In the sixth-fourth episode of Monster, I am now bracing myself for having my soul torn from my body in every remaining episode. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Monster.
Trigger Warning: For mentions of racism/fascism, depression, manipulation
What the fuck, y’all.
So, you can watch me have this reaction in real time on video, but when that episode title came up, I was immediately disinterested. Who the fuck cares about The Baby having depression? The dude is a massive neo-fascist, espouses racist views all the time, and is sad that he hasn’t quite become the next Hitler? BOO. BE SAD FOREVER, I DON’T CARE ABOUT YOU. Thus, I find it an achievement that this episode manages to overcome something like this and become… lord, I don’t even know what. I feel like the whole fabric of this final arc has shifted into something new, and I’m terrified. What if I’ve gotten this all wrong? What if Johan’s motivations are different than my operating theories? WHAT THE FUCK IS JOHAN PLANNING?
Still, there are other questions that I need answering before that’s addressed. In The Baby’s final appearance, the show pulls back the curtain just a bit, letting us in on the life of a notorious crime boss, and as it turns out, his life of racism and illegality isn’t all that fulfilling! He’s spent all his time buying people, and unsurprising, that doesn’t lead to meaningful relationships and interactions. Everything is a transaction for him, and in the final night of his life, he opens up to a woman who he is on a date with. Yes, it’s clear that this woman was most likely hired or manipulated by Johan in order. For what it’s worth—and I certainly give zero fucks about The Baby as a person—I do think the episode built a convincing case for his loneliness. I understood it! I despised him as a person and a character, but it was clear why The Baby felt so isolated. It wasn’t just the money thing, though. His job kept him from making real connections with other people. On top of it all: Johan. It’s clear The Baby knew most of what was going on in the organization, but there was still an element of mystery to it all. There’s some “plan†that is unfolding, and it involves Nina and Johan, and we know from past episodes that this organization wants to use Johan for their own purpose.Â
But to what end? And why was The Baby so worried about Johan’s activities? UGH WHAT IS THE PIECE THAT I’M MISSING HERE? I’m certain there are clues towards it in the episode itself. Capek refers to a “master†at one point. Does he mean Johan or Franz Bonarparta? (HELP ME, THAT FINAL FUCKING LINE HAS RUINED MY LIFE.) What is it that they’re planning? How does it involve that (still unnamed) man who is basically Johan’s disciple? (This episode also explains the “unrelated†murders from the previous episode: they were all to help cover up some sort of scandal that this unnamed man is at the center of.) Why is he so important to the story? Shit, why did Johan take on a disciple anyway? All of this contributes to the fear that The Baby voiced to the unnamed woman: He was no longer in the inner circle, and for the first time in his life, he believed he might be expendable. Even more specifically: Johan would be the one doing the expending.
Which leaves me with Peter Capek. This is the main reason I felt like this episode shifted the focus of Monster so much. It’s easy to see why I’ve viewed Johan as the main antagonist, and I still think he’s one of many. I now believe that the main antagonist at the heart of this is actually Franz Bonaparta, the man who Capek met and who Capek spoke highly of to Milan in a previous episode. I believe Capek created this “program†of his because of Bonaparta, and that Bonaparta is the “master†he briefly referred to in this episode. He must also know that Johan was once a part of Bonaparta’s original experiments, right? Which would explain why he’s never mentioned Bonaparta to Johan or has always done so in the past tense, as if Bonaparta was dead. His own paranoia in this episode stems from practically the same source as The Baby’s: He realizes he might not be in control of this at all. Does he really know what Johan is doing?
Seriously, this episode careens in such a horrifying direction as soon as Capek learns that The Baby is dead. I don’t understand why Capek believes that being in possession of Nina will guarantee his safety, but clearly, that’s not the case. Y’all, that whole sequence with the bodyguard… I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED. Was the bodyguard resistant to drive away from the house because he was frustrated or because he was tasked by Johan to bring Capek there? We don’t know because Capek executes him in a state of terror. He immediately goes from hysterical doubt—after learning the man was reaching for a lighter, not a gun—to having his fears validated when he arrives at his SECRET home to find Johan waiting for him.
I can’t get what Johan says out of my mind. He thought the monster was inside him, but it’s actually outside? He means Franz Bonaparta, right? And if he does, is this all some weird revenge plan? Or is he trying to find Bonaparta to thank him? Praise him? Condemn him? I KNOW PRACTICALLY NOTHING.
Whew, I need the next episode right now.Â
The video for “The Baby’s Depression†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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