3 out of 5

Developed by: Terry Matalas, Travis Fickett

covers season 1

In the slew of exciting television properties announced for 2014 / 2015 – a surge of comic book shows; SyFy’s revamped attempt at legitimate television; new stations and streaming channels offering exclusive series – the announcement of a 12 Monkeys series was interesting, but met with some trepidation.  This was, after all, a seemingly limited concept, despite the time travel hook, and the film being beloved and SyFy still somewhat unproven with their facelift…  It was a Wait And See curiosity, for sure.  And when it arrived, confidently shaping the core story in its own way, with actors firmly putting their stamp on characters such that it truly felt like we were watching an original variation and not a forced attempt to call back to or chase away the film, it was quite a surprise.  A couple of okay series had made their way onto the channel by this point, but 12 Monkeys seemed more professional in a way, and more patient.  With 13 episodes to make it through, though, perhaps it was inevitable that it would turn into the Lost-ish waiting game that was somewhat feared from the start.  Time travel logic is espoused, re-rerouted, philosophized; mystical omens from the future / past appear; grim looks are exchanged over memories which we’ve yet to witness…  It gets a little loopy as the episodes go on, wondering if its just going to be a Quantum Leap ‘one more jump’ until the show is cancelled.

However, the writers seem to realize this limitation about halfway through and manage to keep things relatively focused on our core relationships.  A lot of those omens are explained, and a lot of the memories revealed.  And the flexible sci-fi logic is made as much of a question to those employing it as it seems to the viewer.  Cole – time traveler, trying to thwart a virus in the past that would devastate his present, flitting between the two timelines to various points, tracking down clues – and Cassandra, his past (our present) confidant, overwhelmed with belief as to the world’s fate – become just as perplexed as to the effect that they may or may not be having as they should be, and show maintains its grounding.  It’s slow, careful plodding for the majority of the season, though, to maintain this balance, which doesn’t completely fix the sensation of stalling.  Thankfully the acting and scripting and production all remain strong throughout, keeping the show pleasingly watchable.  Still, there will be an endpoint, so though we’ve successfully navigated a first season, one must wonder how long this story should truly try to go on.  But it’s earned my attention for a season 2 to find out.