Summary
“The Way Out” feels largely uneventful and is quite slow-paced, but this gives the show space to explore the emotional depths of its lead characters instead.
The monsters take a backseat in Episode 5 of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. The Apple TV+ series has promised major blockbuster-sized action sequences in Season 1, but “The Way Out” doesn’t offer any new footage of Godzilla or the Titans, only a few recycled seconds of flashback material. Instead, the show focuses on the emotional side of Cate and Kentaro’s journey as they search their father’s office for clues in the ruins of San Francisco.
The backstory adds details, but fans of the MonsterVerse may still be disappointed by the lack of action or appearances of Titans in this chapter.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 1 Episode 5 Recap
“The Way Out” opens in Alaska at the Monarch Command Post. Tim and his team have captured the four runaways and interrogate them one by one, separately. The gang has been split up and imprisoned at the post. Tim and Duvall want to know what is going on and what information they are missing.
The four captives handle the confinement differently. Cate talks aloud to herself, saying that she isn’t intimidated, whilst Kentaro is visibly violent and aggressive in his prison cell. Meanwhile, May, who is still recovering from the Alaskan debacle, is questioned by Duvall. The Monarch employee offers her a way out, passing May her contact details.
Who is Verdugo?
Tim soon realizes that these three prisoners don’t actually know anything of any worth. He decides to free them straight away. Although Monarch’s Deputy Director Verdugo still wants to question Colonel Lee Shaw in private.
The trio are released. Tim hands them new passports and plane tickets home, courtesy of Monarch. He apologizes for the misunderstanding but reiterates that he will not be able to help them the next time this happens. May decides to head back to Tokyo, but Cate has other ideas.
Cate wants to continue the hunt for Hiroshi, her father. She suggests that they raid his office in San Francisco instead. Kentaro and May eventually agree with Cate’s plans. The trio then journey to the States. As they land, viewers are shown the wreckage of the old city. This place is still haunted by that cataclysmic event, although the city is slowly rebuilding.
At the same time, Lee is interrogated by Verdugo. They argue about the legitimacy of Monarch. Lee thinks the business is outdated and redundant, stating that they had 60 years to plan for G-Day and still failed. Duvall watches the interrogation unfolding; she clearly doesn’t trust this former employee.
Back in America, the trio is picked up by James, Cate’s mom’s friend. They drive to Cate’s mom’s home. Caroline greets them there. Cate wastes no time at all in updating Caroline on her heartbreaking discovery, Hiroshi had a second family in Japan. Caroline tries to ignore this truth but is overwhelmed by the unfolding situation.
Why was Cate really sent to Tokyo?
Cate and Caroline argue about Hiroshi’s lies. Cate questions Caroline’s actions, realizing that she was sent to Tokyo to find out the truth on her own. Caroline knew her husband was having an affair, but she was too cowardly to question it. Cate had to find out for herself. The trip was just Caroline’s way of gaining that information without personally being involved.
In response, Caroline admits that she wanted Cate to get out of her depression. It was an excuse to get Cate out of the house, back into the real world. Cate was still reeling from the trauma of G-Day, where she lost her students in a truly horrific fashion.
After their argument, Cate asks her mother for help getting into the restricted Red Zone in San Francisco. Caroline and James drive the trio into the ruins of the city, paying off the guards along the way. The mother promises to pick them up the following morning. She reminds them that intruders are shot, they must be careful and not get caught.
What happened to Cate just before G-Day?
The trio head through the wreckage of San Francisco, under the cover of darkness. Buildings crumble and collapse around them. They head towards Hiroshi’s office regardless. The familiar surroundings trigger traumatic memories for Cate, who relives the events leading up to G-Day. It’s revealed that Cate had a girlfriend and they planned on moving in together. Although Cate cheated on her girlfriend the very next day.
Whilst in the Red Zone, the trio are chased by soldiers surveying the area. They hide from the guards as Cate undergoes further flashbacks. It is then revealed that Cate and her girlfriend practically split up only moments before the Godzilla attack.
How does Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 1 Episode 5 end?
Cate concludes in the present that she is no better than her father, she abandoned the people closest to her as well. May tries to comfort her, reminding her friend of her bravery in Alaska. The trio arrives at Hiroshi’s office. There is no hidden safe this time around, but Hiroshi’s map on his office wall offers fresh clues instead. They wrap up the poster and head back to the rendezvous point.
The trio reunites with Caroline and escapes the Red Zone unseen. Cate discusses Hiroshi’s lies with her mother once again. They maturely debate the situation this time though. Caroline admits that she knew Hiroshi was cheating on her, but she chose to ignore the fact. The mother states that Cate deserved better, hurt that her daughter was messed up by her father’s absence.
Cate tells her mom that Hiroshi is still alive and that he was working for a secret organization. She declares that she is going to find him no matter what. The episode ends with May phoning Duvall, she wants to go home and is willing to negotiate terms with her enemy to escape all of this mess. This is May’s way out.
What did you think of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 1 Episode 5? Comment below.
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