#scifi

"Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" (Season 2)

While I was on a short vacation, I downloaded the entire second season and binge-watched it. And I think it turned out even better than the first. The series continues to bring soul back to the Godzilla franchise [along with the latest Japanese films].

If the first season had clear references to Gareth Edwards' "Godzilla," then the second season is an expansion of ideas and stories from the film "Kong: Skull Island," and in episode 9 there is even a visual reference to the film.
The finale of the second season not only ties up the plot of the whole season but also complements the plot of the 2017 film with Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson. It made me want to rewatch "Kong: Skull Island" just like after the finale of "Andor."
As a result, for me personally, the second season made the film more touching, as some characters gained well-written backstories.

By the way, Bill Randa is played by John Goodman in the film, and Anders Holm in the series. I can't say they are 100% similar, but there is something in common.

Also in the second season, I liked that they brought to the forefront the theory that all monsters from myths and folklore are kaiju from the rifts. It's just that different peoples described them differently and incorporated them into their cultures. Even though it's all fantasy, it's a cool idea to connect the monster story not only with the fear of nuclear weapons. And the metro metaphor is now my favorite for describing any moderately complex events and situations.

In summary.
Season 1 is a story about trying to understand others/the other, or isolating from each other [in this case, people and kaiju].
Season 2 is a story about if you don't want to/can't understand or isolate (yourself), then start playing God and wait for new large-scale destruction.
Apparently, season 3 will be a story about how people will finally learn to coexist with monsters.

Personally, I always find it curious to watch how carefully and tactfully the series' authors weave family drama into the kaiju story. In season 2, they twisted everything so that the situation became much more complex and emotional.
Season 1 was about the mistakes of the past, and season 2 turned out to be about reconciling with the past and trying to build a new present. I predict that season 3 will probably be about grieving and creating a future without looking back at the past.

In general, in my opinion, the series "Monarch" is both family psychotherapy, a large-scale sci-fi epic, a conversation about corporate evil, and a bit of a conversation about geopolitics. The humanization of kaiju monsters is in full swing. It's a very humanistic project, because overall the main idea of the series is that if we want to see our future, people need to learn to negotiate. And it doesn't matter if it's a story about kaiju, or about family, or about something else.

Kurt Russell is just a handsome man, at 75 years old