Chris Connor reviews the fifth episode of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters…
After barely surviving Alaska’s conditions, not to mention a Titan in the previous episode, things take a more sedate pace for our protagonists as Monarch reaches its midpoint. We can see the continued seeds of mistrust between the organisation itself and Cate and Kentaro. Monarch decides the best chance of uncovering what happened to Hiroshi Randa and anything he may have uncovered is to let the three go free and follow their trail.
From here the bulk of the episode focuses on the trio in San Francisco giving the series an additional location and allowing us to get a true sense of the scale of destruction of the events of Godzilla (2014). The San Francisco set sequences also show the level of PTSD Cate is suffering. Rather than cutting back to the 1950s, large chunks of this episode fill in some of Cate’s backstory as a teacher, showing how G Day affected her and the relationships in her life at that point. We also get a sense of how driven she is to find out what happened to her father as a result. This also shows contrasts for the city before and after the Titan battle.
After a few action-packed, globe-trotting episodes, it is sensible to have a more character-driven episode that helps fill in some of their backstories and give us a sense of their motivations. The Kaiju action here is mostly limited to brief flashbacks for Cate. Cate gets frequent flashbacks while the trio search the remains of Hiroshi’s offices for any signs of a trail.
Kurt Russell’s Lee is used more sparingly here but it is clear Monarch fears what he knows and what his depth of knowledge could mean. Interrogation scenes with him and the deputy director are fun with Russell bringing his natural charm.
‘The Way Out’ is another strong addition to Monarch’s first season, cleverly juxtaposing the Kaiju action and pace of the earlier episodes with a more sedate pace and greater emphasis on character. It is not without moments of excitement as our protagonists continue to search for signs of Cate and Kentaro’s father. The show continues to expand the MonsterVerse, commendable for its emphasis on character and the effects the devastation the titans have on the population. The series promises further monster action and globetrotting in its next few episodes with signs of Hiroshi’s next destination.
Chris Connor
