12 MONKEYS (2015) – S01E10: ‘Divine Move’

’12 Monkeys’ is undoubtedly one of the best TV shows of the last few years. They accomplish this with such tight writing and deep character development, that each episode is in depth and goes against any established formula. Episode 10 titled ‘Divine Move’ continues the fallout between Kirk Acevedo’s Ramse and Aaron Stanford’s Cole, however it’s mostly all about Ramse and his turn from an ally into an unknown variable within the series.

The episode opens with Ramse stealing the injections necessary for Cole to travel in time, stalling the mission indefinitely. Ramse escapees with Elena and his son into a separate community it seems. Did Ramse form his own colony while we weren’t looking, given how chummy chummy he seems with everyone there? During his time here he also meets with a group known as The Daughters, who are apparently an all women’s group surviving the apocalypse all these years. Seeing the symbol of The Army Of ‘12 Monkeys‘ on the group’s caravan forces Ramse to approach them where he finds an aged Jennifer Goines, played by Emily Hampshire, as their leader. After a cryptic conversation that really didn’t go anywhere, Jennifer gives Ramse the necklace that she stole originally from the Pallid Man in another episode. It’s kind of weird seeing Jennifer in the future because who better to provide all the answers everyone is looking for, than her, who was actually in the past when all that shit was going down. Ramse should’ve easily just captured her and brought her back to Jones and Cole for massive interrogation. But then that would be too easy, of course.

The crazy part is that Jennifer actually brings up some revelations that seem important but end up being a little confusing. She refers to her herbs which make you see images, almost like she’s describing what happened to Cassandra when she was force-fed a drink in the episode titled ‘Red Forrest’. She says that only ‘he’ can produce the herbs, which work only when the leaves turn red, and that too only when ‘he’ has been there. Something that we see a plant do in an earlier scene when Cole is near it.. So are they implying that Cole is actually The Witness, because that would be kind of ridiculous.

Coming back to Cole and Cassandra, his appearance leaves Noah Bean’s Aaron and Amanda Schull’s Cassandra distraught as that means that they didn’t stop the future plague from killing everyone. Both seem a little disillusioned and a little hopeless as they try to continue the mission with Cole to get answers. Cassandra is on to Cole’s deteriorating health as he returns to the future with information about where the plague may have originated in 1987, same time that Leland Goines mentioned that he originally met Cole. Returning to the future Jones informs Cole of Ramse’s betrayal, but immediately puts him in some stasis pod due to his poor health.

’12 Monkeys’ is an increasingly original show as every episode is completely unexpected and provides unique narrative, story arcs, revelations and plot twists that no one can see coming. As amazingly refreshing as this is, it’s just disheartening because they push the boundaries every single week and drastic progressions in story that you don’t think would be possible in the first season of any show, play out in front of us with shocking results. In the future, Jones sends Whitley to retrieve the injections that they need for Cole to continue his mission. In an altercation Elena ends up shot and dead causing Ramse to return to the compound and, in a surprise attack, raid the facility in order to kill Jones and destroy the time machine and stop the mission once and for all, saving his son. However, his plans go awry as he is trapped in the room with the machine with nowhere else to go. In a desperate attempt Ramse injects himself with the time travel solution, steps into the machine and forces a scientist to send him back to 1987 at gunpoint. Cole follows knowing full well that Ramse will now do anything to try to stop him in order to save his son’ future, in essence becoming a villain that Cole has to stop in order for their mission to continue and succeed.

This episode pleases me to no end, as the transformation of Kirk Acevedo’s character is amazing to behold. The transition of a lead supporting character to go so subtly and so logically into someone who ends up becoming the villain is seamless and natural. Ramse’s motivations are unquestionable; his tactics are justifiable and the repercussions to the show and overall plot are unimaginable. Given his possession of the necklace that we saw the Pallid Man have in the future implies that Ramse could easily be The Witness that is referred to throughout the series thus far. I can’t say this enough, but ’12 Monkeys’ continues to be unwaveringly original while satisfying audiences from week to week and leaving nothing hanging, but still telling a long term story.