Tuesday, May 24, 2016

The Geekcap: 12 Monkeys "Immortal"

In 2044, Jones once again looks out at the red storm as she smokes a cigarette on the roof. Eckland joins her, questioning how the world’s destruction could come from the deaths of a few people. Jones reminds him that those people were primaries, and their deaths will result in the destruction of time as they know it. They must find the remaining primaries and protect them from being hunted by the Messengers. Eckland provides her with some interesting information.

Inside the base, Cole and Ramse look prepared to take someone down. Turns out, they are really playing with Ramse’s son Sam as they hunt him around the facility. Jones comes to stop the fun and informs Cole of the name that they have tracked the man Kyle Slade in 1975. As Cole prepares for a new mission, Ramse speaks with Sam. Sam asks whether or not Ramse will go with Cole this time, something that Ramse doesn’t answer directly. Sam then reminds him suddenly that Ramse could have stop the bad people but chose not to instead. He then tells his father that while he understands that he did those things for love, the things they do know are for the future.

Jones and Eckland fill in Cole on Kyle Slade, the man Jennifer and Cassie found relation to the primaries. With four messengers still lost in time, they also advise him to be aware of those who will be looking to kill Slade. More importantly, however, is their information on Slade: he is a man known as the Immortal Serial Killer, wanted for the murder of about twelve people over the course of one year. Their only form of tracking him was the one murder where he was identified, the death of a woman named Victoria that took place on July 2nd 1975 which is also the date of his death. Ramse then enters and deduces that they want to send Cole back to protect Slade from his death since the messengers could have tracked him with this knowledge as well. With the mission in mind, Ramse offers to join Cole, believing that it would save him the trouble of having to save his skin later. Jones agrees to Ramse’s accompany Cole but reminds both of them not to interfere with Victoria’s murder due to the threat of disrupting the time line even further. Using the machine, she is able to send them both back to July 1st, 1975.

In 2016, Cassie tends to Jennifer’s injuries at the Emerson Hotel and gives the woman a few sedatives to sleep. Jennifer is less reluctant to sleep, however, and begins feeling an odd presence in the room. Jennifer asks Cassie whether or not she believes in ghosts. Despite remembering her vision of Aaron in the Red Forest, Cassie tells her no. The sedatives eventually work, and Cassie takes Jennifer back to her bed.

In 1975, Cole and Ramse track the woman Victoria to a diner where she works as a waitress. She serves them some breakfast and coffee, remarking on their hearty appetites. Ramse has a conversation with her on where to find an interesting spot when she replies that anyplace in New York can be a good time. Cole reminds Ramse that they can’t get involved in Victoria’s life knowing that she will die that night, but they then spot Victoria meeting with an older woman and a little boy, her mother and son. Ramse then asks Cole what would become of them after she dies.


The two track Victoria outside the building a night where she meets up with a man to deal her cocaine. As predicted, they spot Kyle Slade fighting and preparing to kill Victoria. Although they agreed to stay behind, Cole rushes in to save the woman and fights off Slade. When he secures Victoria, a ripple sounds off in the universe, rattling Cole and Ramse. They have affected the timeline by rescuing Victoria. In the chaos, Slade takes off in a vehicle while they spot a man, one of the messengers, chasing after it.
Cole and Ramse take Victoria to the Emerson Hotel to explain what had happened. Against their instincts, they tell Victoria the truth about them being time travelers tracking down then Immortal Killer and order her to stay in the hotel where she can be safe for now. Victoria protests since she has a child to look after, but Ramse fires back that a way she could help him is to stop taking cocaine. He reminds her that they have given her a second chance at life, something that she should not waste.

Cole and Ramse then plot out a new way to catch Slade. Using the knowledge they have from the future, the two inform the police on what they know about the killer including his name and his backstory being dishonorably charged from the military. After disclosing the information, they then request to be present at the arrest to secure Slade. The officers, at first, refuse the request, but then Cole blackmails the men using a newspaper article from the future reading about the officers’ failure to stop the murder. With no choice, the officers take Cole and Ramse on their search for Slade in their own resources. The police have investigated the Immortal Killer on their own time as he has not only killed his victims but mutilated their limbs and drained their bodies of blood. In that time, we see that Slade has painted an image of a monkey using his victims’ blood.

Back in 2016, Cassie goes to the hallway to retrieve some ice when the lights begin flickering. She then hears a voice calling her name. She follows the voice down the hall until she reaches their room 607.When she opens the door, she comes face-to-face with Aaron.

The police chase on Slade leads the group to a grocery store where Slade has apparently taken a woman hostage. While the police plan to send a negotiator, Cole rushes into the store to confront Slade. Cole sees the killer and tries to calm him down, explaining that he understands the visions that he has been seeing. Slade then recognizes him as James Cole and agrees to go with the man, releasing the woman in the process. Cole leads Slade to the police, planning to keep him in jail for protection against the messengers. Slade instead offers a release in exchange for leading Cole to the Witness himself. The police take Slade into custody before Cole can elaborate further on the matter. Because the officers refuse to let Cole and Ramse any closer to the arrest, Cole has no choice but to steal a cop car and track Slade down himself.

Aaron then explains to Cassie that he was rescued from the fire and nursed back to health by the army but states that he doesn’t plan to hurt Jennifer. Cassie nevertheless states that he betrayed them to the army, helping to cause the deaths of billions. Aaron recalls that in his final moments of life and his first moments in his new life Cassie was the only thing he could think about to give him strength. He claims that she was the reason he fought back to live and apologizes for what he has done.
Cole and Ramse successfully chase down the police and hold the officers at gunpoint to retrieve Slade. Ramse questions why he goes to this much trouble to rescue a serial killer. Although Slade claims to have the Witness, Ramse persists that they have no reason to trust Slade. Ramse instead argues that this plan is just Cole rushing into situations without thinking them through with any consequences. He refuses to follow Cole on his search with Slade.

Ramse: You’re all leap no look, little brother.

Ramse returns to the hotel where he finds Victoria tied to a chair. He then faces off against the messenger who tracked Ramse down after finding a sheet of paper they used from the Emerson Hotel. The two fight off as Victoria manages to free herself and stab the messenger. Using the distraction, Ramse fully kills the man to the shock of Victoria. He tells her to take care of her son and to leave the town, saying that this would be the best thing for both of them.

Slade leads Cole an alley outside his lair where he explains what he has been doing. All of his murder victims had been primaries as well that he killed to prevent the disaster. Victoria, who wasn’t a primary, was only a means to an end. He also mourns the fact that in his experiences, both as a killer and in the military, he had remove any attachments to others. Connected to his explanations, Aaron also tells Cassie that the army is not the enemy. The true enemy is time itself. By destroying the primaries, the army can create a world with no death. Slade tells Cole of this plot as well, where the people will essentially live in a forest of blood as immortals.

Slade shows Cole his lair filled with body parts as well as rigged bombs to explode. He shows to him the Witness, a cloaked and masked figure chained to a pole. Slade believes that the Witness came back to kill him after killing Victoria. He assured that he and Victoria could be identified in order for the Witness and James Cole to find him. Once he has both of them, he can ultimately kill the Witness and return to the future, where the Witness also emerged as a traveler. Slade describes that while the Witness has special powers he is still a man that can be killed. In the meantime, a police officer files a report finding Kyle Slade in the area, just as Ramse finds the lair.


Slade offers Cole the bone that the Witness planned to create a paradox by stabbing him. With the bone, Slade orders Cole to kill the Witness, ensuring their victory. However, Cole instead unmasks the Witness to reveal a face he recognizes as one of the remaining primaries. The messenger planned to trick Slade into believing he caught the Witness in order to ensure his capture. The real Witness is the figure speaking to Cassie in 2016. She recognizes this reveal as the world shifts around him, and his eyes turn to black slits. He mocks her stating that wanted to take a form she would be comfortable with and shifts into Cole to further haunt her. He then disappears as Cassie realizes that she is walking in the middle of the lobby with Jennifer coming to her rescue. With all of the hotel guests staring, Jennifer guides Cassie back to their hotel room offering to listen to what happened.

Slade demands the death of the messenger, refusing to believe Cole’s claims that it’s not the Witness. Cole doesn’t desire to kill the man, so Slade advances to kill both himself. Ramse arrives to hold the man at gunpoint as Cole tries to explain. Slade then grows angry at the fact that the army would send a regular messenger to kill him with his status. At the standoff, the police officers then arrive to take in Slade, but a stray bullet hits against Slade’s bomb, causing the room to be engulfed in flames. The messenger uses the distraction to try and kill Slade, but Cole shoots the messengers before turning his gun on Slade. Slade warns Cole that he was sent to be protected. However, Cole reminds him, that was only protection from a paradox not an ordinary death. Cole shoots Slade.

Cassie begins packing her and Jennifer’s bags, preparing the two to leave the hotel. While Jennifer understands that Cassie is scared from her encounter with the Witness, she also remarks that the encounter actually proves that the Witness is scared of them, trying to stop them by rattling them. Jennifer believes that the best course of action would be to fight back by hunting down the army themselves. Cassie is more unsure, remembering how the Witness made the destruction of time and the end of death sound persuasive. Jennifer counters that death, in its own way, is beautiful as it makes them human and strives them to do better.

Jennifer: We have to go monkey hunting!

Cole and Ramse return to 2044 as Jones and Eckland remark that the red storms have been receding. Their work in the past is having an effect on the future after all. Cole and Ramse then talk privately with Cole remarking that he was surprised seeing Ramse rush in to save him. Ramse states that he understands that rushing into situations is who Cole is, and he hopes that never changes. Cole than begins to say “I love-“ before Ramse quickly interrupts, not wanting him to ruin their moment. Cole claims that he was only going to say that he loves whiskey as the two laugh walking back inside the facility.


In 2016, Cassie returns to check on Jennifer, only to find a note by the bed. Jennifer has left to begin their fight on the streets, knowing that Cassie has to return to the future. As Cassie ponders Jennifer’s note, the room begins to shift as though a time traveler is arriving. She then spots the figure of the Witness before it instantly disappears. As she looks around, her eyes also turn a dark black, the same as the Witness.

Notes from 2044

  • Looks like Jones and Eckland are getting a little closer by this episode's end!
  • Could whatever happened to Cassie at the end affect her return to 2044?

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