S01.E04: Atari

[ElectricBoogaloo]

NOTE: SyFy has made this episode available online/on demand before it airs on television. If you haven't watched the episode yet, be aware that there may be discussion of this episode (and therefore spoilers for this episode) below!

 

A fight for the future ensues when a dangerous band of marauders hunting for Cole and Ramse threatens the mission to save the past.

 

Promo:

Edited February 5, 2015 by SilverStormm
amended title format to include air date & added spoiler note

[belladonna77]

There's also a 2 minute episode sneak peek here: 

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Noooooo, Ramsey! Please let this be an elaborate plot by Jones and company to send Cole back to 2015! (yes, I'm in denial)

[shapeshifter]

Does Kirk Acevedo's character get killed off again??? If so, he's like Michael Shanks but without the resurrections.

[wanderingstar]

Does this mean Jones is a goner too?

[coppersin]

When this show first started, I was expecting minimal enthusiasm at best. Now, every episode is better than the last and I'm already feeling worried/sad over the fates of characters by episode 4!

 

Was this episode made available early as well? I'm dying to hear what people thought of it.

[BooBear]

Was this episode made available early as well? I'm dying to hear what people thought of it.

Unfortunately not on my comcast. Darn them. Can anyone do a little recap?  Or tell me where to watch it?

[belladonna77]

I checked the SyFy website (where I watched it early last time) and it wasn't available there either.  I think we will have to wait until next week. :(

[belladonna77]

IMDB says he's in 10 episodes, so I don't think we have to worry. Unless the rest of the time he's in flashbacks.

Noooooo, Ramsey! Please let this be an elaborate plot by Jones and company to send Cole back to 2015! (yes, I'm in denial)

I know!  I really like Kirk Acevedo (except when he was one of the Governor's men on The Walking Dead), but he was awesome on Fringe.  I like the relationship he and Cole have, it gives him something to come back to in 2043.  

[ottoDbusdriver]

I'm thinking that they should have sent him back a couple of weeks to somehow avert the attack on the complex -- they do have a time machine.

 

Then again, maybe he kills Deacon back in 2015.

 

I really hope they don't kill off Kirk Acevedo's character here either -- I'm still pissed that they killed him off on Fringe (well, the Blue universe version of his character Charlie).

[Just Here]

This was available Saturday on Time-Warner's On-Demand...

 

 

 

To answer the big question:  Ramse lives.  And, so does Jones.

 

Episode Summary:

• The episode opens in 2015, with Cole and Railly.  Railly is working on trying to locate the Night Room.
• Then, Cole gets intentionally splintered-back to 2043 early -- on a "Wednesday" -- due to Deacon's attempt at raiding the splinter compound.
• There are also flashbacks to sometime in the 2030s, filling in back story on how Cole and Ramse came to join up and eventually leave Deacon's group.
• Deacon's group does breach the compound and things look dire.
• Jones tries to send Cole back to 2015 "permanently," but part of Deacon's crew breaches the Splinter room, and there is some gunfire just as Cole splinters back to...
• "Monday," just before Deacon's raid.  And, to make matters worse, Deacon and his crew happen upon Cole just after he appears.
• So, with the short time jump, Cole is eventually able to stop Deacon from successfully raiding the compound, thanks to the help of Max (the female scavenger Ramse ran into during the previous episode).
• All of the events before Cole's jump still happen.
• After the raid fails, Deacon conveniently escapes.  And, (I'm fairly sure that) he saw Cole splinter, so Deacon is now probably at least intrigued about what is going on at the compound.
• Max is allowed to stay at the compound.
• Also, Max has a little romantic history with Cole, so there is a potential for a temporal love triangle.  Though, Cole doesn't really seem interested in Max nowadays.
• Jones states that the short splinter jump was due to the splinter device being damaged by gunfire.  So, the short jump was apparently luck and probably could not be repeated.
• At the end, Cole splinters back to 2015, apparently a few hours after the opening scene.  As a hook for the next episode, Cassandra tells Cole that she has found the Night Room.

 

Other Notes:

• The "Atari" title refers to a situation in the ancient Chinese game of "Go" (Wikipedia).  This is discussed during the episode between Ramse and Cole.
• Except for a Splinter-related hallucination scene, Cassandra only appears in the cold open and the last scene.
• I don't think Noah Bean's character appeared at all in this episode.

Edited February 2, 2015 by Just Here

[Chaos Theory]

Not my favorite episode.  Cole's future world is probably the least interesting thing about the show for me.  I don't mind occasional moments here and there but an entire episode bored me.   Not sure where the show is going with the future plot. I have some theories most of them revolve around Deacon being EvilCole which is the only reason I can think for having he entire plot thread happen.  Otherwise it is useless information.  

 

Other then that an episode without Cassandra is a boring episode for me.  

Edited February 7, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[waving feather]

I actually really love this episode. So far, it's my favorite tied with Cassandra Complex. Surprisingly, everyone felt believable here. I also like seeing more of Ramse and love the friendship between these two. The moment Cole went in, intending to kill Ramse and the talk they had was really affecting. On a shallow note, Cole looked really pretty with his hair half tied into a tiny pony tail.

[thuganomics85]

I definitely missed Cassandra a lot, but I actually found myself enjoying this episode, because I did like seeing more of Cole/Ramse. While I still think Cole/Cassandra is the main part of this show, I do think Ramse has played an important part in Cole's life, so I enjoyed seeing it.  Plus, Kirk Acevedo is just awesome and makes even the most mundane scenes kind of awesome.  I knew what the story was going to be like for the most part (Cole falling under Deacon's spell, Ramse standing his ground, Cole considering going through with killing him, etc.), but Kirk and Aaron Stanford made most of it work.

 

I'll admit that I was actually slow on the uptake this time, and it took me a while to figure out that it was Future Cole that gave Deacon the info about how to break in.  But, I did like how it came together in the end, and everything made sense (Present Cole hearing his name, Deacon's confused reaction to seeing Cole already back at the base).  Not surprised that Max came around in the end, but I still enjoyed it. Glad that it seems the show might not pursue any kind of triangle, and Cole doesn't seem to want to continue whatever they had.  Then again, like Ramse says, I think Cole really is all about Cassandra now.

 

I noticed they made a big deal about Jones telling Cole her first name, so I wonder if Cole will bumping into her younger self in the past.

 

At least Cassandra used her lack of screen time to find the Night Room!  But, I do hope we get back to plenty of her and Cole next week.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

So where did Max go after the big fight? She couldn't go back to the West 7 so is she at the compound with Cole and Ramse or on her own in the woods?

[gpgurl50]

So where did Max go after the big fight? She couldn't go back to the West 7 so is she at the compound with Cole and Ramse or on her own in the woods?

I think they said she joined them at the compound because she saved Jones.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Thanks! I must have missed that line. I wonder if she will throw a wrench in their plans when she finds out that Cole isn't into her anymore.

[shapeshifter]

Episode Summary:

• The episode opens in 2015, with Cole and Railly. Railly is working on trying to locate the Night Room.
• Then, Cole gets intentionally splintered-back to 2043 early -- on a "Wednesday" -- due to Deacon's attempt at raiding the splinter compound.
• There are also flashbacks to sometime in the 2030s, filling in back story on how Cole and Ramse came to join up and eventually leave Deacon's group.
• Deacon's group does breach the compound and things look dire.
• Jones tries to send Cole back to 2015 "permanently," but part of Deacon's crew breaches the Splinter room, and there is some gunfire just as Cole splinters back to...
• "Monday," just before Deacon's raid. And, to make matters worse, Deacon and his crew happen upon Cole just after he appears.
• So, with the short time jump, Cole is eventually able to stop Deacon from successfully raiding the compound, thanks to the help of Max (the female scavenger Ramse ran into during the previous episode).
• All of the events before Cole's jump still happen.
• After the raid fails, Deacon conveniently escapes. And, (I'm fairly sure that) he saw Cole splinter, so Deacon is now probably at least intrigued about what is going on at the compound.
• Max is allowed to stay at the compound.
• Also, Max has a little romantic history with Cole, so there is a potential for a temporal love triangle. Though, Cole doesn't really seem interested in Max nowadays.
• Jones states that the short splinter jump was due to the splinter device being damaged by gunfire. So, the short jump was apparently luck and probably could not be repeated.
• At the end, Cole splinters back to 2015, apparently a few hours after the opening scene. As a hook for the next episode, Cassandra tells Cole that she has found the Night Room.

...

Thanks, er, uh, I guess. I'm still a little confused and don't want to rewatch all the violence, so, a couple of questions:

• What was the stuff Deacon put into Cole via a knife slice? Some sort of truth serum? If so, did it work, or was Cole able to lie because of the timey whimey nannites?
• Does the version of Cole with Cassandra at the end of the episode know that another version of himself was able to save Ramse?

Not my favorite episode. Cole's future world is probably the least interesting thing about the show for me. I don't mind occasional moments here and there but an entire episode...

I was dreading an episode set in the tent world, but it served its purpose and wasn't as bad as I expected due to the Cole/Ramse scenes. Best bromance in any timeline, or what?

Cole and Ramse's early episode heart-to-heart tells us that Ramse would not have shot Henri in the previous episode.

Cole and Ramse's late episode heart-to-heart touches on fate v. free will.

Edited February 7, 2015 by shapeshifter

[ElectricBoogaloo]

What was the stuff Deacon put into Cole via a knife slice? Some sort of truth serum? If so, did it work, or was Cole able to lie because of the timey whimey nannites?

No, it was a hallucinogen. He thought he was telling Cassie how to get into the compound to warn them about the imminent attack.

 

 

Does the version of Cole with Cassandra at the end of the episode know that another version of himself was able to save Ramse?

Yes. After he saved Ramse, Jones sent him back to Cassie in 2015.

Edited February 7, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[wanderingstar]

I'm surprised at how much I loved this episode. I thought I'd hate it because of the minimal Cassie/Cole interaction. But I liked getting more insight into life in the post-pandemic world. I loved getting more Ramse and more of his history with Cole. Plus, the bits of Cassie we got were pretty affecting. 

 

I was a bit confused at all the time-jumping Cole did in this episode. I really had to pay attention to this one!

[shapeshifter]

2. Does the version of Cole with Cassandra at the end of the episode know that another version of himself was able to save Ramse?

Yes. After he saved Ramse, Jones sent him back to Cassie in 2015.

Thanks. It would have been interesting if he didn't know too. Since they use the term "splintering," I thought maybe he went to 2015 and just two days earlier in 2043 at the same time. Maybe the writers considered that but figured it would be even more confusing than the episode/show already is. Heh. I still love time travel stories.

ETA: Gillian, Exactly my take on it too!

ETAA: This avclub review is helpful in parsing the episode: http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/12-monkeys-atari-214868

Edited February 7, 2015 by shapeshifter

[BooBear]

I enjoyed it. But I agree with the sentiments above that I prefer the parts with Cassandra so it felt a little like filler. Though for some reason I adore that Cole seemed to bond with Jones. I think those two are great. I also like that Cole clearly needs a moral compass to even him out, in the future he has Ramse and in the past he has Cassandra.

[dirtydi]

I really enjoyed this episode too.  I am a Cassie/Cole shipper (like Ramse), but they needed to flesh out Deacon and Cole/Ramse, separately and as a friendship.  Speaking of Deacon, I want him dead now.

[waving feather]

I agree that it's great how they established that Cole needs a moral compass and reminder of a bigger picture from timeto time and he has that in Cassie and Ramse. The character of Cole is interesting in that he would make a great soldier or spy. He's loyal, focused on the task at hand and willing to do whatever it takes to complete the mission (that includes killing other people or even killing himself). Jones and him are kindred spirits in a way and I really enjoy the their interactions.

[Grammaeryn]

Dumb question - are Cole and Ramsay literal brothers or spiritual brothers?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Since they use the term "splintering," I thought maybe he went to 2015 and just two days earlier in 2043 at the same time.

Splintering is the term used whenever he time jumps (it doesn't mean he's in two timelines simultaneously).

Dumb question - are Cole and Ramsay literal brothers or spiritual brothers?

In a previous episode, Cole jokingly asks about Ramse's mother so I assume they are not literal biological brothers. Edited February 8, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[shapeshifter]

...I noticed they made a big deal about Jones telling Cole her first name, so I wonder if Cole will bumping into her younger self in the past.

Did anyone catch what it was? IMDb still just says "Jones." Maybe Cassie will have to hide her identity at some point and will assume that name.

Dumb question - are Cole and Ramsay literal brothers or spiritual brothers?

In a previous episode, Cole jokingly asks about Ramse's mother so I assume they are not literal biological brothers.

They may have spent time in an orphanage together after their parents died of the plague.

Speaking of which...Deacon served as exposition fairy regarding the survivors having a natural immunity.

[Bort]

Did anyone catch what it was? IMDb still just says "Jones." Maybe Cassie will have to hide her identity at some point and will assume that name.

Katerina

[Cthulhudrew]

I really enjoyed this episode. Up until this episode, I thought that Ramse was going to eventually betray Cole because he was jealous that he wasn't chosen to go back in time, but this one really laid out that Ramse is the moral center without which Cole would have turned into someone cold and dangerous and completely unsuitable for the task ahead of him. As is, we have already seen that he's got a very dark temperament that allows him to make hard choices when needed, but without Ramse, he wouldn't be able to pull back from that. I thought that was a great touch.

 

Their brief convo at the end is something I hope gets expanded upon, too. Specifically, when Cole says things happen for a reason, and Ramse says "Why bother changing anything, then?" Made me a bit disappointed when Cole said he had no interest in Max any more, because I think having the double connection to his present- his best friend and his lover- would have presented a real interesting moral dilemma for him going forward: do I continue to try and avert this catastrophe, knowing it will cost me the ones I love, even though it would save billions? Which would make a great parallel with his convo with Cassie earlier in the episode when he tried to tell her that she needed to make a similar choice- kill other people to save billions.

 

Really enjoying this show, and I like that even though it's based on an existing property, it's enough of its own thing that I really don't know where they are going to take it. That is refreshing in this era of cookie-cutter entertainment.

[belladonna77]

This was a really good episode despite it lacking Cole/Cassie interactions.  I really liked seeing Ramse and Cole's friendship and how it deepened.  Max may not understand why Cole doesn't want to carry on with her after she saved his life which may cause problems.  What I think is really interesting is that once Ramse knows Cole isn't into Max anymore, he immediately knows Cole is interested in Cassie and urges him to open himself up to her.  I wonder if there is anyone special for Ramse.

[mla40]

I like this show, my only complaint is that Cole doesn't show any wtf about 2015. It should be a whole new world to him, to see all of the technology and convenience that we all just accept as normal should have him in a head spin. All we've seen is him asking what is this about the General Tso chicken. Really?

[waving feather]

I like this show, my only complaint is that Cole doesn't show any wtf about 2015. It should be a whole new world to him, to see all of the technology and convenience that we all just accept as normal should have him in a head spin.

 

I am not sure how old Cole is supposed to be but he is alive when the plague started in 2017, right? If we are following close to the actor's age, he would have been an early teen in 2017. So I assume all the technology would exists back then, just that it stopped working after a while. I wouldn't expect him to be a fish out of water regarding those but lacking in pop culture or social graces.

[Cthulhudrew]

I wonder if there is anyone special for Ramse.

 

Cole did mention a woman named "Helena" that Ramse didn't seem to want to talk about. I assumed it was someone (like Max) that he'd met when they were with the West Seven, but then we saw the flashbacks and it didn't look like that was probably the case. So someone from before their time with the West Seven (which was 2032 - 2035, IIRC?) or else afterwards (2035 -2043). There still is some back story about how Cole got tossed into the cage where Jones found him, and how he and Ramse ended up with the military-science team that we haven't seen, so I'm guessing more likely Helena is somehow tied into the Post-West Seven time period.

 

BTW, did anyone get a good look where the Night Room was located? From Cole's expression, I got the feeling that it was right in his hometown in Philadelphia that he'd just finished telling Cassie about, but it could just have been disbelief that they found it so soon and wasn't connected to that at all.

Edited February 8, 2015 by Cthulhudrew

[Netfoot]

BTW, did anyone get a good look where the Night Room was located?

 

Hard to tell for sure, because the converging red lines on the map, plus the map pin itself, obscured the name of the town.  But judging from what is visible of the name and also the surrounding towns, it was Westminster, about 45 Km NWish of Baltimore.

[BooBear]

, he immediately knows Cole is interested in Cassie and urges him to open himself up to her.  I wonder if there is anyone special for Ramse.

 

Maybe Max. Thus the urging Cole to move on to Cassie.   My theory on Jones is that she won't be in the past. That she is from the future... I could go even so far as to wonder if she isn't Cole and Cassie's daughter in a timeline that happens if Cole and Cassie don't stop the plague.  ** theory only ** I just can't get around the idea that Jones looks so much like Cassie. Amazing that Cole doesn't notice it. 

Edited February 8, 2015 by BooBear

[mla40]

I am not sure how old Cole is supposed to be but he is alive when the plague started in 2017, right? If we are following close to the actor's age, he would have been an early teen in 2017. So I assume all the technology would exists back then, just that it stopped working after a while. I wouldn't expect him to be a fish out of water regarding those but lacking in pop culture or social graces.

I had thought of that too but in a conversation with Jones she said he was too young to remember but she was 35 so she can remember the billions unlike Cole.

[Grammaeryn]

Hey, Aaron is my age! So doing the age math is easy:

2043 - age 38

2005 - Cole's birth year

2017 - plague. Cole is 12.

But why did Jones say he wouldn't remember all the people pre-2017? I bet his Hollywood version age in 2043 is 30. So he'd be 4 when the plague hits.

Kirk is 5 years older than Aaron so storytelling wise, it would make sense that since Ramse remembers the world better pre-Plague, he would have better hopes and wishes for how things should be.

Edited February 8, 2015 by Grammaeryn

[Jordan27]

I like this show, my only complaint is that Cole doesn't show any wtf about 2015. It should be a whole new world to him, to see all of the technology and convenience that we all just accept as normal should have him in a head spin. All we've seen is him asking what is this about the General Tso chicken. Really?

There are two other shows with time travel, Sleepy Hollow and Hindsight that have this same problem.  SH deals with someone from over 200 years ago in our time. They have slowly let our advancements filter into his world.  Hindsight deals with a woman sent back to 1995.  Her friend believes she is from the future, but they only barely touch on future events.

 

The problem is that in reality, our technology and events would be talked about in great length. And while some of them are fun to watch, one could spend whole eps just on that.  Plus, the shows all have overriding plots beyond the time travel, so for storytelling purposes, they don't spend a lot of time on them.

[Trini]

I'm another one who wasn't interested in the "scavs" storyline, and I was surprised they spent the whole episode on that.

 

That being said, I did really like seeing more about Ramse and Cole's relationship and history. The time travel twist was interesting and I didn't expect it, although I figured something was wacky when Cole heard his name and VII knowing about the tunnels.

 

I keep worrying what the long-term effects of all this time travel is doing to Cole.

[coppersin]

The casting for this show is very well done - not only do all the characters work for me, but they interact so naturally. I never feel like they're talking/snarking/fighting just because it's in the script. So kudos for that. Even though the future scenes aren't always gripping, the characters keep me interested.

 

And I choose to believe that dog survived, and is happily wandering the halls of the compound. Pets are great for morale!

 

I like this show, my only complaint is that Cole doesn't show any wtf about 2015. It should be a whole new world to him, to see all of the technology and convenience that we all just accept as normal should have him in a head spin. All we've seen is him asking what is this about the General Tso chicken. Really?

 

A few bits like the General Tso scene are fine, but I have limited patience for "fish out of water" scenarios - too many shows/movies over the years with time travel and aliens, I guess. And for this show, I don't really think it's necessary, because 1) Cole probably remembers a little of how things used to be and 2) he's focused on his mission - not a lot of downtime to be in awe of television and air conditioning.

 

My theory on Jones is that she won't be in the past. That she is from the future... I could go even so far as to wonder if she isn't Cole and Cassie's daughter in a timeline that happens if Cole and Cassie don't stop the plague.  ** theory only ** I just can't get around the idea that Jones looks so much like Cassie. Amazing that Cole doesn't notice it. 

I can't decide with Jones - I agree that she looks like Cassie, but is it coincidence, a hint, or just the showrunners knowing that viewers will see time travel everywhere and messing with us? Having her come from further in the future would be an interesting twist

and may be inspired by the source material. The 12 Monkeys movie was based on La Jetée, which also has people from the far future that try to help.

 

We have the Night Room by episode 5! More action hijinks with Cole and Cassie, which makes me happy, and we're moving at a faster clip than I anticpated, which makes me even happier. I'm interested to see where we are by season 2 (please let there be a second season, please let there be a second season...).

[cardigirl]

I'm enjoying this show so much, fingers crossed that it continues to entertain and not suck.  Too many shows on SyFy have turned out to be disappointing to me, but this seems to have the right pitch with acting and writing.

[supposebly]

It's not yet appointment TV for me but I might get there eventually. I almost threw something at the TV when I thought Ramse was dead. Not just because I adore Kirk Acevedo, also because I think the future parts add a nice complexity to the proceedings and the perspectives. I think it would get rather irritating if Cole were to tell over and over how bad the future is but we never get to experience it. And Barbara Sukowa on my screen! That was a nice surprise.

 

I'm not quite sold on Cassandra, she seems a bit too.....shiny for someone who has spent 2 years (I think?) slowly falling apart and becoming somewhat isolated after what she experienced. So, I didn't miss her.

 

Todd Stashwyck's Deacon is awesome and I hope to see him again although I'm not really sure what drives him except that he seems mostly batshit insane.

 

I wonder what Whitley's problem is.