Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 1
[Note: This review will discuss elements of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters that were revealed in promotional material, such as trailers. If you’re someone who enjoys going into recent TV shows knowing as little as possible, you may want to skip reading this review.]
Reviewing Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is inwardly contentious, due to a bias I have toward all things Godzilla.
As someone who has seen all but three films in the famed kaiju’s arsenal (Monsters All-Out Attack, Shin, and Minus One), the terrorizer-turned-protector of cities around the world holds a special place in my heart. As do the many familiar friends and enemies that have shown up throughout his 70 years onscreen. However, one portion of Godzilla movies that have often struggled are the human stories. Now, due to word of mouth about Minus One, I know this has been elevated as of late by Toho and the monster’s country of origin. There also have been Japanese productions in the past with interesting human conflicts. However, American attempts at crafting interesting human stories haven’t always landed that well. While the 2014 Godzilla film that got Legendary’s Monsterverse started was a good try, nothing in the franchise has really been able to elevate human stories in a highly engaging way.
Enter Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, a ten-episode series for Apple TV+ set in the Monsterverse. More specifically in two different time periods: the mid-to-late 1950s before the events of any of the films (or the Skull Island animated series), and 2015, just after the events of 2014’s Godzilla. The series focuses on Cate Randa, granddaughter of Bill Randa, John Goodman’s character from Kong: Skull Island. After learning that her father died under mysterious circumstances in 2015, she leaves her home in Los Angeles, and goes to his apartment in Tokyo to gather some of his belongings. However, she soon learns that he has a secret family in Japan, meeting her half-brother Kentaro Randa who was also lied to. As they begrudgingly agree to collect their father’s belongings, they uncover mysterious files they manage to decode with the help of a hacker, May—Kentaro’s former girlfriend. However, because of their file decryptions, the trio are targeted by Monarch, a secretive government organization monitoring Titan activity around the world. They end up getting the help of a former Monarch founder, Lee Shaw, in a globe-trotting adventure to uncover the mysteries of their pasts.
This past makes up the second storyline of Monarch, focusing on how the organization began with its three major players: A younger Lee Shaw, a younger Bill Randa, and Japanese scientist Keiko Miura. I’m remiss to give much away here, however, despite the massive paragraph I just wrote out for the present day storyline. Part of this has to do with the past storyline being utilized to explain Monarch’s origins through the eyes of its founding members. Since it’s a key part of the story overall, it wouldn’t make sense to discuss it in-depth in a spoiler-free review. But another reason why I’m being vague is because, overall, the past storyline was the most engaging one between the two. Learning how early Monarch operated and getting an expansion on how the government program came to be adds layers of depth to the Monsterverse never before seen. It’s aided not only by guest appearances from unique Titans, but also by characters whose dynamics are interesting in their own right. This is especially true for Bill, whose key role in the story turns a side character in an early entry into an integral part of the entire franchise.
However, the past is just one part of the story. In fact, flashbacks to the ‘50s are often treated as supplemental material for the main story happening in present day. A story that started off very strong in the first few episodes. The mystery and intrigue of what Monarch was doing and why it was spending time chasing these young people across the globe had me hooked. Not to mention Lee’s portrayal by Kurt Russell, an actor who has consistently embodied coolness since his days as Snake Plissken. The continued movement from new place to new place kept me on the edge of my seat. Then there was the introduction of an even deeper mystery, compounded by the appearance of a fierce new Titan with powers unseen in any other part of the Monsterverse so far. While I wasn’t too intrigued by the characters (save for Kentaro, whose cerebral flashbacks in Episode 4 elevated him to my second-favorite present day team member), the story had me gripped.
Unfortunately, Monarch wasn’t able to keep up the momentum for me.
I understand I’m in the minority here, given the level of praise and popularity the series has received so far. And I am not saying the entire show is uninteresting. However, the present day storyline started to lose my interest halfway through. Part of this was, admittedly, because of just how invested I was in the past storyline. Episodes 2, 6, and 9 are my favorite in the series, specifically because of how much they add to the origins of Monarch and the characters forming the organization. The drama, mysteries, and twists throughout the past storyline were highly engaging and unpredictable, making for a backstory that never faltered throughout the entirety of its focus in the show. But, like I said previously: The past storyline is a side dish compared to the main course of the present day. And, honestly, between the burger and fries, the fries were seasoned a whole lot better.
The fatal flaw in the present day storyline are its characters. Despite getting a helpful heap of development in the first half of the show, Kentaro begins to feel more like a background character as the series goes on. And while they have backstories of their own, Cate and May didn’t resonate with me that much. While the trio of Lee, Billy, and Keiko felt almost iconic, that of Cate, Kentaro, and May just felt lifeless. May especially seemed underutilized during some key parts of the final episodes, notably so after her own backstory was revealed. A backstory that was rather interesting on a rudimentary level, and could have been used to better expand her role in the story. However, I feel as though, once Kentaro and May’s backstories are told, they end up being along for the ride, with Cate as the general main character of the present day events.
Despite this, Cate feels like the least-developed of all the characters—even though she could have been a stellar lead. Without getting into spoiler territory, something is revealed about her in Episode 5 that becomes a defining trait of her character trajectory for the rest of the show. Although it added much-needed complexity to her backstory, it’s a bit frustrating to watch unfold afterwards for two reasons. The first is that, once revealed, her character development appears to stall aside from this trait cropping up once or twice per episode. The second is that said trait has been incorporated into other characters from other shows with so much more depth by being just one aspect of a more three-dimensional character. Maybe I’ve just been spoiled by better written representation in other shows. But it still makes me wish there was more depth to Cate’s character because of how important that could have been.
(I’m seriously tempted to write up a spoiler-filled review of this next week so I can more fully explain what I’m talking about, if anyone is interested please let me know, being this indirect to avoid spoilers makes me feel like no one is going to have any idea what I’m saying)
Beyond its characters, the story of Monarch’s present day wound up feeling very circular by the end. It appeared obvious by Episode 1 that Monarch itself was not evil, but rather misguided because they didn’t understand why Cate and her friends had secret drives from the program. It’s not a spoiler to say that there are multiple sides to the present day story, all of which get some form of spotlight. However, as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that most of the parties are only at each other’s throats due to miscommunication. Coupling this with a lack of compelling characters makes the entire series feel like a moot point. That is, aside from the past storyline, which was a far more compelling narrative that I feel could have made for a strong miniseries if some parts of it were tweaked and expanded.
While I went into Monarch: Legacy of Monsters an excited, highly biased Godzilla fan, I wasn’t able to enjoy it as much as I thought I would. While the past storyline offered a compelling narrative about the origins of Monarch, the present day storyline just didn’t feel as engaging. Story issues and a lack of in-depth characterization in the present day made it feel shallow, despite its major focus on this part of the timeline. While some light shined through the cracks for every character—especially Kentaro—the characters were only interesting up to a point. This was topped off by a finale that could have utilized the backstories of two particular characters in very direct ways, but never took the opportunity to do so. While it wouldn’t have saved the series, it could have at least made for a more intriguing way to end everything.
Be that as it may, as someone who is biased toward Godzilla, I think those looking for more depth regarding Monarch’s past will enjoy this series. While there are some episodes without flashbacks that one would have to stomach, diehard fans of the Monsterverse will like this show for what it is. And while I couldn’t be gripped by the present day storyline, it’s possible some might get more out of it than me. At the very least, it does add some depth to parts of the franchise that explains certain ideas brought about in recent films. But, personally, it just didn’t click with me the way I anticipated.
Even so, I will continue to be a fan of the Monsterverse and Godzilla—and I can’t wait for Godzilla x Kong in a few months.
***
If you like the blog and want to support me, consider buying one of my books here.
For weekly updates on my writing, subscribe to The Crown Informer!
For more Frayed Branches, you can subscribe to get new essays (usually) every Tuesday and Thursday at 5 PM EST—as well as Twigs reviews throughout the week—below:
You can also share this essay by clicking the box below:
Thank you for your support!
ncG1vNJzZmieopbGprDBq5inm5iawG%2B%2F1JuqrZmToHuku8xop2isp560tHnMqKWaqpOdeq2xxpqasmWfm3quu82sq56qow%3D%3D