What makes Monarch so engaging, however, is its emphasis on human drama, and that’s what this finale is really about. As actor Mari Yamamoto explained to Decider, it’s about the bond Keiko and Cate have formed through their shared trauma — escaping the perils of Axis Mundi, coming in contact with the terrifying Titans, and losing Hiroshi, Keiko’s son and Cate’s father. It’s about the bittersweet parting of Keiko and Lee, two people who fell in love knowing it was a love they could never pursue, then denied even the chance to try by the circumstances of their crazy lives. It’s about Kentaro clinging to the past, dreaming of resurrecting his father rather than connecting with the still-living sister and grandmother he has.
Perhaps nowhere do the two themes connect more clearly than in the scene where Cate reaches out a hand and touches Titan X’s tentacle. Cate’s bond with the beast is reminiscent of the connection that the benevolent kaiju Mothra has had with humans in various films, a symbol of the bond between humanity and nture. Throughout the finale, actor Anna Sawai’s face conveys the awe-inspiring but fragile beauty and power of the creature. This moment uses a monster to depict Cate as a woman who is open to the world’s possibilities once again, despite her many losses. As we said in our finale review, Monarch’s heart is so big it takes Titans to convey the size of it.
I wrote an explainer for the Monarch finale for Decider.
Tags: decider, monarch: legacy of monsters, TV, TV reviews