Chapter 25 (Legion)
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Episode 6
- Jeff Russo
- Jemaine Clement
- Jason Mantzoukas
- Noah Hawley
| "Chapter 25" | |
|---|---|
| Legion episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 6 |
| Directed by | John Cameron |
| Written by | Noah Hawley |
| Featured music |
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| Cinematography by | Alex Disenhof |
| Editing by |
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| Production code | XLN03006 |
| Original air date | July 29, 2019 |
| Running time | 51 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
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"Chapter 25" is the sixth 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 and directed by executive producer John Cameron. It originally aired on FX on July 29, 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, Syd's mind has manifested as a baby in the astral plane, where she is adopted by Oliver and Melanie Bird, and raised through her second childhood.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.332 million household viewers and gained a 0.1 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the character development and the rap battle sequence, although some expressed criticism for the pacing and lack of progress with the previous episodes.
In the astral plane, Oliver and Melanie live in a hut. One day, Oliver finds a baby in the fields and they both decide to adopt her, naming her Sydney. They are also often disturbed by a man named Jerome, also known as "The Wolf," a person whose presence seem to annoy everyone, who also found a woman named Cynthia. Oliver and Melanie decide to adopt Cynthia to help her lost "innocence".
As time passes, the baby grows into a child, with both her and Cynthia constantly being tempted by The Wolf. Cynthia succumbs to his tricks and walks away with him. The child is constantly haunted by nightmares, result of the real world's influence. To avoid the Wolf, they move into the city, although Cynthia has fallen for the Wolf. The child now becomes the teenage version of Syd, who is struggling to find her place in the world. She runs into Cynthia, who tries to get her to join the Wolf. Syd refuses and tells Oliver and Melanie that she wants to save Cynthia.
Syd and Oliver go to the Wolf's lair, where they take Cynthia to their house. However, The Wolf has followed them, prompting Oliver and the Wolf to engage in a rap battle. Oliver wins the rap battle, although Cynthia still willingly goes with the Wolf, much to Syd's disappointment. Oliver and Melanie tell Syd that they prepared her for this life, encouraging to return to the real world, just as she grows into her adult self.
Syd awakens in the airship, finding that Switch's doorway is malfunctioning, although she is unable to enter. She meets with Cary and Kerry, telling them she can stop David and Switch. Cary creates bracelets for each other, which will allow them to enter the doorway. Before entering, Kerry asks Cary to transfer her wounds to him so she can fight, which he does at great cost. As the time demons appear, Syd, Cary and Kerry enter the doorway, which finally closes.
Production
Development
In July 2019, it was reported that the sixth episode of the season would be titled "Chapter 25", and was to be directed by executive producer John Cameron and written by series creator Noah Hawley. This was Hawley's seventeenth writing credit, and Cameron's third directing credit.[1]
Filming
The episode featured a rap battle sequence, where Oliver and The Wolf performed at a night club dream sequence.[2] The idea wasn't originally planned by Hawley while writing the script, although he commented that "I would be depriving his [Jemaine] fans and my audience of a golden opportunity if I didn't take this seriously." Hawley wrote the rap lyrics as a placeholder, assuming that they would later change them, but Clement liked it enough, "But he did it, happily, and had no real complaints. I said if you want to re-write this at all, feel free. He changed very little, we filmed it, and it's one of my favorite things ever."[3]