Now, that’s a season finale, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.
I’ve spent most of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 wondering how this story would wrap up and whether the show even had a clear endgame in mind.
There were moments early on that worked, but the middle stretch was a mess. It lost momentum, sidelined the more interesting dynamics, and started to feel like it was spinning its wheels.
That’s why Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 Episode 10 is such a pleasant surprise.
It actually feels like the show remembered what made it compelling in the first place. The stakes are there, the emotion lands, and for once, the story doesn’t feel like it’s dragging itself to the finish line.
It sticks the landing while still leaving enough on the table to justify another season.
Cate walked away with this finale, no question, thanks to her putting herself in harm’s way to save the day.
Everything about her arc on Monarch: Legacy of Monsters since the series premiere builds to this moment, and it pays off in a big way.
She’s been dismissed all season, treated like her theories about the Titans are too out there to take seriously, and yet she’s the one who keeps putting herself on the line to prove them.
And here, she does exactly that.
Cate Becomes Monarch: Legacy of Monster’s Best Character
Watching her throw herself into danger to save Titan X could have easily tipped into something ridiculous, but it works because the show commits to it.
There’s no safety net. You feel the risk in every second she’s down there while Titan X and Kong are tearing into each other.
And for a second, it really does feel like the show might kill her.
From a storytelling standpoint, that would have blown everything up, especially for Kentaro. It would have sent him even further into whatever spiral he’s already in, and not in a way that feels satisfying.
I’m glad the show didn’t go there, even if it flirted with it. What matters more is where she goes next.
Putting Cate alongside Keiko, May, and Tim feels like the right reset for this series. There’s a different energy there, one that’s actually rooted in curiosity instead of control.
Cate’s whole thing is that she cares about the Titans in a way that doesn’t immediately default to weaponizing them, and that’s a perspective the show needs more of.
I don’t even know where to start with Kentaro.
I’m just going to be blunt. I wouldn’t have been mad if he died on Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 Episode 10.
His turn in the back half of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 is all over the place. You can see what the show is going for, especially with the reveal that Hiroshi is in the Axis Mundi, which adds some context for why Kentaro is so desperate to rewrite reality.
But having context isn’t the same thing as earning the turn.
A lot of this falls flat because it feels rushed. One minute he’s conflicted, the next he’s making decisions that could get everyone killed, and the show doesn’t fully bridge that gap. It just expects you to go along with it.
And then there’s Isabel.
It would be easy to blame her for everything, because she’s clearly the one pushing Kentaro further down this path, but he’s still the one making these choices. Cate has tried, repeatedly, to pull him back, and he’s made it clear he’s not interested.
At this point, he should think himself lucky if anyone not named Isabel trusts him again.
Pulling the lever and sending Titan X into an even bigger rage spiral is the perfect example of his actions. That’s someone who’s decided the end goal matters more than literally everyone else on that island.
And that’s where the story starts to lose me. Because the show wants this to feel complex, but it hasn’t done the work to make it land that way.
Isabel Barely Has a Presence
Isabel, especially, just isn’t developed enough to carry this kind of storyline. Her motivations feel interchangeable with Brenda’s, making the whole thing feel repetitive rather than escalating.
If anything, Brenda becoming the big bad would have been the stronger choice.
She’s been around longer, we understand her, and watching her evolve into something more dangerous would have actually meant something.
Instead, Isabel is handed that role without the buildup, and it shows. It’s frustrating, especially because Amber Midthunder is capable of so much more than what she’s given here.
At this point, I’m ready for that storyline to wrap. Whether that happens early in a potential Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 3 or not, something needs to shift because right now, it’s dragging the show down.
Lee, on the other hand, feels like he’s reached a natural stopping point.
And I don’t mean that in a bad way. His story around Titan X feels complete, and if the show wants to scale him back moving forward, it makes sense.
There’s a version of this series that doesn’t rely on him as heavily, and after this finale, I’m actually more interested in seeing what that looks like.
Especially with Keiko.
That goodbye between her and Lee was an emotional gutpunch. The younger Lee delivering the message in the Axis Mundi while the older Lee relays it in real time is easily one of the most emotional moments in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 Episode 10.
It gives Keiko something she hasn’t really had since returning: closure. And her situation is wild when you really think about it.
She’s back at the same age she was when she disappeared, which means, legally, she shouldn’t even exist.
If the world ever found out about her, it would raise more questions than Monarch could probably contain.
Then again, this is a world where Godzilla exists, so maybe people would just roll with it. Either way, there’s a lot of potential there.
A New Era of Monarch
Keiko is working alongside Cate, building something new within Monarch, continuing the work she thought she lost; that’s a direction that actually feels fresh. It gives the show a chance to move forward instead of circling the same ideas.
And that’s really what this finale does best.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 Episode 10 doesn’t erase the issues that came before it, but it does remind you why the show works when it’s focused.
It delivers on the characters who matter, raises the stakes in a way that feels earned, and sets up a future that could be stronger than what we just got.
Now the question is whether the show can actually follow through.
What are your thoughts on how the finale sets up another season? Do you think Apple TV should pick up Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 3?
What’s your take on the new era at Monarch? Do you think it’s sustainable? And, finally, do you think that Lee should be used more sparingly going forward?
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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