Seems like I step out of content on February and most of March where some good series were poping and one of them was MONARCH Legacy of Monsters and I didnt want to let it fall into my backlog so starting watching slowly until just yesterday catch up, first wanted to rewatch S01 since its been some time. I was not expecting this after all the drama that went down last season, but the episode opens with and that is exactly what we need right now because Kong is on a total rampage smashing the MONARCH facility and throwing debris like it is nothing while the crew is scrambling just to stay alive, it is legit one of the most intense starts I have seen from this series and it makes me feel like the creators actually listened to people online who wanted more monster action and less talking in dark rooms. The scale of the destruction is huge and you can tell they put real money into the special effects this time because every hair on that giant ape looks real if you can believe something like him would exist and when he lets out that roar that shakes the entire island, if you have a good base you can feel it, it is a massive upgrade from some of the slower moments of the first season that felt a bit thin. Got to say that seeing the MONARCH security teams getting tossed around like ragdolls was kind of satisfying because those guys are always acting so smug and now they are finally facing the consequences of poking a literal god with a stick.
The series continue to build the story of Kate and Kentaro trying to figure out if Lee Shaw is still alive after that fall into the rift and even though the MONARCH suits are calling him collateral damage and saying Skull Island is a suicide mission, the crew is not really trying to follow orders so they steal a speedboat to go find him themselves. Whenever Kate is on screen the series feels draggy but the cast still made it watchable when they were sneaking past a sleeping Kong and the tension of Kate almost getting crushed by a giant ape hand was dope, plus we get these flashbacks to Chile in 1957 where the original trio is hunting sea serpents and finding Lovecraft style towns that worship krakens. The way they jump between the 50s and the present day actually works this time because it feels like the mysteries are finally connecting and seeing young Lee Shaw dealing with the early days of MONARCH reminds you that this organization has been making mistakes for decades. I really liked how they showed the fear in the eyes of the villagers when they talk about the things living under the water, and it adds a layer of dread that makes the whole island feel alive and dangerous.
There is a new character introduced named Brenda Holland who is a total snake and she is trying to use APEX Cybernetics to get closer to the Titans and control them somehow and I would even think to weaponize them, and I am telling you for now she is going to be the main villain we love to hate because she is just so cold and detached from reality. She is basically who thinks she can control nature with a laptop but then Kong shows up and reminds everyone who is really in charge of this planet so it will take time for them to make progress and the scene where Kong just stares into their helicopter close to the end of the episode with one giant eye was terrifying and badass at the same time. Meanwhile, Kentaro is dealing with some serious family trauma because he thinks his father abandoned them for the mission and the emotional weight of that conversation with his mom actually hits hard because it feels grounded in a world of giant monsters. It is one of those rare times where the human drama does not feel like a waste of time and it gives us a reason to care about what happens to these people when they start flying away taken down by Titans, Verdugo RIP.
At the end everything tries to come together but it all felt rushed when they turn on the machine and accidentally let out a tentacle beast called the "Titan X" that snatches Natalia Verdugo right out the bat when Kate let the thing escape, btw the name is kinda cheesy and too gringo imo, and even though Shaw makes it back to our world, he brought some nasty mini titans with him and Kong is pissed off as hell about the rift being open. The action in the Hollow Earth was intense with these small, fast creatures hunting down Shaw but not really, they just move in large groups but will attack anything in their path, and it reminded me a lot of the zerklings on Star Craft trailers, which is a total banger of a vibe for a show about monsters. You might think Lee Shaw would looking older and more beat up because of the physical toll that the rift takes on a human body but not the case, time goes way slower seems almost like Interstellar Miller's Planet. Kurt Russell plays that exhausted but determined energy perfectly, making you wonder what he saw on the other side that changed him so much the first time, the second time for him was like nothing. The episode ended with that massive bad ass look from Kong, you can tell he is not only worry about his island anymore, he is like you just cant stop fucking it up right?? just release ANOTHER Titan.
I am giving this a solid 8 out of 10 because even if the MONARCH security is trash for not seeing a speedboat in the middle of the ocean for hours, the monster stuff is badass and it sets up a story that actually hooks you for the rest of the season, it just feels good when you queue a few good amount of episodes from a series this good, although Im not the type of guy of full season drop, the Netflix style. If they can keep this level of energy and not get bogged down in too many secret meetings and data dumps, we might be looking at one of the best sci fi shows of the year, season 1 did very well but that Kate bullshit they need to cut it off, it is a legit win for fans who just want to see giant things smash each other while the world goes to shit, plus this time the list of creatures is EXTENSIVE. It is a solid start that fixes a lot of the pacing issues from the first season and I am excited to see where they go with this whole APEX Cybernetics conspiracy angle because it feels like everyone has a secret agenda even though sometimes it looks a bit silly but I guess is part of trying to keep a balance and make people like the characters for been fun too. I feel like this season is going to be a total roller coaster specially if you have seen most of the Monsterverse related movies, something that help me a lot of enjoy this TV Series since there are so many connections between the Titans on each of them and thats not even counting that we have not seen Godzilla yet, also I would love to see someone important on the series gets snatch or smash by a Titan ....Kate when??
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