Monarch Season 1 Episode 6 Review: The Night Of…

Who did Nicky kill?

You can say that Monarch Season 1 Episode 6 was aptly titled as it took us right up to the night of the murder that we’ve been getting all the flash-forwards about, and there are more questions than ever.

The primary question out of all of them is, who on earth did Nicky kill? At least two people were Nicky-bound before whatever transpired, but it’s doubtful Nicky murdered either of her sisters.

First, we must pour the brown liquor and throw it back in honor of the other nominees and artists at the Country Music Legacy Awards.

They probably worked the entire year to get nominated for Single of the Year, only for the Romans to eke out nominations and wins in less than six months.

You can’t deny Albie didn’t have a point about award ceremonies these days, and that line implying they’re all a bunch of fake cowboys who don’t even have scuffs in their shiny designer boots was priceless.

Did we mention that Albie has the best lines all the time? Because he does.

Luke and the others couldn’t even bask in this tremendous accomplishment for Monarch and the Roman family because the girls were still at each other’s throats.

Luke’s level of being over Nicky and Gigi’s constant bickering and feuding was an entire mood. And dare I say that the time he and Kayla devoted to giving the sisters the exact same spiel on their way to the award ceremony certainly highlighted how they could’ve ended up having an affair.

The Roman sisters, God bless them, are exhausting, stubborn, and strong-willed.

Gigi felt a way about having to share a nomination for a song with Albie and also competing against Nicky in the same category. And understandably, she has routinely had these issues with being in Nicky’s shadow while Nicky was in Dottie’s. It never lets up or breaks for the Roman women.

And Nicky, by now, just wants her sister back. We knew she’d get the award since it was a significant clue about the murder weapon in the flash-forwards.

Nicky: Like momma said. Family above all else.
Luke: I don’t think she meant murder.
Nicky: I’m not sure about that.

Her speech was a sweet attempt at showing Gigi love, but sadly, Gigi wasn’t there to listen to it because she was still caught up in her feelings.

Interestingly, Kayla is supportive of her wife to the hilt, but she also recognizes that the sisters are better when they’re together than when they’re feuding.

And while Gigi is a sympathetic enough character, it’s simply hard to grasp why she’s holding this much of a grudge over a song that wasn’t hers either. Did she call dibs?

She lied to Nicky the whole time when she planned on singing it because she knew it would hurt Nicky, and it wasn’t no more her song to sing than it was Nicky’s.

So now, every time she talks about how Nicky stole HER song and now got an award for it, she just sounds bratty and immature and like someone with selective memory.

Deep down, Kayla recognizes that, and she’s trying to balance being on Gigi’s side with some actual reason.

Luke is pragmatic, and he just wants what is best for all of them no matter what, and he almost comes across like the eldest brother in the way he puts his foot down with both of the sisters.

Interestingly, we haven’t seen Gigi in all this commotion surrounding the dead, disappearing body. So far, she’s the one Roman excluded from all the frenzy.

I promise, mama. I won’t let them forget you.

Catt

And we last saw her on her way to Nicky’s place to go off on her again about how angry she is because, God forbid, Nicky takes the night and processes the award she won.

Now there is only one death we need to focus on now that Uncle Tripp swooped in and handled the potential investigation into Nicky. It was a quick fix if there ever was one!

Nicky barely had to sweat before the Roman connections came to her aid.

It freed her from Clive’s pathetic attempts to blackmail, and he returned to London once he realized he didn’t have that to work to his advantage. The tension between Clive and Ace was thick, and you could tell there was no love lost on Ace’s end.

But I still have Clive near the top of my list for the corpse. It felt like Clive left too fast, which doesn’t seem like him.

One can imagine what would happen if he got more valuable intel on the Romans to use to his advantage. What if he found out about the Catt connection?

Nicky didn’t seem pleased about who showed up at the door, which is why it’s unlikely that it’s Gigi, and Clive would fit the bill.

It couldn’t be Jamie either since she expressed a genuine interest in him when the timing was right. Those two crackle together, and you must appreciate the heat between them.

Jamie is just so intuitive and sexy. And he has Nicky’s back. No way he didn’t overhear everything about her helping Dottie commit suicide, yet he didn’t acknowledge it and only focused on ensuring that Clive left her home when she wanted.

Luke is still suspicious as heck about him. And even though Jamie came out squeaky clean in the investigation, I don’t blame Luke for not trusting it or him.

Nicky and Jamie are hot together, but that doesn’t mean that Country Yoda doesn’t have ulterior motives or skeletons in his closet. I trust the man with Nicky’s heart, but I don’t trust him in any other context, crazy as that seems.

If anyone gets to the bottom of what Jamie’s deal is, Luke will. We have half a season to figure out the deal with that guy. It has to be something.

Nicky, just one thing. Don’t make it a habit of killing off family members.

Uncle Tripp

Of course, the ultimate secret to come out was about Catt — if you were one of the many viewers who speculated that Catt is Albie’s daughter, congratulations!

It seems Albie was in the dark about a lot of things. He doesn’t know crap all about what any of the women in his life were doing at any given time.

Uncle Tripp, the secret holder, helped Nicky out of that bind and didn’t say anything to Albie. However, Albie was reaching out to him about the barn fire.

He couldn’t take Nellie’s word on the issue and wanted confirmation about every last detail. Tripp was right about leaving the past in the past. He probably would’ve been better off.

But Tripp gave him the dirty details. Yes, Dottie burned Rosa to a crisp in that barn fire, but Rosa wasn’t alone. How do you figure Catt got those burns on her shoulder and back?

She must’ve been in or near the fire too, but how did she escape? Did Dottie return after realizing a child was inside and shipped Catt off to an orphanage in New Mexico?

Rosa didn’t hide who Catt’s father was; surprisingly, no one else dug up information about Albie listed on a child’s birth certificate from another woman. It seems like the type of information that someone would dig into even around the time it happened.

It explains why Catt feels she is familiar with the Romans and believes that she and Ana are entitled to something.

Uncle Tripp: Sometimes it’s best to let the past just rest, you know?
Albie: If Dottie started that fire, if my wife is a murderer, I need to know.

Catt has an unusual beef with Nicky, too. Nicky can’t catch a break here. But I imagine it’s because Catt feels like Nicky got all the things and acknowledgment she should’ve gotten.

Maybe Catt also has an issue with Nicky because of how much she reminds her of Dottie, the woman who killed her mother.

Catt has held onto this information for her entire life, but she seemed ready to blow everything up after Ana sneaked away to pose as Ace’s date at the awards.

Presumably, the cousins as a burgeoning romance would be enough to stop something in its tracks. Clearly, Catt hasn’t been open with her daughter about anything, either.

If Catt is the one Nicky killed after Catt after a confrontation, it could make things messy. It’s a secret that could destroy the family and Dottie’s legacy. Ana is someone they’d have to think about moving forward.

Albie genuinely was surprised and seemed like he wanted to find his daughter, and his opportunity to know her would be taken from him for the second time.

Monarch is bringing all that soapy goodness, y’all!

Thoughts and Things:

• LITTLE BIG TOWN! Sorry, I had to do it.

• Earl is so freaking precious, and his sweet moment with Nicky made me smile. He’s seen it all, and now he can watch it all over again.

• The Roman sisters’ performance was epic, and they both looked so hot on stage! They always slay duets together.

• The timeline on this show is insane. The IVF bit made me laugh out loud.

• I loved Albie’s performance of “Friends in Low Places.” Say what you will about Jamie, but he really has pulled Albie out of his slump.

• Albie grabbing that shotgun without hesitation when Nicky called him and needed him? YES.

Over to you, Monarch Fanatics. Did you call the Catt revelation? Who is it that Nicky killed? Do you trust Luke? Sound off!

You can watch Monarch online here via TV Fanatic.

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Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.