What I’m Watching: 12 Monkeys

12 Monkeys: Season 1, Episode 12 “Paradox” (B+)

Now here’s an episode that puts everything back into glorious perspective and prepares this season to go out on a very high note. I’m glad that we didn’t see any of Ramsey as the witness in this hour and that we barely saw any of the future since it’s clear that 2015 is an incredibly central time. Introducing a younger Jones was a fantastic thing, and it’s so interesting to see her perspective on her research and how knowing more about the future wouldn’t actually help since she doesn’t believe in fate. I love that honesty is the best policy when it comes to getting people to go along with a crazy plan, and Cassandra managed to get two people to believe that she was telling the truth so that she could elicit their help. Introducing the younger Cole was another marvelous development, and it was great to see his father bond with his adult son. The reunion didn’t last long thanks to Aaron’s unintentionally devastating actions that brought the Pallid Man in to fatally shoot Cole’s father. Fortunately, the creation of the paradox produced another explosion that managed to save Cole’s life, though he is now stranded in his current time, presumably permanently. Jennifer staging a hostile takeover of Markridge was superb, and I’m so happy to see her in a much more compelling place than as a crazy witch wandering in the future. Speaking of 2043, the pale people preparing for a siege with West 7 is deeply unsettling and sure to have worrisome consequences in the season finale this coming week.