12 Reasons Why I’m Bananas For ‘12 Monkeys’

12 Reasons Why I'm Bananas For '12 Monkeys'

The poster says it all. . . 

With the final episode of SyFy’s 12 Monkey’s airing tomorrow at 9 p.m., avid followers of the show (ahem)  are counting down minutes in anticipation for the bombshell ending. The gritty science fiction adventure that focuses on time-travel and a virus-plagued world that has wiped out much of humanity, has been a breakout hit. Starting in the pilot where the story begins with time traveler James Cole (Aaron Stanford) ‘splintering’ to 2013 to assassinate a corrupt scientist, the show immediately establishes itself as a thrilling offering to the widely popular post apocalyptic genre.

Following the instructions from the commanding lead scientist Katrina Jones in the year 2043, Cole embarks his mission to stop the plague from happening. Guided by a recording picked up in the ruins of a CDC building by a long-dead virologist  Dr. Cassandra Railly, the same woman he kidnaps when he first ‘splinters’ back in time, the story throws a suckerpunch to the gut from the very start.

The hits only keep coming. Even before Cole fires the fatal shot at the diabolical scientist, Leland Goines in the first episode, it’s clear that this is no simple mission. With a labyrinth of plot twists, explosive action sequences, and endless intrigue,  12 Monkeys is a gripping show that is certainly worth the hype.

In no relation to the murderous army of the twelve monkeys (‘natch), here are the twelve reasons why I'm going ape over this show:

1)   The characters bleed. Physically and emotionally, they take hard hits. They suffer, they don’t always get what they want, and they make some seriously fucked up decisions. Side bar pop up-- the golden rules of writing a good story. 12 Monkeys is doing it right.

Yeah we'll start with literal bloodied up interpretation dot com.

2) The storyline is dramatic and edgy. The game keeps changing and more questions are constantly being asked. The story isn’t dumbed down for the audience, and the stakes keep getting higher.

3) Jennifer Goines is the best crazy gal on TV since 'Buffy's Drusilla and 'Firefly's  River. From her manic energy scrawling the monkey’s on her wall in the psych facility in the episode ‘Mentally Divergent’, to her penchant for going off on tangents in singy-songy and snarling voices, she is instantly delightful and deranged.

Positive fan reception has cemented this screwey ex-scientist as a permanent cast member for season 2.

4) The creators of the show and the cast actually interact with fans and viewers on twitter. They’re conversational, responsive to feedback and really get their tweets on. (holla Terry!)

One of the creators of the show, and the actresses who play Jennifer and Cassie. You're rad!

5) James Cole actually looks like a real guy. He’s not a sculpted male model who’s been doing five hour a day circuits like he’s vying for the cover of men’s health magazine (which is pretty fucking problematic in its own right) male body image and its distortions in media aren’t as widely covered as with women, but it’s just as rampant. It’s refreshing to see a man who actually looks like a man that’s encountered in daily life. He’s tough-as-nails scruffy and real looking.

Eff those phonies ehh? 

6) Romantic relationships aren’t the top priority. If anything a whole spectrum of relationships play out-- some of the most interesting scenes are between Cole and Katrina. Their personalities, wants and needs are constantly locking horns, and the concept of those with power, and those without is at the edges of those scenes as a constant hum of tension.

This could have gotten ugly . . .as in spork in the eye ugly.

7) To touch back on the matter of romantic relationships-- there are no love triangles. Let’s hear that one again, no love triangles! Yes there are feelings between Cassie and Aaron that have cropped up periodically between the series but it’s clear her affections lie with Cole, and she doesn’t give Aaron false hope-- nor does she sink into hopeless woe is me plain-girl-but-not-really-conflicted-in-love misery, which is nauseatingly rampant in shows like the CW’s The Vampire Diaries. Cassie and Cole have developed a rapport and the time they spent together has fostered trust, friendship, and affections between the two. 

I'm still glad Ramse's morales kept Cole from killing the dog. . . 

8) Cole’s bromance with Ramse is a huge chunk of the show. The buddy relationship is genuine and goes beyond that of the frat-boy ‘comedy’ relationship characteristic of guy friendships in a lot of popular films. They have a serious bond between them, they balance each other out, and have wonderful chemistry together, it’s hard to not believe they really haven’t been friends for YEARS.

9) The characters are flawed, emotional, and consistent. Some shows make the decision to treat their characters like another prop in the scene, or a human glob of playdough to mold into the storyline. 12 Monkeys doesn’t change the characters at the drop of a dime, because really, fork that shiitake! (#badveganjokes)

Katrina Jones is the queen of bad decision making. . . 

10) The interpretation of the post-apocalyptic world, devastated by a lethal plague is visually arresting. Everything from the worldbuilding to the clothing and locations transport the viewer into this devastated, but all too familiar world.  -ie. Jones bunker, the Scav camps in 2043, and the many locations Cole and Dr. Cassandra Railly explore, like the fabled Night Room,-- are standouts.

11) Two words; time travel. 

Ooops... wrong show!!! 

12) The fanbase is made up of absolute rockstars. We’ve got a killer presence of twitter where we hash tag it up, promote, and connect with other fans. Fun and enthusiastic are good words to describe us monkeys, and many fans go above and beyond. I’m talking about some seriously rad 12 Monkey’s movie poster parodies, that yes-- the creator of the show printed, framed, and hung in his office AND tweeted about it to show the user and other fans. It’s just one example how active and receptive  12 Monkey’s social presence is.

Some serious fanage going down here!!!

ALL IMAGES FROM IMDB AND SYFY - SCREENSHOTS FROM TWITTER