Chapter 21 (Legion)
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Episode 2
- Noah Hawley
- Olivia Dufault
- Kate Thupin
| "Chapter 21" | |
|---|---|
| Legion episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 2 |
| Directed by | Carlos López Estrada |
| Written by |
|
| Featured music | Jeff Russo |
| Cinematography by | Polly Morgan |
| Editing by | Todd Desrosiers |
| Production code | XLN03002 |
| Original air date | July 1, 2019 |
| Running time | 43 minutes |
"Chapter 21" is the second episode of the third season of the American surrealist superhero thriller television series Legion, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. It was written by series creator Noah Hawley, co-executive producer Olivia Dufault, and co-producer Kate Thulin and directed by Carlos López Estrada. It originally aired on FX on July 1, 2019.
The series follows David Haller, a "mutant" diagnosed with schizophrenia at a young age, as he tries to control his psychic powers and combat the sinister forces trying to control him. Eventually, he betrays his former friends at the government agency Division 3, who label him a threat and set off to hunt him down. In the episode, David finds that Switch's powers won't allow him to pass the barrier to time travel, prompting him to get help from Cary.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.381 million household viewers and gained a 0.1 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised the character development, performances and directing.
After teleporting the compound, David talks with Switch about her time travel powers. She opens a doorway to show it, but David is unable to enter, despite Switch attempting to get him inside.
Onboard the Division 3 aircraft, Clark interrogates a member of David's cult about his whereabouts. When he refuses to elaborate, he is dropped from the aircraft with a parachute. He is picked up by Lenny, unaware that Clark planted a tracking unit on him. Meanwhile, David and Syd communicate through astral projections. David states the community is used to help more people in trouble, something that Syd rebuffs. He claims he will use time travel to fix everything, but Syd proclaims that he is the problem who fails to acknowledge that he will end the world. This affects David, whose emotions are the source of drugs that the cult uses, causing them to become aggressive.
Lenny takes the member to a tea party in the woods, which is inspired by Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, to drug him. Division 3 agents arrive and capture the members, but find no trace of Lenny. Lenny sneaks in and steals one of the cars, locking Cary inside. Cary is taken to the compound, where he escapes his containment room by fooling a stoned member and encounters David. David states that he wants Cary to create a device that will allow Switch to increase her power and allow David to time travel.
Cary is drugged by Lenny and is subsequently aligned with David in a process similar to him and Kerry. Cary accepts to help Switch, being given a new lab to start working. David, through Cary, states that this will allow him to save the world.
Production
Development
In June 2019, it was reported that the second episode of the season would be titled "Chapter 21", and was to be directed by Carlos López Estrada and written by series creator Noah Hawley, co-executive producer Olivia Dufault, and co-producer Kate Thulin. This was Hawley's sixteenth writing credit, Dufault's first writing credit, Thulin's first writing credit, and Estrada's first directing credit.[1]