MONARCH just keep giving, yest I have complain about the Kate drama but got to say the rest of the story takes over real fast that makes you forget about her until she shows up and annoys you again with her drama queen stuff, they really cooked with that nasty cliffhanger that would had me itching for the next one lucky me had three episodes to watch in a row, the visual effects artists at Apple TV legit outdid themselves by giving us those Kong back shots from a new angle, it really hits hard seeing the scale of that big ass gorilla on Skull Island as he deals with the mess humans made back in 1973, Lee Shaw is basically a badass for taking command from the bureaucracy people because he knows they do not have time for red tape when Titan X is out there, it is dope seeing Tim finally show some respect and throw that order to arrest Lee into the trash where it belongs. I am telling you, that scene where the monster gives everyone the stink eye for freeing stuff that was supposed to stay trapped was a total banger, and seeing Tim struggle as the new boss while being totally out of his depth made me laugh because he is just not ready for this level of chaos, but then the old guard steps in to show him how it is done, which is exactly what the story needed to move things along.
- IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt17220216/
- Platform: APPLETV
The flashback to 1957 in the sacred cave is where things get really spooky, seeing the crew deal with that creepy critter that moves like a monster was intense, that thing painted the walls with what look like blood honestly is some weird sht and it doesnt even look like from many many ages ago, besides idk how the F they didnt see all the creatures embed into the rocks??. Kate had her scene and kinda stopped being timid and grabbed a fire extinguisher to take on that little bastard, I though this would be an improvement on her character but was just that a single scene, then there is Kentaro who finally is kinda backing up his father but after all they had two full blown years working together after Kate and Shaw where at Hollow Earth to bring back Dr Randal. This episode even had to pull a movie move to give the baby back to the parent to stop the boat from getting wrecked, that scene with Titan X in the ocean was mean with all those teeth, it basically looks like a giant monster with squid features and just pure chaos, not a Kraken from more mythical movies but still very like Kraken style. There is also the nasty village people worship this thing like it is some kind of god was creepy and it makes you realize that Titan X is not just a mindless destroyer but something that has been part of a system for a long time, which adds a whole new level to the mystery of why they were sacrificing stuff to it in the first place, btw I hope they do tell the proper name for this monster because "Titan X" sounds super generic, they should have come up with something more epic.
I have a theory that the blood ritual Keiko and the boys did in the past is why Kate can feel the vibrations in the water now, idk there is a connection between Kate and Keiko because she also was like Lee dont you feel the rumble when they were at the cave and Lee honestly couldnt until it was too savage, it is like she is connected to the monster aura or something, seeing Kurt Russell do his action star thing and survive that massive wave was a banger moment even if it felt like a fake out. Something different from this season is that it doesnt loose you anymore through time jumpgs because the way the episode cuts back and forth between the 50s and now keeps the mystery fresh without being a total letdown. I really cannot wait to see Godzilla show up because we all know he is the legit smoke seeker although as usual feels like Titan X going to kick his ass first specially if all its minions can jump Godzilla while Titan X smack him and take it to the bottom of the sea. I get that feeling becuase there is this scene where Titan X turns back just to save its little baby and there are hundred if not thousands, it shows these creatures have bonds that make them harder to predict than just some random storm, and it makes MONARCH look even more like a bunch of idiots for not realizing they were dealing with a mother and child situation this whole time but Lee did right away.
Everything about the production quality is just solid, from the way they show the scale of the Titans against whales in the ocean to the messy interpersonal drama that actually makes you care about what happens to these people, here is the thing, Hiroshi being mad at Kate for saving Lee Shaw while also being pissed about Titan X being loose is adding some needed tension to the family story, it is basically a mess of old wounds surfacing at the same time as the monsters. The way the show uses the past to build a manual for the present is smart, because the old guard has the instincts that the new tech people just cannot replicate with their gadgets, so seeing Lee and Keiko take over the strategy feels right even if it messes with the official chain of command or drowns their drone LOL. Look, at the end of the day, this episode proves that MONARCH is still one of the best shows on TV right now although its really underrated imo, like flying under the radar and I am not even being generous when I say it is way better than the first season already.
If they keep this momentum going we are in for a total banger of a season, I am wondering if Godzilla is going to show up to put Titan X back in its place or if Kong is going to be the one to finish the job on Skull Island, he already fought a giant squid in the movies although I doubt that squid was the size of Titan X but Kong has also grow up by a lot, either way, I am totally hooked on this vibe they are building with the younger cast that mirrors what Shaw and the Randas had back in the day. It is legit impressive how they manage to balance the big budget action with these small moments of character growth, like Tim finally growing a spine or Kate finding her courage when the bugs start attacking, so if you are not watching this yet you are basically missing out on the best monster stuff we have seen in years, they have been cooking MONARCH for years since Skull Island movies. I hope they do go deeper on the Titan X lore too and give out more context about it because until now its not much, this was another banger of an episode and I give this one a 8/10.
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