In Review: Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (S2 – EP7) String Theory

Synopsis: In String Theory, Shaw receives an impossible radio transmission. Cate and Keiko uncover an ancient link to Titan X. Isabel has a proposition for Kentaro.

The Story

Picking the story up from where last week left off, Shaw and Dr. Suzuki attempt to contact Godzilla through one of the portals, but instead make contact with Shaw from 1962, during his time in Axis Mundi. Realising they have an opportunity, the 2017 Shaw begins guiding his younger self through a mission—placing a tracker on Titan X, which will allow the present-day team to follow the creature’s movements.

Elsewhere, Cate and Keiko, following their discovery of the Titan Song, uncover information in Bill Randa’s old notes about a group of women who were once able to communicate with Titan X. Armed with this lead, the pair travel to the location where these women were based, hoping to learn more.

Meanwhile, Kentaro heads to Phuket in Thailand to meet Isabel, who has a proposition for him. It’s revealed that she is the daughter of Apex’s CEO, but wants nothing to do with either Apex or Monarch. Instead, she has a plan to roll things back to a time before G-Day—and she needs Kentaro’s help to do it.

Back on the Monarch ship, tensions between Tim and May have come to a head, but they’ve still managed to track Titan X, which has now left the water and moved into a desert environment.

Acting

Wyatt Russell and Kurt Russell pretty much take ownership of this episode, as we get wrapped up in their conversation over the radio—one that quite literally transcends time.

There’s a particularly strong scene in which the younger Shaw catches sight of Keiko in Axis Mundi and is about to go after her, only to be talked down by his older self. It’s here that Shaw confesses that his greatest pain comes from having loved and lost Keiko, and the moment lands with real emotional weight.

We also get solid performances from Anna Sawai and Mari Yamamoto as Cate and Keiko embark on their own mission. Through their investigation, Cate begins to reach the conclusion that Titan X may not be the threat everyone believes it to be.

Overall

This was a solid episode, with a nice blend of action and drama. The highlight, without question, is the conversation between the older and younger versions of Lee Shaw, playing out across time in a way that feels both intimate and consequential.

With Cate and Keiko now coming to the conclusion that Titan X may not be a threat, it seems increasingly likely that they’ll have to race to stop Shaw from going through with his plan. It sets up an intriguing conflict heading into the next episode, and it will be interesting to see how it all plays out.