Lee Shaw is a military man whose story is only truly starting to come into focus. Part of what works is that we only know so much about him. “Monarch” is set up as a mystery box show and Shaw himself is one of the many mysteries the series sets out to unravel for us. The fourth episode, “Parallels and Interiors,” most significantly pulls back the curtain on Russell’s version of the character. He might be something like 90 years old (in the show), but he’s still whipsmart, crafty, and very likable. You want to know more about him, and that’s the key.
But the brilliance of the character as he exists can’t be attributed strictly to Kurt Russell. The show’s biggest weapon is the fact that his son and fellow actor, Wyatt Russell, is also playing a version of Lee Shaw decades prior when Monarch was first formed. The versions of Shaw from the past and present are interwoven and, the further along the show gets, the better the vision of this man comes into focus. When we’re with Kurt Russell, we’re taking what we’ve learned from Shaw in the past through Wyatt Russell and wondering how he got to this place. It’s a bit of stunt casting that has some real, meaningful purpose.
For as much credit as Wyatt Russell is owed, the fourth episode of the series gives us that vintage Kurt Russell goodness that drives home the “I like this character” feeling. It’s Russell going on a cinematic ride and being a hero. It’s the man we know and love from his collaborations with John Carpenter like “Big Trouble in Little China” or “Escape From New York.” The charming Mr. Nobody from the “Fast & Furious” movies is on the surface when it needs to be, but there’s a far more present, pained, and hardened figure there, not totally unlike John Ruth from “The Hateful Eight.” It’s Kurt Russell’s greatest hits in a monster-filled universe.