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In a thrilling twist for fans of the series, this week’s episode of Monarch shifts the spotlight from human drama to the majestic monsters themselves. With Godzilla making a grand entrance and the introduction of some unsettling but captivating visuals of egg-laying, the episode offers a compelling narrative centered on the beasts. This installment veers away from the usual romantic entanglements, opting instead for an electrifying clash of titans.
The bright, sunlit scenes on the Australian coastline—akin to the vibrant visuals of a Vince Gilligan production—sometimes strain under the challenge of depicting Godzilla’s dramatic confrontation with Titan X. Despite occasional visual hiccups, long-time Godzilla enthusiasts will find the spectacle thrilling. The climax, where Godzilla unleashes his power to incinerate the character Trissop, portrayed by Cliff Curtis, is particularly exhilarating and sure to elicit cheers from viewers.
Titan X, the latest addition to the MonsterVerse, captivates with both its extraordinary and grotesque creature effects and its poignant storyline involving family themes. As the protagonists close in on the creature—Lee Shaw with the beacon to summon Godzilla, and Keiko, Cate, and Kentaro with a plan to redirect its migration—the scene unfolds with Titan X burrowing into the sand amidst its scarab companions. These scarabs assist in constructing a bizarre, tryphobia-inducing nest, which the creature envelops with its regenerated tentacle.
Despite Lee’s objections, Cate approaches the creature, leading to a moment of mutual recognition as Titan X opens its distinct double-pupiled eye. Cate’s discovery of an egg elicits joy, as it confirms her theory that the creature isn’t the threat warranting Godzilla or military intervention. Yet, Godzilla’s arrival disrupts her triumph, throwing the entire situation into chaos. Anna Sawai, a standout performer in the series, skillfully conveys the anguish of witnessing these mighty creatures forced into battle.
Adding to the turmoil, Cate faces betrayal from within her own family. Collaborating with Isabel Simmons, daughter of the dubious Apex corporation’s leader, a family member signals for a team to seize the egg while the monsters are preoccupied. Sawai’s portrayal of Cate’s emotional ordeal as she grapples with this treachery is exceptionally moving.
If you read between the lines of both Kentaro’s conversations about Isabel and May/Cora’s attempt to get answers out of her old boss Brenda, it seems clear that Apex knew or suspected Titan X was pregnant, and that the implant that used May/Cora’s code somehow induced labor, so to speak. Whether she’s working for or against her father’s company, Isabel apparently knew it too, and used Kentaro to get what she wanted.
Trissop may get burned to a crisp, but the rest of Isabel’s team escapes with both the egg and the Randa siblings, while Lee and Kei are separated from them by the monster battle. The creature can only lash its tentacles in vain, then extricate itself from Godzilla’s clutches and swim headlong after the helicopter carrying its offspring.
At first, Kentaro’s betrayal of everything his family stands for in favor of a total stranger and billionaire heiress reads as flimsily motivated — conflict for conflict’s sake. But with Monarch, you always have to remind yourself that the characters are not experiencing all this as a series of cool kaiju fights interspersed with scenes of romantic yearning. (I recently saw someone online refer to it as In the Mood for Love: Skull Island, a description I happily pass along to you.) For these people, the Titans are harbingers of death.
Lee insists on his cockamamie plan over Keiko’s objections because of the mass death that took place on G-Day, an event he says forever changed humanity’s orientation toward the Titans. It’s not about study anymore, it’s about pure stopping power. On the flipside, Cate’s own experience losing loved ones on G-Day make her more opposed to Lee’s plan to recklessly pick a Titan fight, not less.
And Kentaro? He looks at Titan X and sees a monster that killed his dad. He no longer blames Cate — he tells Isabel “she’s not a bad person” when the mysterious rich woman badmouths her — but he’s never going to be enthusiastic about a “save Titan X” plan. Whatever Isabel has planned for that egg is apparently a more permanent solution to the Titan problem than anything either Cate or Lee have in mind, at least as far as a grieving son can see.
Even if it’s not as compelling dramatically as the Lee/Keiko/Bill love triangle or Cate’s solid bond with her time-displaced grandmother, Kentaro’s Judas routine makes sense. So does Monarch, as both a chronicle of human emotional frailty and a depiction of giant ugly monsters trying to kill each other.
Sean T. Collins (@seantcollins.com on Bluesky and theseantcollins on Patreon) has written about television for The New York Times, Vulture, Rolling Stone, and elsewhere. He is the author of Pain Don’t Hurt: Meditations on Road House. He lives with his family on Long Island.