Legion season 3, episode 7 recap: Chapter 26

It’s the beginning of the end on Legion. “Chapter 26” puts everyone in a different, past timeline. Are they doing more harm than good? We’ve got the recap!

“Chapter 26” was the last new episode of Legion to air before next week’s series finale. The episode was written by Noah Hawley (Fargo) and Olivia Dufault (Preacher). It was directed by Dana Gonzales (Chambers). The episode was the set-up for the final showdowns to come next week. All of the storylines are not converging. It’s more like all of the episodes are blending into one. It’s time intrusion rather than time travel. Plus, the Time Eaters are accelerating, slowing, and eating history. Time is starting to break down.

Syd, Cary, and Kerry

In “Chapter 22,” Gabrielle (Stephanie Corneliussen) found a giant door in her front garden. That episode was particularly eerie. Gabrielle was under constant fear that she was hallucinating and under threat from some outside force. Of course, she was under pre-attack from Amahl Farouk (Navid Negahban). He may or may not have used that door after Charles Xavier (Harry Lloyd) separated him from his own body. This week, Syd (Rachel Keller), Cary (Bill Irwin), and Kerry (Amber Midthunder) use it to enter the same timeline.

Syd discovers that Gabrielle’s baby is David (Dan Stevens). As Kerry points out, all their troubles would be solved if they just went upstairs and killed baby David. This moment, along with the timey wimey stuff, parallels Avengers: Endgame while offering a completely different take on how the story could go. Syd explains that adult David can’t be saved, but Baby David can. There’s no redemption needed at this point. He just has to grow up properly and follow a different path. Let’s go full movie comparison and say this is the nature vs nurture version of Inception.

While chopping wood in the back yard, Syd urges Gabrielle to love David as much and as hard as she can. It’s her duty to protect him and help him grow into a proper person. Syd explains she knows this because she’s had two complete childhoods. One: Syd’s had two childhoods, but she hasn’t had to raise anybody or she’d know that’s every parent’s goal. Two: Never tell someone who is questioning their own reality that you’ve lived two childhoods. They might question their reality. Which Gabrielle does.

This is all broken up when a Time Eater attacks the residence. It freezes Cary and Kerry in time. It nearly erases David. But, Syd arrives and ax’s the Time Eater in the back of the head. There is an infestation of the Gonzo looking creatures coming out of the furnace. The heat is on.

Charles and Amahl (aka BFFs)

Charles arrives in Morocco to meet the strange man he found using Cerebro in “Chapter 22.”. He’s looking for transportation when he’s greeted by a limo. The driver does not have his name on a placard. He has a rather dashing oil painting of Charles in his military uniform. His employer has been waiting for Charles. Once he arrives, Charles takes notice of kids running around a screaming, caged monkey. Farouk finally appears, greets Charles, and tells him that those children are mutes he took in. The monkey is for fun.

During dinner, Farouk introduces Charles to the astral plane. While Farouk creates emptiness, decadence, and power with his mind, Charles creates a small forest. Later, at entertainment, Farouk plays a show for Charles and the kids. It’s the story of how he defeated the evil tyrant of Morocco and made himself king. He used a secret phrase to aide him. That phrase was: “You shouldn’t have come.” The show isn’t a movie. It’s elaborate shadow puppets. Farouk claims the children call him the Shadow King. Wink. Wink. And, awesome.

David starts to phase into a seat next to his dad and tells him that Farouk is all lies. When Charles takes a moment to consider this, he wakes up in bed. But, how did he get there? It’s Farouk for sure. But, the global and timeless wrath of the Time Eaters is starting to take effect. Present-day Farouk is still trapped in the forever-now on the Time Eater planet. He persistently tries to enter this timeline via a painting in the palace hallway like a psychedelic mash-up of The Picture of Dorian Gray, Ghostbusters II, and Harry Potter.

We Are Legion vs. The World

David is able to apparate in front of Charles. He takes him into a locked chamber within the astral plane with many doors. He tells Charles that he wasn’t looking for Farouk. Farouk was looking for him. Farouk wants to remain the only known, practicing Omega Mutant. Charles questions who David is. So, David offers him knowledge via a piece of three-layered red velvet cake. When Charles eats it, he comments it’s delightful. Then he sees all of David’s past and puts his hand to his mouth.

Then David makes it clear. Charles thought he killed Farouk. But, when he only separated him from his body, Farouk took up residence in David. And then Charles abandoned him. Charles is overwhelmed. He tells David that although he had a family, the war left him looking for more. The inhumanity he saw made Charles want to reach out and find people like him. David seems to understand, but a consistent knocking gets louder when David pauses. Is it a Time Eater? Nope. He’s frozen by every single version of himself. That’s who was behind one of those locked doors. And they want revenge on Charles.

But, they agree to join forces and let David Prime drive their consciousness in order to defeat Farouk. That’s just when forever-now Farouk gets out of that painting. So it’s father and son vs. the two Farouks.

Also, I can’t end this without mentioning that Charles discerns those mute children hold the consciousness of all of the protesting citizens of Morocco. They are internally yelling for their true king, who has been turned into that caged monkey. Yikes. Plus, poor Switch (Lauren Tsai). She’s basically drained of all energy and most of her teeth. She feels that she can’t travel through time anymore and announces that she is finally “here.” She’s finally a part of history. A part of time. She keeps saying that she is ready for her teacher and father. What role will she play in the finale?

Are you excited for the showdown to come in the series finale of Legion? Have you enjoyed this season so far? Let’s discuss in the comments!