Summary
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters starts to lose some steam in “Parallels and Interiors,” which feels entirely like a filler episode.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters starts to lose a little of its steam in Episode 4, “Parallels and Interiors.” Season 1 made an action-packed debut, with intense, global mayhem. Yet the fourth installment feels lowkey in comparison as the Alaskan storyline takes center stage. Cate and the gang try to escape the ice Titan in 2015, whilst flashbacks explore May and Kentaro’s romance a year earlier in Tokyo.
The Apple TV+ entry in Legendary’s MonsterVerse still has its inspired SFX shots and soundtrack though, with a few instances of engaging action, but the flashback romance isn’t that gripping, and the 50s timeline is sorely missed.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 1 Episode 4 Recap
We open in Utah in 2015, Dr Barnes has discovered strange readings and updates her Monarch team in Virginia of her findings. There has been a radiation spike in Alaska, one that mirrors the data recorded just before the G-Day attack. These readings must surely be linked with the ice monster in Alaska.
The series then returns to Cate’s storyline, back in that snowy landscape. The ice monster destroys their plane and then heads straight for them. Kentaro distracts the monster with a flare gun, buying them enough time to escape to a nearby cave.
Why does the gang split up?
The gang are safe here, but May slips and accidentally soaks her legs in ice-cold water. She worries that this will lead to her imminent death. Without food or shelter and with May’s delirium setting in, the gang must decide where to head next. Kentaro wants to head towards a base he saw from the sky, but Lee would prefer traveling to the coast instead. The gang disagree and split up. Kentaro goes it alone, heading towards the base.
These scenes are intercut with flashback sequences, reverting back to the previous year. They focus on Kentaro and May’s relationship in Tokyo, 2014. Kentaro was launching his own art show at the time and happened to stumble into May out in the street.
This odd meet cute quickly escalates as Kentaro ditches his art show, taking May to a secret whisky bar and then back to his art studio apartment. They flirt with one another at the studio and end up getting more intimate with each other. Eventually, Kentaro agrees to make an appearance at his own art show’s opening. He leaves May at his studio after exchanging phone numbers.
Back in the present timeline, Kentaro hears strange noises and then collapses out in the wilderness. Meanwhile, Cate, May and Lee find themselves literally going round in circles, back at Hiroshi’s campsite. May is wrapped up inside the tent and a fire is made. Lee burns Hiroshi’s documents to keep them all warm.
What does Lee discover about the ice Titan?
It isn’t long before the monster returns though, devouring the campsite and absorbing the fire’s heat in one fell swoop. The trio escape unharmed as the monster departs once again. Lee realizes in that moment that the monster was feeding on the fire and the plane’s engines, it was drawn to the heat not to the humans.
Lee decides to distract the monster by creating a large bonfire. While the monster is feeding on this fire, the gang plan to escape once and for all. May fears that she won’t make it out alive though and orders Cate to leave her there to die. Cate refuses to leave May behind though.
At the same time, Kentaro wakes from his slumber in the icy wilderness. He sees visions of his father and follows Hiroshi’s trail to an abandoned base. Inside this structure, Kentaro finds his father’s pencil shavings and a phone dangling off its hook. Kentaro has further hallucinations, as his past and present blur into one. In these visions his father congratulates him on his art show.
How does the gang escape from the ice Titan?
Back at the crash site, Lee sets his trap. The monster reemerges before Lee is finished setting up though, startling the team. Cate and May run away from the monster as a helicopter circles overhead. Lee seizes his opportunity, setting off his explosive bonfire distraction. The Titan falls for the trap and feasts on the flames.
How does Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 1 Episode 4 end?
The trio escapes in the helicopter, which has just landed by the crash site. The trio are surprised to find Kentaro waiting for them inside the chopper. He managed to call for help and has actually saved the day with his stubborn solo mission.
The episode ends with the four survivors flying back to safety in this helicopter. On the way home, Cate thanks Kentaro for saving their lives. Kentaro mentions finding pencil shavings at the abandoned base. He believes that his father, Hiroshi, is still alive. The plane then lands back in civilization and they are greeted by the Monarch bad guy Tim.
What did you think of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 1 Episode 4? Comment below.
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