12 Monkeys: Winning the Future

We all love time travel.

Going back and meeting great figures.  Seeing yourself, avoiding yourself.  Righting wrongs.  Perhaps correcting a great injustice.  Getting the opportunity far a major "re-do". Falling in and out of love and then fixing it for better, or worse.

12 Monkeys has made much of this fantasy and for the most part we've done it hand in hand with Cassie and Cole.

Together we've stopped the scourge of disease.  Invaded secret labs.  Felt the chill of the cold war and come face to face with the greatest of evils.

We will continue to do so as they travel to far off lands and in and out of fascinating times.  Together we will reshape time until we get it right.

But what if that''s not the point?

What if it's about winning the future?

When we last left 12 Monkeys it's main antagonist, "The Witness", had accomplished his dream of Titan.  Not just a time machine but a virtual city devoted to time travel.

As many of the battles that Cassie, Cole and Team Splinter have won, the future seems unchanged.  The Witness still has Titan and within it, a congress of followers willing to do his bidding.  Cassie is still, "The Mother" and some of the major players such as Jennifer and Ramse have been spirited to far off locales.

What has been won?

I had this epiphany recently wherein, as hard as Team Splinter has fought to save the past and change the course of history, they may have gotten their strategy wrong.  

Here, The Witness seems to have a plan where he accounts for all the machinations of his foes and adapts his course respectively.  He's winning backwards from the future.

In other words, while Cassie, Cole and the rest seek to make adjustments from the past, The Witness makes his from reshaping time from the future.

Perhaps that is why we see him lording over Titan and two of his minions in the above poster.  


The Poster

Looking at the poster, The Witness is larger than life and his Titan City is encompassed within his darkened cloak.  Two futuristic beings dotted with lights carry a device forward and it is marked with the Witness symbol.

What is this strange device?  

If I was to hazard a guess, I would call it a "Time re-generator".  A device or series of devices that could be placed anywhere in time in order to remake that era in the vision of The Witness.  Not only can the future be remade but now time going backwards will be the same. 

A cascade of storms.  One constant era rebuilt from the future.  Winning backwards.   Winning across time.  Winning the future.

 

The two figures above seem to be doing the bidding of The Witness.  Carrying the re-generation device or "Time Bomb" over the generations to remake time.

Of course, it could be Cassie and Cole and they've captured a device and set it to undo the damage done!

Why would I think that?


Infiltration

 
Because in the poster for season three (seen above) shows Cole in one of the outfits of the "minions".  Perhaps this suit is specially fashioned to move through time (not back in time, through time).  It might even help the wearer withstand the effects of the devices as they are placed across time.

A "time effect" travel suit.

The concept of infiltration isn't too far fetched.  In this promo pic from season three,  Deacon (Todd Stashwick) looks to be inside Titan.  So, perhaps he's creating a diversion so the others can sneak in.  Or, knowing his character, maybe he just likes to sneak in and shoot things.

Perhaps, even, this picture suggests an infiltration has occurred.  This time in the past where a woman has sought to change things through assassination.  (She's fleeing and carrying a pistol.)

So maybe all is not lost.  Maybe.


The Future and Season Four

I have a feeling all will not be so rosy for Team Splinter.

It could be season three will be one of great struggle for Team Splinter.  Yes, they'll have some victories but for the most part it will be a time of loss.

Especially if what the above picture suggests is true.

Two bodies have been left outside an entrance way.  We seem to be at Titan because of the odd architecture and the classic blue and red colors often used there.

The figure retreating into the distance looks to be "Mallick" as played by Faran Tahir.  Is that Cassie on the right with Cole reaching for her?

Was she unceremoniously tossed out of Titan after fulfilling her role as "The Mother"? 

Another defeat for Team Splinter?  

The Witness seems to have the ability to travel through time not just physically but mentally.  I'm still not clear on the concept but there is one instance where he is just around the corner from Cassie in the hotel room.  (Season two.)  I can't tell if he is actually there or just "projected" there.

Either way, it explains how he is able to foil all the plans of Cassie and Cole.  (While still keeping them together and her protected.)

In closing, perhaps I can define the efforts of Cassie, Cole and Team Splinter as "Bottom up" working back in time while The Witness works from the future in a "Top down" strategy.

If this theory or concept is true then The Witness is well nigh unbeatable.  Not even the suicide by one of our principles would work.  The top down strategy would defeat it or at the very least, your living self could be found somewhere in time and manipulated from there.

I'm sure Terry Matalas and Sean Tretta have something figured out.  Maybe there is a clue in the most recent trailer (next blog post) but until then...

The future is winning.