Legion Review: Chapter 10 (Season 2 Episode 2)

On Legion Season 2 Episode 2, “Chapter 10,” subterfuge and philosophies abound in what is perhaps the show’s most normal episode to date.

For a show as weird as Legion, it’s difficult to imagine that it could ever be standard or normal. Despite that, “Chapter 10” falls very much in that column.

Normal is a sliding scale when it comes to genre television, and Legion has often taken steps to eschew that kind of categorization. But judged against the type of episodes that other superhero shows would make, “Chapter 10” feels more a piece of that than it ever has before.

Ultimately, that is what Legion is: a superhero show. Sure, it has consistently attempted to be the weirdest and flashiest possible version of that — but it is still that at the end of the day.

Certain things that this episode does (like Cary and Kerry getting their powers flipped around, or David having to work with his enemy because there’s a bigger bad out there) are things that we’ve come to expect from other comic book-inspired shows. It all gives Legion a familiar feel that it’s rarely had before.

Legion‘s big hook from the beginning is that it exists in a comic book world, but more one that is psychedelic and oblique and one that dares you to decipher its madness. That is, more or less, what “Chapter 10” delivers, except that this is the most accessible (on a plot level) that the series has ever been.

This isn’t an episode where characters are descending down increasingly confounding levels of David’s memories or traversing a fabricated hospital. Instead, “Chapter 10” is one where you could actually describe the plot to someone else, if you were so inclined.

The realization this brings us to is that Legion is not nearly as weird as it would have us think it is. Granted, there are episodes where Jemaine Clement, Aubrey Plaza, and Dan Stevens get into a techno dance-off, but outside of that, this is a remarkably simple story.

The style can’t be denied, but the substance? It’s not as convincing that it was ever there or ever will be.

If style is the only thing that the series truly has to offer in the end, then that in itself will be perfectly fine. The direction always lets itself be known without ever feeling overbearing. It never ceases to be anything less than impressive and stunning. Quite frankly, it is a pretty and captivating series.

In the future, it might become a problem that this is a somewhat shallow series, lacking of any true depth or narrative creativity. But for now, it’s perfectly fine.

Some Stray Thoughts:

• There was no scene of Jemaine Clement dancing, which can only be viewed as a point against the hour.
• Admiral Fukyama’s androids are still creepy and weirdly unnecessary.
• Aubrey Plaza plays slimy really well but does feel kind of extraneous at this point.
• Actual Amahl Farouk is very unsettling, but I also feel I could listen to him talk for approximately a million years.

What did you think of this episode of Legion? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Reviewer Rating:

User Rating:

 

Legion airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on FX.

Follow us on Twitter @telltaleTV_

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!