‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ Recap – ‘Birthright’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Kurt Russell as Colonel Lee Shaw in Episode 108 of ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ – ‘Birthright’. (Photo Courtesy of Apple.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Eight of ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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There is a titanic shift happening within the world of Kaiju storytelling. In that, not only are the characters becoming the focus and the central push to drive the themes and the giant monsters that walk the Earth, but Kaiju themed stories are also going far deeper than they ever have before. After all, the recently released Godzilla Minus One had a lot to say about the Second World War and how Japanese Armed Forces members were treated by the Empire. Alongside examinations regarding what it means to really be a hero and what a hero should stand for. And of course, the Apple TV+ series, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, is also digging into some powerful subject matter. Such as the very real problems that children and parents face when it comes to the family dynamic, alongside the power of PTSD and its lasting impact upon us, and we are seeing no signs of these stories backing off of such matters, as evidenced by this week’s episode of the show.

For ‘Birthright’ spent a lot of time exploring how the unresolved portions of our past, can haunt us and drive us into toxic behavior, such as trying to find a way to make peace with such matters in a hollow external fashion, and it brought about such examinations… by finally making it clear what exactly Colonel Leland Shaw has been eager to accomplish all of this time. But not before showcasing how problematic his plans have become. Because sadly, his push to seal off the Gamma Energy Geyser in Alaska, only made the geysers more powerful in other parts of the world. Which risked the potential for an imbalanced explosion of energy, and that meant… he had to be found post-haste, and his plan had to be understood so that he could be talked out of it and that meant… our heroes had to find him. Which of course, seemed to be an impossible task. Since his whereabouts were unknown, and that prompted the story and our heroes to look to the past to figure out how best to find and confront Leland. 

Which as it turned out… related to his sentimental attachment to Keiko. Because there was a turning point in the past where he was able to finally see her grasp at her true potential as a scientist. Courtesy of the very real threat of having Monarch be shuttered since the second Godzilla incident was disastrous from a leadership and financial perspective. But tasking her to build a Kaiju location map with Bill, really did bring out her best research, and it motivated Shaw to take control of Monarch the right way this time around. But also, her passing hung heavy over his heart and his soul for so many reasons. Since she was the one that got away, that captivated him in ways he never thought possible, and of course… who died for a cause that never offered her the respect she deserved. Just a check to the husband that wasn’t named Lee Shaw and a son that followed in her footsteps and that prompted Shaw… to embrace the past and go back to where his love died for the next leg of the mission.

Of course, Monarch followed with minimal fuss, and that allowed for the answers to come to light at last. In that, Shaw came to understand through Bill Randa, that the Titans of the world were able to move to and fro about the world through a network of tunnels that took them to a world parallel to our own, and truly… Shaw believed that Godzilla’s purpose in this life was to maintain balance between that world and our own. Ergo, the only way to help Godzilla… was to seal off that world from our own. So that there was no need for a giant protector that could and would destroy more cities in the name of that balance. Giving rise to the last of the answers we seek and truly bringing around full circle, a grand exploration of how the past hangs heavy over us and can drive us to do things that aren’t healthy in nature. Since Shaw’s unresolved feelings with Keiko are pushing him to take part in a plan not grounded in science… but healing. The healing of his very soul, and that’s dangerous. In part, because healing is done from within.

But also because of the concern Monarch expressed over the imbalance created by the closing of the Alaska geyser and of course… by how this episode ended. Since Shaw did fire off his next wave of explosives and that brought about all kinds of disaster. For we don’t know if Tim and Kentaro made it out of the blast zone alive, and of course… the grumbling of the ground and the arrival of one big Titan bug… dumped Corah, Shaw, and Cate into the depths of the portal that resided in this place. Putting them on an unknown path where they might land in the midst of this world between worlds, or they may not all survive. But while we wait to see what happens we can celebrate another unique episode of this show. One that really did make the characters the true king of this tale and used them to explore some very real-world concepts and problems once again, and truly… it will be interesting to see if Colonel Lee Shaw can make peace with his checkered past while navigating whatever lie ahead or if he will be another victim of the past and its painful power. Until next time.

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