Monarch took a bit of a detour last week. After getting captured by the mysterious organization, the Randa twins were cut loose to go explore their father’s San Francisco office. There was just one tiny little problem: it was located right in the middle of the “red zone,” a military sanctioned quarantine zone that was actually the epicenter of Godzilla’s destruction. While finding their way inside of it, the group managed to evade the military long enough for Cate to start reminiscing about her past relationships and how they played into the trauma of what she experienced on G-Day.
Eventually they made it to Hiroshi Randa’s office and through clever puzzle solving, they discovered a map that would lead them straight to him. Why was this map left behind? What is Hiroshi after? What’s the deal with Lee Shaw and why won’t Monarch let him go? As we enter the second half of the season, revelations are sure to play out for everyone involved. As always, for clarity, I’ll have separate sections for past and present storylines. Let’s see what trouble those Randa kids will get into this week.
The Present:
Shaw is being transported through Alaska when he’s saved by Duvall. She confronts him about a possible Titan emergence that he thinks is going to happen. She prods him about why he’s so certain about the incoming disaster; he says it’s to atone for his lack of involvement with G-Day and the help he could have provided. In return he asks Duvall why she’s willing to listen to him and she reveals she joined Monarch to help prevent another G-Day from happening due to the loss of her sister. Realizing their ideals align, she helps him escape Monarch captivity.
The Randa siblings and May realize their next destination is in the middle east and plan to head there. As they prepare to leave, they’re surprised to be confronted by Duvall and Shaw. Shaw proceeds to drop the massive news: another Titan disaster is coming, estimated to be 100 times bigger than G-Day. After learning that Duvall is now acting against Monarch’s orders, they all agree to band together to travel together and stop it.
Meanwhile Monarch director Verdugo and Tim are investigating Hiroshi Randa’s San Francisco office to try and understand what the group found. Thankfully the Randa siblings took the map to their father off the wall but Tim notices a series of holes on the wall that make a formation. Unfortunately Tim’s knowledge allows him to recreate a world map and discover the same path that the Randa siblings are on.
Shaw and the group head to the Algerian Desert and meet up with former Monarch members who are preparing to travel with them. Cate is hesitant about working with them, but Shaw brings up the importance of their work and how they can save countless lives by preventing disaster. After some brief convincing from Kentaro and May, the group bands together to form an Anti-Monarch of sorts.
Arriving at the destination marked on the map, the Anti-Monarch finds Hiroshi alive and well with what seems to be a gamma radiation simulator in the back of his truck. What starts as a tearful reunion soon turns into a flight for survival as Shaw realizes what the device is and that it’s calling a Titan. As they begin to flee, Monarch shows up at the exact same time a massive Titan begins to break through the desert floor beneath them. Much to their horror, the Titan is none other than Godzilla, who has been hibernating since the events of G-Day.
Shaw wants to take Anti-Monarch and pursue Godzilla, but the Randa siblings and May insist on pursuing Hiroshi. Shaw takes their map but they refuse to travel with him so they go their separate ways. While traveling towards civilization, May reveals that she sold the group out to Monarch so that she could return to her family which upsets Cate and Kentaro.
The Past:
We’re back to the ‘50s in this episode after the last few episodes explored the Randa kids’ past. The episode opens up at a swanky Defense Federation ball in Washington D.C. where we see Shaw and Keiko attempt to mingle with government officials to keep Monarch’s funding. In doing so, Keiko experiences racist remarks while Shaw seems to be propelled to the face of Monarch as a whole. While on their own, Shaw and Keiko appear to have a developing bond where he praises her as the head of the organization and they share a slow dance while discriminating onlookers watch them. In private, Keiko and Shaw share aspirations of a life with kids and seem to spark a bit of a romance. Before the situation goes further they’re interrupted by an urgent message from Bill Randa.
Back at Monarch headquarters, Bill Randa is convinced another Titan is going to emerge and shows Keiko and Shaw his findings. With evidence not fully concrete, Bill and Keiko decide to head to Japan to find the possible Titan. Shaw reluctantly agrees, staying behind to deal with government officials.
Bill and Keiko meet with their correspondent scientist Suzuki in Japan and he informs them that the locals and even his assistant are too afraid to go to their location. He welcomes them to “Monster Island,” a landmark in the original Toho series that here makes its first appearance in the MonsterVerse. Suzuki proceeds to show them a gamma radiation simulator he’s created that will send out waves for the Titans to respond. Bill suggests that rather than working like a giant telephone, it may in fact act as bait instead and give away their location.
Bill gets in communication with Shaw and tells him about his findings on Monster Island. Shaw tries to inquire about Keiko, but there seems to be tension between regarding her. Upset about not being in Japan with his team (mostly Keiko), Shaw pays a house visit to his General Puckett to ask about being sent out in the field. The General tells him that by doing so he’ll be giving up Monarch and a military career and be back to where he was before: just a soldier.
Back on Monster Island, Bill and Keiko are testing Suzuki’s gamma device and are surprised by the arrival of Shaw. After brief introductions, Keiko quickly realizes that Shaw gave the government full control of Monarch. Shaw tries to convince her that he belongs out in the field in Monarch but she’s convinced it’s only because he wants their relationship to develop. After telling him they can’t put their personal desires over the greater good, they share a kiss.
The romantic moment is quickly interrupted by the gamma simulator being thrown near them and the emergence of the one and only Godzilla. Shaw comes to the horrifying realization that the atomic bomb the military detonated on Godzilla didn’t kill him.
Back in the United States, Shaw insists Monarch meet with General Puckett to report their Godzilla sighting. Instead they discover a change in command as Shaw gave it up by going to Japan. Monarch as they once knew is no more.
Good gosh, that was a jam packed episode. After Episodes 4 & 5 were a tad light on reveals, this episode had us learn why modern Monarch came to be, the fate of Hiroshi Randa, and the formation of Anti-Monarch. We also learned another G-Day may be coming, but once the groups catch up to Godzilla, how will they stop him? Only time will tell, as we have three episodes left and some Kaiju-sized revelations may yet be uncovered.
Recommended Kaiju Film of the Week: Invasion of the Astro-Monster (1965)
I like my Kaiju movies a little weird. By every metric, Invasion of the Astro-Monster fits that bill. Released during the Shōwa-era of the Godzilla films, Invasion of the Astro-Monster introduced space and aliens into the canon of films as an alien race begs to borrow Godzilla and Rodan to stop an extraterrestrial threat in the form of King Ghidorah. Not only does the plot get a little buckwild at points, but the film also introduces the three-headed menace that is easily one of the most beloved villains in the Godzilla series, even returning in the MonsterVerse film Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019).
