's working on a malaria vaccine. He's attending a big political soiree. Cole's plan is to walk in and kill him. Cassandra hopes there is another way.

These Two Do Have Good Chemistry. Too Bad She's Already Dead.

They arrive at the party and find Leland. Cole makes his move but is not successful. Cassie and James are captured by Leland. Leland tells Cole he remembers meeting him in 1987 (and he doesnt look a day older in 2015). Cole however has no memory of this event. Leland explains the Army Of The 12 Monkeys. They will unleash the virus.

Leland wants answers. Cole shows him two watches from different times. When placed side by side they create some sort of energy field. This slows time (and everyone else in the room) down enough for James to grab Cassie and run from the room. Leland says "you cant kill me Cole because that would give you no reason to come back in the first place.". Cole shoots him anyway. But afterwards Cole still exists. Uh oh, time for Plan B.

So I Like To Drawn Monkeys. What's The Harm In That?

Back in the future, Cole tells Jones that killing Leland changed nothing. The Army Of The 12 Monkeys is behind the plot. Next we meet Leland's daughter in a mental hospital. Yep Jennifer is bat shit crazy and she's drawing a big monkey on the wall. Is she the founder of the 12 Monkey Army?

Favorite Quotes:

"What if your life was destroyed? You'd do things, horrible things to survive wouldnt you? What if you could take it back, all of it? A reset switch. You'd hit it, right?"- Cole in the first voiceover.
"Spirituality is just science we dont understand."- Jones to Cole.
"Everyone else is bound by time. Not you. Not even the paradox can hold you now."- Jones to Cole as he starts his first time traveling mission.
"We're not God. We cant predict the future but we can plan for it."- Cassie to a room full of doctors.
"You're going to help me change the world Mr Cole."- Jones.
"She is not your mission. She is just a puzzle piece...Everyone you see is already dead."- Jones.
"What did I do that was so bad that the laws of physics were broken so that you could come after me?"- Leland to Cole.
"Mother Nature doesnt like it when you rearrange her furniture."- Cole.

Grade: 4 Monsters (out of 5). A good start to what I hope will be a great series. Just dont think too much about the premise or your head will explode. Cassandra supposedly sent Cole back in time to stop the plague but of course he's the one that told her about the plague in 2015 so how can she send him back? See what I mean? My head hurts (but in a good way).

Also dont expect this to be an exact remake of the film (cause its not). The main differences between the two thus far are: 1. The main female character (Dr Railly) is not a psychiatrist in the series. She is a virologist. 2. The main male character (James Cole) is not a crazy person in the series. He seems to be a guy who was locked up because he was forced to do bad things to survive; 3. The people that send James back arent nut cases either (so far). They're scientists who are just trying to save mankind. 4; Leland's offspring is not a boy (he was played by Brad Pitt in the movie). Leland's child in the series is Jennifer.

How did you feel about "12 Monkeys"? Please leave your comments below.