12 Monkeys Season 2 Episodes 1-2 Reviews: Times, They Are A Changin' (Season Premiere)

Episode 1 "Year Of The Monkey" begins with Cassie in 2044 (remember Cole sent her there to keep her from dying). Cole also saved Ramse (who defected from the Army Of The 12 Monkeys) and thus alters history. Olivia catches up with the men on a bridge in Budapest in 2016. She is none too happy because, according to the Witness, Ramse's cycle is over. Cole and Ramse manage to escape.

Ramse is still perplexed about what to do. If he doesnt help the Army, his son will never exist. If doesn't help Cole, billions of lives will be lost. Hmm, decisions, decisions.

In the future, the 12 Messengers force Katarina to send them back in the machine. She tries to warn them but they dont listen. So she fries the first one. That Katarina is such a bad ass. Unfortunately the Messengers threaten to kill Cassie if Jones doesnt cooperate. She says they cant kill Cassie because then she cant leave the message about the plague that leads to the rest of the story. The Head Messenger doesnt buy it saying "If something is meant to be, it shall be".

Back in the present Cole visits Professor Kalman (an ex Markridge employee) to try to get the Monkey's tracker out of Ramse. The dude is crooked. Who didnt see that coming a mile away? The good news is he tells Ramse, who then tells Cole, that Jennifer is releasing the plague in NY on Chinese New Year.

Cassie tells Deacon (remember him and the West 7?) he has Wilson's Disease. Deacon teaches Cassie how to kill and devises a plan to get rid of the Messengers. Unfortunately it involves blowing up the machine. I'm not sure how wise that is but it got the job done. Six Messengers made it to some other time though.

Jennifer continues to hear voices. Is she drugged, a paranoid schizophrenic, a time traveler herself or maybe can hear people from other time lines? In the MOST entertaining part of the episode she tries speed dating. What would you do if a person you just met told you they were going to start the apocalypse, and brought a gun so you could shoot them and be a hero? The guy really did the only rational thing he could (based on his limited knowledge). He calls the police-- not that they can help much.

Jennifer takes the virus and flies off to Manhattan to unleash it. It is the the "Year Of The Monkey" after all. Jennifer seems relieved that Cole is going to kill her and stop the plague. Then the other Monkeys arrive. They think they have the upper hand but Cassie appears and quickly kills them all. She plans to shoot Jennifer immediately but Cole gets in her way. They both have their guns drawn on each other. Uh oh. This cant be good.

Episode 2 "Primary" picks back up exactly where the show left off last week. Cassie wants to kill Jennifer. James doesnt agree and talks Jen down instead. They then destroy her stash of plague. This changes the future somewhat but doesnt stop the eventual release of the virus. It just happens in 2018 instead of 2016. Time moves around Dr Jones, Cassie and Cole (because they have been injected with Jones' serum).

Cassie heads back to the future with Ramse. Deacon tries to torture him for intel on the Messengers but Ramse says he doesnt know anything. They retrieve Ramse's son Sam (who was still born in this timeline) to use as a bargaining chip.

Cole and Jennifer end up at the Emerson Hotel. It turns out Cole booked room 607 back in 1944. Jennifer is still hearing voices and says she now has no purpose. Cole learns that Jennifer is in love with him. That would explain a lot of her actions (even though she's still bat shit crazy). He tells her to find a new purpose and she leaves. Uh, I would suggest keeping a close eye on her.

The Daughters pay a visit to Dr Jones and give her a note to retrieve Cole in 2016. Jennifer apparently found her purpose but exactly what is it? Cole tells Jones he thinks the Messengers went to 1944. Guess where Cole and Cassie are off to next week?

Timely Tidbits:

So far the main players (besides the core characters) are: the Army (with Olivia and the Witness), the Messengers, and the Daughters (with Jennifer). Are there other parties?
Is it just me or do the Messengers remind you of Mr Quinlan from "The Strain"?
Did you catch that Madeline Stowe was the narrator in episode 1? I didnt until someone pointed it out. She was one of the stars of the original "12 Monkeys" movie (along with Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt).
Jennifer Goines continues to be hilarious. She's one of the best parts of this show. Any guesses as to what her real deal is? She knows time changes while everyone else (except those injected with the serum) have no idea. Was she injected at some point? Is she a time traveler?
Dr Katarina Jones is another fun addition. Jones finding out Dr Eckland was her boyfriend in the new timeline is a hoot.
The bridge scene in Budapest was very James Bond-ish.
The future seems very blue. There are definitely no pastels in the future.
Previously Cole was willing to do whatever had to be done to save mankind. Now he's gone soft and Cassie is the one who's a hard ass. It's quite a reversal of roles.

Favorite Quotes:

"Times they are a changin'"- Jennifer to Cole and Cassie.
"I want to tell you a story...This is a story about how the world ends"- narrator.
"It was your guidance that led us to the virus and for this we are grateful. But now your cycle is complete. So long traveler."- Olivia to Ramse.
"Maybe they just wanted to hear Hendrix at Woodstock."- Katerina to Cassie about what the Messengers are up to.
"We will meet again in the forest when the blood has washed away."- Messengers to each other.
"Where are you right now? Somewhere you dont belong? Doing horrible things you never you'd be capable of. No matter how hard you fought, you'd have to live with it-- adapt, transform, evolve. And sometimes you have to accept that not every caterpillar becomes a butterfly"- Cassie.
"James Cole understands something you all have forgotten. Our fates are intertwined, here and in the past. Our mother knows this. Many cycles ago James Cole made a choice-- an act of mercy. For that a debt was issued-- and now that debt has been repaid."- Daughter to Jones and Cassie.
"So, who's next?"- Dr Cole to the Messengers after she fries one in the time machine.
"Do no harm died 30 years ago."- Deacon to Dr Reilly.
"If something is meant to be, it shall be."- Messenger to Jones.
"It's happening."- Jones as time changes around her.
"She made me better."- Cole about Cassie.
"I found my purpose."- Old Jennifer's message to Cole.

Grade: 4 1/2 Monsters (out of 5). I'm so happy this wacky show is back. I'll probably never be able to understand what's going on.. but it's great fun to try.