Season 1 of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters finally reaches its epic conclusion in the tenth episode, “Beyond Logic.” How will Cate, May, and Shaw escape from the Hollow Earth? Will Kentaro be able to reconcile with his father? And how does the apparently alive Keiko Randa play into all of this?
Well, let’s answer all of these questions and more one more time. Please bear in mind that there will be full spoilers for “Beyond Logic,” so tread lightly if you haven’t seen it yet. Without further ado, let’s begin.
Also Read: Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Episode 9 SPOILER Recap/Review – Axis Mundi
Monarch Episode 10 Plot
Keiko helps Cate up and the two soon meet up with May and Shaw. Through Shaw, Keiko learns that she’s been trapped in Axis Mundi, a place she theorizes is a realm between our world and the Hollow Earth, for 53 years. The revelation shakes her to her core, but she finds comfort in Hiroshi following in her footsteps and Cate being her granddaughter.
The team comes across the capsule Shaw and his team used to travel to Axis Mundi in 1962, which Keiko rewired into a communication device to send the signals that Tim’s Monarch team has been receiving over the past few episodes. They reconfigure the pod back to its original configuration and head towards the nearest rift.
They activate the device’s Titan lure, but accidentally lure a Titan that was already in Axis Mundi; specifically the Ion Dragon from Episode 2. The Ion Dragon nearly takes them out, but the team is rescued by Godzilla who fights off the creature before ripping it in half. However, Shaw is still stuck outside the pod and sacrifices himself so the others can make it home.
While all this has been happening, Tim has discovered Keiko’s message in the gamma bursts, though he assumes it’s from Cate. He goes to Kentaro and the two convince Hiroshi to help them out after Tim declares that he’s quit Monarch.
As the episode ends, Cate, May and Keiko emerge from the pod and are escorted by soldiers on what appears to be a military base. They have an emotional reunion with Hiroshi and Kentaro, but their joy is short-lived as Brenda, May’s former boss and current head of Apex Cybernetics, arrives to debrief them.
As it turns out, two years have passed since Cate and May entered Axis Mundi and in that time, Tim, Kentaro, and Hiroshi began working for Apex to fund the research and development necessary to bring the girls home. And the base they’re on just so happens to be located on Skull Island as we close off the season with Kong himself leaping into frame, beating his chest, and letting out a mighty roar.
Monarch Episode 10 Critique
“Beyond Logic” is overall a great finale to the first season. Almost every character arc gets paid off, we get an excellent monster battle between Godzilla and the Ion Dragon, and most importantly, the heart and emotional journey of these characters gets the focus it deserves. There’s so many beautiful character moments in this, particularly with how Keiko reconciles with the future.
Shaw telling Keiko about everything that’s changed but also what’s stayed the same. The long-overdue family meetings between Keiko and her grandchildren as well as the reunion with Hiroshi. It’s all remarkably effective and I’ll admit, even managed to bring a tear to my eye. Additionally, Shaw’s sacrifice was a surprisingly powerful moment; though I expect they’ll find a way to bring him back for Season 2.
Where things get a bit iffy for me is the cliffhanger. Don’t get me wrong, the two-year time skip is appropriately intriguing, fleshing out Apex from their limited role as a Mechagodzilla delivery system in Godzilla vs. Kong to the main focus of an entire show is a welcome shift, and I like the dichotomy of a Kong-focused second season after a Godzilla-focused first season given the two’s status as the figureheads of the MonsterVerse.
But it also kind of breaks the canon. While the MonsterVerse isn’t exactly known for particularly deep movie-to-movie storytelling, it’s always at least been consistent. Apex being on Skull Island, especially in 2017 when Monarch is still actively monitoring Kong and the other Titans before King of the Monsters happens, doesn’t really line up with the plot of that film or Godzilla vs. Kong.
Why did the two organizations seemingly never run into each other? If the two did butt heads, why did this not factor into the events of King of the Monsters and/or Godzilla vs. Kong? Granted, this is mostly just nitpicking, but it still bothers me. Also, I won’t lie. I’m a little disappointed that the teases of a romantic subplot for Cate and May turned out to just be teases; though I suppose it could still happen in Season 2.
Much like the rest of the show, “Beyond Logic” is imperfect but ultimately satisfying. There may be one or two things holding it back from perfection, but what is there works for remarkably well and makes you want to see more. And I for one, cannot wait to see what’s in store for Season 2. If there is one. Please make one.
9/10
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