On Review: Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (S2 – EP4) Trespass

Synopsis: In ‘Trespass’, to get Hiroshi’s device back, Shaw and the team execute a daring heist at Apex Cybernetics.

The Story

Picking the story up from last week, Shaw concocts a daring heist plan to recover Hiroshi’s device from Apex Cybernetics. May uses her access to help Shaw and the others bypass Apex security after they discover that the company has been taking monsters from Axis Mundi and has begun a breeding program.

Meanwhile, Tim and the Monarch crew are dealing with a potential new threat when a sea serpent attacks a Samoan beach, killing two surfers. The incident raises fears of another attack, particularly in San Francisco, where Cate has decided to return in order to reunite with Hiroshi, Kentaro, Shaw, and Keiko and continue helping them learn more about the Titans.

At Apex, Shaw and the gang manage to locate Hiroshi’s device, but it has been taken apart and is now useless. However, they discover something just as valuable when they come across a large collection of Bill Randa’s research, including the complete migration route of the sea serpent, work that he originally began back in 1957.

In a flashback sequence, we see the moment Bill leaves Hiroshi with family so that he can head off in search of more monsters. This moment is nicely juxtaposed with Hiroshi rediscovering Keiko’s love letter to Shaw in 2017, adding an emotional layer to the episode that connects the past and present storylines.

After learning more about a mysterious project that Apex is working on, May decides to stay behind with the company, allowing Shaw and the others to escape. This leads to the group finally being reunited with Cate as the story continues to expand, with the episode setting up several new threads that will clearly play a major role as the season progresses.

The Acting

Kurt Russell gets to flex his acting muscles this week as the older version of Lee Shaw takes centre stage and leads the daring heist at Apex Cybernetics. There’s a particularly fun scene in a bar where Shaw deliberately provokes a group of Apex workers who are having a drink after their shift. Just as it looks like a fight is about to break out, Shaw fakes a heart attack, creating the perfect distraction and allowing Kentaro to swipe the workers’ bags so they can steal their security key cards.

Kiersey Clemons also shines as May, who helps run the heist from inside Apex Cybernetics. Using her hacking skills, she delays her boss from getting into work while secretly opening high-security doors and systems for Shaw and the rest of the group, showing once again that May is at her best when she’s working the angles rather than playing things safe.

Overall

This was a solid episode that delivers a nice blend of drama, action, and a touch of comedy. The opening sequence is particularly effective, as we see a pair of surfers attacked by baby sea serpents before the much larger adult serpent turns its attention to a small Monarch lookout boat. The scene is well staged and does a good job of immediately raising the stakes for the episode.