Godzilla and Kong remain ever-present in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, but season two of the MonsterVerse series belongs to Titan X. The new aquatic kaiju is the centerpiece of a thrilling, much more confident season that expands the MonsterVerse in exciting ways, all while deepening our emotional investment in both its human and inhuman characters alike.
Season two hits the ground running, unencumbered by the necessary lore, character introductions, and connective tissue establishing this series within the larger MonsterVerse, which made for an uneven but solid start to the series. It picks up immediately where season one ended, with G-Day survivor Cate Randa (Anna Sawai) desperate to retrieve Lee Shaw (Kurt Russell) from Hollow Earth after his valiant sacrifice to ensure Cate’s grandmother, Keiko (Mari Yamamoto), was finally able to return home. Rescue efforts on Skull Island don’t exactly go off without a hitch, of course; Kong seems particularly agitated by their attempts. That proves even more alarming with the arrival of a brand new threat: Titan X.
Any and all concerns over the MonsterVerse’s ability to generate human characters as compelling as its monstrous beasts dissolve completely in a new season that’s found its rhythm. Both are well represented in an awe-inspiring season that delivers on thrilling adventure and heart wrenching drama. Showrunner Chris Black, who co-developed the series with executive producer Matt Fraction, gives the Titans and humans equal emotional weight as he puts them all on a high-stakes collision course further exacerbated by the shady dealings of Apex and the unmoving restrictions of Monarch under the constant threat of Titan destruction.
If stopping Titan X’s reign of terror serves as the central mission this season, Keiko’s return from Hollow Earth after decades of being presumed dead unpacks a whole lot of emotional baggage for the Randa family, Shaw, and their allies. It stirs up long-buried feelings of abandonment in her son, Hiroshi (Takehiro Hira), and reignites complicated emotions regarding the love triangle that had formed in the ’50s between Keiko, Shaw (Wyatt Russell), and Bill Randa (Anders Holm). The passage of time in Hollow Earth creates ripple effects that don’t just lend to compelling conflicts and drama; it also adds a new wrinkle for our human protagonists beyond the pesky kaiju predicament.
As such, Mari Yamamoto emerges as one of the series’ most valuable players this season. Keiko’s scientific brilliance makes her indispensable when navigating the Titans’ new behaviors and revelations, with her action prowess rivaling that of both versions of Shaw; but it’s the devastating fallout of a mother realizing what her fateful choices have cost her in terms of family that most impresses. Also formidable and the lynchpin of season two is Anna Sawai’s Cate; her tremendous guilt over choices made shapes the entire trajectory of the season and yields riveting moments of absolute heartbreak and heroism alike.
Brother Kentaro (Ren Watabe) doesn’t fare as strongly; he’s sidelined until mid-season devastation introduces an untrustworthy new addition that feels more like set up for the next season.
They’re matched by Titan X, a brilliant new addition to the MonsterVerse roster. The well-designed creature hails from the ocean’s depths and comes armed with scarabs evocative of Cloverfield, and comes complete with a suitably folkloric background. But Black and his team of writers ensure that Titan X is just as fully developed as Godzilla and Kong, not just in personality but with a complete arc in parallel to Cate’s tumultuous journey.
That Monarch covers so much ground, constantly propelling the story forward amidst breathless action sequences and death-defying encounters, impresses all the more considering how intricately it’s woven into the MonsterVerse’s increasingly complicated timeline. That it’s still fully not caught up to our present makes certain events easier to anticipate, though Black and crew compensate through stunning visuals and gripping storytelling. The nonstop pacing also means that shifts in allegiances and heel turns can sometimes feel too abrupt, many of which are smoothed out by season’s end, while others set the stage for season three. Scale and spectacle can also mean that characters are prone to illogical choices during moments of crisis, but it’s also fleeting.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters‘ second season is a significant improvement, so much so that its epilogue instills extreme excitement for a third outing. If much of season two is ultimately about healing and coming to terms with past mistakes, fiery fissures formed in its denouement signal a much more wrathful, destructive season three.
With introductions now firmly in the rearview, the ensemble is far less unwieldy and their interpersonal relationships now far more engaging in a way that matches the larger-than-life nature of the creatures they’re tasked with pursuing.
The 10-epsiode second season of “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” premieres February 27 on Apple TV+, with new episodes following every Friday through May 1.
