Legion season 2, episode 2 recap: Chapter 10 questions reality

By Kelly Shanaphy | Apr 11, 2018

The second hour of Legion’s second season questions what’s real in an episode that has David solidify his uneasy but secret alliance with the Shadow King.

It’s hard to trust what’s real in “Chapter 10,” but that doesn’t make it any less exciting to watch. Legion always left viewers questioning whether David was insane, and this season is no different. This episode deals with the characters’ perceptions, and opens the door for even more story-telling possibilities.

“Chapter 10,” does clarify a few questions the premiere brought up last week. The big one is that David remembers his time in the orb, it isn’t just flickers of memories. His ability to convincingly lie to the people around him does make one wonder how Farouk is influencing him.

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While future Syd makes another appearance in the episode, there are some serious flaws regarding her origins. For starters, how is she aware what time David is coming from? If he visited her out of the blue then she should be the one catching up to his current situation. The other big red flag is David’s inability to read her mind. There’s a strong chance he’s using her as a coping mechanism for his current situation.

The other characters have their own problems to deal with. “Chapter 10,” flips the status quo for Cary and Kerry. When Oliver and Lenny blindside Division 3, the two create chaos in the government facility. Not only do they blast the guards to dust, they also split poor Cary and Kerry in half.

The two siblings can no longer use their powers properly and almost leaves the former trapped inside the latter. It’s one of the sweetest moments of the series to see Kerry admit how afraid she is of “living life,” knowing that she can’t fold back into Cary for the time being.

It would have been nice for David to ask Farouk to undo whatever he did to them, but he spends the meeting discussing their uneasy alliance. Future Syd tells David early into “Chapter 10,” that they will need the Shadow King to defeat the psychic plague from spreading. Farouk doesn’t seem to care for the victims of this affliction, but does agree to stop killing people if David helps find his body. However, the most intriguing part of “Chapter 10,” comes after their conversation ends.

Turns out Lenny, is actually a whole other person trapped within the Shadow King. She doesn’t have a body but is hoping her loyalty to Farouk will be enough to convince him to set her free. Aubrey Plaza is one of the best parts of Legion, and allowing her to be “reborn” would help keep her around for even longer. Yet, it should be intriguing to see the lengths Lenny is willing to go to get her life back.

Next: Legion season 2: How will the new season distort reality?

“Chapter 10,” ends up getting David and present day Syd on the same side for helping Farouk. Division 3 is hot on their trail though, so the two will need to remain one step ahead in the coming weeks. They have to find a mysterious monk who allegedly knows the answers to their questions, but things won’t be that easy. The episode closes with the monk standing amongst the victims of the plague, and it makes one wonder who the real villain is.

Legion airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on FX.