“Legion”, the best show of the year gracefully sticks the landing on its chaotic, overwhelming first season of mindfuckery and mutants
“You ever try to un-make soup?”
Love is a messy thing, isn’t it?
David was locked away in Clockworks for six years, sinfully unaware of how special he was until love opens his eyes and inspires him to want more. In a series that is brimming with uncanny superpowers, it’s a little humbling to see that love is the superpower that ultimately wields the most strength in the end. It’s something that effects everyone, both regular humans and mutants alike.
The last episode of “Legion” ended on a very strong note where it appeared like everything might have been neatly wrapped up regarding the whole Amahl Farouk, Shadowing King, story, when suddenly a new (but really old) threat is then thrust in David and company’s faces. This rug-pull of a cliffhanger brings back Hamish Linklater’s Interrogator character back into the mix, with him being put to some extremely good use. Not only does Linklater return to the fold, but the episode’s opening is even devoted to depicting his painful recovery following David’s escape/his tremendous burning all the way back in “Chapter 1.” The bittersweet dichotomy of “Legion” is carried through even here, as the dazed Interrogator lifelessly ruminates on what sort of facial hair styles he’ll now be capable of growing out with a face that’s predominantly scar tissue.
These brief glimpses of the Interrogator’s life with his husband, adopted child, and the simple existence that they lead amidst the complicated work that Division-3 takes on is sort of beautiful. All of this ornamentation and artifice devoted to a life that most audiences probably didn’t even think about after the character had left the frame back in the pilot. This emphasis on the beauty of the unexpected, and how something so simple can actually be immensely complex is the sort of perspective that “Legion” has been able to master at this point.
It’s nice to get such a quiet rumination on the Interrogator’s re-entry into Division-3’s Bureau 19, as well as the difficulties associated with it, but such a fancy re-introduction to this character wouldn’t be necessary (this is surprisingly one of “Legion’s” shorter episodes, with practically its first act being spent entirely on the Interrogator’s past—this is something I didn’t mind at all, but did make me wish we were getting an extended finale, like we did with the premiere). It’s clear that he wants to deal with David even more than he did when he first met him, with this episode beyond perfectly setting the stage up for them dealing with their past and then moving on to a new dynamic. After all, the age of dinosaurs is over–these guys are going to need to learn to fly like birds.
Bringing the Interrogator back into the fold doesn’t just happen to function as some healthy catharsis, it’s also the show’s big way of bringing Division-3 back into play now that all of that pesky Shadow King manipulation seems to have taken a bit of a backseat. People have already started predicting what sort of new mutant might be able to take David on next season, but maybe simply the intervention of the militaristic D-3 will be what shuffles in to fill the void. It’s clear that there’s still a lot more to these guys that we don’t know about.
It also seems like next season could be about David and his group working in tandem with Division-3 to build a new future and curb all of the possible wars that are in the making. This seems like a tenuous, unstable relationship, but it hints at an endgame of sorts that could make sense. I don’t expect David and company to be working from within the belly of the beast immediately next year, but I’d also be surprised if we didn’t get anything reflecting that eventuality. It’s a little humbling that no one in the cast has any idea how close they were to being wiped out thanks to a “Peacemaker” launch from Division-3. It just goes to show how many larger external dangers that are out there that these guys aren’t aware of.
And on the topic of that troublesome Amahl Farouk, Aubrey Plaza is still around and kicking here (the sound design on the constantly buzzing flies of her “corpse” is a brilliant touch), trying to appeal to Sydney now to try and get some sort of freedom and a new lease on life. Plaza has been the true stand-out of this show and “Legion” getting rid of her in a second season would be a bold move, but it’s not an impossible one. Especially for someone like Noah Hawley who is constantly rotating his casts for each new year of his other series, “Fargo“. The more likely solution is that Plaza’s Shadow King will be shifted into a new role next season, and the evil character certainly ends up somewhere different by the end of the episode.
A lot of this episode is interested in the war over David’s mind, and just how incredible is it when he’s finally in “control” of his abilities and just kicking infinite amounts of ass? That pillar of writhing soldiers routine that he pulls off right away is such a stunning, evocative image that feels more suited for something like Akira than a “superhero show.” This first season has been able to deliver so many unforgettable images like this, that anticipating what will be achieved on “Legion” next season (which is officially happening, by the way) is so damn exciting. Now that David is finally untethered, a lot of this episode revolves around what to do with power once you have control of it.
Stevens has been killing it all season, but his work in this finale is especially strong as David dips into the mental anguish of schizophrenia and trying to grab onto some piece of normalcy. This episode is just as much about moving forward, where to go next, and if everything really is as “safe” as it might seem. This has been a show all about intentionally warping expectations and what to believe. It’s easy to know when something is distorted when big, flashing signs are shoved in your face, but figuring it out during the quieter moments is where this finale gets a lot of its ammunition. There’s still some time to also deal with the fallout between Cary and Kerry, which has been one of my favorite underlying threads of this show—especially discovering the magic of Bill Irwin, who’s seriously the unsung hero of this show.
As “Legion’s” finale moves into its final act, the extraction ceremony of the Shadow King that’s performed on David looks like an exorcism scene that’s tag-team directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and John Carpenter. This has been a show that’s featured stunning visual set pieces in every episode, whether it’s the chalkboard or “silent film” sequences from last week’s episode, or the mini-music videos that constantly pop up in the show. This finale really goes all out and attempts to top all of the stunning visuals that have come before it, and it mostly succeeds in this. Like Jesus, simply seeing David battle Zombie Lenny would have been incredible on its own, but having the entire thing play out over a backdrop of Baby David is a masterstroke. Noah Hawley truly comprehends this world as if he is simply one of David Haller’s personalities himself (“The Director”, “The Visionary”). I’m also legitimately curious that now that David’s mind is free of Farouk, if the schizophrenic perspective of the show will settle down a little bit. Hawley’s whole thing was that if David can’t trust what’s real, then neither should the audience. David’s free of that problem for now, so maybe a more stable narrative will also accompany the show. I’d certainly miss the more frenetic storytelling of the series, but knowing this show, they’ll probably just find another way to get creative with structure.
But let’s get back to that whole love thing. “Legion“, in its darkest moment, once more boils down to a love story—albeit an infinitely complicated one—and Sydney makes an incredibly bold choice in the name of love to save David. I had to stop watching and re-group because I was too overwhelmed with what happens next regarding Farouk possessing Sydney and then everything in the world going to shit. Jesus Christ. I can’t recall the last time I’ve seen such an upsetting, bewildering display of destruction. Until David gets involved and then things really start getting insane (which is saying something with this show). Things get reasonably back in order after Farouk’s exodus from the core group, but then some post-credits business goes down that is absolutely ridiculous and hints at a new villain being afoot for next season (that doesn’t seem like Division-3’s technology, but maybe I’m totally off base). It’s the perfect sort of ending that re-establishes the status quo before then knocking its knees out. “Legion” is a show that proves that it deserves trust and that it can make the more absurd of elements work in the most beautiful ways.
Much like how Amahl Farouk can’t simply be ripped away from his host, viewers cannot be ripped away from “Legion”. Thank God we’re getting more of this universe to play with.
4.5/5
Overall Season Grade 5/5
‘Legion’s’ season finale airs Wednesday, March 29th at 10pm on FX
