Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 Episode 3 Review: Keiko’s Heartbreaking Past Finally Comes Into Focus

Critic’s Rating: 4.65 / 5.0

4.65

Holy hell. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is really hitting me in the feels these days.

The series has a knack for bringing everything together in ways I don’t expect, and it’s doing so while wearing its heart on its sleeve.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 Episode 3 finds the gang mostly apart as they try to reintegrate into their old lives.

(Courtesy of Apple TV+)

It’s easier for some than others, but with the imminent threat of the sea Titan looming, the installment felt very much like the calm before the storm.

As is becoming the norm this season, I was most invested in Keiko’s storyline. Maybe it’s because she’s taking center stage in both timelines, or maybe it’s just because the writing for her is so damn good.

With Keiko, there’s always going to be this feeling that she missed out on a lot of her life while in the Axis Mundi.

Of course, her relationship with her son, Hiroshi, was always going to be one of those things that she’d struggle to come to terms with.

Hiroshi has been carrying a lot of guilt around for living this double life, which meant that his children, Cate and Kentaro, didn’t cross paths until much later in life.

(Courtesy of Apple TV+)

Keiko knows a thing or two about secrets, as evidenced by the flashbacks, so there was this beautiful symmetry between the mother and son on Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 Episode 3.

Keiko’s question about why Cate and Kentaro didn’t have the same mother presented a big turning point in the present-day timeline.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 Is Delving Into Secrets

There’s been so much unsaid about Keiko and Hiroshi, and we’re slowly getting to the bigger picture.

I’m starting to get the impression that Keiko feels somewhat responsible for Hiroshi’s infidelity. She was presumed dead and disappeared from his life, and then the man she thought would always show up for him, Bill, also took a self-imposed exile.

All roads should lead back to Chile and the mysterious island where Keiko and Lee survived by the skin of their teeth against these villagers and the sea titan on Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 Episode 2.

(Courtesy of Apple TV+)

There’s been simmering tension between Keiko and Lee throughout the series, so it was inevitable they’d reach this point where they acted on their feelings.

As Keiko put it, the heart wants what the heart wants, but you could tell she felt terrible afterward.

All she wanted was to escape the island, reunite with Bill, and get back to her life. Instead, life happened, and she and Lee might have had something real if they’d been more honest with each other.

Keiko’s note to Lee about them never being able to get that close again was heartbreaking. The impact it had on Keiko writing it, and then the impact on Lee reading it.

(Apple TV+/Screenshot)

It was beautifully written and acted. You could tell it was painful for both parties, but I don’t think either of them banked on Bill reading the letter Keiko wrote Lee.

Now, it’s starting to make sense why Bill’s demeanor changed so much in his final years. Bill likely believed their relationship had gone on much longer than the letter suggested.

Bill’s exile also impacted Hiroshi. Hiroshi is dealing with some deeply rooted resentment in the present-day timeline, and I hope that somehow, he and his mother can work through it.

If anything, the past should have told them that time is finite, and things can change on a dime.

Keikio’s Arc Is Fascinating

It would be tragic if they spent so much time dwelling on the past that they never got that chance to be a mother and son again before something catastrophic happens.

(Courtesy of Apple TV+)

Away from Keiko, Bill, Hiroshi, and Lee, Cate, Kentaro, and May were trying to move on in any way they could.

Cate’s return home and reunion with her mother should have carried more emotional weight, but it’s clear she’s keeping everyone at arm’s length.

She’s still processing what happened in San Francisco, her time in the Axis Mundi, and the looming threat of the sea Titan. Instead of confronting it, she’s trying to bury it.

The casual way she brushes off the sea Titan alert shows just how hard she’s trying not to think about the bigger picture. But denial only works for so long.

Maybe her date was right, and she might actually benefit from talking to someone.

(Courtesy of Apple TV+)

One storyline that really threw me was May returning to work for Brenda, who practically welcomed her back with open arms.

After everything that happened, how could Brenda trust May again? Of course, May’s real goal is obvious — use Brenda’s resources to dig deeper into what’s really going on with the Titans.

Still, Brenda can’t possibly be blind to it. Eventually, she’s going to realize what May’s been up to.

The good that came from May’s manipulation was that we learned Hiroshi’s device had been seized or damaged. He spent years perfecting it, and now, he feels useless.

It certainly seems like the perfect opportunity for Goonies 2 to regroup and save the world one more time, right?

(Courtesy of Apple TV+)

That’s all I got, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Fanatics! What is your take on the events on the island and the letter? Do you think Keiko and Hiroshi can form a bond?

What do you think of Cate acting so nonchalant about the sea titan? Do you think she’d benefit from therapy to help her process her feelings?

What’s your take on May working for Brenda again? Is it an accident waiting to happen?

Let’s keep the conversation going — it’s the only way the good stuff survives.
Say something in the comments, share if you’re moved to, and keep reading. Independent voices need readers like you.

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