First off, reviewing an entire season of a TV show is always tough, especially in contrast to a movie. I mean, we are talking about basically 10 hours worth of content with multiple directors involved. Anyway, before we begin I do want to mention that I binged the show more or less, which in this case means I watched one episode a night for two weeks. So I didn’t have the gap between episodes that those who watched the show as it was coming out would have experienced. I also want to mention that I’m not going to avoid spoilers in this review. For that reason I would actually suggest people watch the show first before reading on. In fact, I had this season’s cliffhanger spoiled for me in advance thanks to a random YouTube thumbnail (which I’m still salty about). For those who haven’t seen the show and just want the short version, I’d say this season definitely has its flaws, but MonsterVerse fans will still have a good time with it, particularly if they’re open to a story that leans more heavily into the human side of the franchise.
Now with that out of the way, the second season of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is a strange beast. In some ways, it’s a improvement over the first season, delivering more monster action and a clearer focus through the introduction of Titan X which the narrative almost solely focuses on. At the same time, though, it’s also messier. It’s overloaded with plot threads and often unsure how to balance its expanding cast and mythology. The result is a season that can be genuinely gripping when it finds its footing, especially in parts of its second half, but it’s also uneven due to half-baked or abandoned ideas, inconsistent characterization and pacing problems.
In terms of the plot, season two picks up immediately after Kong’s sudden appearance. In the aftermath, Cate Randa accidentally unleashes a new monster known as Titan X while attempting to rescue Lee Shaw from Axis Mundi. As Monarch struggles to contain the creature, Cate wrestles with guilt over releasing it into the world. Meanwhile, the series continues its dual-timeline structure, with flashbacks to the 1950s. These follow Lee Shaw, Keiko Randa and Bill Randa as they uncover ancient evidence tied to Titan X in Chile.
As the season progresses, Titan X ventures across the Pacific while Apex Cybernetics attempts to control the creature for its own benefit. The human cast begins to fracture emotionally after Hiroshi Randa sacrifices himself to save Cate during a confrontation with Titan X caused by Apex’s interference. At the same time, Monarch uncovers more secrets surrounding Axis Mundi. Meanwhile Cate and Keiko slowly realize Titan X may not simply be a mindless destroyer. The season builds toward a finale involving Kong, Titan X and an attempt to return the creature to the rift connected to Axis Mundi.
The biggest strength of the season is that it feels far more ambitious than the first. There’s more monster action and more mythology being explored. The season also benefits from focusing heavily on one primary creature rather than bouncing between threats. Titan X works well conceptually, especially early on. In fact, I was very invested when the series framed the creature with an almost horror-inspired mystery surrounding the Santa Soledad natives in Chile, the scarabs (Shockirus-like creatures that hang off Titan X), cave paintings and ritualistic dances. Those early episodes create a genuinely intriguing sense of mythology.
Unfortunately, much of that setup goes nowhere. The scarabs, which receive enormous focus in the first few episodes, practically vanish from the story later on. Likewise, the Santa Soledad subplot ultimately feels abandoned despite initially seeming crucial to understanding Titan X. A lot of scenes throughout the season feel designed as setup for later revelations that never come. The back-and-forth between timelines also lacks the intrigue of season one where it was like a puzzle unfolding details that helped reveal more of the story. That said, I will defend the approach still as some of the flashback material remains compelling.
As for the pacing, it is also inconsistent. The first four episodes are fairly uneven, though the flashback sections are usually more engaging than the present-day storyline here. The season really starts finding itself around episode 5, while episode 6 is where it becomes genuinely strong. From there, the emotional stakes improve significantly after Hiroshi’s death gives the cast clearer motivations. However, the season still stumbles badly in places. Episode 8 is especially weak, with questionable motivations and awkward plotting. The finale has its issues as well, in particular Cate’s ability to rapidly move between locations in the finale becomes outright distracting thanks to sloppy editing.
The season also struggles with how much it wants to juggle. There are simply too many active storylines competing for attention: Monarch politics, Axis Mundi, Apex’s rise, Titan X mythology, Isabel’s late-season arc with her own fraction, Kentaro’s relationship drama and Skull Island material. Some of this probably would have benefited from being split across multiple seasons instead of all being compressed together.
As for the characters this season, there are ups and downs. On the up side, Tim in particular grows considerably, evolving into a surprisingly likable figure with some genuine leadership qualities. His awkwardness remains intact, but it now feels more endearing than irritating. In fact, his line shutting down May with “Godzilla fears nothing” was one of the season’s better moments.
The emotional core surrounding Keiko, Bill Randa and Lee Shaw also remains one of the series’ strongest aspects. Their dynamic across both timelines works extremely well. Bill Randa’s overall arc across both seasons also becomes surprisingly tragic and satisfying. Even though he appears less frequently this season, the flashbacks continue fleshing him out effectively. The reveal involving the camera and the closure it provides to Bill’s story was especially well handled, helped with a nostalgic trip back to the boneyard from Skull Island.
Hiroshi’s death is also a turning point for the season. Not only does it improve the stakes, but it finally gives Cate and Kentaro stronger emotional grounding. Before that moment, the present-day storyline often felt aimless, especially Cate’s awkward trip to San Francisco. Afterward, the characters at least feel like they’re reacting to genuine trauma and loss.
That said, several character motivations simply don’t hold together. Cate’s determination to protect Titan X never feels fully earned. The show repeatedly hints that she shares some mysterious connection with the Titan, but that still doesn’t help shake the feeling that many of her decisions feel more like plot necessities than believable emotional choices. Kentaro also becomes increasingly difficult to understand as the season progresses, particularly regarding his relationship with Isabel. Speaking of, Isabel herself feels like a character introduced far too late, yet she ends up dominating major portions of the final episodes. May also suffers this season, as her character is bounced around a bit, including a stint defecting to Apex before coming back. Her relationship with Cate also feels awkward, like the writing acknowledges it but didn’t really want to tackle it as a subject this season. This isn’t helped at all by the weak acting from their exchanges either.
Speaking of the acting, the performances are a little mixed, although there are several standouts. Wyatt Russell once again delivers one of the strongest performances in the series as the younger Lee Shaw. He brings charisma, emotional weight and humor to the role, helping carry many of the flashback scenes. The actors portraying Takehiro Hira as Hiroshi and Mari Yamamoto as Keiko are also very solid throughout the season, especially during the more emotionally driven moments.
Unfortunately, some of the modern-day cast struggles with dialogue that often feels painfully on-the-nose. The personnel at Apex Cybernetics in particular suffers from this issue, with lines like “welcome to the free market” feeling almost comically unsubtle, even if the intent is very topical for the world today. Certain emotional confrontations also fall flat due to weak delivery, especially the argument between May and Cate over Titan-control technology, although in general their scenes together and chemistry this season just feels off.
As for the soundtrack, it’s functional, though not especially memorable. The series leans heavily on its main theme, often to the point of overuse. Outside of that recurring motif, much of the music tends to blend into the background rather than stand out on its own. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as the score rarely becomes distracting, but it does mean the season lacks many truly memorable musical moments. I’d honestly be curious how the soundtrack holds up as a standalone listening experience because, within the show itself, it mostly serves atmosphere.
For a side note to the soundtrack, if the song from Hiroshi to the younger Cate sounds familiar, it’s likely due to its use in The War of the Gargantuas (1966). The song is called “Hometown” and is quite famous, also often known under its Romaji title as “Furusato” (故郷). I’d like to imagine its selection was intentional to evoke the film, although given it’s a well known song it could just as likely be coincidence.
In summary, despite some improvements, season 2 of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters isn’t quite as good as the first season. That said, it does improve in terms of overall ambition, while also introducing some genuinely compelling moments involving Skull Island, Axis Mundi and Titan X. Episodes centered around Santa Soledad, Shaw’s Axis Mundi escape, the Godzilla nightmare sequence and the final battle all deliver some of the strongest material the MonsterVerse television side has produced so far.
At the same time, the season often feels overstuffed and unfocused. Entire subplots seem abandoned, several character motivations remain underdeveloped and the narrative occasionally feels like it’s spinning its wheels instead of moving toward a clear destination. The early mythology surrounding Titan X and the Santa Soledad natives is especially disappointing in how little payoff it ultimately receives.
Still, despite its flaws, I found myself enjoying this season. In addition, while the final tease of Kong last season didn’t do much for me, since he’s so prevalent in the films already, seeing the cliffhanger at the end of this season was genuinely exciting (which is one spoiler I won’t ruin here).
