The second episode of the new FX series slows down a bit to gather its thoughts after its mind-blowing debut last week.
Spoilers follow for this episode and the comics on which Legion is based.
David Haller’s slightly less crazy adventures (when compared to the amazing pilot episode from last week) continue in this second episode of FX’s Legion, which kicks things off more or less right after that first tale. Well, more or less being the operative term because the series continues to play with time and narrative so that we’re never fully sure where Dan Stevens’ David is at all times.
Still, we are getting a better grasp of things now, so as the episode begins with a cover (performed by series star Rachel Keller) of Talking Heads’ “Road to Nowhere,” the lyrics seem to sum up where David is at the moment quite aptly: “Well we know where we’re going/but we don’t know where we’ve been.” David is going to Summerland, the hidden retreat of Syd (Keller) and the mutants led by Jean Smart’s Melanie Bird (glimpsed at the end of the pilot) who rescued David.
But “Chapter 2” spends much of its running time trying to figure out where David’s been in his life, with the mutant Ptonomy (Jeremie Harris) using “memory work” to probe our hero’s mind and revisit his past. Together with Melanie, who strikes a very Professor Xavier-ish sort of stance here as the wise, elder leader of the young group of mutants, David and Ptonomy seem to uncover as many new questions as they do answers. (Interestingly, though, while we don’t know a heck of a lot about what Melanie and her group are up to beyond rescuing mutants, we have been told that she thinks David is the key to “winning the war” -- which sounds more like Magneto than Xavier.)
For David, this is all a revelation. Not just the existence of this group of fellow mutants, but even the fact that he himself is not insane but just insanely powerful. We also peek deep into David’s childhood, where we see more of his “normal” young life including his mom and… a father. But certainly not the father we know he has in the comics, who of course is the founder of the X-Men himself, Xavier. Here the mysterious, silhouetted figure was, according to David, an astronomer who died at some point. But there’s clearly more to the story, as a troubled David sees his young self and then his current self tucked under the covers of his childhood bed while this father reads him the violent bedtime story The World’s Angriest Boy in the World. Great title!
The mystery surrounding the “father” here whose face David can’t quite make out will obviously continue, as will what happened to David’s mom -- there is some business about a mother being murdered in that book too. And of course, comics fans will be wondering how Xavier fits into any of this as well. Showrunner Noah Hawley has indicated in interviews that Xavier is integral to David’s story on the series, so this is another question we’ll have to continue to ponder. In the comics, David actually was raised by his mother and a stepfather before that father was killed, so things could still line up here…
“Chapter 2” also flashes back to a younger David and the problems he has with his girlfriend of the time (who hasn’t telekinetically blown apart their kitchen after a lovers’ quarrel?). We also learn that his pal Lenny (Aubrey Plaza) from the pilot was also an old friend of his from before his days in the Clockworks asylum, and that they used to, um, steal stoves and do drugs together. Unfortunately, however, there’s still not a ton for the viewer to be invested in with Lenny aside from as a bit of comic relief.
Syd does apologize for killing Lenny during last week’s body swap, which could’ve been a potentially awkward development for the budding romance between her and David. But David is totally understanding -- and if anyone, he’s a guy who should be -- and their relationship seems to be one of the only stable parts of his life right now. “We’re having a romance of the mind,” he says sweetly. Stevens and Keller’s scenes together -- telepathic eavesdropping FTW! -- are always a highpoint of this series so far.
And David needs Syd and all his other new friends, because that creepy yellow man is still showing up in his visions and his sister has now been kidnapped by that Division 3 creep known only as the Eye. Ugh -- what’s he doing with those eels?!
Some notes:
- David’s being overwhelmed and sick because of the voices and Melanie’s advice to picture a giant volume knob and turn down the voices with it is pretty fun and another example of Legion’s cool design sensibility.
- Young David lived in the country upstate? Hey, that’s where the X-Men live!
- The idea that Ptonomy remembers everything, including being in the womb and being born, is really cool and also opens up lots of interesting possibilities for his character. Like the best mutant powers, that sounds like a curse as much as it does a gift.
- The closing song, “Hyperactive!” by Thomas Dolby, is certainly one of the great paeans to insanity.
The Verdict
After the tour de force that was last week’s pilot episode, “Chapter 2” of Legion can’t help but be somewhat underwhelming in comparison. But still, it does a lot to stabilize the craziness of last week and fill in some questions -- while also launching a bunch more.
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