Episode 1 of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, season 2, picks up right where the season 1 finale left off, with Cate, May, Kentaro, Tim, Keiko, Verdugo, Hiroshi, Brenada, and all the Apex Cybernetics and Monarch employees trying to escape Skull Island because the opening of a portal to Axis Mundi has angered Kong. The aforementioned main characters manage to reach the two helicopters that Kong hasn't crushed (though he loves doing that) and leave the island.
However, Kong crushes a group of unnamed Apex employees because they aren't wearing their plot armor. Minutes later, Keiko wakes up in a scan room surrounded by masked scientists and doctors. Although she's still dizzy, as her body is adjusting to Earth's atmosphere after so long on Axis Mundi, she rushes off to find Hiroshi. She manages to find an exit, and upon crossing it, we discover that Keiko is on a high-tech Monarch ship docked a few kilometers off the coast of Skull Island.
Creators: Chris Black, Matt Fraction
Stars: Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe
Episode 1 takes us back to 1957, when Billy, Lee, and Keiko traveled to Santa Soledad, in southern Chile, for work. We know that in 1955, Keiko introduced Billy to Hiroshi, who agreed to raise him as his own son, and that in 1959, Keiko disappeared while searching for MUTOs in Kazakhstan. So, yes, the showrunners use that intervening period to show us what the trio was up to. But what's in Santa Soledad? Sea monsters, supposedly.
Now, before reaching this MUTO, Billy, Lee, and Keiko have to pass through the only village in the area, and everything suggests that outsiders aren't welcome there. There's a cult-like atmosphere throughout the place, as the buildings are marked with a peculiar sigil, and there's a sacrificial altar right in the middle of what I assume is the town square. Upon entering the bar, Billy spots what looks like a giant horseshoe crab (and it's bluish) and immediately rushes to take a picture as if he owns the place. Naturally, he's met with hostility. Luckily, since Lee speaks Spanish, he manages to calm Tomás, Agustín, Lucía, and everyone else present, and they all leave safe and sound.
Once things have calmed down, Lee, Billy, and Keiko return to the bar to socialize and get a better look at the mini MUTO. Billy notices a tattoo of a kraken devouring a brigantine on Tomás's arm and assumes it's not just a tattoo, but a sign that a sea monster exists in these parts. While they argue about whether to explore the island or leave, Lucia approaches Billy and, under the guise of dancing with him, confirms the theory of a sea deity the villagers worship because it regularly brings them food.
This explains why no one works during the day and everyone drinks like a fish all the time. Lucia says the village's symbiotic relationship with this creature is a closely guarded secret, and the people there will do anything to protect it. Since they see Billy and his friends as a threat to their god, they might even kill them; therefore, Lucia urges him to leave with Lee and Keiko as soon as possible. However, Billy and Keiko convince Lucia (while Lee remains silent) that if she allows them to see even this sea deity, they will leave, and Lucia obliges. She takes them to a cave filled with crude drawings of a kraken and those horseshoe crab-like creatures. Lucia says the locals call it "The Great God of the Sea."
Verdugo is understandably upset about the loss of personnel and reprimands Brenda and Tim for not handling the Kong situation more responsibly. Tim says they followed all protocols when extracting Cate, May, and Keiko from Axis Mundi, and that initially, Kong gave Apex and Monarch free rein. But suddenly, he flew into a rage for a reason no one understands yet.
Verdugo and Tim then head to the room where they have Cate, May, Keiko, Hiroshi, and Kentaro to talk about, well, everything that's happened in the last few years. But Keiko has one main question: when are they going to get Lee out of Axis Mundi? Verdugo says they can't do anything right now because all the equipment they need to open a portal is on Skull Island, and because Kong is enraged, it's inaccessible.
Even if Kong weren't enraged and the equipment were accessible, it's very likely it would be badly damaged. This really bothers Keiko, because Lee dedicated most of his life to finding her, and she finds it unbearable that she can't do the same for him while he's being hunted by Bramble Boars and all sorts of strange creatures. It's crazy that the plot armor Lee is wearing is so thick. You'd expect him to be a little bruised from wandering around that hellhole full of weird creatures, but oh well, nothing. The guy doesn't even have a weapon, and that's fine.
Kentaro informs Cate that she'll be taken back to Tokyo, where Monarch will examine her and report on her encounter with Axis Mundi. Afterward, she'll be sent home. Meanwhile, Kentaro will continue working with Hiroshi at Monarch. Cate isn't comfortable going home without Lee, and even though Kentaro says Lee is probably dead, Cate can't give up on him until she's sure; well, he's right, because Lee is safe and sound (relatively speaking) on Axis Mundi. Cate approaches Hiroshi with her plan to rescue Lee, and he cites the rules that prohibit access to Skull Island.
Knowing Hiroshi cares about Keiko, Cate tells him she'll rescue Lee for her. Unable to resist this emotional manipulation, Hiroshi agrees to help Cate with the mission. Meanwhile, Brenda visits May to tell her she's more than welcome to collaborate with her to prevent future G-Days. Once Brenda leaves the ship, Cate goes to May with her plan to get Lee off Axis Mundi, and, of course, May is more than willing to help Cate with anything. May keeps Tim away from the monitors displaying the security camera footage, while Cate, Hiroshi, and Kentaro board one of the speedboats, open the stern door, and escape. May eventually catches up with them, and the four of them reach Skull Island.
After reaching the beach, Kentaro estimates they have about six hours to get in and out before the storm wall surrounding Skull Island closes, trapping them inside. On their way to the destroyed Apex-Monarch facility, they encounter a pterosaur-like creature that can shoot electricity from its mouth and avoid being attacked by hiding in the bushes. As they approach their destination, they find Kong asleep, who almost (accidentally) crushes Cate. Once the rescue team is sure Kong doesn't realize intruders have entered his domain, they resume their journey.
Meanwhile, Keiko wakes up and, after reviewing the Monarch technology that allows them to track Kong, comes up with the idea of using it to avoid him, reach the Apex-Monarch facility, and bring Lee back. Executioner can't approve, having already lost many employees, and to demonstrate this, he shows Keiko footage of the damage caused by Kong. While watching the videos, Keiko sees a creature resembling the mutated horseshoe crab she'd seen in the pub in Santa Soledad, leading her to conclude that Kong is so agitated because he believes opening the portal will likely bring the Kraken to Skull Island. That's not enough for Verdugo to authorize a mission to Kong's homeland, but as soon as he learns that Cate, May, Hiroshi, and Kentaro have left, he assembles a team—including Keiko, Tim, and himself—and they board a helicopter bound for Skull Island.
Hiroshi and Cate work on the interdimensional capsule and the orb that activates the portal, while May and Kentaro try to activate the emergency generators that will power the orb. Without May or Kentaro, Cate confronts Hiroshi about his decision to have two families in two different countries. You know what? I was hoping Hiroshi would say that Emiko isn't his wife and Kentaro isn't his biological son; like Billy, he only supports Emiko and Kentaro, financially or otherwise, because he saw them through tough times working together at Monarch.
But no, Hiroshi practically admits that he fell in love with Emiko and then raised Kentaro, all while still having feelings for Caroline and Cate, which is ridiculous. Hiroshi may be a great scientist, but he's probably one of the worst fathers in fiction (because I just can't stand infidelity). Anyway, while they're busy with their family drama, May and Kentaro are at the Apex-Monarch facility fighting this rat-lizard-like beast. They manage to kill the creature, activate the emergency generators, and reunite with Cate and Hiroshi. As they debate whether to proceed with their plan, Verdugo, Keiko, and Tim arrive at the facility.
At the end of episode 1, Cate activates the orb and sends the interdimensional capsule to Axis Mundi. Lee boards and arrives at Skull Island. However, as expected, he isn't the only one to cross the portal; the Kraken also enters the planet's surface and seemingly kills Verdugo. No one stops to check if she's alive or dead, as they all rush to board the helicopters and return to the ship. Upon leaving Skull Island, they see Kong chasing the Kraken. When Kong fails to catch it, he yells at the humans, because now he has to fight the Kraken to establish his dominance, which will ruin the rest he was enjoying. Well, I hope bringing Lee back was worth the trouble that the fight between Kong and the Kraken will cause.
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