Legion Review: Chapter 27 (Season 3 Episode 8)
The end and the beginning meet to create something new on Legion Season 3 Episode 8, “Chapter 27.”
The episode is a showcase for Dan Stevens, his many interpretations on the character and being powerful one moment, vulnerable the next working together to shift David from villain status back to broken and in need of love. Stevens has shown many different styles, including some great dancing moves, throughout the run, and this episode is another example of how much he puts into this role.
David accepting Farouk’s word and risking his future does come a little far fetched, though. He’s spent so long knowing Farouk as a trickster and someone who breaks rules when he needs to, and so finding acceptance and choosing a truce does not feel like it’s in David’s nature at this point of the series.
But he is taking his father, Charles, at his word. It’s really him that David is making the deal with, as the immediate future will change everything, even if Farouk later on backs out of the deal. It’s also a funny image, two men shaking hands being the catalyst for change on a show full of powers.
Kerry and Cary sharing their last moment together, no longer as separated by age as before, is a fitting way to close out their story. Both Bill Irwin and Amber Midthunder became core members of the show this season, and both added a lot of fun with their roles. Kerry’s big battle throughout the episode is definitely a highlight.
The ending for Switch is the most intriguing thread, as she finds herself in a new form and moving past existence and into something bigger. It’s an ominous and mysterious direction for her, and feels like it could be explored far more in the future. Being told that she’s lost her baby teeth to regular time is a great line, as it opens up the imagination for what’s possible with greater power over time.
The Legion version of Pink Floyd’s “Mother” is one of the more emotional music renditions of the show, using the lonely images and the juxtaposition of both mother and son to convey how David only ever wanted the love of his mother, which Farouk robbed of him. It’s an effective use of both image and music married together, and a perfect moment to add to the end of the series.
There’s a music video quality to the scene, and helps further show David in a more vulnerable light, much needed on a season full of so much anger.
For the final episode to be one of the most straightforward in the series comes as a complete surprise. But it helps to boil down the ultimate message of peace and acceptance, to letting the past be the past in order to create a better future. That that future also gets to be the past and everyone gets to live their best lives is a cheery message for Legion, the ultimate happy ending anyone could have asked for.
The show rightly ends with both David and Syd spending one final moment together. There’s this hollowness between them now, despite both doing the right thing in the end, and the possibilities of the future are ahead as they fade from existence. It’s a poignant moment, even if it’s a little too neat of a closer.
Legion Season 3 Episode 8, “Chapter 27,” ends a series that for a superhero series, is a complete arthouse experiment. It’s downright shocking that FX allowed all of this, because the show takes risk after risk to tell a story in an unorthodox way and becomes something memorable and endlessly unique. Ending a show like that is a feat, and it ended positively and with a key focus on character.
What did you think of this episode of Legion? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Legion airs Mondays at 10/9c on FX.
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Kevin Lever
Kevin Lever has been following television closely for most of his life, but in starting to cover it, he has grown a further appreciation. He strives to give the blockbusters their due, and give the lesser known shows a spotlight to find more fans.