Legion Review: Chapter 18 (Season 2 Episode 10)

On Legion Season 2 Episode 10, “Chapter 18,” the pieces are being set into motion for a climactic confrontation between David and the Shadow King.

It’s the penultimate episode of Legion, which means that it has to do what all penultimates have to do: set the stage for the final episode in such a way that it only has to deal with the most pertinent of storylines.

“Chapter 18” is that, more or less, rolled into a rather efficient episode. To its credit (both good and ill), the series had already put a lot of what we see in this episode into motion in the previous episode and this is merely a completion of what it began.

“Chapter 18” only really needs to succinctly setup the final showdown of David and the Shadow King and, in that, it’s largely successful.

The problem that the episode runs into multiple times throughout is how hard it chooses to ring the bell of David turning into Legion, the unstoppable killing machine he’s destined to be from the comic books.

Of course, this is the direction that the series has to go in, but a little subtlety could go a long way with something like this. Sure, Legion has never been one for subtlety, but there’s a first time for everything.

This feels like a lack of faith in its audience. Even if some of them aren’t avid comics readers, there have still been enough hints of this for them to be aware of it.

Again, a little of that trust could go a long way, especially for a show that has so often prided itself on doing what it does and letting the audience catch up later.

In this exploration, however, there is an intriguing possibility that is presented in regards to the entire concept of the series.

At the beginning, Legion was thought of as what would happen if a presumed psychotic wasn’t that at all and instead had psychic powers and a parasite that simply made him seem insane. What “Chapter 18” offers as a counter-argument is that David was always insane but just so happened to have these powers.

By offering a slight reinterpretation of David, Legion has the possibility to change from one of a sympathized victim and towards that of a weapon of mass destruction.

On its own, there might not be much chance that we would believe this a narrative, but the touches of manic psychosis that Dan Stevens feeds into the character is what ultimately makes that believable. Compounded with our memory of that performance throughout the series and it becomes something all too likely.

Beyond that, one of the high points of this episode and arguably even this season is the fight scene that the series gives to Kerry as she fights a never-ending stream of monks. It’s one of the more impressive sequences that the show has done in quite some time, largely due to the stunt work, choreography, cinematography of that scene.

“Chapter 18” is a solid lead up to what promises to be a worthwhile end to the season.

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

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Legion airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on FX.

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