12 Monkeys Round Table: Timey Wimey Monkeys

at .

Ready for the 12 Monkeys Season 1 Episode 4 Round Table?

This week we're chatting about the West VII, the episode's crazy timey wimey twists, Cole's hallucinations and plenty more.

Don't be left out: hit the comments below and be a part of the discussion with TV Fanatics Stacy Glanzman, Carissa Pavlica, Paul Dailly, Carla Day and Hank Otero.

Well we learned how Cole and Ramse got involved with the West VII. What did you think of Deacon and his crew?

Stacy: When Cole and Ramse first met Deacon it felt like they were about to join a cult. Cole was ready to jump in but I knew that Ramse's hesitance was going to end up putting Cole in the middle. I'm glad Cole came to his senses though it was a little surprising he was so quick to trust them.

Carissa: He's your typical end-of-world jackass who somehow thinks killing those immune does any good in a world when people are hard to come by. I'll never understand that mindset. Even worse, I didn't understand why Cole even gave him the time of day.

Paul: I liked them. It was a good way to introduce them to us. After the teaser of them last week, I never expected to get much information about them for another few episodes.

Carla: I don't have much of an impression of them. Deacon was a psychopath who convinced people to side with him for their survival. It was work with him or end up dead. Not much of a choice. He was a despot of the apocalypse. Cole and Ramse were lucky they got away from him when they did.

Hank: I really enjoyed seeing Cole and Ramse's first interaction with the West VII and why they chose to join them. The flashbacks also gave us a chance to get to know Ramse better. He's a really decent guy isn't he? Something I wasn't expecting, I figured he'd betray Cole at some point. The true story proved to be completely the opposite. As far as Deacon and the crew, I don't think we've scratched the surface of their importance yet.

Were you shocked Ramse and Jones were killed the first time around? Did the writers get you? Was the "time loop" confusing at all?

Stacy: As soon as Ramse was killed I immediately thought "why doesn't Cole just go back an hour and save him?" He ended up going back a couple of days, but same result. It pretty much played out how I expected it to.

Carissa: I didn't think Ramse would die for good. In time travel shows, all bets are off.

Paul: I was shocked they were killed, but like Stacy, it crossed my mind he could go back in time. It's one of the most annoying parts of time travel. No one is every really dead and it sort of defeats the purpose of having characters killed off. It can be so confusing.

Carla: Yes, I was shocked. It happened so quick that I didn't have time to think through the possibility of using time travel to save the day. After watching The 100, I believed Ramse was dead dead. It was Jones and the splinter machine that had me questioning how that could be since both are fundamental to the show's premise. This time loop made perfect sense and I appreciated the use of the jump.

Hank: I was caught up in the moment, so the writers absolutely got me. Once I realized Cole jumped back just a few days I figured he's save Ramse and Jones. The time loop didn't confuse me, but I did think Jones sent Cole back two day intentionally. That wasn't the case.

Share your thoughts on Cole going back in time a few days. Is it possible Jones did this on purpose to complete the "loop"?

Stacy: I assumed she did it on purpose. Sending Cole back to Cassie permanently wouldn't have been as effective at saving the future as giving him a chance to save the time machine and continue going back and forth.

Carissa: I'm not sure. Aren't there two Coles now? Cole is in the future and the past, right? But the one with Cassie has no way to get back? That part lost me, to be honest. I knew it would lose me eventually. Didn't take long!

Paul: There's a very good chance she did it on purpose. There's something off about her.

Carla: I don't think Jones did it on purpose. It worked out well if the machine glitched. If she did it on purpose, it was very risky, though at the same time the destruction of the splinter machine and death of Jones likely would have led to the end of their mission. Until this question, I never considered it was planned.

Hank: Like Stacy, I figured Jones sent Cole back a few days because she had knowledge of the events. She's a mysterious character, so you never know right? I'm glad they explained the machine was damaged in the crossfire, which cut his trip short. Show creator Terry Matalas has since confirmed the short trip was a mechanical glitch, nothing to do with Jones doing it on purpose.

What did you make of Cole's hallucinations? The imagery clearly hints at the future. Any visual stand out for you?

Stacy: I'm not really sure what I make of them. I can't say any of them particularly stood out for me.

Carissa: Aw, hell. Really? I was supposed to make something of them? I just thought they were a drug induced mind mish-mashing up a lot of images from a lot of different lives he was living due to circumstances nobody else who had ever used the drug experienced. It never dawned on me he was envisioning the future. Cassie looked cool all funked out, though.

Paul: There was so much. From Cassie, The Pallid man to Jennifer. It was difficult to remember what exactly was going on with them because of the fast editing.

Carla: I must not have been paying close enough attention to this section because nothing jumped out at me. They probably meant something and I should go back and watch them again.

Hank: The Red Forest stood out for me. I know that Episode 6 is titled "The Red Forest" so there must be some hidden meaning there. Aside from that he saw most of the characters and bones in the time machine. Ramse's face rots at one point, does that mean we'll lose him this season? It will be interesting to go back and rewatch the hallucinations sequence once the season is over. I'm absolutely certain they mean something.

Cassie found the "Night Room" at the end. Any guesses where it is and will our heroes manage to destroy the virus?

Stacy: It's too soon for them to destroy the virus so my guess is the 12 Monkeys get there first. They have to keep the story going somehow right?

Carissa: That room is going to be moving until the series finale. Whether it's literally on the move or via time shifting, it's moving. There will be no happy ending, even for a second, if ever. It's my guess that the ultimate lesson could very well be there is no escaping fate, even with a time machine.

Paul: 12 Monkeys will get there first. This is a little predictable. I'd love to be wrong and have a curve ball thrown in and change it up.

Carla: I don't think the virus is in/at the "Night Room." Despite that belief, I'm excited to find out what the "Night Room" is all about and why it was kept secret. At this point, Cassie and Cole seem to have a head start on finding it over the Pallid Man.

Hank: I've cheated, not only have I seen the episode but the promotional images clearly show our heroes facing off against the 12 Monkeys in the Night Room. Naturally, I'd never say anything too spoilery, but I will say this upcoming installment is a frakkin' game changer. I see so many tweets where fans wonder how the writers can sustain the show's storyline. Well, since we're dealing with time travel, who's to say we can't visit an alternate timeline? Follow an alt-Cole? Why can't the series be completely rebooted in Season 3 you know?

Check out a few images from Friday's 12 Monkeys Season 1 Episode 5. Ready to enter the "Night Room"?

12 Monkeys Season 1 Episode 5 is titled "The Night Room" and airs on Friday, February 13 at 9/8c.

Show Comments
Tags: ,

12 Monkeys Season 1 Episode 4 Quotes

Ramse: We're in Atari.
Cole: Atari, what's that?
Ramse: It's a game called Go. A game I played when I was a little kid. Means you're outta moves.

Cassie: The 12 Monkeys already have Jennifer Goines.
Cole: They'll have to break through a lot of crazy before she leads them anywhere.