Chapter 12 (Legion)

Last updated
"Chapter 12"
Legion episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 4
Directed by Ellen Kuras
Written by
Featured music Jeff Russo
Cinematography by Polly Morgan
Editing byRegis Kimble
Production codeXLN02004
Original air dateApril 24, 2018 (2018-04-24)
Running time42 minutes
Guest appearance
Episode chronology
 Previous
"Chapter 11"
Next 
"Chapter 13"
Legion (season 2)
List of episodes

"Chapter 12" is the fourth episode of the second season of the American cable television series Legion , based on the Marvel Comics character David Haller, and connected to the X-Men film series. It is the 12th overall episode of the series and was written by series creator Noah Hawley and co-executive producer Nathaniel Halpern and directed by Ellen Kuras. It originally aired on FX on April 24, 2018.

Contents

The series follows David Haller, a "mutant" diagnosed with schizophrenia at a young age. Struggling to differentiate reality from fantasy, Haller tries to control his mutant powers and the sinister forces trying to control them while evading a government agency, Division 3. Summerland and Division 3 eventually team up in order to catch Amahl Farouk from finding his original body. In the episode, David enters Syd's mind to release her, discovering part of her life.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.434 million household viewers and gained a 0.2 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received positive reviews from critics, who praised Keller's performance and character development, although some criticized the writing and pacing.

Plot

Inside the igloo, Syd (Rachel Keller) experiences some of her childhood memories, which include disliking people touching her. This also caused her to become a victim of bullying, which also led to self-harm.

David (Dan Stevens) meets with Syd inside her mind, but she is dismissive of his intentions. David struggles in finding her deepest desire, as she is not even interested in touching people without worrying about her powers. Syd's power began to surface when a boy kissed her and caused the body swap, and then used the boy's body to hit her bullies and face no consequences. It is also revealed that she swapped bodies with her mother and then had sex with her boyfriend. However, she accidentally swapped back into her real body before finishing, leading to the man's arrest.

Back in the real world, Division 3 is cured of the Catalyst, with Clark (Hamish Linklater) deducing that the monk's death may have something to do with it. In Syd's mind, David constantly fails in realizing Syd's deepest desire, which would get him to relive her entire life again. Eventually, Syd explains that her desire involves recognizing that love is not going to save them, but pain can give them the strength for love. This convinces her to finally wake up with David in the real world. In the real world, David and Syd find that Division 3 has retrieved a person: Lenny (Aubrey Plaza).

Production

Development

In March 2018, it was reported that the fourth episode of the season would be titled "Chapter 12", and was to be directed by Ellen Kuras and written by series creator Noah Hawley and co-executive producer Nathaniel Halpern. This was Hawley's seventh writing credit, Halpern's sixth writing credit, and Kuras' first directing credit. [1]

Reception

Viewers

In its original American broadcast, "Chapter 12" was seen by an estimated 0.434 million household viewers and gained a 0.2 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research. This means that 0.2 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode. [2] This was a 14% increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 0.380 million viewers with a 0.2 in the 18-49 demographics. [3]

Critical reviews

"Chapter 12" received mostly positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 90% approval rating with an average rating of 8.1/10 for the episode, based on 10 reviews. [4]

Alex McLevy of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A-" grade and wrote, "The Groundhog Day shenanigans ultimately come across like a scolding lecture staged for our benefit, not for David's. He's just happy it's over." [5]

Alan Sepinwall of Uproxx wrote, "But where I can often just accept Legion's stylistic flourishes as something superficially impressive that doesn't withstand closer scrutiny, 'Chapter 12' put in the real work of placing us inside Syd's head, experiencing her life the way she has, feeling the same hurt and alienation she's suffered. It's less action-packed than the series can be, but on the whole this is one of my favorite episodes of either season." [6] Evan Lewis of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "As a deep character dive on Syd, who often tends to feel aloof and underdeveloped, this episode is a welcome change of pace, and it brings the scale of the stakes from global catastrophe to personal development in a way the season has desperately needed." [7]

Oliver Sava of Vulture gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "'Chapter 12' delivers exactly what I was asking for in last episode's recap, using the mental-maze conceit to explore a character's accumulated trauma and create a satisfying arc where they push through the pain to become a stronger person." [8] Nick Harley of Den of Geek gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "For the first time this season, it feels like David and Syd are back on the same wavelength. The episode ends with Lenny showing up at Division 3, perplexingly in the flesh, but after the dazzling, emotional 43-minute journey we've been on through Syd's memories, the cliffhanger doesn't hit as hard as it maybe should. That's a credit to the truly moving, sublime nature of 'Chapter 12'. Hopefully there are more standalone gems like this ahead in the show's future." [9] Josh Jackson of Paste gave the episode a 8.7 rating out of 10 and wrote, "It's a breathless episode and a massive shift in tone. Are we to trust Future Syd when she tells David to help Farouk, the Season One villain who was basically a parasite inside David's mind? Does she have David's best interest in mind? Or humanity's? The show has made the rest of Division 3 seem like villains at times and reluctant allies at others, but is David now working against the greater good?" [10]

Related Research Articles

<i>Legion</i> (TV series) American television series

Legion is an American superhero television series created by Noah Hawley for FX, based on the Marvel Comics character David Haller / Legion. Set in the X-Men film series, it was produced by FX Productions in association with Marvel Television, and ran for three seasons from 2017 to 2019, with Hawley serving as showrunner.

"Chapter 2" is the second episode of the first season of the American cable television series Legion, based on the Marvel Comics character David Haller, and connected to the X-Men film series. The episode was written by series creator Noah Hawley and directed by co-executive producer Michael Uppendahl. It originally aired on FX on February 15, 2017.

"Chapter 4" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American cable television series Legion, based on the Marvel Comics character David Haller, and connected to the X-Men film series. The episode was written by co-producer Nathaniel Halpern and directed by Larysa Kondracki. It originally aired on FX on March 1, 2017.

"Chapter 6" is the sixth episode of the first season of the American cable television series Legion, based on the Marvel Comics character David Haller, and connected to the X-Men film series. The episode was written by co-producer Nathaniel Halpern and directed by Hiro Murai. It originally aired on FX on March 15, 2017.

"Chapter 7" is the seventh episode of the first season of the American cable television series Legion, based on the Marvel Comics character David Haller, and connected to the X-Men film series. The episode was written by co-producer Jennifer Yale and directed by Dennie Gordon. It originally aired on FX on March 22, 2017.

"Chapter 8" is the eighth episode and season finale of the first season of the American cable television series Legion, based on the Marvel Comics character David Haller, and connected to the X-Men film series. The episode was written by series creator Noah Hawley and directed by Michael Uppendahl. It originally aired on FX on March 29, 2017.

"Chapter 9" is the first episode of the second season of the American cable television series Legion, based on the Marvel Comics character David Haller, and connected to the X-Men film series. It is the 9th overall episode of the series and was written by series creator Noah Hawley and co-executive producer Nathaniel Halpern and directed by Tim Mielants. It originally aired on FX on April 3, 2018.

"Chapter 10" is the second episode of the second season of the American cable television series Legion, based on the Marvel Comics character David Haller, and connected to the X-Men film series. It is the 10th overall episode of the series and was written by series creator Noah Hawley and co-executive producer Nathaniel Halpern and directed by Ana Lily Amirpour. It originally aired on FX on April 10, 2018.

"Chapter 11" is the third episode of the second season of the American cable television series Legion, based on the Marvel Comics character David Haller, and connected to the X-Men film series. It is the 11th overall episode of the series and was written by series creator Noah Hawley and co-executive producer Nathaniel Halpern and directed by Sarah Adina Smith. It originally aired on FX on April 17, 2018.

"Chapter 13" is the fifth episode of the second season of the American cable television series Legion, based on the Marvel Comics character David Haller, and connected to the X-Men film series. It is the 13th overall episode of the series and was written by series creator Noah Hawley and co-executive producer Nathaniel Halpern and directed by Tim Mielants. It originally aired on FX on May 1, 2018.

"Chapter 15" is the seventh episode of the second season of the American cable television series Legion, based on the Marvel Comics character David Haller, and connected to the X-Men film series. It is the 15th overall episode of the series and was written by series creator Noah Hawley and co-executive producer Nathaniel Halpern and directed by Charlie McDowell. It originally aired on FX on May 15, 2018.

"Chapter 16" is the eighth episode of the second season of the American cable television series Legion, based on the Marvel Comics character David Haller, and connected to the X-Men film series. It is the 16th overall episode of the series and was written by series creator Noah Hawley and Jordan Crair and directed by Jeremy Webb. It originally aired on FX on May 22, 2018.

"Chapter 17" is the ninth episode of the second season of the American cable television series Legion, based on the Marvel Comics character David Haller, and connected to the X-Men film series. It is the 17th overall episode of the series and was written by series creator Noah Hawley and co-executive producer Nathaniel Halpern and directed by Hawley. It originally aired on FX on May 29, 2018.

"Chapter 18" is the tenth episode of the second season of the American cable television series Legion, based on the Marvel Comics character David Haller, and connected to the X-Men film series. It is the 18th overall episode of the series and was written by series creator Noah Hawley and co-executive producer Nathaniel Halpern and directed by Dana Gonzales. It originally aired on FX on June 5, 2018.

"Chapter 19" is the eleventh episode and season finale of the second season of the American cable television series Legion, based on the Marvel Comics character David Haller, and connected to the X-Men film series. It is the 19th overall episode of the series and was written by series creator Noah Hawley and directed by Keith Gordon. It originally aired on FX on June 12, 2018.

"Chapter 20" is the first episode of the third season of the American cable television series Legion, based on the Marvel Comics character David Haller, and connected to the X-Men film series. It is the 20th overall episode of the series and was written by series creator Noah Hawley and co-executive producer Nathaniel Halpern and directed by Andrew Stanton. It originally aired on FX on June 24, 2019.

"Chapter 24" is the fifth episode of the third season of the American cable television series Legion, based on the Marvel Comics character David Haller, and connected to the X-Men film series. It is the 24th overall episode of the series and was written by co-executive producer Olivia Dufault and producer Ben H. Winters and directed by Arkasha Stevenson. It originally aired on FX on July 22, 2019.

"Chapter 26" is the seventh episode of the third season of the American cable television series Legion, based on the Marvel Comics character David Haller, and connected to the X-Men film series. It is the 26th overall episode of the series and was written by series creator Noah Hawley and co-executive producer Olivia Dufault and directed by Dana Gonzales. It originally aired on FX on August 5, 2019.

"Chapter 27" is the series finale of the American cable television series Legion, based on the Marvel Comics character David Haller, and connected to the X-Men film series. It is the eighth episode of the third season and is the 27th overall episode of the series.. The episode was written by series creator Noah Hawley and co-executive producer Olivia Dufault and directed by Hawley and executive producer John Cameron. It originally aired on FX on August 12, 2019.

References

  1. "(#204) "Chapter 12"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  2. Welch, Alex (April 25, 2018). "Tuesday cable ratings: 'Legion' holds steady, 'WWE Smackdown' takes a hit". TV by the Numbers . Archived from the original on April 30, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  3. Welch, Alex (April 18, 2018). "Tuesday cable ratings: 'Unsolved' holds steady, 'The Last OG' falls". TV by the Numbers . Archived from the original on April 19, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  4. "Legion: Season 2, Episode 4". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  5. McLevy, Alex (April 24, 2018). "It's all about Syd as Legion slows down for a life lesson in hard knocks". The A.V. Club . Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  6. Sepinwall, Alan (April 24, 2018). "'Legion' Explores A Body Swapping Nightmare In Season Two's Best Episode Yet". Uproxx . Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  7. Sullivan, Kevin (April 24, 2018). "Legion recap: 'Chapter 12'". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  8. Sava, Oliver (April 24, 2018). "Legion Recap: The Broken Places". Vulture . Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  9. Harley, Nick (April 25, 2018). "Legion Season 2 Episode 4 Review: Chapter 12". Den of Geek . Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  10. Jackson, Josh (April 24, 2018). "Legion Takes an Emotional Trip Inside Syd's Mind in "Chapter 12"". Paste . Retrieved January 11, 2023.