REVIEW: ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ Episode 8 — “Birthright”

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters has become a yo-yo of investment. Spread across two generations, the series has been filled with strong characters. However, the need to keep adding new situations and characters has created less emotional investment. That was clear in Episode 7. With a more intimate story, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Episode 8, “Birthright,” brings viewers back to the past, and it’s even more apparent how investment plays out depending on which approach the creators take.

In the last episode, the audience learned about May’s (Kiersey Clemons) past, AET’s rivalry with Monarch, and that older Lee Shaw (Kurt Russell) was heading somewhere to do something big. And yet, much of that pulled us too far off the set narrative path of the previous episodes to allow the events to carry weight. But with Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Episode 8, we’re back on track with the most exciting and emotionally resonant part of the series: the 1950s.

This time, we follow up on Dr. Keiko Miura’s (Mari Yamamoto) romantic life. While we know that she becomes Keiko Randa, Episode 6 shows her already in love with a young Shaw. But now, Lee is falling to the wayside as Bill Randa (Anders Holm) and Keiko spend more time together with beautiful chemistry based on their curiosity for the natural world. Not only that, Bill is learning more about Keiko’s life beyond Monarch and the son she has back at home.

As a story, the relationships between Bill, Keiko, and Shaw (Wyatt Russell) have been moving. Not only are they discovering something new with Godzilla and the Titans, but they’re building it. Add in having to fight military oversight simultaneously, and it’s intriguing. In this episode, like others before it, the series doesn’t shy away from the post-war bigotry that Keiko experiences.

The series’ romance feels whole and dynamic, with both Shaw and Keiko holding themselves back because of their responsibilities to Monarch. It keeps them at arm’s length even if they don’t want to be. When Shaw fumbles and allows the military to take larger control of Monarch, their relationship takes a pitfall. But when one fades away, another rises.

Instead of making Bill Randa feel like a vulture, the chemistry between Mari Yamamoto and Anders Holm as Keiko and Bill is exquisite. They respect each other. More importantly, though, they see the world in the same way. They believe that Godzilla and the Titans deserve protection. Keiko and Bill also believe in the wonder that kaiju inspire. That is something that Keiko has never had and can’t have with Shaw.

When we snap to the present day (or rather, 2015), we see Shaw now as he holds onto the past. Heading to Kazakhstan, where Keiko was reported dead, Shaw is on a mission to make up for his guilt. His love for Keiko has shown in every interaction with her grandkids and his focus on Cate (Anna Sawai) over Kentaro (Ren Watabe) during discussions. But how is going to make up for the past? By shutting every door he can, he allows the Titans to come above the surface.

Cate and Kentaro are still present in this episode as they help Monarch track down Shaw, who Cate admits she thought may be their grandpa sometimes. But this isn’t their story. In fact, I find it hard to believe that Monarch: Legacy of Monsters ever belonged to the Randa children so much as they were reflecting the past. The narrative around them is its own thing, but every piece of impact it has echoes from past choices.

This isn’t a critique so much as it’s coming to terms with where the show’s focus lies. Or, at the very least, where it is at its strongest. There is an emotional height that Keiko’s relationships and position in a post-war military organization as a Japanese woman bring. Nothing else in the series touches that. There are moments, sure, like going back to G-Day and Cate losing her girlfriend. But they don’t resonate through the series like what happens to Keiko.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Episode 8 is a great episode. It has heart and drama and ultimately embraces a story of complex emotions. The romance in the series is central to navigating Monarch and what it becomes. Down to Shaw trying to overwrite the past to honor Keiko’s memory, love is somehow at the series’ core. I can’t help thinking about what the series could have been if it was only set in the past.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Episode 8 is streaming now on AppleTV+, with new episodes every Friday.