12 Monkeys – Recap of Season 2 Episode 8 “Lullaby” [Spoilers]

June 13, 2016

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Being the third episode of the season named after a song from The Cure, we can rightly expect romance and doom. But this is also the “groundhog day” episode that reveals new insights into time’s agenda – and it turns out to be hopeful.

‘Meltdown’ ended with Cole and Cassie at a cross roads, after exposing their deep attachments to each other. Cole lies unconscious, as Cassie dwells in new depths of self-loathing and guilt. When will they ever get to reconcile something that feels so inevitable? Not today.

The heartbreak begins as Cassie first lands near Spearhead in 2020. Hannah, a young girl, is dead on a hospital dolly. Her traumatised mother self-soothes with a German lullaby. This is when Cassie shoots Jones dead, to erase the invention of time travel.

I was surprised that Hannah lived to be five. Jones carried around a locket with her baby photo, so we assumed she passed as an infant. Even with delayed-plague, they gained more extra years. This completely changes Jones’ story as a mother.

Next to the time machine, Jones chooses her last words. She reads from Shakespeare’s immortal “To be or not to be”. Convinced that she is the origin of the destruction of everything, she sends Cassie back to kill her on “the day I should have died.”

Dr Adler is confounded by the machine’s glitching, as Cassie’s tether resets. Deacon had no time for Jones’ self-indulgence. He shakes Cole awake, willingly sending his rival to retrieve Cassie. We learn very quickly that Jones can’t be killed, as time resets to the moment Cassie pulls the trigger. Cole arrives right after Cassie’s first reset.

Cole asks Cassie why she came on this mission. She says that both herself and Jones are guilty of ruining people’s lives and making everything worse, so they need to be stopped. Cassie feels like poison, and any mission that separates her from those she cares for, sounds like a good idea.

During season one, we saw Colonel Foster’s statue of the Titan Atlas in his office. This time, we also see angel statues peppered around Spearhead. Are these merely random? Or Easter eggs for something of later significance?

Foster mentions an organised group of nomadic women, thought to be responsible for the latest outbreak. With Cole by Cassie’s side, they match his fingerprints to his 11 year old self, which gets them both arrested. They find Jennifer locked up at Spearhead.

Interestingly, Jennifer feels it is important to establish which version of Cole she is dealing with. Apparently, a later version of Cole that knows about the Hyenas might cross paths with Jennifer at this time. Watch this space!

Jennifer confirms that they are stuck in a reboot before the both of them get caught up in a shootout with Foster’s soldiers, resulting in Cassie being shot. Cole, desperate to spare Cassie from memories of pain, or fearing that Cassie could really die here, rushes to kill Jones to reset the day.

The reset doesn’t sway Cassie from the mission. She suggests splitting up. Cole finds Jennifer who cryptically reveals that time won’t let them erase time travel. Cassie finds Jones quickly and finds Hannah still alive, but Foster discovers her which leads to another reset.

Cassie tries again, this time asking to see the data on the outbreak and realising that Hannah has bacterial meningitis. She breaks Foster’s no-treatment protocol and saves Hannah with Jones’ help. The day resets.

Out of ideas, Cole and Cassie wait out the day. Around a quiet campfire, they have their first real breather together. Cole tells Cassie a story about a time when him and Ramse miraculously survive a hail of bullets that should have eviscerated them. He had two theories – either it wasn’t their time to die, or the thugs shot blanks. It was a sweet moment when Cole made Cassie smile.

Cole confesses that if he could take back breaking into Cassie’s car that night, he would, if it meant that she had a chance to find some moments of real happiness. Cassie wouldn’t let Cole feel responsible and insists it was her choice to get involved. “Go… save the world, Cole,” Cassie laments. “Ah, to hell with the world,” says Cole as he reacts to Cassie pushing him away. “The only world I ever gave a damn about was the one with you in it. Everything I’ve done, it’s been so you have a place to go back to.” Cassie’s eyes misted up as she leans in. But before they could even cuddle, the day resets. Time obviously doesn’t want them to do nothing with Jones either.

Cole gets an idea. He lies to get him, Cassie, Jones and Jennifer arrested for a fake conspiracy, so he can talk to Jones. He needs to know if Jones prefers a little bit of happiness over a lifetime of anything else. As they face the firing squad, Cassie reaches for Cole’s hand and squeezes tight.

Meanwhile, the time machine kicks back into gear and Cassie and Cole return to 2044. They look at each other with warm relief. Jones has a hard time believing that time is on their side, believing there was no time-caused loop and they have failed the mission. They take Jones to the Daughters.

At the camp, Jennifer calls Cole the “Puzzle Maker”, a title that will undoubtedly take on new significance as the story unfolds. She asks Cole to drop the bombshell on Jones.

As if time realised that Jones had given up hope, and was no longer willing to pursue the purpose of time travel, it made sure Cole and Cassie did one thing right before allowing them out of the loop. Jones had to believe that Hannah died, but they had to save Hannah and deliver her into the care of the daughters. Cole also had to break Jennifer out of Spearhead.

In the most emotionally charged scene of the entire series, Jones wordlessly reunites with Hannah, now a beautiful 29 year old warrior. I don’t care how many times you rewatch this scene, you will cry every time. Cassie looks on with tears in her eyes, as a piece of Jones’ soul is redeemed. Will Cassie be able to relieve herself of the darkness within, too? Perhaps she feels that if she’s of any significance, time will send an intervention too.

Back at the facility, Cole tries to bond with Cassie. He holds her hand and she strokes his back. Something holds her back though. “You and I both know that we’re gonna lose so much before this is over,” mopes Cassie. “I’d rather have that moment and lose it than die never having had it at all,” Cole responds bravely. To no avail. Cassie chooses to push him away, though it hurts her to do so.

Back in her room, a psychotically depressed Ramse awaits in the dark with pistol in hand. “Cole sees a light in you. I don’t.” He pushes the pistol into her forehead. Cassie doesn’t flinch. Her calm in the face of certain death only comes naturally to someone who invites oblivion. Seeing an opportunity to relieve Cole of herself, and perhaps to redeem herself, Cassie offers to go on a mission with Ramse to kill the Witness. “Titan. He’s there. He feels safe.”

Will Cole lose hope after so many push backs? Will time need to send him an intervention? What will happen to Cassie and Ramse as they go rogue to hunt the Witness?

Catch up on Season 1, streaming now on Hulu with exclusive special features, or buy the DVD / Blu-ray. Watch Season 2 of 12 Monkeys on Mondays at 9/8c, or on Syfy.com, Amazon Video, iTunes, Google Play, Youtube and XBox.