Decades after being presumed dead, Keiko’s return shocks Monarch. Cate defies orders to save Shaw–and unleashes a terrifying new Titan.

Written by Chris Black.

In the cold star, Keiko (Mari Yamamoto) and her son Hiroshi (Takehiro Hira)  along with Keiko’s granddaughter Cate (Anna Sawai), her grandson by another mother Kentaro (Ren Watabe), Kentaro’s ex-girlfriend May (Kiersey Clemons) and Monarch employee Tim (Joe Tippett)  are escaping from a raging Kong via Monarch helicopters. We get a close up of Kong that will give dental hygienists and dentists nightmares.

After the intro, Keiko is on involuntary bedrest in a Monarch medical facility. A group of doctors in white hazmat suits surround her. The colors are muted blue grays until she escapes (because there’s a red exit sign) through a ship hallway and then to the deck of a ship. Her son, Hiroshi, now appearing older than her, explains in Japanese that this is the new Monarch. We get a wide shot of 18 Outpost on the sea.

In the Outpost 18 command center, Tim updates Deputy Director of Monarch, Natalia Verdugo (Mirelly Taylor) after the extraction of Keiko from the world below, the toll was sixteen confirmed dead, a dozen in the sick bay, two critical. Tim also adds, “It’s not just Kong. Something’s got everything on the island frothing at the mouth.”

Verdugo confronts Brenda Holland (Dominique Tipper) of Apex Cybernetics, “What the hell did you do out there?”

Holland replies, “We got your people back.”  While Holland has no idea why Kong attacked, Tim does.

“The only reason he lets us stay there is if we don’t stir the pot.”

Verdugo replies, “What’s what you [Tim]  were there to prevent. You were the Monarch liaison to Apex Cybernetics. It was your responsibility to ensure protocols were followed.”

Tim claims the protocols were followed. “We must have run over a dozen tests. Kong just sat there watching us.”

Above the command center, looking down are the fearless five: Keiko, her son Hiroshi, Keiko’s granddaughter Cate, Keiko’s grandson Kentaro and Kentaro’s ex-girlfriend May. Cate complains that they are “locked up.” But Keiko remembers what happened at the end of the last episode: Lee Shaw (Kurt Russell) lets go of Keiko because he knows the spherical launch vehicle is straining under the weight of everyone. At a hefty 5-foot-9, this Shaw is excess baggage.

A smiling older Lee tells Keiko, “Thank you. For everything.”

Verdugo joins the five and tells them, “Everyone just calm down, please.”

Keiko wants to know who is in charge. Holland informs her that “Apex are responsible for bringing you back.” Before Holland can introduce herself, Holland does. “You’ll find a lot has changed in the time you’ve been away.” Keiko’s feeling a bit whoozy as a result of being in the underworld, Axis Mundi. Luckily, this isn’t like “Lost Horizon.”

Keiko asks, “Miss Deputy Director, when are we going back to get Lee Shaw?”

You already know the answer. Not now. Of course, Cate is angry while May holds back.

“We believe his [Kong’s] rampage has something to do with the operation at the Apex base,” Verdugo explains.  “It is regrettable that the colonel was lost.”

“He wasn’t lost. He stayed behind so we could make it out,” Keiko replies on the verge of tears.

“Setting foot on that island right now is a suicide mission,” Verdugo replies.

“I know Lee Shaw. He would never leave any of us behind,” Keiko says. The camera turns to Cate. “He’s alive. I know it, please,” Keiko pleads.

Keiko remembers happier times with her and her second husband, Billy Rand. They are in a small boat traveling to the island of Santa Soledad in Chile, 1957.  There is a country called Chile, but no island known as Santa Soledad. There was a Spanish nun who founded the Servants of Mary, Ministers to the Sick in 1851. She died in 1887 and was canonized in 1970 as Saint Maria Soledad Torres Acosta (1826-1887). Soledad means “solitude.” There is a Soledad Island or Isla Soledad, the largest island in the Falkland Islands off of Argentina but under British rule.

“It ate metal remember?” she asks.

Lee says, It was a cross between a bear and a…rhino.

“Tiger,” Keiko says. “Also an elephant.”

The creature in question was a “Pulgasari.” Also known as Bulgasari ( 불가사리). 

According to the Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture, the Bulgasari the creature eats metal and is “impossible to kill” because that’s that its name means.

Bulgasari is an imaginary monster, sometimes found painted on folding screens or chimneys due to the folk belief that it provided protection against disasters and fire. The book Songnamjapji (Trivial Learnings by Songnam), from late Joseon, records that “In the final years of Songdo (Goryeo’s capital) lived a monster that ate up all the metal scraps, and people tried to kill it but could not succeed, and thus named the monster ‘Bulgasal (Impossible-to-Kill).’ Even when it was thrown into fire, it flew back to the village, its whole body aflame, and burned down all the houses.”

There was a 1962 South Korean film called “Bulgasari” and while it may be the first monster movie from South Korea it has been lost. The film was about a martial artist Nam Hyeong (Choi Moo-ryong) who is resurrected to become an iron-eating monster to exact revenge upon his murderers.

North Korea also made a film, “Pulgasari” (1985) which is about the daughter of a blacksmith. Before his death, the father created a figurine and asked the gods to bring it to life to protect the rebels and oppressed. When the figurine is given to his daughter, it becomes a living creature. The director Shin Tae-ik (신태익) and his wife Choi Eun-hee were kidnapped by Kim Jong II in 1978 who held them in captivity for eight years. Jong hoped they would help improve the North Korean film industry. Shin (1926 – 11 April 2006) directed seven films for Jong before escaping in 1986.

The 1996 US film “Galgameth” (Also “The Legend of Galgameth” or “The Adventures of Galgameth”) is loosely based  on the director’s North Korea film “Pulgasari.”

Back to “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” on Santa Soledad in Chile, 1957. Lee asks, “And how long did you spend walking around Korea trying to look for that thing?” While Bill maintains that just because he didn’t see it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Now they are off to Santa Soledad Island, trying to prove that sea serpents exist.

Billy says, “Well, from the records I found in the maritime archives in Santiago, there were reports of violent whirlpool and sightings of massive sea creatures.” (Santiago is a real city, the capital of Chile.) The sightings go back 200 years.

The pier is a wood planks, but some of the posts are broken. As they arrive they witness a murmuration. Walking down from the pier the small streets is lined by large unpainted wooden shacks. All the buildings are tall and made of dark, weathered wood. At the center of the town, there is what appears to be a ceremonial circular stone made with grooves to help drain blood. They then go into a bar which has faded red letters above it. It appears to say something like “El Pe(s)cad(o) Sang(r)iento.” I believe this translates into: The Bloody Fish.

Opening the door, only Lee seems to be able to read the room. He think Keiko should stay outside, but Bill sees something. Bill wants to take a photo, but one of the men, Tomás,  objects. The woman behind the bar attempts to intercede. Luckily while Bill(y) only speaks a few words of Spanish, Lee can speak the language. A knife is pulled out. The woman tells Tomás to put the knife away. Another man asks them not to take photographs.

Back at Outpost 18, Kentaro talks with Cate. He tells her, she’ll be taken back to Tokyo for more medical tests and debriefings. After which, she’ll be free. Kentaro isn’t sure what he’ll do. If he’ll stay with their father and work with him. “For two years, the job was to get you back, and now, you’re back.” So mission accomplished, but what is the next mission.

Kentaro reminds her, “It’s not like we wanted to leave him.”

Yet Cate replies, “You don’t know what it was like down there. Shaw would do it for us. We wouldn’t even know that Dad was alive if it hadn’t been for him.” Kentaro isn’t convinced that Shaw was so selfless and believes Shaw only helped them because “it served his agenda.”

Kentaro reminds her they aren’t even sure Shaw is alive. May saw him fly 100 feet.

Now we get to see what flying 100 feet in the Axis Mundi looks like. The older Lee lands on his back and is only briefly winded. He watches the light close off past the trees. Of course, one can’t stay still long in a world filled with monsters.

But we move back to Outpost 18 where Hiroshi is softly singing to his mother. She’s been sedated and is sleeping with monitors on her forehead. “It’s the effect of having been in Axis Mundi for so long, like a deep-sea diver coming to the surface too quickly. She needs time to acclimate. She’ll be okay in a couple of hours.”

Cate tells her father, “I’m going back for Shaw…Kentaro says it’s some kind of nexus point.”

Hiroshi says, “That’s a theory, but it doesn’t matter. Monarch has shut down our operation. We are prohibited from setting foot on the island.”

Cate sullenly asks, “When have you ever followed the rules.”

Hiroshi is lured into helping them because Cate doesn’t know what he’s doing. Cate believes that Keiko needs Shaw. Hiroshi forbids Cate from trying, but Cate reminds him, “After G-Day, you disappeared for a year. You didn’t even pick up a phone to let us know you were alive.”

While Hiroshi admits that was a mistake, he maintains that is not a reason to do something crazy.

“I’m not asking for permission,” Cate replies.

“Then I’m coming with you,” Hiroshi says.

Elsewhere, May gets a visit from Holland. “Axis Mundi and back safe…before I leave, I wanted to see how you’re doing.” Holland reminds May that she approved the mission and supervised it and spent major money to do so. “Apex is on the cusp of figuring out how to live with these Titans. And you can take us over the finish line.” That would mean, “No more G-Days. Or you can stay here with your friends, who have absolutely no idea of what you’re capable of and do God knows what?” There’s space on the Monarch exit helicopter if May wants to leave.

May decides to stay while Brenda Holland leaves. Cate talks to May. May is determined not to fall into Holland’s plans. May believes Holland will try to crawl back into Walter Simmons good graces using May’s coding. Cate admits she’s not sure what she’s going to do after “time travel, bringing my grandma back from the dead.”

Finally Cate admits, “I’m not letting them leave without Shaw. I need your help.” May goes to the control center and distracts Tim while Hiroshi, Kentaro and Cate are sneaking along the corridors. Grabbing life jackets, they board a Zodiac with May joining them last minute. They head through the clouds and thunder to clear skies and the island of Santa Soledad. Giant crabzilla look down at them.

“The storm wall is closing faster than I thought. Eight hours? Hiroshi asks.

“More like six,” Kentaro replies. They head up into the trees. If this were a normal world, you’d be afraid of men or bears. Here we see a pterodactyl that lands in a nearby tree. It gets attacked by first a shock of electricity and then a mangy looking bat thing. Let’s call it Electrobatilla. Electrobatilla breaks the neck of the pterodactyl. Then it hovers and finally lands to grab beneath the soil for an oversized grub that it eats. So do pterodactyls taste so bad that dirty grubs taste better? Who or what easts the pterodactyl?

Back in Santa Soledad, the threesome are at their table considering that strange creature. Young Lee t thinks it looks like a “sick lobster” found at the bottom of the sea.

Keiko says, “It could be a fossil.” She’s a scientist? “Maybe a species that’s never been catalogued.” Why does no one say anything about horseshoe crabs or trilobites?  I asked the PR people for creature names, but to date nothing has come out of it. Wikipedia calls them scarabs but that makes no sense either. I’m calling them trilobillas.

“Would those guys try and gut me like a fish over a fossil?” Bill(y) asks. “Or the catch of the day?” He’s drawing, but what he’s drawing looks nothing like the creature in question: a ship being attacked by giant tentacles. He’s copying one of the other patrons’ tattoo. Lee wants to leave, but Billy is excited since “They’re obviously hiding something.”

The lady from behind the bar comes to their table and demands that Billy dance with her. That gives Keiko time to question the Young Lee Shaw. “You need to settle down before you get yourself in trouble, you know what?…What happened to the picket fence? Cookouts? Garden parties with the neighbors? Kids? Wasn’t that the plan?” They share meaningful looks.

“You know, in the army, they teach that no battle plan survives the first shot,” the Young Lee Shaw replies.

“Why does it have to be a battle?” Keiko asks.

“It feels like anything worth having always is,” the Young Lee Shaw replies.

Back to Skull Island, Kentaro leads them into a clearing where they see the sleeping Kong. Kentaro insists this is the only way and warns them not to make a sound. May isn’t watching where she’s stepping and cracks a branch. They stop, but things seem to be okay until Kong rolls over and Hiroshi screams, “Run!” Cate knocks May out of the way and almost gets crushed by Kong’s arm. Kong continues to sleep.

Back at Outpost 18, Dr. Keiko Rando speaks with Tim who finds is natural to call her “Dr. Randa.”  She tells him, “My whole life was a struggle to get people to call me doctor.” Yes, things have changed since the 1950s. “Maybe the world has changed for the better.”

Tim introduces himself, but what is his job title? They shake hands. Keiko learns that the world is now filled with satellites, much more sophisticated than Sputnik. Sputnik was the world’s first artificial satellite and was launched on 4 October 1957. The 184-lb. metal sphere orbited the Earth every 98 minutes and transmitted radio signals. In the race for technology, Sputnik’s success caused a “Sputnik crisis” in the US, resulting in a push for technological and military advancements.

Keiko hopes that in this new world she can be useful in someway.  Tim gushes, “Are you kidding? Dr. Randa, you are everything that has been missing from this place…you could return Monarch to what it was, what it was always intended to be.”

“If these can show us where Kong is on the island, we should be able to avoid him,” she says. Keiko asks Verdugo to use the satellite images to find a safe way back to the base on Skull Island. Verdugo doesn’t want to risk any more lives. Verdugo puts security footage on the big screen as she tries to figure out why Kong attacked.

In the footage, Keiko spots a creature, the same one she saw long ago with Bill(y) and the Young Lee Shaw. Flash back to Bill(y) dancing with that young señorita. Bill(y) reveals why he’s so interested in these creatures. “I used to be a sailor. Many years ago, something came from the sea. It took my ship and my shipmates. And ever since, I’ve been trying to learn as much as I can about monsters. What they want. How we can co-exist with them. I think you know what I’m talking about.”

She reveals, “This is their religion. Do you understand? He is like their god.” But remember, she also has a tattoo of that cult. “They worship him and the sea provides. They will do what they need to protect their secret. You have to leave here.”

Back to Skull Island, the foursome come upon the ruins of the Apex station. Hiroshi warns not to get comfortable. They aren’t much safer there than where they were before. They need to work fast.

On the outpost, Tim has doubts that something so small should make Kong upset. Keiko has memories of trilobillas. She warns, “They don’t act alone.”

At this point, someone notifies Verdugo that one of the Zodiacs is missing and they can’t find the other Dr. Randa, Hiroshi, or his kids or Corea Mateo.

On the island, Kentaro and May go inside the ruins facility to try and get the power back online. Hiroshi gets the vehicle righted and attempts to put it back together. Cate uses this time of urgency to ask why Hiroshi decided to get a second family. “Why did you do it? Did you need a second family because Mom and I weren’t good enough?”

Hiroshi explains he wasn’t thinking, but that’ s not good enough for Cate. “Emiko, Kentaro’s mother, worked on Monarch. And she shared my world. It was very natural for us to be together.”

With Cate’s mother, Caroline, Hiroshi explains, “Monarch was still a secret back then and I couldn’t tell her what I did.”

Cate wants to know, “How do you love two people at the same time?”

Hiroshi explains, “It’s not something you decide to do.”

That takes us back to the past with the Young Lee Shaw, Keiko and Bill(y). The moon is full and they refuse to leave. The girl behind the bar asks, “If I show you, you will leave?”

Back on Skull Island at the Apex station, Kentaro and May get the power going, but they find they are not alone. There’s a mangy rat-lizard thing of unusual size roaming around. Let’s call it Ratousilla. Kentaro kills is with a forklift.

Now we head back to catch up with the Old Lee Shaw. He meets up with a warthog that looks like roots or branches are growing out of it. Warthogilla?

Then we switch to helicopters. Two of them. Keiko, Verdugo and Tim are in them.

Hiroshi warns Cate that they tested for one year before venturing in. Now is not the optimal time. Cate insists that they do this for Shaw.

In the past on Santa Soledad, the woman take our threesome to a cave where they see cave paintings of the creature. The woman shows them pictures and explains the meaning: “Those in the village wait year after year for their God to return, to bless the waters and bring the bounty of the sea. Here where the cinematography fails and there’s some light flare.

The helicopters have landed and Keiko, Verdugo and Tim arrive just as Hiroshi and Cate are ready to send down the pod. But the storm wall is closing. Keiko warns that if they open the rift again, “you don’t know what you could unleash. I’ve already lost one family. I don’t want to lose any more”

Cate remember how Shaw held on when she was falling. Cate enables the pod. That wakes up Kong as the rift opens. It pulls the pod in as the Old Lee Shaw was about to confront the Warthogilla with a knife. See the rift open, Old Lee Shaw is attacked by those Trilobillas. Before him he sees something much bigger with tentacles. I’m calling it the Krakenilla. He boards the pod alone and then fires up the pod. In the pod with the Old Lee Shaw is one of the Trilobillas. Outside is the Krakenilla as they both are brought up to Skull Island. Krakenilla kills Verdugo. In the pod Old Lee Shaw battles  the Trilobilla and his pod surfaces just as Kong comes to the Apex station.

Shaw and Keiko, Cate, Hiroshi, Kentaro and May escape on the helicopters but the Krakenilla escapes into the ocean while being pursued by a frustrated Kong, who isn’t seaworthy and has to turn back.

Creatures Featured:

Kong

Giant crabs that I will call crabillas but Gojipedia identifies as Rockclaws or Rock Critters or Mantleclaw.

Pterodactyl: Which Gojipedia identifies as a Psychovulture.

Electrobatilla: Mangy electric bat that attacks a pterodactyl

Titan X/Kaiju: Looks like a Kraken, so we’re calling it Krakilla. On Gojipedia, it is identified as Titan X.

Skull Island grub is grubilla.

The Rodent of Unusual Size is a rodent superspecies identified by Gojipedia as Vinerats. I’d call it Ratousilla.

We also see the swine superspecies of Brambleboars. Do you use wart remover or pruning shears to groom this guy?