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’12 Monkeys’: Sci-Fi Saga Solidly Steps It Up In ‘Resurrection’

By Joey Click

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With only three episodes left in its Second Season, Syfy’s ’12 Monkeys’ delivers yet another solid outing that solidifies it’s underrated status with the tightly scripted ‘Resurrection’.

The following review of Resurrection contains minor spoilers. You’ll be fine to peel the review and ingest before swinging over to Syfy for 12 Monkeys latest.

THE REVIEW:

We’re finally getting to the last few rounds of the 12 Monkeys Second Season fight. After opening with the stellar Year of the Monkey, we’ve gone through many ups and downs – not in the show’s quality but in the time-traveling saga’s narrative – and we’ve come a long way. While the gang has been to 2044, 2016, 1944 (One Hundred Years, Emergence ), and even 1961 (Fatherland), we, the audience, have been on an even more epic journey as our rag tag group has never been more strained.

There’re many endings. Today is one of them”- James Cole

This is what makes Resurrection, the 24th overall episode of Syfy’s 12 Monkeys, truly effective in its attempts to entertain. If you’ve been keeping up with the sadly little-seen sci-fi tale, you’ll know Cole wants to save the last Primary in the 50s while Ramsey and Cassandra, in a shocking coalition (vengeance can be blind), want to use the machine to find Titan and kill The Witness. You’ll also know red storm is close to consuming the facility in 2044.

Time is running out, and the lengths that the two sides, comprised of former friends, are willing to go really takes the episode to a different level. It’s a fast-paced, proficiently plotted ride, that moves the story faster than a woodchuck chucking some of that good ole wood featuring some of the best scenes between characters (Cole and Ramsey have their best moment of Season 2 thus far in Resurrection)

Kirk Acevedo as José Ramse in ’12 Monkeys’- Courtesy of Syfy

Resurrection is also quite effective due to its simplicity. Written by Richard Robbins, gone is the murkiness the 12 Monkeys mythology, something that can be argued to be slightly convoluted. There isn’t much talk about the actual virus, the time-jumping and its effect on the whole timeline, and the other stuff in trying to stop the eventual plague. In its place, much like the best of Romero’s Dead films, it’s a simple story of two sides wanting to use vital resources (in this case the time machine itself) in the way they see fit.  The result is amazing my fellow Monkeys.

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Lastly, in terms of narrative and script, the dialog is sharp (there is some great lines in the episode) and character moments are regulated and intertwined into the plotting of Resurrection. Character stuff only truly works when brought out by the plot and, thankfully for us, the producers of 12 Monkeys knows this all too well. This is especially true for the final moments of Resurrection; What happens with warm your insides.

As for the acting, Resurrection features some of the best work from its cast. With a solid script to bring to life, the main players really kill it here. It would be pointless to highlight a specific performer, as everyone is bringing their A game here. Don’t believe me? Let me know via Twitter when you see the episode and feel differently.

Now we can’t forget about the direction of Resurrection. Directed by Kevin Tancharoen, Resurrection isn’t the best directed, and downright flashy, episode of television I’ve ever seen, but that’s not the worst thing to hear as a director. Resurrection leads heavily on a solidly polished script. The script moves very fast, so fast in fact, that to be flashy with camera movements would take away from the gritty nature of the script.

Tancharoen‘s decent direction includes: a pull back, through the light of the machine, to reveal Jennifer and Cole, low-angle push in on Jennifer Goines, shot when Jennifer proclaims they go to Titan, shot of Cole when Katarina gets his attention near the end of Resurrection.

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So, will Cole make up with Ramse and Cassandra? Will our time-jumping heroes stop the red storm from consuming the facility? Will The Witness ever be caught and brought to justice? You’ll have to swing over to Syfy to find out you crazy monkeys.

THE VERDICT:

Kevin Tancharoen‘s Resurrection is a solid and much needed episode in the 12 Monkeys canon. While not the best directed episode of the time-traveling saga, Resurrection features a tightly written script that raises the stakes of the show exponentially. Resurrection intelligently features charecter moments through plot and takes relationships between principle characters to new limits. It’s one of the most important episodes of the entire 12 Monkeys run thus far and one fans of the show will eat up. So go catch it before it’s too late. Take care Monkeys.

THE GRADE: A

Check out a preview for next week’s episode,

Blood Washed Away

, courtesy of Syfy:

Enjoying Syfy’s 12 Monkeys? Did or didn’t like what Resurrection had to offer? Sound off with your comments below and let’s get as many monkeys as we can to get this conversation going. Don’t forget to tune into 12 Monkeys Mondays at 9/8c, only on Syfy.

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