Anyone who's watched Monarch can attest that Fox's country music soap exists in a sort of wacky world where time, relationships, and the music industry all operate differently. It's the kind of world where a woman like Gigi wouldn't notice that her wife is someone two to three months farther along in a pregnancy than she's supposed to be (and that a doctor wouldn't say anything), and it's the kind of world where a newly-signed Monarch Records artist would still be shacking up with her mom in a seedy hotel instead of getting some sort of furnished short-term rental. Monarch asks viewers to accept a lot, and that's okay most of the time. It's a soap! It's wild! That's why we watch it.
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The fake awards season that doesn't add up
And yet, in this week's episode, "The Night Of," Monarch went too far and asked audiences for too much. It wasn't the murder plot or the seedy husband, the pregnancy or the conveniently placed "uncle" district attorney, either: It was the fact that mere days after the (contentious) Country Music Legacy Awards nominations came out, the awards show was held. Please! Every good awards show aficionado knows there are at least a few weeks campaigning run-up to the big show—that's when all the good parties and schmoozing happen, after all. Also, both Gigi and Nicky were nominated for Single of the Year, but as far as viewers know neither of those singles were ever recorded or released. Are they getting airplay? What's the timeline here? And does Monarch have artists that aren't Nicky, Gigi, Albie, or (foreshadowing!) Ana? How do they support such a big staff and office if they don't even own the publishing rights to Dottie and Albie's old stuff?
But we digress, because as Albie tells Jamie, "Awards ain't good for nothin' but sittin' on shelves." The CMLs are merely a plot device to drive an episode, and "The Night Of" is pretty good TV.
Speaking of Albie: He's still a little creeped out by what Nellie had to say about Dottie potentially killing his mistress Rosa in a barn fire and enlists his conveniently introduced D.A. friend "Uncle Tripp" to investigate. Uncle Tripp happens to be available because he's just been freed up from prosecuting Nicky for her participation in the assisted suicide of her mother, because he says she's "suffered quite enough." Uncle Tripp does some digging for Albie and finds out that not only did Rosa die in the fire, but that she'd given birth before the blaze and the child was Albie's. The baby was either not near the fire or somehow managed to survive (we'd guess the latter based on the scars we see later, but then how do you explain a baby just being out in the woods alone or something?), ending up in an orphanage in Albuquerque. Gasp! New Mexico!
The big reveal we all saw coming
We quickly realize Tripp must be talking about Catt, mother of Ana, and that's quickly confirmed by a contentious fight Catt and Ana have in their weird hotel room. Catt thinks the Romans only care about themselves and doesn't want Ana hanging out with Ace, which she should be a little more mad about, to be honest, considering Ana appears to be romancing her first cousin. This all checks out with what Catt said in earlier episodes of Monarch when Ana was trying to get signed, alluding to the label being her daughter's "destiny." One can only assume she has devious plans for the clan, but what those are is still a little murky.
Speaking of devious plans: Does Jamie have them? Luke's convinced he's dirty, but he's worked his way into the good graces of not only Albie, but also Nicky, who he's now romancing. (Wade who?) Albie shows his admiration with a pretty solid cover of Garth Brooks' "Friends In Low Places," while Nicky invites Jamie in for several abbreviated drinks, including one that's interrupted by her sleazy soon-to-be ex, Ian. Nicky's not sure how their whole romance is going to work, but Jamie smoothly tells her that some things are worth waiting for.
Elsewhere in relationship drama, Gigi and Kayla are anticipating the arrival of their new bundle of joy, with poor, naive Gigi quipping, "How often does IVF work on the first try?" Gigi's pissed that Nicky's getting acclaim for a song she ostensibly stole from her, and things don't get better when she's asked to perform a sisterly duet at the CMLs. The two gals end up channeling Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood for a take on "Somethin' Bad," big hair, shirtless dancers and all. They do great on stage, but when they step off, Gigi tells Nicky that she's far from being okay with all her sister's doings and walks away. That's only exacerbated later when guest stars Little Big Town announce that Nicky has won Single Of The Year and Gigi leaves in disgust, missing Nicky's quasi-apology from the stage. Later that night, after some coaxing from Kayla, Gigi agrees to go see Nicky at her house, but only to tell her off and give her a piece of her mind.
It seems like Monarch wants viewers to believe that Nicky and Gigi clashed later that night, with a cutaway shot of the former opening the door and saying, "What are you doing here?" bookended with Nicky calling her dad crying, covered in blood. Gigi's been conspicuously absent from all the flashbacks for a reason, after all, but frankly it seems a little unlikely that the whole family would then rally around Nicky to cover up the murder of their own kin. The missing corpse that the family is searching for earlier in the episode could be someone like Catt or Ian, or even someone we haven't really met yet. I'm still questioning why Albie would then have to fire a shotgun in the woods and bury a body—especially if that body was his own daughter, estranged or otherwise—but we're only halfway through this season of Monarch, so there's still ample time to investigate.
Random observations
- I'm going to be tackling these weekly recaps of Monarch for Wide Open Country from here on out, and I'm thrilled. I can't wait to dig into all the campy goodness and watch all the drama unfold. If you've got theories, I'd love to hear them, too. I'm @marahe on Twitter, and you can ping me there.
- Studio engineers, weigh in: Is Albie's recording setup tenable? Because I'm questioning the veracity of recording live sound in a big open room with little to no soundproofing and a bunch of angles and stained glass windows.
- I thought Nicky looked cute during "Somethin' Bad," but Gigi's look was all covered up and a little unfortunate. That pleather jacket did the amazing Beth Ditto no favors, and I liked the little rockabilly number she wore on the awards carpet much better. Let's get this woman in some hot performance costumes! Ditto is a fashion icon and she deserves to look a little more fierce.
- Has anyone ever, in real life, gotten out of a shower and opened up a locket with a picture of their dead loved one, just to stare at it sadly? It's a trope that happens so often on TV and in movies, and I can't think of a single situation in which it may have occurred in real life.
READ MORE: 'Monarch' Staffer on Series' Covers-Heavy Country Soundtrack: 'It Introduces Amazing Songs to Whole New Audiences'
