After Kentaro successfully played hero and saved everyone from the Wolf Titan, we explore Cate’s backstory before showing us Godzilla, not in one but, in two separate time periods.
In addition, episode 6, titled “Terrifying Miracles”, confirms what we all knew: that Godzilla survived being bombed in 1955, and now Lee and Keiko know it as well. We do also get confirmation that Hiroshi Randa is also still alive in 2015.
Episode 5
The Present (2015)
Last week, it looked like our 2015 team, made up of siblings Cate and Kentaro Randa, hacker May, and Lee Shaw, were in a bit of trouble when they got stuck in Alaska with a titan, just to then get captured by Monarch. This week’s episode picks up straight after they arrive at a Monarch facility and basically get a stern telling off from Tim. As well as being given one way tickets away from their search for Hiroshi Randa, Monarch bluff the group in the hopes that they, minus Shaw, will ignore them.
Instead of doing what they are told, though, Cate, Kentaro and May head to San Francisco to continue their quest. Meanwhile, Shaw is still being held by Monarch at their Alaskan Black Site as he wasn’t given the same offer the others were. Deputy Director Verdugo meets with Shaw and tells him about their plan to use the Randa siblings to track down Hiroshi. Shaw criticizes Monarch for not stopping, or even studying the emerging Titans despite having near limitless resources at their disposal. They also theorise that Shaw has to be in his nineties at this point, despite how he looks, due to a “mission gone wrong”. Verdugo prods Shaw for information on the William Randa files but Shaw refuses to give Monarch any information. He, instead, criticises Monarch again, this time for the whole “let them fight” plan Serizawa had during 2014’s Godzilla.
May and the Randa siblings make their way to Cate’s home town of San Francisco – still struggling to recover from the events of G-Day a year prior – hoping to find more leads in Hiroshi’s US office. The group get a lift from Cate’s friend James and we get a look at the recovery efforts of a post Godzilla attack with FEMA housing, which Cate and her mom live in. Cate’s mom, Caroline, meets the hidden son, Kentaro for the first time and realises Hiroshi has a secret second life in Japan that she had no notion of. Caroline also reveals that she pushed Cate to travel to Tokyo to investigate her suspicions about Hiroshi’s secret life, using a lease she had discovered. This does, understandably, cause some tension in the group. We also find out that most of San Francisco has been walled off as a “red zone” but, despite this, Cate urges her mom to use her FEMA status to smuggle the group in.
As the group travel through the quarantined area, trying to avoid any military patrols, one of them spot the group and mistake them for looters. Kentaro smartly uses a potato chip packet and a rock as a distraction tactic, which does manage to get the military off of their tails. They progress further into the “red zone,” sharing some sibling bonding moments about their dad and the silly songs he would sing to them. They run into the military again, however, and are forced to escape using San Francisco’s underground railway tunnels to escape. During this process, Cate’s G-Day PTSD kicks in, causing a rift between her and Kentaro. He decides to give her some space by scouting ahead for an exit, which just happens to lead them to the building they seek, standing tall over the “red zone”.
Making their way into Hiroshi’s office, the group starts searching for any clues. They don’t find a secret safe, unlike in Hiroshi’s Japan office, and so Cate uses knowledge she picked up as a middle school teacher to decode a secret map they found instead. Kentaro uses his art background to complete the map, using the light of the rising sun, and our intrepid group work out that the map shows Hiroshi’s path after he had left San Francisco. Heading back to their meeting point, Cate and her mom manage to repair their relationship and Kentaro confesses to May that he feels like things are finally going their way for the first time in his life. When he leaves May to call his mom, she calls Monarch, saying she just wants to go home and will do whatever Monarch asks to make that happen. It looks like May will be betraying Cate and Kentaro soon.
The Past (G-Day)
The flashbacks this week explore Cate’s past in the days leading up to G-Day. We find out Cate had been in a relationship with a fellow teacher named Dani and their relationship was blossoming with Dani asking Cate to move in with her. On G-Day, Cate arrives to school, finds she only has half a class and fears about the giant monsters approaching the city, leading to an evacuation. The city is only letting buses across the bridge, so Cate and Dani split up so Cate can chaperone her class to safety. In a somewhat shocking moment, it’s revealed Cate had been cheating on Dani and had been feeling guilt over it, which had forced her decision to chaperone the bus.
My Take
This week was another solid episode with more backstory about our characters, as well as moving the main story forward at a solid pace. I am starting to miss the 1950s group so I am hoping we return to them soon. I did love that we were shown exactly what the aftermath of an attack by a Titan such as Godzilla would look like, especially the recovery and rebuilding efforts, which most shows and films just gloss over. This weeks episode did give me some The Last of Us vibes with the militarised “red zone.” I am looking forward to what the series brings us in the next episode.
Episode 6
The Present (2015)
We see Shaw being transported by Monarch through Alaska when the van stops and Duvall extracts him. She questions him about a possible Titan Emergence that could soon be coming, that Lee has been somewhat ranting about. She further probes him about why he is so certain of impending disaster and all he says is that he has to atone for his lack of involvement and help in the events of G-Day. He counters Duvall’s questions by asking he why she is willing to betray Monarch and help him, and we find out that she only joined with them to try to stop a second disaster like G-Day from happening again, as she lost her sister in the first one. Realising their goals are aligned, at least for now, she helps him escape Monarch custody and the two drive off.
We then cut to the Randa siblings and May as they find out their next destination is in the Middle East. They begin planning how to best make their way there. Just as the trio are preparing to leave, they’re shocked when Lee and Duvall show up, with Lee quickly letting them know the news that another G-Day event is coming and it is going to be 100 times worse than the last one. After finally accepting Duvall has turned her back on Monarch, the group pack up and head off, ready to try to stop the upcoming disaster.
As this is all going down, Monarch’s Deputy Director Verdugo, and Tim, investigate Hiroshi’s USA office for any clues on the group’s activities and where they are planning to go next. Thanks the the Randa siblings deciding to take the map with them, it’s a little more difficult for Monarch to track them, but Tim spots one of the tiny flag pins and finds there is a specific pattern to the holes in the wall, allowing him to work out where they could be going next.
Lee and the rest of the group arrive in the Algerian Desert and meet up with a group of former Monarch members who are all preparing to travel with them. Cate is hesitant at first, not being a huge fan of Monarch, but Lee points out that they could use all the help they can get if they are to beat Monarch and save countless lives. After Kentaro and May also help to convince her, the group bands together to form a sort of rebellion against Monarch, or an Anti Monarch if you will.
Arriving at the destination marked on Hiroshi’s map, Anti Monarch sees a glint from a car in the distance and use their binoculars to find out Hiroshi is very much alive and that he has a newer version of a gamma radiation simulator in the back of his truck. What looks to be a heartfelt reunion between the Randa Family soon transforms into a run for survival as Lee recognises the device and spots Hiroshi tying to warn them to leave. As they flee, Monarch shows up, having successfully used Tim’s information to track the group down. Things go sideways as a Titan starts emerging from the floor: none other than Godzilla, who has apparently been hibernating there since the events of G-Day and fighting the two MUTO.
As Godzilla leaves, Lee confirms nobody in the helicopter could have survived crashing into one of Godzilla’s dorsal fins. RIP Tim. Shaw takes Duvall with him to pursue Godzilla, departing from the Randa kids and May with the awesome line, “Jesus Cate, I’m trying to help him!”
Now knowing their dad is alive, Kentaro and Cate decide to track Hiroshi down again. May reveals her betrayal, explaining she did it just so she could go home to her family, and causes a possibly irreparable divide between herself and the Randas.
The Past (1950s)
We are finally returning to our 1950s team of Lee Shaw, Dr. Keiko Muira, and William Randa this week. After two long weeks without them, it all starts at a swanky Defense Federation ball in Washington D.C., where Keiko and Lee are badly attempting to mingle with government officials and army higherups in order to keep Monarch’s funding. As they do, Keiko, unfortunately, falls victim to racial remarks from one of Lee’s ignorant superiors, as Lee gets treated as the face of Monarch by Puckett. Finally getting away from everyone, Lee and Keiko appear to have formed some form of a close bond as the two talk kids and flirt. Before it goes too much further, an urgent telegram from Bill Randa interrupts the pair.
We return to Monarch HQ and Bill is convinced he has evidence that another Titan is going to emerge soon and he shows Lee and Keiko his findings. With the evidence not being perfectly concrete, Bill and Keiko head to Japan to investigate further. Meanwhile, Lee reluctantly stays behind to deal with the government officials and secure their funding. Bill and Keiko meet Dr. Suzuki in Japan and he welcomes them to “Monster Island.” He says that people are too scared to visit him now, even the mailman. Suzuki proceeds to show the pair his invention, the Gamma Radiation Simulator, that can send out waves of energy that acts like a call, getting the attention of any Titans in the vicinity. Keiko refers to it as a Titan phone but Bill points out it could also be like dangling bait for a hungry Titan and could give away their location.
Bill manages to establish a communication with Lee and tells him about what they’ve found in Japan. Lee asks about how Keiko is doing but tensions seem to arise between the two. Not being happy about not being with Keiko and Bill on Monster Island, Lee pays Puckett a home visit during a family barbeque, asking about being sent out into the field with the others, but The General informs Lee that if he goes, there will be consequences for Monarch as well as for Lee’s military career.
Heading back to Monster Island, Bill and Keiko help Suzuki in testing his gamma radiation simulator and are surprised when Lee suddenly shows up. After some rather brief introductions, Bill drags Suzuki away so Lee and Keiko can talk. Keiko is upset because she realises that, by coming to Monster Island, Lee has given up control of Monarch to the army. Lee attempts to convince her he is needed in the field with her and Bill but she believes he’s only there to further a romantic bond the two have. As they kiss, they suddenly realise the gamma radiation simulator has stopped and vanished when it is suddenly thrown out of the water and almost hits them. As they stare out to the water, Godzilla emerges and Lee comes to the terrifying realization that the atomic bomb they used on Godzilla at Bikini Atoll didn’t kill him.
The trio return to the USA HQ to talk to General Puckett about Godzilla surviving when they discover a change in command, showing Lee that Puckett was right when he said there would be consequences for going to Japan.
My Take
Overall, I absolutely loved this episode, especially getting to see Godzilla appear to both groups in two separate time periods. After two episodes ignoring the 1950s group, it was nice to see them return and I was genuinely happy to see Cate and Kentaro see their father is alive and the goose chase hasn’t been for nothing. I am now wondering if 2015 Lee and his actions are what eventually lead to Apex in King of the Monsters and whether the disaster he’s so determined to stop is related to that film as well. With four episodes remaining, we are going to have to wait and see when the time comes! One of my favourite parts, however, was the deep cut reference to Monster Island from some of the original Godzilla movies. I am hoping we get more references like that in the future.
What did you think of episodes 5 and 6? Are you excited to see what happens next? Let us know in the comments below!
