Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Episode 5 Recap With Spoilers

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters isn’t just a series focusing on the king of the monsters, Godzilla, but the Apple TV+ series is introducing new giant beasts to the MonsterVerse. As Cate, Kentaro, May, and Lee Shaw now deal with the attention of Monarch pointed their way, viewers get the opportunity to see the after-effects of “G-Day” and how Godzilla’s reign of destruction in the 2014 movie affected the West Coast. 

Warning. If you have yet to watch the latest episode of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, we’ll be diving into serious spoiler territory.  

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Episode 5

We return to the Monarch Command Post, with Cate locked away in a cell and having a one-sided chat with her captors thanks to the surveillance camera on the ceiling. Each of the four monster dodgers finds themselves locked in their own cells, with Kentaro being much less calm about the scenario than his half-sister. Luckily, May was able to be saved, but must now deal with Monarch’s questioning while confined to a hospital bed, as the agents inquire if the techno-wizard had made a backup on the files created by John Goodman’s Billy Randa. 

The Monarch agents, still watching their prisoners, attempt to figure out what their next step is. Tim fights on the four’s behalf, talking about the connections they all have to the organization and believing that they might make for good agents of the organization. Tim’s partner suggests that they be put on a leash, sans for Lee Shaw who is a different story altogether thanks to his past with Monarch. Cate, May, and Kentaro are released into Tim’s “care” and despite this fact, the trio isn’t too thrilled with what has transpired. The three debate as to whether or not they should return to Tokyo or continue their quest to learn more about Cate and Kentaro’s father. 

Back at Monarch’s Command Post, we see Lee Shaw in his cell, being shown footage from the 1950s of himself, Keiko, and Billy Randa. Shaw is introduced to Monarch Deputy Director Verdugo, the mysterious woman who has been pulling the strings in the series so far. Verdugo questions whether Hiroshi wanted anything Monarch-related in his children’s lives, revealing that Cate and Kentaro’s father is alive. Watching from the security cameras, Tim and his partner debate how Shaw is able to look so young for his age, which would be in the 90s.

San Fran-Kaiju

May, Kentaro, and Cate make their way to San Francisco, which is still suffering from the effects of Godzilla’s arrival as several buildings, and the Golden Gate Bridge, have seen better days. Morbidly, a new market has arrived in North America with underground domiciles, as the three remark that only “techbros” could afford the homes. The three run into James, an acquaintance of Cate’s, who is there to pick them up due to their mother’s insistence. The scene transitions to “Alameda Point FEMA Housing” showing just how devastating Godzilla’s previous assault was to San Francisco.

Cate’s mother greets her daughter, introduced to May and Kentaro, as Cate reveals the latter to be the son of Hiroshi. Not missing a beat, Cate’s mom invites the three inside. After dropping a box, Cate’s mother attempts to keep her composure while realizing that Kentaro is, in fact, Hiroshi’s son. Cate attempts to console her mother as this is the first time she’s heard of Kentaro’s existence and the fact that Hiroshi was having an affair.

Cate’s mother reveals that her daughter was unable to come back from losing her students in the earlier Godzilla attack. Stating that the three need to go to the “Red Zone”, a quarantined area of San Francisco, Cate’s mother isn’t thrilled with her daughter’s decision. Regardless, she decides to help Cate, Kentaro, and May, using her FEMA credentials to enter the Zone. Luckily, the three are able to make it into the Red Zone as they look to get into Hiroshi’s office. 

We head back to the Monarch Command Post as Lee and Verdugo share a meal, talking about why Shaw had decided to escape now after not trying to flee his confinement for decades. Verdugo asks what was in the files as Lee states that Monarch “is wrong and has been for a very long time”. Asking the agents what would have happened had Godzilla lost his battle with the first two MUTOs, the plot thickens as to what secrets Lee is keeping close to his chest.

Cate, Kentaro, and May explore the Red Zone, realizing that it has been quarantined as the structural damage to the buildings, homes, and various physical establishments means that any of them could fall instantly. The trio wanders to Cate’s former neighborhood as we are taken back to the past during “G-Day Minus Two”.

G-Day Minus Two

We are shown Cate two days before the attack, waiting at a coffee shop for her romantic partner. As Cate’s partner escorts her to Girard Middle School, the pair decide to move in together. Unfortunately, it’s clear that their plans might not have gone as planned as we are transported to G-Day Minus One. Cate’s students are busy watching a video of Godzilla on their phones, with most of the class empty due to the giant monster attacks in the city. While Cate doesn’t believe it at first, her fellow school employee informs her that the situation is being monitored and her uneasiness hints at the idea that the kaiju are very real.

Cate, Kentaro, and May walk past the Middle School, attempting to hide from a mysterious group holding flashlights. We then travel to “G-Day” as Cate is asked whether she wants to jump on a bus to watch her kids while her partner Dani watches one. Smashing back to the present, the mysterious men appear to be members of the military, scouring for looters in the Red Zone. Kentaro manages to get the soldiers off their trail by throwing food at some stray cats. 

As the three make their way further into the Red Zone, Kentaro and Cate bond over a shared song that their father sang to them. Unfortunately, the trio is spotted by the military as they duck into a nearby subway station. Despite finding a hiding spot, Cat’es PTSD from Godzilla’s attacks is rearing its ugly head as she attempts to keep her cool. The three get lost in the subway tunnels, attempting to find an escape route. Continuing to freak out, May is able to calm Cate down with breathing techniques.

Hiroshi’s Secrets Revealed

We then loop back around to G-Day Minus One, revealing that Cate was cheating on her partner Dani, which might have impacted her decision to jump on the bus with her students. In a tragic scene, Dani tells Cate that their relationship was doomed as Cate didn’t want “good” and that’s what their relationship was. By following the cats, the three are able to escape the subway and come upon the building where their father worked. Unfortunately for the protagonists, it’s going to be quite the climb.

After making the climb, the three find themselves in Hiroshi’s office. Kentaro rips a map off the wall, believing there will be a safe behind it, stunned to find nothing but a wall. Cate discovers that the map is more than it seems as Kentaro learns that Hiroshi kept a secret with said map. Using the light from the sun, Kentaro is able to discover the path that Hiroshi took, with the final spot being Africa. Luckily, the three make it just in time to reunite with Cate’s mother to exit the Red Zone.

Cate asks her mother if she and James are romantically linked, with Cate’s mom stating that she’s not ready but he is waiting. Cate then reveals that Hiroshi didn’t die in Alaska as they all had originally thought, informing her mother that she would find him. May takes the opportunity to duck behind a house and gives Tim’s partner from Monarch a call, stating that she just wants to go home and will do whatever the organization tells her to do. We then see Lee escorted by guards out of his cell as the episode comes to a close.