Summary
Episode 7 is riddled with over-the-top, trite action cliches. The episode contains underwritten bad guys, an odd comedic tone, and half-baked flashback sequences.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters has managed to avoid most of the tired trappings of its genre thus far in an impressive Season 1 run, but the Apple TV+ series begins to unravel ever-so-slightly in a lackluster Episode 7. “Will the Real May Please Stand Up?” focuses on May’s backstory, whilst exploring the many other 2015 subplots as well, including Lee’s takeover plans and Cate’s latest mission, with mixed results.
May might just be the least interesting aspect of the whole series and she has bizarrely been handed her own episode here. Hopefully, this is just a blip in an otherwise stellar first season.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 1 Episode 7 Recap
Episode 7 starts in Algeria. Tim wakes at the helicopter crash site, discovering that he is the only survivor from his team. He heads back to the airport, where he bumps into Cate and Kentaro. May has bought them all tickets home, but things are still awkward between the trio.
May goes to the toilets to clear her head and ends up being abducted by her former employers along the way. Cate searches the airport for her friend and finds May’s belongings abandoned in the toilets. Knowing May wouldn’t just leave without her passport and phone; Cate suspects the worst.
What is Hiroshi’s plan?
She believes that Monarch has taken her hostage. Cate challenges Tim right away in the airport foyer. Tim denies the accusations and discusses his time working with Hiroshi instead, building up some kind of trust between the rivals. Tim believes that Hiroshi may be trying to prevent another G-Day from happening.
Cate asks Tim, on behalf of Monarch, to help them find May. In return, she promises to help them find Lee Shaw, who has gone rogue. Kentaro still doesn’t trust Tim or Monarch and isn’t that bothered about finding Hiroshi any longer either. Cate urges him to keep fighting though, to help her find May.
Tim phones Verdugo, telling her about the Godzilla attack. Verdugo wants a debriefing, but Tim thinks he’s just wasting his time. After arguing back, he is suspended for his insolence. Tim informs Verdugo that he is going to help the kids find May no matter what.
Meanwhile, at Outpost 88 in Alaska, Lee and Duvall take over one of Monarch’s bases. Dr Barnes sees this act of terrorism taking place and runs and hides. She phones Verdugo, updating her boss on the unraveling situation. Lee and Duvall start to stockpile the base’s explosives in the meantime.
To track down May, Cate suggests starting with May’s sister. They use her phone to find May’s home address. She lives in Washington. They travel to her home and meet with her family. They’re told that May hasn’t been home in two years, but keeps in contact now and then still.
May’s sister speaks with the gang in private afterward. She tells them that May was in trouble with her old company, AET, which stands for Applied Experimental Technologies. Flashbacks explore more of May’s time with the company and what led her to runaway to Tokyo in the first place.
Why did May run away to Tokyo?
Three years earlier, May was headhunted and recruited as a programmer at AET. She was a skilled worker, but felt that she wasn’t been treated fairly at the company. In retaliation, May hacked the company’s system. She discovered that they were testing on animals in an inhumane manner. She wiped all their data and hard work in response. The system crashed and May became the lead suspect. Scared for her safety, she fled. This is why she ran away to Tokyo and changed her identity.
In the present, May is taken back to AET headquarters in Washington. Her boss, Brenda Holland, interrogates her about the system crash. At the very same time, Tim, Cate, and Kentaro track down May to this very building. To gain access unnoticed, Tim sets off a Titan alert system, which scares the locals, creating pandemonium on the streets.
Brenda doesn’t fall for Tim’s tricks though. She knows that they are here to save May. Brenda reiterates how May has destroyed important work; she is willing to make a deal with her though, to wipe the slate clean. May will receive a fresh start if she reports back to Brenda everything that she learns about the Titans. May refuses to be her spy.
What is May’s real name?
May is then reunited with Cate and Kentaro. She tells them that her real name is Corah. May no longer wants to live a lie, so she uses tough love instead, telling Cate to leave her alone. Cate, Kentaro, and Tim exit the building without their friend, where they are instantly kidnapped once again.
It’s only Verdugo though, they are safe. Verdugo needs their help tackling Lee Shaw, who has gone rogue. Cate offers to help Monarch if they can save May in return. Verdugo accepts the terms and grants May her freedom. May is able to go back home, to be with her family once more.
How does Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 1 Episode 7 end?
The episode ends with a handful of short scenes. May returns to Cate and Kentaro after a brief family reunion. She is seen holding hands with Cate, is this just friendship or something more? Verdugo takes Tim’s advice and goes public with Monarch and the MUTOs. Brenda is seen having a phone conversation with Walter Simmons, it would seem AET is working with Apex Cybernetics, who are prominent in Godzilla vs. Kong.
Then in Alaska, Lee Shaw sets off his explosives directly into the Alaskan Rift. This awakens the ice Titan. The explosives turn the rift into a swirling vortex that then implodes on itself. Lee and Duvall fly to a safe distance from the void and then look back at the rift, which has now been completely destroyed.
What did you think of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 1 Episode 7? Comment below.
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