Godzilla x Kong: Supernova is a year away, but fear not! Apple TV has Monsterverse fans covered with another outing of their favorite atomic-breathed buddy. Monarch Season 2 expands the Monsterverse world, anchored by excellent performances from Anna Sawai and Mari Yamamoto and some excellent monster moments.
The first season introduced viewers to Cate (Anna Sawai) and Kentaro Randa (Ren Watabe), half-siblings through their father, Hiroshi (Takehiro Hira), whose mother, Keiko (Mari Yamamoto), was a foundational scientist in Monarch's efforts until she went missing for decades. Keiko investigated Titans alongside young Bill Randa (Anders Holm) and young Lee Shaw (Wyatt Russell) in the late 1950s before becoming lost in Axis Mundi, a pocket world between Earth's surface and the Hollow Earth where time moves slowly. She reemerged decades later as though almost no time had passed.
In Season 1, Cate, brilliant ally May (Kiersey Clemons), and an older Lee (Kurt Russell) find Keiko after falling into a portal to Axis Mundi. Lee sacrifices himself to allow Cate, Keiko, and May to escape, emerging two years later in 2017. By that time, Apex Cybernetics (makers of Mechagodzilla) had established a firm foothold on Skull Island. These factors escalate quickly in Season 2.
A New Titan Provides a Strong New Monsterverse Player
Monarch Season 2 sees the emergence of the powerful new Titan X, whom Keiko, Bill, and Lee encountered in their earlier travels into a mysterious village. There's increased tension between Monarch, Apex, and clandestine new actors, and all these forces reunite on Skull Island. We also get new, substantial windows into the world that reveal much about the Axis Mundi and follow the adventures of Keiko, Lee, and Bill in greater depth decades past.
The Godzilla universe has always had long-running lore. As Legendary established the Monsterverse, it became clear early on that it was adding respectful new layers of original mythos to the party; Titans, Alphas, the Hollow Earth, and new players galore across the scene. Apple TV's Monarch joined suit, bringing cinema-grade kaiju action to the party while continuing to evolve it in novel directions. While it is heady to introduce the time-displacing attributes of Axis Mundi to the world, Season 2 commits the Monsterverse's transformation from a mere fun Godzilla spinoff franchise into a fine, smart staple of sci-fi television.
Apple TV is the perfect home for the property, given its continued commitment to well-crafted science fiction projects like Severance, Pluribus, and Foundation. It spared no expense in making Monarch feel as gorgeous, large, and well-choreographed as other Monsterverse outings like Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Titan X is well-designed and boasts excellent CGI, proving another memorable Titan in the world. Season 2 also smartly deepens the Monsterverse's ecological themes to strong effect.
While it's a gorgeous outing with excellent Titan combat, a great sense of scale, and some great new additions to the world, it's worth noting that Monarch could evolve the threat level. Titan X is powerful, but certain elements keep it from providing the kind of villain challenge to Godzilla that the Monsterverse needs. There's a greater emphasis on the threat of human machinations here, a factor that isn't necessarily bad (it worked well with Mechagodzilla in Godzilla vs. Kong), but it does diminish some of the tension as the season goes along.
High Stakes & Great Performances Create an Emotional Season
Season 2 proves to be an emotional one, as the Randa siblings contend with their father's complex legacy, Keiko processes missing so much time with Hiroshi and Bill, and our tours of the past reveal the difficulties Lee had with Bill and Keiko's relationship. Those situations provide considerable emotional material for strong performances, and the cast is more than up for the challenge. Sawai is excellent as Cate, who is tested by complicated family situations and an odd new connection to Titan X. Yamamoto also grounds a stellar performance as Keiko's past is explored, and her role is emphasized in this iteration. Both performers contribute memorable emotional work that grounds this season well.
Both Kurt and Wyatt Russell also prove highlights this season, providing a key link between the family-level dramas and the series' higher stakes. Clemons remains excellent as May, and her role becomes more pivotal in Season 2 as it rolls along, but she's a little underutilized in the first half as so many new factors come to the fore. Season 2 starts strong, ends well, and the historical leg of the journey is riveting, but the present-day crisis struggles to catch up at times in the first half of the season.
Monarch Season 2 is a must-watch for Godzilla and science-fiction fans alike. Thanks to a talented cast, it captures emotional moments without losing the scale that Godzilla fans love. Between Toho's recent command of that complex balance with Godzilla Minus Zero and Monarch, this is a fantastic era for franchise fans.
Season 2 is a heady exploration of complex elements at times, but it's brilliantly handled. At times, there could be a better balance of elements or utilization of characters, and the kaiju challenge to Godzilla could have more determined danger, but there are still top-shelf battles aplenty. Monarch fires on all cylinders in Season 2 for a top-shelf season of television.
Final Rating: 8/10
Monarch Season 2 premieres on Apple TV on February 27.
