‘Legion 2×03’ Review
If there is one thing that any forms of entertainment do, it is to try to stay fresh and to bring something new to the audience. This week’s episode shows that Legion is at the top of its game when it comes to being unlike anything else on television at the moment. The best episode so far in the season, this is where the wild ride really starts.
This week The Monk (Nathan Hurd) invades Division 3, and David (Dan Stevens) must travel into the labyrinths of his friend’s minds to pull them out of their own delusions.
The description of the episode that I just made is as far as I’m willing to go in terms of plot detail, because once again it has to be experienced. I will say this though, there are moments that really show what makes Legion stand out, and even manages to pay service to the geeks out there who love everything retro.
This week we finally get to understand a lot of things, and this all further adds to David’s confusion. Getting please for help from a possible future, having to deal with contact with Amahl Farouk (Navid Negahban) and have to deal with crisis after crisis is having an effect on his sanity. This is where we have to wonder exactly what is real? Especially if David is struggling to cope with the chaos that takes place inside and outside of his mind.
When it comes to Farouk, he adds so much to the show that we didn’t even realise we needed. In the first season he may have been the yellow-eyed demon, but now he is a suave and as deadly as he is charming. We get to hear some of his past in this episode, but also know that his version of events is somewhat skewed by his own perspective.
The proof of this is Lenny (Aubrey Plaza) who in this episode is still looking for her escape from the “paradise” she is trapped in with Farouk. While he and David discuss things, we see her in the background try different ways of committing suicide, and her begging David to talk to Farouk on her behalf shows what effects the Night King has on his victims. She may be a memory of David’s now trapped in Oliver’s (Jemaine Clement) head, but that doesn’t stop us from pitying her.
Even with most of the focus being on David, this doesn’t mean that the Loudermilks (Bill Irwin and Amber Midthunder) still don’t get their chance to shine. Cary teaching Kerry how to live normally not only shows their closeness, but also how separated they now are. They both continue to steal the scenes they are in.
What this episode of Legion is really about is trimming off a lot of the Division 3 control that David was under and bringing the story back to the Summerland group. It also brings into focus exactly who The Monk is and why he is doing what he does. This may cause some ambiguity on just what David must do, but it also points the finger of blame to what could be the true cause of the chattering plague (or whatever you want to call it).
I tend to hold Legion up to a high standard, which it continually hits, but this week it managed to surpass it. This is the episode that kickstarts season two to the next level and is exactly what makes the show so good. I do think that Legion may be an acquired taste at times, but if it fits your palette, it really is the best thing on television right now.
***** 5/5
Legion airs on Fox TV in the UK on Tuesdays.
