An enraged Kong destroys the APEX base on Skull Island, sending everyone on the run as Apple TV’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season two opens. Cate, Kentaro, Keiko, May, and Hiroshi barely escape in a Monarch helicopter, coming face to face with the angry Titan as they fly to safety.
(The following is a recap of season two, episode one, “Cause and Effect,” and contains spoilers.)
Keiko (Mari Yamamoto) wakes in a hospital bed, surrounded by Monarch employees in protective clothing. Frantic, she flees the room to search for her son. She runs outside only to discover she’s on a massive ship, and Hiroshi (Takehiro Hira) explains this is her legacy. “This is Monarch,” says Hiroshi.
The ship is Monarch’s Outpost 18.
Tim (Joe Tippett) notifies Natalia Verdugo (Mirelly Taylor), the Deputy Director of Monarch, that Kong’s attack claimed 16 lives and injured a dozen more. They watch a video from the attack, and Tim believes something’s got every creature on the island riled up. No one knows what upset Kong but something stirred things up. Natalia blames Tim since he’s the liaison to APEX Cybernetics.
Tim insists they followed all the protocols and never upset Kong before this. Something strange must have happened to set him off.
Keiko demands to know who’s in charge. She’s still reeling from being rescued and traumatized after leaving Lee Shaw (Kurt Russell) behind. Natalia assures Keiko that the dizziness she feels is from being in Axis Mundi for so long. They can’t go back for Lee because of Kong, but Keiko is certain Lee’s alive.
Back onboard Outpost 18, Kentaro (Ren Watabe) informs Cate (Anna Sawai) that she’ll be taken to Tokyo for medical tests and debriefings. After that, she can head home. Kentaro confirms he’s working with their father at Monarch, and he’s spent the last two years trying to get her back. Cate insists they need to rescue Lee; he sacrificed himself to save them.
The action switches to Axis Mundi and confirms Lee is still alive after falling 100’. He doesn’t appear to be injured.
Keiko is sedated so she can rest and recover from being in Axis Mundi for so long. Hiroshi sings to her as she sleeps and then explains to Cate that Keiko’s like a deep-sea diver who ascended from the depths too fast. Cate announces that she’s going back to the island for Lee, even though the base there has been shut down. Kentaro told her they believe it’s a nexus point and she doesn’t care if the island is off-limits.
Cate wants her dad’s help, reminding him he deserted her and her mom. Since she’s going to launch a rescue no matter what, Hiroshi agrees to join her mission.
Brenda Holland (Brenda Holland) checks on May, whose real name is Corah, after her return from Axis Mundi. May (Kiersey Clemons) doesn’t believe Brenda cares about her well-being, and Brenda insists it was her money and technology that got May and the others back. She believes APEX is on the verge of discovering how to live with the Titans. Brenda wants May’s help, certain she could have the missing pieces of the puzzle.
Brenda leaves the outpost without May, and May tells Cate that she knows Brenda just wants her code to make herself look good. Cate confesses she’s not sure what they’re going to do since they’ve seen such insane things—including bringing her grandmother back from the dead. May suggests that she try to really reconnect with her dad. Kentaro was able to, but then again, he had two years to do it while Cate was gone.
Cate begs May for her help retrieving Lee.
Tim brags about Outpost 18’s capabilities and that it’s connected to the G-TASS satellite system. May tries to act impressed while actually keeping Tim away from the monitor as Kentaro, Hiroshi, and Cate make their way to a boat. They’re just about to launch when May joins them.
Skull Island is surrounded by a wall of dense clouds and lightning fills the air. They find an entry point through the clouds and land on the shore. Kentaro and Hiroshi believe the storm wall will envelop them in six hours, so they need to move fast.
Cate, May, Kentaro, and Hiroshi make their way through the jungle and emerge next to a snoring Kong. They’re quietly walking past when Kong rolls over. Cate pushes May out of the way as his gigantic hand falls right where they’re standing. Fortunately, Cate isn’t injured.
Keiko is still lightheaded as she makes it to the control room. Tim suggests that she get more sleep, but she’d rather check out the equipment. It’s far more advanced than when she was investigating Titans. She hopes she can be useful and Tim assures her she’s “everything that’s been missing” from Monarch. Tim believes she can restore Monarch to its intended purpose.
Keiko thinks they can use the technology to avoid Kong and return to the island. Verdugo insists it’s too dangerous and shows Keiko the footage of Kong’s attack. Keiko points out something everyone else missed. She has them zoom in on an unknown monster. Keiko’s certain Kong was trying to protect his island from it.
Cate and the group’s escape has finally been noticed. Keiko thinks they’ll get killed since they’re unaware of another Titan in the area. Verdugo has Keiko fill her in on what she knows about the island.
Kentaro, May, Hiroshi, and Cate find the equipment used to return from Axis Mundi. Kong tore apart the electric grid, complicating their work in getting it up and running. The perimeter fences are down, and anything could have gotten onto the island. Kentaro volunteers to get the backup generators running, with May’s help.
Cate finally has her dad alone and asks why he took on a second family. Hiroshi doesn’t have a real excuse, only admitting he wasn’t thinking. Kentaro’s mom worked at Monarch and shared his world. He couldn’t tell Cate’s mom what he did for a living since it was top secret. Being with Kentaro’s mom made him feel free from having to lie about his life.
Kentaro gets the backup working, but the sudden noises of the machinery catch the attention of a monster. Kentaro manages to hop on a forklift and uses it to spear the monster.
Meanwhile in Axis Mundi, small bugs fill the air as Lee looks around. He comes face-to-face with a Brambleboar.
Hiroshi gets the equipment back online, and Kentaro advises him it’s now or never. Before he can activate the equipment, two helicopters appear overhead. Hiroshi warns Cate they spent two years testing the equipment; rushing now could be a fatal mistake. Cate believes her dad can do this since he spent all that time trying to get her back. Now it’s her turn to do this for Lee Shaw.
Verdugo rushes up, telling Cate and the group that if they don’t leave in 10 minutes, they’ll be stuck there. Cate disagrees, saying they’re ready to send down the pod. Keiko warns Cate that they shouldn’t reopen the rift. They could unleash another monster and she’s not about to lose another family member.
Cate has a flashback to Lee saving her and acts rashly, activating the pod and waking Kong. The rift opens and the pod is pulled into it. Lee races toward it, hoping it’s his way home. Creatures are also on the move, but he’s able to fight them off as he climbs onto the pod. He barely gets in as the new Titan in season two, Titan X, wakes from its slumber.
Lee activates the pod and is pulled up into the rift. Titan X emerges from the rift, while inside the pod, Lee’s attacked by a scarab creature.
Keiko is transfixed by Titan X and Tim tries to pull her away. They need to flee now while they still can. Cate remains at the control panel, keeping the rift open in hopes of Lee’s return. Titan X fully emerges and strikes Verdugo with one of its many legs, sending her flying.
Lee continues to fight off the scarab and finally manages to kill it before the pod flies up out of the rift. He emerges just as Kong roars up. They grab Lee and make a run for it as Kong destroys the equipment with his massive paw. The rift closes as Kong runs after Titan X.
The group, minus Verdugo, makes it back to the helicopters and off the island.
Kong chases Titan X into the sea, frustrated he can’t catch it and furious that the humans have unleashed it in this realm.
A Hunt for a Sea Serpent
Santa Soledad, Southern Chile – A flashback to 1957 shows happier days for Lee (Wyatt Russell), Bill (Anders Holm), and Keiko. They’re searching for a sea serpent the locals insist exists. Hundreds of birds greet their arrival on an isolated island, but the villagers aren’t as welcoming. They either hide inside their homes or silently watch the trio walk to the center of the village.
They find an altar with blood but don’t know what it represents.
The group enters a bar, and Bill immediately attempts to take a photo of a strange creature on the wall. A customer named Tomas pushes his camera down and tosses Bill on the ground. Tomas says they’re not welcome and pulls out his knife. Lee calms things down by speaking Spanish, and Bill agrees not to take any photos.
Lee, Keiko, and Bill debate the origin of the weird sea creature on the wall. Bill’s certain it’s a monster, while Lee and Keiko think it might just be a weird fish fossil. Bill draws a sketch of Tomas’ tattoo, which he’s sure is a sea monster.
Lee looks around and figures out the locals are getting antsy. He suggests they leave just as the bartender, Lucia, asks Bill to dance. She won’t take no for an answer. While Bill’s occupied, Lee and Keiko discuss his love life. His feelings for Keiko are obvious, but she ignores them and notes he’s been occupied with women. She reminds him that he wanted a home, a wife, and kids. He says the army taught him that no battle plan survives the first shot. When she asks why it needs to be a battle, Lee replies, “It feels like anything worth having always is, right?”
As Bill and Lucia dance, Lucia whispers that she’s aware they want to know about the sea serpent. Bill fills her in on his backstory and losing his shipmates to something that emerged from under the ocean. Lucia says the monster is the islanders’ god. If they worship him, the sea will provide. Keiko, Lee, and Bill will be in trouble if they stay.
Later that night, Lucia finds them in the village and is shocked Bill hasn’t told his friends what she said. Lucia wants them to leave now because it’s too dangerous to remain on the island. Keiko asks what she’s hiding, and Lucia promises to show them if they agree to leave.
Lucia leads the trio into a cave filled with drawings of the sea monster. The drawings depict its massive form rising out of the water, and with its return comes bounty from the sea.
New season two episodes stream on Fridays.
- Episode 1 “Aftermath” Recap
- Episode 2 “Departure” Recap
- Episode 3 “Secrets and Lies” Recap
- Episode 4 “Parallels and Interiors” Recap
- Episode 5 “The Way Out” Recap
- Episode 6 “Terrifying Miracles” Recap
- Episode 7 “Will the Real May Please Stand Up?” Recap
- Episode 8 “Birthright” Recap
- Episode 9 “Axis Mundi” Recap
- Episode 10 “Beyond Logic” Finale Recap
- Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 Episode 2 “Resonance” Recap
- Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 Episode 3 “Secrets” Recap
- Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 Episode 4 “Trespass” Recap
- Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 Episode 5 “Furusato” Recap
- Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 Episode 6 “Requiem” Recap
- Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 Episode 7 “String Theory” Recap
- Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 Episode 8 “Separate Ways” Recap
- Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 Episode 9 “Ends of the Earth” Recap
