In Review: Monarch Legacy of Monsters (S2 – EP10) Where We Belong

Synopsis: In Where We Belong, Kong and a mysterious new Titan clash in a battle that threatens to reshape Skull Island, while Shaw embarks on a dangerous journey of his own.

The Story

Picking up from where last week left off, this season finale sees tensions come to a head between Kong and Titan X. The synaptic link that Isabel Simmons and her group have implanted into Titan X only serves to further enrage the creature, drawing the attention of Kong.

Meanwhile, Cate tries to talk Kentaro out of continuing his alliance with Isabel, warning him that she is simply telling him what he wants to hear. Kentaro, however, is convinced she can help him reach Axis Mundi and find the version of his father who was lost there during G-Day. He sides with Isabel without hesitation, even as Cate is taken away and locked up.

Elsewhere, Shaw and Keiko, having located the portal to Axis Mundi, set out to find Titan X and guide it there. The problem is they cannot contact Tim and the others, who are attempting to rescue Cate and Kentaro from the old Monarch base where Isabel and her people are holed up.

Fortune intervenes when Tim, having stolen a couple of jeeps from Isabel’s group, crosses paths with Shaw and Keiko on the way. They arrive at the Monarch base just in time to witness Kong and Titan X locked in a full-scale battle. Inside the control room, Isabel and Kentaro push the synaptic link to its limits, further enraging Titan X in an attempt to ensure Kong’s defeat.

Amid the chaos, Cate manages to escape but finds herself caught between the two Titans, desperately trying to avoid being crushed. Tim and the Monarch team spot her, and Keiko pulls off a last-minute rescue. As Tim and the others enter the facility, their presence alerts Isabel and Kentaro, who quickly flee.

The opening of the Monarch complex reveals Titan X’s egg, prompting the creature to break free from the synaptic link and retreat from Kong to retrieve it. Realising Titan X is only trying to protect its offspring, Kong backs down and returns home.

Disoriented from the effects of the link, Titan X heads towards the Axis Mundi portal but veers off course. After one final attempt to convince Kentaro to abandon his obsession, Cate joins Shaw, Keiko, Tim, and May in a helicopter. Using a recording of Titan X’s calls, along with her own connection to the creature, Cate manages to guide it back on track, allowing it to return to where it belongs.

With the mission complete, everyone except Shaw returns to Monarch’s US base. Kentaro, meanwhile, continues his journey with Isabel in search of other portals. Shaw, tracking them, encounters another Titan nesting within a volcano.

Acting

We get strong performances from Kurt Russell and Mari Yamamoto as Lee Shaw and Dr. Keiko Rand. There’s a great scene where Shaw questions why she always seems to run fearlessly into danger, noting that he’s fairly certain she isn’t suicidal. It’s a small but effective character moment that speaks to Keiko’s scientific curiosity and just how much it drives her.

We also get a tense exchange where Shaw reveals that a younger version of himself in Axis Mundi could have rescued her, but he ordered him not to. It’s the kind of revelation that lands like a quiet gut punch, sparking an argument that’s abruptly cut short by the arrival of Tim and Monarch, as the mission takes priority.

Elsewhere, Anna Sawai delivers another strong performance as Cate, doing a fantastic job of selling her connection to Titan X. It’s a thread that pays off beautifully in the closing moments, where Titan X gives her a gentle, almost affectionate “high five” with one of its tentacles before slipping back through the portal to Axis Mundi.

Overall

This was a solid season finale that leaves a few threads hanging, ready to be picked up in a third season. The standout moment comes toward the end, with a quiet but powerful connection between Cate and Titan X, as the creature gently reaches out with a tentacle to touch Cate’s hand. It plays as both a farewell and a thank you for helping it recover its egg and find its way home.

There are still a few loose ends in play. A new mission to find Kentaro is already underway, with Shaw tracking him through a jungle somewhere, while Tim, Cate, Keiko, and May begin preparing their own search from a newly established Monarch office.