Legion – Chapter 10 Review

With all the avant garde visual crazy that inhabits the world of Legion, it can be easy to forget that this is a Marvel-Fox superhero show. After all, the series tends to rely more on mental stimulation than physical (at least when characters aren't performing complex choreographed sequences to a carefully chosen song). But "Chapter 10" struck the perfect balance of the two, unafraid to push the plot forward through physical confrontation (finally!) between the Shadow King and David, while continuing to dance around on the astral planes of our characters's minds. From a purely narrative angle, the main arc of the season was confirmed with David fully committing to the search for Amahl Farouk's physical body (whose location is apparently only known by a mysterious monk who is hiding in Division 3- how convenient). It's still hard to trust Future Syd (despite David managing to contact her again, he remains an unreliable narrator at best, and his complete trust of Syd in all forms seems rather naive), although Cary's apparent familiarity with the structure of the mysterious orb indicates this dystopian future might be real and deadly. As is often the case with Legion, there are far more questions than answers for the audience within the episode. I certainly don't trust that Farouk will keep his word and refrain from killing (even if he doesn't specifically kill anyone, I certainly anticipate many more people getting hurt at his hand before this is all over- semantics are an easy thing to quibble over, after all), but I am curious to see what happens once he gets his body. Will there be a showdown with David? Will David kill him, just as he has been warned he will do in the future? Will Oliver return to himself (and, thus, give Melanie the happy ending she has given up all hope for)? And what happens to Lenny, who is without a body? It would be a massive shame to lose Aubrey Plaza at this stage in the game. Along with moving the plot along, "Chapter 10" gave us yet another wonderful set-piece in the confrontation between David and Farouk, allowing us to see just how powerful this villain really is (answer: incredibly, when it comes to the astral plane, and deadly when it comes to possessing a human body). The physical battle (which, technically, was a mental battle) between the two was expertly staged, highlighting just who holds the power in the relationship at this point. If David truly is the most power mutant out there, it's terrifying to think what he could be capable of once he begins to learn the tricks Farouk has at his disposal. After all, David isn't the most mentally stable person out there, even before his omega mutant level powers are taken into account. Division 3 is right to be wary of him going rogue and what that could mean for the world at large. Until David learns to harness his abilities, Farouk will have the upper hand in the astral realm. The major question is: Will Farouk be willing to help David learn, or will he be more concerned with making sure our quasi-hero remains manageable? Final Thoughts: -- I'm always a fan of getting more Kerry on the show, but boy, am I worried about that Rogue-like white streak in her hair. The Cary-Kerry combo has been one of the highlights of the series, and seeing them in danger is an incredibly effective way to get the audience emotionally invested in David's overall mission. -- So far, the season has been light on Jean Smart's Melanie, but the brief moments with the character have been very powerful. Her speech to David (who is well aware that she's been drugging herself into a stupor), warning him that being a hero means losing everything in the end, screamed of foreshadowing. It's hard to believe David's decision to team up with Farouk will allow everyone to make it out of this alive and in one piece. -- How great was Navid Negahban as Farouk? Just the right level of smug arrogance mixed with the knowledge that he needs David to complete his goal. It's a complicated line to walk (we have to be charmed by him on some level as well, so that we can understand how he managed to become who he is), and Negahban has excelled at it so far.