Club Benefits
- Rating: 3/5 Stars
- Verdict: "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" season 2 kicks off right where we left off in season 1. There's so much lore and so many timelines that you wonder if you don't need an encyclopedia to understand it all, and one storyline is starting to separate itself from the pack in terms of quality. But we also get Kong chasing of a Titan, so I can't complain too much.
- Premiere date/time: Currently available to stream
- Where to watch: Stream the season 2 premiere on Apple TV
"Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" season 2 just premiered on Apple TV, and my first reaction after finishing the episode was that we're going to get a lot of Kong this season. My second reaction is that I'm starting to only care about one particular storyline in this show, and that might be a Titan-sized problem.
It's not just the present where Titan X is a problem, either. One of the hallmarks of this sci-fi series is that it's split between two timelines: one in the past with Wyatt Russell starring as Col. Lee Shaw, and one in the present with Kurt Russell starring as Col. Lee Shaw. In season 2, they're both hunting down Titan X, and it remains to be seen if it goes well for either version of Shaw.
This show has a time-hopping problem
The split timelines are officially my most and least favorite thing about this show. I think it's great for filling in the story and fleshing out the world. But I'm starting to find myself really wanting to see one particular timeline, and losing interest in the other.
This largely comes down to two things: chemistry and writing. I love Anna Sawai, who plays Cate Randa; her performance in "Shogun" is exemplary. But this show is not "Shogun," and her character's dialogue is nowhere near as well-written. I find little compelling about her or her half-brother Kentaro (Ren Watabe), and his ex, May/Corah (Kiersey Clemons), only occasionally piques my interest. I'm not sure the group has chemistry with each other, and it drags the story down.
Their story takes place in the present-day timeline, where the highlight is by far Kurt Russell as the older version of Col. Shaw. But the past timeline is far superior, and growing more so with every episode.
Again, this largely comes down to chemistry and writing. The younger version of Shaw, played by Kurt's son Wyatt, is simply better written in terms of character building and dialogue, to the point where the performance is running laps around his dad, who I'd still argue is the better actor.
But the most engaging thing about the past storyline is the simmering tension between Shaw, Dr. Keiko Miura (Mari Yamamoto) and Bill Randa (Anders Holm). Not only is their professional tension — the scientific-minded Keiko and Bill vs. the military man Shaw — a compelling plotline to monitor, but their personal tension is as well. Keiko and Bill end up together, but it's clear she had eyes for Shaw first, and it's just as clear that she's left a hole in his heart that he's struggled to fill. Despite this, the three remain collegial and friendly, adding another layer to the group dynamic.
Despite a flawed premiere, 'Monarch: Legacy of Monsters' season 2 looks set to deliver an epic story
It's a real problem if your monster show's more monster-heavy storyline has me less engaged than a love triangle that dips into will-they-won't-they territory and settling to prevent yourself from being hurt and unrequited love. The main draw of a show about giant monsters should be the giant monsters.
The good news is that by the end of the season 2 premiere, "Monarch" got me hooked with some giant monsters. We finally see the mythical Titan X, which we know from the trailer and things the cast have said in interviews, is the big bad of the season. We also get a decent amount of Kong in this episode, including when he chases off Titan X into the sea when the latter arrives through the rift from Axis Mundi to Skull Island.
The one monster we don't get? Godzilla. Based on the trailer, that'll be fixed before the end of season 2, which looks likely to feature a showdown between Kong, Titan X and Godzilla. If that's the case, I'll gladly suffer through a lot of unengaging story to get that titanic showdown.
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