It’s crunch time on this week’s 12 Monkeys as Cole tracks down Jennifer Goines… but can he get her to talk? And does she know anything?
We’re back in 2043 at the start of this week’s episode, and Cole is tasked with finding out more about the mysterious Jennifer Goines. Clearly, she knows something about her father’s work… but how much? And can it help Cole and his pals from the future to find a cure for the viral outbreak?
Unfortunately, he’s going to have to get some sense out of her first…
After being unable to gather any information on Goines in the future, it looks as though Cole is going to have to do this the good, old-fashioned way – by heading back to the past to speak with the mentally unstable suspect.
And in a rather neat nod to the original film, Cole finds himself incarcerated in the mental institution alongside Jennifer. But this time around, he’s got himself sectioned on purpose, just so he can meet her.
It’s a nice departure from the original film, and as the series carries on, it becomes more and more clear that while ’12 Monkeys’ is based on Terry Gilliam’s movie, it’s rapidly going off in its own direction.
And that’s definitely a good thing. After all, there’s little point retreading old ground.
Of course, Cole soon catches up with the enigmatic Jennifer… and while she’s clearly a very damaged person, we’re shown straight from the off that she’s a lot smarter than most people. And she’s definitely not to be taken lightly.
Unfortunately, Cole makes this mistake and attempts to force her to talk… but that only results in Jennifer managing to back Cole into a corner, turning his threats upside down when she gets the guards to rush into the room.
It looks as though Cole will have to find another way to speak to her.
Thankfully, that opportunity arises a lot quicker than we thought – it seems that Jennifer is rather taken with Cole and comes to visit him in his room while he remains restrained. But while Jennifer comes across as a violent, crazed lunatic at first, we’re soon shown exactly what made her this way – and it seems she’s not to blame for any of this.
Assumed to be involved with the viral outbreak, it transpires that Jennifer was actually in her father’s lab when it was attacked by the Army of the 12 Monkeys. And after they slaughtered the entire lab team, she was left there to take the wrap.
Of course, Jennifer blames herself for what happened… but we’re shown a rather fragile individual here, and it’s a nice change of pace. She’s smart, sassy and certainly strong, but there’s a vulnerability in Jennifer that makes us sympathise.
And it looks as though she may end up being an unlikely ally to Cole and Dr Railly. Only one other person survived the events of that day… and only he and Jennifer know the location of her father’s secret lab.
But can Cole get the information he needs? Not before things take a turn for the worse…
After Cole’s latest disappearance, Dr Railly is forced to lay low for a while… but is soon tracked down by the Pallid Man – a mysterious individual who seems to be at the top of the Army of the 12 Monkeys. Having killed her friend, the man warns Dr Railly to stop asking questions and to leave them alone, or the same will happen to her.
But while she reluctantly agrees, we all know she’s not going to do that.
Turning up at the mental hospital, she runs into Cole as he’s about to be transferred… and manages to take charge of the situation so they can get hold of Goines. But that’s when the plan begins to quickly unravel, as the Pallid Man appears, and takes Jennifer Goines with him.
But can they get her back? The future of the human race might just depend on it…
I have to admit, I’m rather enjoying 12 Monkeys so far… and as you can probably tell, the story is making a swift departure from that of the original movie. But at the moment, that’s a bit problematic.
Don’t get me wrong – that’s only a good thing. What we have here is a new twist on the story that seems to be worth telling.
But the further away from the film we get, the more I can’t help drawing comparisons. And that’s where the series may get a little dull. If 12 Monkeys is really going to succeed, it has to stand on its own two feet… and with the story diverging more and more from that of the movie, it looks as though we’re in for a real treat.
It may be a bit of a slow burner, but it’s burning brighter with every episode.
Let’s just hope there’s a lot more original story here… and a lot more time travel.
Do you think Cole will track down Jennifer Goines? Can she take them to her father’s secret lab? Let us know what you think in the comments below…
