How does a 90-year-old relic escape what amounts to a Japanese Shady Acres retirement home with a couple of kids, by avoiding Monarch’s mall cops? Plus, did we mention Godzilla gets nuked in this one? Oh yeah.

In this latest installment of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters we’re starting out pretty much right where we left off. We’re kicking it off in 2015, and there’s Kurt Russell’s Lee Shaw, looking all wise and grizzled, scheming his big breakout from this Monarch retirement home in Tokyo. He’s got his crew, Kentaro, Kate and May, and they’re all cooped up with eyes on them 24/7. Lee’s like, hey, let’s go check out Hiroshi’s crash site in Alaska. Sounds like a solid start.

Soccer Mom Style

Now they’re sneaking their way to the parking lot, acting all chill, but boom, Monarch security guards are on them. These guys are more like mall cops, in their black cargo pants and matching Monarch monogram polos.

It’s all action from there. Lee jumps into the driver’s seat of Kentaro’s rental and it’s pedal to the metal, soccer mom style, in their rented minivan. I’m not even kidding. They’re zipping and zooming, making this wild detour to shake off the guards. It’s the kind of opener that gets you on the edge of your seat.

“Are you insane?”

“You never drove with your grandmother.”

May’s Bombshell, and What Lee Was Sitting On

As they’re catching their breath, May drops a bombshell. She’s got all of Billy Randa’s files digitized, and Lee’s thinking they could find some juicy info about Alaska in there.

Then he spills the beans. Hiroshi was actually working for Monarch. Kate’s fuming. Why didn’t Lee and her dad warn everyone about these massive creatures? But Lee’s insistent they did all they could to prevent this mess. She’s literally recovering from the trauma that was San Francisco.

1954: Shut Up and Take My Money

We flash back to the 50s. It’s 1954 now, Lee’s with Keiko and Billy, and they’re trying to charm General Puckett into funding their little project. They show him this huge monster footprint.

“Tell me this is some kind of fossil.”

“That would be a reasonable guess, but we took this impression in a muddy field in Indonesia.”

“How does something this big walk around without being seen?”

And the General’s mind is quite literally blown. He’s like, shut up and take my money.

Godzilla Gets Nuked

So how’s the US Army planning to deal with Godzilla, you ask? They’ve got this plan to lure Godzilla out to land and then, kaboom, drop a nuclear bomb nearby.

The Big G makes his epic appearance at Bikini Atoll. Keen-eyed Godzilla film lovers will recognize this as the place where earlier films have shown they did a nuclear test. This is that moment.

Big boy heads straight for the bomb. He just saddles up like it’s Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings, and it’s a cinematic masterpiece, really. Seriously, it’s the very first time we get to see Godzilla, and he looks amazing.

Keiko’s trying to call off the attack, but Lee stops her. The bomb goes off, and Godzilla’s right there at the middle of it all.

Keiko’s all worried about the military’s hasty tactics, and she’s pissed at Lee for blocking her. But the operation’s a hit, and the Army’s like, here, have all the money. “Said we didn’t ask for enough. They are giving us a blank check to find out if there are more of those out there.”

Keiko wants to keep some secrets from the General. Lee doesn’t exactly agree, but what he does do is say this: “All that I can tell him is what you tell me, and I trust that you will tell me everything that I need to know.”

Korea Is Not Alaska

Back in 2015, the squad’s off to South Korea, aiming for Pohang. Lee’s got someone he wants to meet there, but the others are still iffy about trusting him.

“Why do I have to do anything you say? And why are we going to Korea? My father disappeared in Alaska. Alaska is that way. Do you have any idea what you’re doing?”

“I got us out of Japan, didn’t I?” On a ship, no passports, not a Monarch in sight.

Kentaro’s like, what’s up with you, Lee? But Lee talks him into letting go of the files. Literally, into the sea.

In Pohang they dodge customs thanks to Lee’s buddy, who’s got a plane ready, and they’re off to Alaska. No passports, no fuss. May finds some coordinates in Billy’s files, and that’s their new target.

“If we knew where your father’s airplane was heading when it disappeared, I could pinpoint this.”

“It was flight 74 something. Filed a flight plan from Nome to…”

“Bingo.”

The Crash Site, and the Thing That Found It First

They land in Alaska, right in this snowy wonderland, and there’s the wrecked plane of Hiroshi. There’s this tense moment when Kentaro and Kate think they may have found their father. It’s not him.

But wait, there’s a tent too. Someone’s been living there, and it might just be Hiroshi. Kate spots his handwriting and the pencil shavings. The guy’s a survivor.

Here’s the kicker. While scoping out the crash site, they find giant claw marks on the plane. It looks like Hiroshi might have landed okay, but then something huge came after him.

Suddenly there’s this massive creature. It can literally freeze stuff with its breath, and it goes full on Elsa on the Korean guy and the plane. Talk about a cliffhanger.

The Verdict

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Episode 3 lands at a solid 8.5 out of 10 on the Know-It-All Index. From soccer mom minivan escapes to historical moments witnessed firsthand, this one earns it.

What’d you think about this episode of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters? Did it hold up for you? Are you having a good time with it? Because I know that I am. The conversation lives in the comments on the video above.