12 Monkeys, S03E04: Brothers
Jan. 19th, 2023 09:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
annavereWell, 12 Monkeys has made me cry again. That's not a complaint. Only the very best shows manage such things.
Alright, I'll deal with the bulk of the story in a second. First all the small stuff. Jennifer still being treated poorly by basically everyone all the time. I wanted to beat Katarina over the head with a rolled up newspaper because how can she not get that Jennifer's drawings are tremendously important by now? She has sinister visions of Cole and Cassie dead in some time they haven't reached yet. Well, that's not good.
Jennifer then figures out that Olivia has more than one bargaining chip, too late to do anything to stop what's happening in 2007. Olivia seeming to break down and display fear is weird. I assume it was an act and she's playing Jennifer the way she's played everyone else. Her facing down a murderous Cole and saying exactly what she needs to keep him from pulling the trigger - I have to admire the nerve, at least.
The Cassie/Deacon sequence delivers a sad moment on its own when almost the first thing Cassie says to him is "Is Cole with you?" Partly, because it's a reminder he will never have a shot with her, but mostly because she so clearly thinks he's on the team, part of the mission, someone who belongs, when he's been rotting in isolation this whole time.
Things get slightly better when the pair fight their way through the gates, and do so very well despite being armed only with knives. The eight month time skip strikes again, as they must have done this sort of thing a lot for Cassie to be so good at it, so he must have made sure she learned close quarter fighting against the inevitable lack of ammo. I love them together, they're like a viking couple.
Also, there's an odd bit of omnipotence backpedaling in which Cassie's escape cannot be altered - at least according to the mysterious priest guy. This disappoints the Tall Man, who nevertheless accepts the verdict. So there's still a chance of the good guys winning. Unrest among the faithful? Priest guy plying his own agenda? The cult is finally getting halfway interesting!
Episode ends with Cassie and Deacon finding their way home from a bombed-out future Raritan via Cassie's butterfly symbol. Future plot alert. However, even the ending reunion is just a more subtle type of heartache. Deacon arrives first, to absolutely no fanfare. The expressions of disappointment no one can bother to hide. Then he gets to watch Cassie arrive, and everyone cheers up. Please, next episode, can Jennifer say something nice to this guy? She should really take note that there's one person in the compound who is treated even worse than she is.
The Cole/Cassie reunion was quite beautiful, as they communicated awareness (on his part) and loss and the passage of time (on hers) without a single word.
Sigh. So here goes my impressions of the Cole/Ramse heartbreak. And the Ramse/Cassie heartbreak, which is not really this episode's concern, except that Ramse is trying to murder her and dies for it. As Olivia says to Cole at the end, "you chose her." Both pairings are intrinsically linked and hit the brick wall together. At high rates of speed.
To make sure it really hurts, the writer of this episode helpfully included a cute gun heist at a bakery, featuring a hurricane of bad puns and vintage banter. Aargh.
The hallway shooting of not-Cassie was horrifying. This never happens - the murderer always realizes in time it's the wrong person, and I was aghast at the subversion, both for the pointlessness of this poor girl dying and that Ramse doesn't even hesitate to do it. Dammit, Ramse. While I was subsequently venting about this, it was my boyfriend (who never pitches in with relationship theories) who said 'Well, of course he didn't check. He wouldn't have been able to look her in the eye.' HEADCANON NOW ACCEPTED.
Ramse suggesting that Cole should go see Cassie. I should hate him at least a little bit for the audacity, but of course it's well-meant and of course Cole takes that advice after it's all over - because Ramse did know him so well. And likewise, Cole knew Ramse was lying the whole time, he just played out the string. That's how it had to be. Just ignore me, I'll be over here choking up.
The shoe is finally one hundred percent on the other foot during their confrontation, when Ramse becomes the man advocating the death of one to save seven billion, Ramse arguing the reset option. No wonder Cole starts yelling at him. They have built to this moment from the beginning. Ramse being the one to break the horrible truth to Cole in the midst of his worst betrayal yet is just so fitting.
It was when they were running through the woods, Cole in pursuit of Ramse, intercut with their childhood that I realized this was it - this was going to be a permanent death. That's when my vision got blurry. And now future Cole telling Cole to forgive himself for things he hasn't done yet makes so much terrible sense.
Then Ramse walking away again, like he did during the Raritan coup, presumably with the same faith. He spoke more than once of Cole's capacity to forgive, but this time he's wrong. And Cole begs him to stop, but Ramse doesn't stop because Ramse decides on a course of action and is implacable in its execution, whoever it betrays. So Cole shoots him in the back three times, and then holds his hand as he dies. This relationship, oh my God.
And Ramse, having gone so far down the road of vengeance, finally reverts to himself at the very end. The argument he made back in season one is finally voiced once more when he tells Cole not to undo the day. "I'll see you soon."
Cole is then so broken by what's happened he turns up bleeding all over the sidewalk in front of 2007 Cassie. Oh, and Ramse shot him at very close range yet didn't kill him. That had to be deliberate.
I must add, while I want this to be reversed at some point, I don't want it to be any time soon or it will cheapen the loss (and possibly damage the beautiful structure of the storytelling). This was painful perfection. Every step of the way. The entire relationship led inevitably to this point. I have no complaints.
Alright, I'll deal with the bulk of the story in a second. First all the small stuff. Jennifer still being treated poorly by basically everyone all the time. I wanted to beat Katarina over the head with a rolled up newspaper because how can she not get that Jennifer's drawings are tremendously important by now? She has sinister visions of Cole and Cassie dead in some time they haven't reached yet. Well, that's not good.
Jennifer then figures out that Olivia has more than one bargaining chip, too late to do anything to stop what's happening in 2007. Olivia seeming to break down and display fear is weird. I assume it was an act and she's playing Jennifer the way she's played everyone else. Her facing down a murderous Cole and saying exactly what she needs to keep him from pulling the trigger - I have to admire the nerve, at least.
The Cassie/Deacon sequence delivers a sad moment on its own when almost the first thing Cassie says to him is "Is Cole with you?" Partly, because it's a reminder he will never have a shot with her, but mostly because she so clearly thinks he's on the team, part of the mission, someone who belongs, when he's been rotting in isolation this whole time.
Things get slightly better when the pair fight their way through the gates, and do so very well despite being armed only with knives. The eight month time skip strikes again, as they must have done this sort of thing a lot for Cassie to be so good at it, so he must have made sure she learned close quarter fighting against the inevitable lack of ammo. I love them together, they're like a viking couple.
Also, there's an odd bit of omnipotence backpedaling in which Cassie's escape cannot be altered - at least according to the mysterious priest guy. This disappoints the Tall Man, who nevertheless accepts the verdict. So there's still a chance of the good guys winning. Unrest among the faithful? Priest guy plying his own agenda? The cult is finally getting halfway interesting!
Episode ends with Cassie and Deacon finding their way home from a bombed-out future Raritan via Cassie's butterfly symbol. Future plot alert. However, even the ending reunion is just a more subtle type of heartache. Deacon arrives first, to absolutely no fanfare. The expressions of disappointment no one can bother to hide. Then he gets to watch Cassie arrive, and everyone cheers up. Please, next episode, can Jennifer say something nice to this guy? She should really take note that there's one person in the compound who is treated even worse than she is.
The Cole/Cassie reunion was quite beautiful, as they communicated awareness (on his part) and loss and the passage of time (on hers) without a single word.
Sigh. So here goes my impressions of the Cole/Ramse heartbreak. And the Ramse/Cassie heartbreak, which is not really this episode's concern, except that Ramse is trying to murder her and dies for it. As Olivia says to Cole at the end, "you chose her." Both pairings are intrinsically linked and hit the brick wall together. At high rates of speed.
To make sure it really hurts, the writer of this episode helpfully included a cute gun heist at a bakery, featuring a hurricane of bad puns and vintage banter. Aargh.
The hallway shooting of not-Cassie was horrifying. This never happens - the murderer always realizes in time it's the wrong person, and I was aghast at the subversion, both for the pointlessness of this poor girl dying and that Ramse doesn't even hesitate to do it. Dammit, Ramse. While I was subsequently venting about this, it was my boyfriend (who never pitches in with relationship theories) who said 'Well, of course he didn't check. He wouldn't have been able to look her in the eye.' HEADCANON NOW ACCEPTED.
Ramse suggesting that Cole should go see Cassie. I should hate him at least a little bit for the audacity, but of course it's well-meant and of course Cole takes that advice after it's all over - because Ramse did know him so well. And likewise, Cole knew Ramse was lying the whole time, he just played out the string. That's how it had to be. Just ignore me, I'll be over here choking up.
The shoe is finally one hundred percent on the other foot during their confrontation, when Ramse becomes the man advocating the death of one to save seven billion, Ramse arguing the reset option. No wonder Cole starts yelling at him. They have built to this moment from the beginning. Ramse being the one to break the horrible truth to Cole in the midst of his worst betrayal yet is just so fitting.
It was when they were running through the woods, Cole in pursuit of Ramse, intercut with their childhood that I realized this was it - this was going to be a permanent death. That's when my vision got blurry. And now future Cole telling Cole to forgive himself for things he hasn't done yet makes so much terrible sense.
Then Ramse walking away again, like he did during the Raritan coup, presumably with the same faith. He spoke more than once of Cole's capacity to forgive, but this time he's wrong. And Cole begs him to stop, but Ramse doesn't stop because Ramse decides on a course of action and is implacable in its execution, whoever it betrays. So Cole shoots him in the back three times, and then holds his hand as he dies. This relationship, oh my God.
And Ramse, having gone so far down the road of vengeance, finally reverts to himself at the very end. The argument he made back in season one is finally voiced once more when he tells Cole not to undo the day. "I'll see you soon."
Cole is then so broken by what's happened he turns up bleeding all over the sidewalk in front of 2007 Cassie. Oh, and Ramse shot him at very close range yet didn't kill him. That had to be deliberate.
I must add, while I want this to be reversed at some point, I don't want it to be any time soon or it will cheapen the loss (and possibly damage the beautiful structure of the storytelling). This was painful perfection. Every step of the way. The entire relationship led inevitably to this point. I have no complaints.
no subject
Date: 2023-01-20 04:22 pm (UTC)'Well, of course he didn't check. He wouldn't have been able to look her in the eye.' HEADCANON NOW ACCEPTED.
Yes, I also accept this 100%! Please thank him for me.
There's something deeply satisfying to me about this relationship being forged the way it was, and how even the unforgivable is forgiven, over and over, because they are each other's family, forever and always.
The bread puns! *tiny sob*
One of my favorite Deacon/Jennifer moments is where he meets old Jennifer and says, "See something you like, Granny?" and she says, "not yet." We get to see their relationship develop from here on out, yay!
no subject
Date: 2023-01-24 01:38 am (UTC)