Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Episode 1.03: Secrets and Lies

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters: Secrets and Lies

In case you missed that the third episode of “Monarch” is about “Secrets and Lies,” that exact thematic concern is named in dialogue several time. In 2015, Cate, Kentaro, and May give Lee Shaw the motivation he needs to escape the Monarch facility he's being held in. The quartet afterwards head to South Korea, where they meet Du-Ho, an old friend and contact of Shaw's. After searching through their dad's documents, it is determined that Cate and Kentaro's father is probably hiding in the Alaskan mountains. Upon arriving, they are attacked by an ice-spewing beast. In 1954, the nascent Monarch run by Lee, Keiko, and Billy convinces the military to give them the uranium they need to lure out a Titan... Which the government uses as a chance to build a massive bomb with the intention of killing the monster. They test the device at Bikini Atoll, coming face-to-face with a very familiar saurian creature.

Obviously, one of the main gimmicks attracting people to “Monarch” is a chance to see Kurt Russell be bad-ass again. “Secrets and Lies” does indeed deliver on this, if briefly. The opening sequence of Shaw spinning a rental car around the Monarch compound is a compelling car chase. Even after that action beat ends, Russell's affable charm and cocksure smirk remains undeniable. He manages to elevate exposition heavy scenes and more dull hand-wringing about the family melodrama at the series' center. He adds a lot of energy to the show. As does Bruce Baek as Du-Ho, a goofy character that operates as disposable comic relief that Baek manages to make somewhat convincing.

If “Monarch” was a show just about hanging out with cool, action hero grandpa Kurt Russell and his wacky Korean buddy, it would probably be a lot more entertaining. But, no, of course, these are only supporting roles. Instead, “Monarch” is all about Cate and Kentaro grappling with the legacy of their deadbeat dad. There's one amusing moment, where the two half-siblings bound over their dad's habit of leaving pencil shavings all over the house. Otherwise, it's fairly turgid stuff. As uninvolving as this plot point is, I still care about it more than whatever melodrama is going on between May and Kentaro. Kiersey Clemons is a decent actress but she is so totally wasted in this crabby, pointless role. Meanwhile, an attempt to get us involved in the deeper leadership struggles within Monarch is even duller.

Three episodes in and the flashback sequences still remain the main reason to watch “Legacy of Monsters.” This episode even provides us with a closer look at the Bikini Atoll bombing scene, glimpsed briefly in Legendary's first “Godzilla” movie. Yes, the Big G actually appears on-screen in this episode... But don't get too excited. There's a lot of dramatic build-up, as Keiko hates the government's decision to destroy what she sees as a rare, magnificent species. The camera careens along Godzilla's scutes and tail as he surfaces. It's all building to... Godzilla standing there and looking at the nuke before it goes off. I'm reminded of Patton Oswalt's bit about the “Star Wars” prequels, which examine a big problem programs like this have. Prequels take place before all the interesting stuff happens. And so, “Monarch” trots out one of cinema's greatest monsters just to have him stand around on-screen for a few minutes. 

Perhaps the show runners were aware of what massive teases they were being with this scene. Maybe that's why they throw in more monster action during the episode's final moments. After landing in Alaska, our 2015 gang of heroes are attached by a monster that resemble a star-nosed mole. (And reminds me a bit of the hot-headed naked ice borers.) This is an exciting scene, that gets right into the monster's bizarre jaws, as it attacks an airplane. The creature – which Wikizilla informs me is called a “Frost Vark” – has freezing superpowers, showing the MonsterVerse's full commitment to comic book logic at this point. It's a solid ending to an otherwise mediocre episode, making sure I'll be coming back to watch the next installment. [6/10]