Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 Episode 2 Review: Titan Mysteries Run Deep

Critic’s Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

4.5

There has been a wealth of titans on Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 so far, but the mysterious sea creature that has a small village in a chokehold is quickly becoming one of my favorites.

Helping matters is that it’s taking center stage in both the present-day and 1957 timelines, meaning that both Keiko and Lee can use everything they learned on the island to help unravel what’s happening in the present.

It’s fitting that Keiko felt her years of learning everything there was to know about the titans were all for naught after she spent 50 years in the Axis Mundi as technology advanced.

Mari Yamamoto is delivering a stellar performance, capturing the nuances of Keiko as she acclimates to a world that continued without her while she remained unchanged.

The fact that Keiko can help is a miracle, given the emotional torment she’s endured on her return to Earth.

I can’t even compute how difficult it must feel for her to have missed out on so much, but I’m here for her as she comes out the other end and uses everything she learned in Chile to help her son, grandchildren, and Monarch keep Earth safe.

It’s obvious we’ve barely scratched the surface with the new titan, and that the past will be key to solving the mysteries that are plaguing the world in 2017.

Keiko and Lee both seem to remember what happened on the island as if it were yesterday, suggesting they treasure it.

There have been hints of a romantic connection between them, and there were flashes of that before Lucia and the rest of the islanders left them as an offering to the titan.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 seems to want to spend a lot of time on this island so far.

When you face death, it changes your perspective, and I suspect that whatever happens between Keiko and Lee as they try to survive the horrors of the island, they’ll ultimately agree to draw a line under it when they escape.

I like the idea that the islands’ inhabitants are superstitious. It means that they’re looking for meaning, and while they may not always be correct in their sentiments, they will stick to them with conviction.

Lucia warned both Keiko and Lee that they should have left the island with Bill, so in her eyes, she did everything she could without going against her beliefs.

But now that the critters have rained down on the buildings from the cave and the titan’s actions could decimate the island, maybe she’ll change her tune.

Keiko and Lee probably survive the attack by the skin of their teeth, but they surely learn the ins and outs of these critters and how their cries somehow piss off the titan.

What other mysteries and weaknesses will we learn in these flashbacks? I’m not sure, but I’m very intrigued about where this is going.

I especially like how the past informs the present-day timeline. Keiko may have lost 57 years, but she hasn’t been relentlessly pursued by Monarch the way Lee has.

Lee clearly has a different view on Monarch than most, but he sees something in the corporation’s current formation in the wake of Natalia’s death on Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 1.

He’s spent so much time in their crosshairs that he had a preconceived notion about how Tim stepping into the captain’s seat would play out.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Delivers Big Risks

Luckily for Lee, Tim is fair and understands that while actions have consequences, the ends have justified the means so far.

Whether that will continue to be the case, I don’t know, but if it allows Kurt Russell to play the hero on a weekly basis, I’m all for it.

Lee’s decision to take the critter on the small boat to save everyone on the sea vessel was risky, and I half-expected the episode to end with everyone thinking he’d perished.

Many other shows would pull that, but Monarch: Legacy of Monsters wants Lee to be the hero, and that’s probably a good thing.

I reckon his luck will run out at some point, and that there will be severe ramifications for everyone involved. Until then, I’m here for these big moments.

Let’s talk about Cate next. I mean, where were the consequences of her actions? Her father was upset with her, but even he knew that he couldn’t rake her over the coals because of his own transgressions.

I believe Cate had remorse, but did we really need May to validate her actions by arguing that she, Kentaro, and Hiroshi were complicit?

I don’t think so. I like Cate a lot, but I hope this outcome doesn’t compel her to put other people in danger on a whim again.

Natalia was never my favorite character, and she was never supposed to be. As the director of Monarch, she had to make tough calls. But as Tim said, she didn’t deserve the fate that she got, assuming she is dead.

Did Natalia Survive Kong’s Wrath?

The rule with any show is that a character isn’t dead until we see a dead body, but I don’t think there’s any way of surviving what she went through.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 Episode 2 was another masterful hour of this Apple TV+ drama, showcasing that there’s no sophomore slump in sight.

The visuals are better, the stakes are higher, and I’m strapped in for whatever comes next.

What are your thoughts on the mysteries of the island? Do you think Lucia did enough to get Keiko and Lee out of harm’s way, or could she have done more?

What’s your take on the lack of consequences for Cate? Do you feel that something big is coming for her?

Let’s mention it all.

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