Apple TV+’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters episode 10, the season finale, picks up just seconds after the end of episode nine. Keiko (Mari Yamamoto) has just saved Cate (Anna Sawai) from being attacked by a Titan, and it’s obvious Cate’s more shocked about seeing her grandmother than she is about almost being eaten.
Cate’s upset that May’s not with her and doesn’t respond when Keiko asks if she came with Bill Randa or Lee Shaw. Keiko has no idea that time has passed or that she’s talking to her granddaughter.
Keiko reveals she set up a beacon and thinks that her rescue signal is what brought Cate into this world that she’s named Axis Mundi (the pole between Heaven and Earth). Cate knows nothing about the signal, and Keiko realizes Cate isn’t with Monarch and never expected to find her.
Cate has no time to respond before May (Kiersey Clemons) emerges from the forest. They hug, and May says, “Holy sh*t!” when she notices Keiko. Lee (Kurt Russell) yells from nearby, asking if it’s really Keiko. Keiko is so out of the loop that she still has no idea why they’re shocked to see her.
Lee says his name from a distance away, and Keiko realizes his voice is different. Before he shows his face, he asks how long she’s been down there. Keiko believes it’s 1959, and she’s been there for 57 days. Lee explains that after she fell, he also came down on a recon mission – but that was in 1962.
Lee tries to ease Keiko into the truth by saying that he was there for a week, but when he escaped back to Earth it was 1982. Now it’s 2015.
Keiko realizes it has to do with gravitational distortion. She sobs, and Lee finally steps out from behind the tree. The full impact of what happened finally dawns on her as Lee gently holds her face. Lee breaks the news that Bill died a long time ago, and it’s just too much for Keiko to handle.
She asks about Hiroshi, and Cate introduces herself as Hiroshi’s daughter.
Meanwhile, in Tokyo, Kentaro (Ren Watabe) demands to know what his dad’s been up to. Hiroshi (Takehiro Hira) admits he was trying to lure out a Titan to show Monarch that a network – and a gateway – exists. He wants to prove his parents were right and maybe stop the next G-Day.
Hiroshi asks his son to help him find the secret to co-existing with the Titans. Kentaro agrees, but only if Hiroshi explains why he had two secret families. Hiroshi can’t, and Kentaro leaves without shaking his dad’s hand.
Hiroshi packs up his remaining belongings in Tokyo and informs Emiko (Qyoko Kudo) that he’s returning to San Francisco to finalize the divorce. Emiko confesses that she dreamed he’d return and no matter what he did to her, she hopes he will have a relationship with his son. However, Emiko also confirms in no uncertain terms that their marriage is over. She even returns her wedding ring.
Over at Monarch headquarters, Verdugo (Mirelly Taylor) tells Tim (Joe Tippett) that the gamma-ray transmissions have stabilized, and the outposts are mostly back online. Tim wonders what they’re doing about the signal Dr. Barnes discovered, and Verdugo insists it’s not a priority. Tim begs to differ. If someone survived, they may have answers to all Monarch’s questions.
Tim won’t let up and suggests Verdugo do something about getting Lee, Cate, and May back. Verdugo threatens to fire him if he doesn’t let it go.
Later, Tim meets up with Kentaro at the whiskey bar, and after comparing wounds, he gets down to business. Tim brought copies of the gamma-ray bursts printout and tells Kentaro they found a message within them. The signal is coming from inside the rifts, and Tim believes Hiroshi will understand what they mean.
Hiroshi’s watching his dad’s final tape when Tim and Kentaro arrive at this door. Hiroshi doesn’t want to work with Monarch, and Tim assures him they don’t want him around either. Tim shows him the gamma-ray bursts, and Hiroshi’s shocked there’s a signal in them and that it’s possible Cate is alive.
Hiroshi wants it to be true but knows the odds are against it. Only Lee has ever made it back alive. He doesn’t want any part of this, but Kentaro talks him into it by striking a deal. Kentaro will work with him if he helps them find Cate.
Tim insists Monarch’s not the only game in town. There’s someone else who’ll help them.
Lee, Cate, and May go with Keiko back to her camp, and Lee’s overjoyed to see the beacon from 1962 is still in good shape. Keiko has reconfigured it to send out a pulse.
As Lee examines the beacon, Cate speaks in glowing terms about Hiroshi, calling him a family man who followed in his parents’ footsteps. Lee wants Keiko to return the settings to their original configuration, and she’s certain she can do that. Lee’s optimistic he can get them home with Keiko’s help.
They struggle to move the beacon closer to Lee’s 1962 spaceship, with Lee joking (sarcastically) that they should take their time so they can return to a world full of robot butlers. While May and Cate take a break, Lee and Keiko finally have time for a private chat. Lee says Bill never came back from a secret expedition to prove that Axis Mundi exists. Lee also assures her that Bill saved Monarch and everything the three built together.
Lee provides Keiko with the CliffsNotes version of what’s gone on since she fell, briefly touching on TVs, cars, and phones. Oh, and we went to the Moon. But, overall, Lee says it’s the same old world.
Keiko would never have been able to move the beacon to the right location on her own, and even with four people, it’s quite a struggle. They finally arrive at the spot, and Lee’s pleased that his ship is still intact. He climbs inside and is amazed it still has juice, and Keiko reminds him that in Axis Mundi time, it’s only been there a few weeks.
They’re busy working on hooking up the beacon to the ship when Keiko announces she’s staying behind. Bill’s gone, Hiroshi is all grown up, and whatever’s happening on Earth is no longer her world. Cate absolutely disagrees. The monsters have taken enough from her, and she needs Keiko in her life. Lee agrees, and Keiko gives in.
They all strap in and prepare for liftoff. All it will take is the beacon attracting a Titan and opening a rift. Once the creature appears and they hit 3,000 feet, Lee will shut off the beacon and the Titan’s retreat will pull them into the rift.
Suddenly, an Ion Dragon Titan appears, but it’s one that was already in the area. (They’re supposedly fiercely territorial.) The rift hasn’t opened yet, and the Ion Dragon is getting too close. Something else starts coming through the rift, but it’s at 7,000 feet. It makes it to 5,000 feet and then 4,000 when the Ion Dragon does a flyover and knocks into the beacon. One of the connections comes loose, and the Titan they need starts retreating.
Lee exits the ship to try and reconnect the beacon. The Ion Dragon lands nearby as Lee struggles to pull the beacon back into place and make the connection. The Titan is within feet of the ship when Lee plugs the beacon back in.
All eyes turn to the rift as Godzilla steps through. The winged Titan turns its attention from the ship to Godzilla. Godzilla sees the ship and lets loose a mighty roar before engaging the dragon in a fight.
The Ion Dragon spits green fluid in Godzilla’s face, which briefly affects the massive creature. Godzilla fights back with his atomic breath and sends the Ion Dragon flying into the rift. That action sets the ship in motion as intended, with the vehicle following the draft of the Ion Dragon. Lee does his best to return to the ship, and Keiko manages to grab his hand while ordering him not to let go.
However, the pull on the ship is too great, and Lee tells Keiko that it’s all right. He thanks her for everything as he slips from her grip and falls away. Keiko screams for Lee, but it’s no use. He’s gone.
Cate and May pull Keiko back into the ship and close the hatch. They strap in for the final part of the journey through the rift.
The ship pops out of the rift and skids a few yards before stopping. They emerge to discover they’re surrounded by spotlights. Armed men rush over to check on their condition and escort them a short distance to a building where Kentaro’s waiting to give Cate and May hugs. He welcomes them back and then credits Hiroshi with doing all the calculations for their return.
Cate and Hiroshi share a lengthy hug, only breaking contact when Hiroshi sees Keiko. Mother and son finally reunite after decades of being apart, and Keiko apologizes for not being there while he was growing up.
Cate then introduces Kentaro to his grandmother.
May’s shocked to see her old boss, Brenda, with Tim, and Brenda admits someone had to pay for all of this. Tim describes their relationship as complicated, and Kentaro confirms there have been big changes in the two years that Cate and May have been gone.
A siren sounds, and everyone rushes to safety inside the building. The camera pans up, and the sign on the building reads: APEX Skull Island Research Station!
Kong has the honor of being the focus of the final scene of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season one.
- Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Episode 1 “Aftermath” Recap
- Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Episode 2 “Departure” Recap
- Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Episode 3 “Secrets and Lies” Recap
- Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Episode 4 “Parallels and Interiors” Recap
- Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Episode 5 “The Way Out” Recap
- Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Episode 6 “Terrifying Miracles” Recap
- Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Episode 7 “Will the Real May Please Stand Up?” Recap
- Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Episode 8 “Birthright” Recap
- Episode 9 “Axis Mundi” Recap
- Apple TV+ Renews Monarch for Season 2 and Announces Spinoffs
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