Spoilers for Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Episodes 1 & 2
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is a kaiju fan’s high tea. We can pretend for a minute that we don’t just watch Godzilla and King Kong movies for the fights and destruction as we nibble on a tasty scone with rosemary butter and currant jam. Here’s the thing. The scones of character development are so delicious we nod yes to our waiter (Apple TV+) through the first two episodes as our plates are refilled. We scoff it down, and before you know it, the check comes. We’ve been tricked! By the time the first episode ended, we were sated enough to know we’d be coming back.
That’s when we realize it’s a two-for-one day, and we’re not ready to pass up a second episode of unraveling mysteries, no matter how full we are. The waiter shows up with a new plate of scones as they tell us the story of how the chef brought to recipe over from Japan sixty years ago. In this scenario, scones originated in Japan. By the time it’s over, we’ve only seen a few minutes or so of giant monsters, but the scones are addicting and satisfying. We’re hooked.
Apple TV+ dropped the first two episodes of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters before the weekend, adding to a newly revised universe that centers around the King of all Monsters. They brought the cameras down to a human level and found a way to address the way the world deals with the looming threat of annihilation. We live. So far, the episodes center around a family legacy surely meant to mirror the titular legacy of monsters we hope to see more of. Creators Chris Black and Matt Fraction have a clear vision to bring giant monsters to the small screen in order to enrich the world they live in. Here, Godzilla represents the devastation of war, and we are told the stories of the survivors.
The episode titles seem as if the story is being told backward, with “Aftermath” coming first, followed by Departure. The third episode, arriving on the eve of Thanksgiving, is titled “Secrets and Lies,” implying revelations about the characters we’re getting to know, something that often happens toward the end of a story unless the secrets serve to propel the story forward. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters seems to be an unravelling mystery about several characters with mysterious connections to the secret organization of Monarch.
RELATED: ‘Fallout’ TV Series Release Date Revealed in New Teaser
“Aftermath” centers around two generations, the first of which is dealing with the aftermath of several Godzilla attacks. Note: This Godzilla is the Godzilla of Legendary Pictures and Warner Brothers’ Monsterverse, not to be confused with TOHO’s original or reboot series. Cate Randa (Anna Sawai) is a former teacher dealing with the trauma of having been at ground zero of the first Godzilla attack in San Francisco. While TOHO spent a lot of effort decades ago making Godzilla family-friendly, the new AppleTV+ series makes it clear that death is a consequence. Bridges and buildings that fall have people on them. As Cate Randa is guiding children off a disabled school bus, Godzilla inadvertently causes the bus to go over the edge of the bridge. Screaming children on their way to certain death echoes through Cate’s ears in flashbacks that clearly show that everyday citizens are powerless against the Titans.
After the supposed death or disappearance of her father, Hiroshi Randa (Takehiro Hira), Cate finds herself in Tokyo investigating an apartment that belonged to him. This is where she meets her father’s secret second family, Kentaro Randa (Ren Watabe), and his mother, Emiko Randa (Qyoko Kudo). Cate’s half-brother and his techie ex-girlfriend, May (Kiersey Clemons), find themselves on an unexpected mission to discover the answers to more of their father’s secrets. The most important secret is telegraphed fairly plainly. He’s not dead. That is not something that’s been established, but it’s pretty obvious it will be.
Cate and Ken share a father who was tied to secrets involving Monarch, but it goes further back. As the story unfolds, we learn that their grandmother, Dr. Keiko Miura (Mari Yamamoto), was deeply involved in searching for answers behind the secret organization. Keiko meets Lee Shaw (Wyatt Russell in the flashbacks, Kurt Russell in the present) and her husband-to-be, Bill Randa (Anders Holm), in 1952. Lee has been assigned to protect and escort her during her investigation into some suspicious radioactivity. It’s established early with these characters that Keiko will be involved with Lee before she marries Bill. The flashbacks can be confusing as they jump around the past, but something tells me there will be more family secrets to be exposed.
RELATED: ‘No One Will Save You’ Review: Hulu Delivers an Intense Sci-Fi Horror Surprise
By the end of Departure, Ken, Cate, and May have met the adventurous and old-fashioned man’s man, Lee. At this point, Lee is all but imprisoned in a retirement community sponsored by Monarch, and he’s itching to bolt. When the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys team shows up asking about Monarch’s secrets, Lee answers his call to action with a grin.
Believe it or not, there are creatures amongst to drama, but we aren’t sure what we’re seeing yet. Some scary larval and pupal stage bugs, giant metal-shredding claws, and a dragon. Yes, a dragon. Godzilla only appears for a few moments, and so far, Kong is only in the opening sequences, but there’s a plate of scones that are going to keep me at the table.
We’re hardworking geeks who love to geek out, but we can’t do it without you! If you enjoyed this article and want to see more like it, please consider tipping our writers. Also, as an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
