What I’m Watching: 12 Monkeys

12 Monkeys: Season 3, Episode 5 “Causality” (B)

Now, this was a bit of strange episode. Sometimes, this show is deathly serious, and stands by its notion of time as this governing force that apparently can – and almost was – destroyed, with those trying to stop it hopeless to have any effect since it’s all predetermined anyway. This episode approached things from a far more humorous perspective, one that worked and proved to be very entertaining but felt odd for the standard tone of this show. I think I understand what’s going on more than I ever have before, as we see the “side mission” of Cole and Cassandra to find the written web and hide the portion that outs them as the witness’ parents and the main drive led by Jennifer to go back in time and copy the document without altering history and causing enormous causality problems. Jennifer certainly has flair, and it was particularly startling to see Olivia acting out her antics as she was recounting the plan. Ultimately, it was a great idea to have Jennifer pose as her own mother, though she managed to hit her credit limit within moments, triggering the arrival of an unexpected guest star, Zeljko Ivanek, whose Leland Goines was killed off in the very first episode of this show. Despite a brief nosebleed that Olivia got, they were able to pull it off, and Jennifer even kept Cole and Cassandra’s secret once she discovered it. The introduction of the young witness seems to indicate that nothing they can do will stop his birth, and they’re going have to confront him as an adult once he’s finally unmasked and seen in his grown form.