12 Monkeys: 5 year anniversary retrospective

12 Monkeys premiered five years ago this January. We look back at what made the show an instant cult classic.

2020 marks the fifth anniversary of the debut of 12 Monkeys. Many may have wondered why we needed this remake of the fan-favorite film Twelve Monkeys by Terry Gilliam, but for anyone who has watched the show, that answer is clear.

Watching the four-season run of this underrated show, one realizes that the importance of 12 Monkeys lies in one thing—a refreshing outlook that brings an unusual story into the 21st century.

And one of the best things about 12 Monkeys was that the show knew to quit while it was ahead—instead of dragging on for more seasons than it had a story for, 12 Monkeys stuck to its guns, slowly unraveling a complicated plot without ever losing its audience.

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With time travel as it’s central story hook, 12 Monkeys expanded on its original purpose to become one of the most well-written shows on television in the last decade.

In this retrospective, we look at why 12 Monkeys was so loved by fans and why it deserves more recognition from the larger geek community.

The Characters of 12 Monkeys

The protagonists of 12 Monkeys were time traveler James Cole (Aaron Stanford), charged with stopping the apocalypse, and Dr. Cassandra ‘Cassie’ Railly (Amanda Schull), a scientist from the past who was the key to saving humanity.

As the series progressed, Cassie became more than just a mission for Cole. And Cassie began to see Cole as more than just a portend off a terrible future.

Eventually, despite coming from two different times, the two began a relationship–little did they know that their bond could literally break time.

But the show went beyond the Cassie/ Cole dynamic, elaborating on the stories and arcs of the secondary characters.

Cole’s best friend/ brother, José Ramse (Kirk Acevedo) was put through the wringer on the show. He went from best friend and confidante to Cole, to a member of the 12 Monkeys, back to hero again, then villain, and repeat. Ramse’s loyalties were always questionable but his motivation was never in doubt—keeping his son safe and alive. He didn’t always succeed, which made him one of the most fascinating characters on the shows. And Acevedo’s performance was heartbreaking throughout.

Barbara Sukowa’s Dr. Katarina Jones started off as a minor character—the creator and facilitator of the time travel machine who seemed to be more interested in the mission than the people involved in it. But the show gave her room to stretch, eventually allowing her to evolve into a hero in her own right, and someone who selflessly gave off herself to protect her people and family.

Similarly, Jennifer Goines (Emily Hampshire), the gender-swapped version of Brad Pitt’s character from Twelve Monkeys,  became more than just a quirky, sarcastic psychic who the protagonists could turn to only when they needed information. By the end of the show, Jennifer became the ace in the hole for Team Time—a person who loved her found family wholeheartedly and fought tooth and nail for them. It’s always difficult to make a quirky character likable, but Jennifer easily became one of 12 Monkeys’ best.

Even characters like Deacon (Todd Stashwick), Olivia (Alisen Down), and Whitley (Demore Barnes), who didn’t appear till partway though the show had solid arcs and personalities that made them captivating for audiences.

With genre fiction, the focus is often on spectacle. But in reality, it’s believable and relatable characters that make for a great and memorable viewing experience—and 12 Monkeys nails it in this sphere.

The Plot

Breaking down the plot of 12 Monkeys isn’t an easy task. It starts off fairly simply—an evil group known as the 12 Monkeys engineer a virus that wipes out half the planet’s population. Cole and Cassie have to stop them in the past.

But their efforts come to naught—they make minimal changes to the future, and the apocalypse still happens. Turns out, the virus was only a small part of the 12 Monkeys’ plan. They don’t just want to destroy the world—they want to destroy time itself.

Cue time-traveling adventures across the 2000s, the 80s (Cole even sports a Marty McFly life-preserver jacket), 70s, the World Wars, and even as far back as the dark ages.

Team Time is almost always a step behind the 12 Monkeys, even with Jennifer’s abilities. But their determination to succeed makes for exciting viewing.

The plot of 12 Monkeys isn’t always easy to follow—there are so many concurrent narratives and timelines to remember, that one can feel daunted.

But the show’s creators, Terry Matalas and Travis Fickett laid out the series in a way that ensured that viewers got enough reminders about past events and the current year—one never felt lost.

Plus, every episode made one desperate to watch the next, with or without cliffhangers. One can’t ask for a better sign of solid writing.

That Ending

Season four of 12 Monkeys brought all the concurrent storylines and characters together and explained why Cole was so often at the center of events—he was both the cause and effect of the 12 Monkeys and Team Time’s mission.

As final seasons go, Team Time was surprisingly unsuccessful in their endeavors. But that’s what makes for a great story—high stakes and plenty of adversity makes for compelling characters.

The finale is nothing short of bittersweet—without giving too much away, Team Time has to make a massive sacrifice, particularly Cole and Cassie, if they are to accomplish their mission.

After four seasons of being invested in these characters, to know that not all of them will be getting a happy ending is heartbreaking—but the 12 Monkeys writers find a plausible way to make things right.

Viewers come away from the finale having enjoyed an epic journey with amazing characters. Many finales in the last decade left viewers unsatisfied—12 Monkeys, on the other hand, delivered in spades with a finale that was exciting, full of heart, and gave the characters what they deserved.

12 Monkeys was far from perfect, of course. It badly lacked diversity—Acevedo and Barnes were two of the rare characters of color on the show, and there were no notable women of color.

The lack of queer characters in a show made and set in the 21st century was also troubling, as was the lack of representation for the disabled community.

Were it to be made now, one would imagine that 12 Monkeys would have been more diverse in its casting and behind the scenes.

But as it stands, the show is an incredibly exciting entry in genre fiction. It’s complex but well-defined plots, and believable characters made for a show that will hopefully become a cult classic for generations to follow.

What did you think of 12 Monkeys? Be sure to tell us in the comment section below!