Chapter 16 (Legion)

Last updated
"Chapter 16"
Legion episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 8
Directed byJeremy Webb
Written by
Featured music Jeff Russo
Cinematography by Polly Morgan
Editing by
  • Todd Desrosiers
  • Brian Beal
Production codeXLN02008
Original air dateMay 22, 2018 (2018-05-22)
Running time48 minutes
Guest appearance
Episode chronology
 Previous
"Chapter 15"
Next 
"Chapter 17"
Legion (season 2)
List of episodes

"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.

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 discovers the location of Farouk's body and hurries to find it, although he is one day behind Farouk.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.409 million household viewers and gained a 0.2 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received positive reviews from critics, who praised the cinematography, visual style and character development, although the pacing and lack of progress received criticism.

Plot

Inside the Mainframe, Ptonomy (Jeremie Harris) is shown Fukyama's past. When he was a teenager, he was contacted by Division 3 in acting as a keeper from secrets, with his brain surgery serving as some sort of machine that would prevent telepaths from reading minds and discovering vital information.

Hacking into the Mainframe, Ptonomy contacts David (Dan Stevens) through a Vermillion, saying that he has found the location of Farouk's (Navid Negahban) body in a desert known as "Le Désolé". David leaves for the desert without informing Division 3, but tells Lenny (Aubrey Plaza) about his intentions. After he leaves, he has Lenny released from her cell and she leaves on a motorcycle. Farouk is also pursuing the location, following advice from his old caretaker. Guided by Clark (Hamish Linklater), Syd (Rachel Keller) leaves for the desert as well.

The desert turns out to be a constantly changing location where time and logic do not apply, with Farouk one day ahead of David. Syd catches up with David, but both struggle passing a storm in the desert. They find a tent with their future skeleton selves. David says he has a plan and telepathically communicates with Clark, telling him to find "the clock". However, Clark is knocked unconscious by Melanie (Jean Smart), revealing that she is under Farouk's control. Back in the desert, Farouk summons a minotaur to help with his mission.

In the middle of the episode, the Narrator (Jon Hamm) talks about narcissism and the idea that people don't matter, which could be the most alarming delusion in existence. He views it as people struggling with seeing the real world outside their "shadow", noting that if everyone lived in a cave, nothing would be real.

Production

Development

In May 2018, it was reported that the eighth episode of the season would be titled "Chapter 16", and was to be directed by Jeremy Webb and written by series creator Noah Hawley and Jordan Crair. This was Hawley's eleventh writing credit, Crair's first writing credit, and Webb's first directing credit. [1]

Reception

Viewers

In its original American broadcast, "Chapter 16" was seen by an estimated 0.409 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 10% decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 0.451 million viewers with a 0.2 in the 18-49 demographics. [3]

With DVR factored in, the episode was watched by 0.80 million viewers with a 0.4 in the 18-49 demographics. [4]

Critical reviews

"Chapter 16" received positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 7.4/10 for the episode, based on 9 reviews. [5]

Alex McLevy of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B" grade and wrote, "The show is kicking into high gear, and it's unspooling in a bracingly engaging and effective manner. Well, except for those damn lessons." [6]

Alan Sepinwall of Uproxx wrote, "'Chapter 16' is a weird episode even by Legion standards. Or maybe it's jut weird in a different way from how Legion is usually weird. No matter how bizarre, or how good, an episode is, it tends to feel all of a piece, where 'Chapter 16' feels more like a bunch of ideas Noah Hawley and company had that wound up in the same hour because there was no other good place to put them." [7] Evan Lewis of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "'Chapter 16', like Legion in general, doesn't quite stick every landing in terms of tone, but it's a routine with so many tricks at such a high degree of difficulty that it's easy to overlook a little sidestep here and there." [8]

Oliver Sava of Vulture gave the episode a 3 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Can Legion hurry up and find Farouk's body already?" [9] Nick Harley of Den of Geek gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "'Chapter 16' is successful because of all of these character developments, but it's as always bolstered by Legion's impeccable sense of style. Those dissected frames, pushing each other in and out are immediately alluring, as are the vast desert shots of Farouk and Oliver raising toward the body and the binary-obscured view from inside the mainframe. Legion has been more uneven than its first season, but when its working, it's still the most arresting show on television." [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 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.

<i>Legion</i> season 3 Season of television series

The third and final season of the American cable television series Legion is based on the Marvel Comics character David Haller / Legion, a mutant diagnosed with schizophrenia at a young age. The season is produced by FX Productions in association with Marvel Television. Noah Hawley serves as showrunner.

"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 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.

"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 14" is the sixth 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 14th overall episode of the series and was written by series creator Noah Hawley and directed by executive producer John Cameron. It originally aired on FX on May 8, 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 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 23" is the fourth 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 23rd overall episode of the series and was written by co-executive producer Olivia Dufault and co-producer Charles Yu and directed by Daniel Kwan. It originally aired on FX on July 15, 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. "(#208) "Chapter 16"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  2. Metcalf, Mitch (May 23, 2018). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.22.2018". Showbuzz Daily . Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  3. Welch, Alex (May 16, 2018). "Tuesday cable ratings: 'Legion' rises, 'WWE Smackdown' holds steady". TV by the Numbers . Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  4. Porter, Rick (June 7, 2018). "'Krypton' finale gets a big bump in cable Live +7 ratings for May 21–27". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 17, 2018. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  5. "Legion: Season 2, Episode 8". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  6. McLevy, Alex (May 22, 2018). "It might be time for Legion to stop with the educational monologues". The A.V. Club . Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  7. Sepinwall, Alan (May 22, 2018). "David And Farouk Resume Their Chase In A Fractured 'Legion'". Uproxx . Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  8. Lewis, Evan (May 22, 2018). "Legion recap: David learns where to go, but not how to get there". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  9. Sava, Oliver (May 22, 2018). "Legion Recap: Wandering the Desert". Vulture . Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  10. Harley, Nick (May 23, 2018). "Legion Season 2 Episode 8 Review: Chapter 16". Den of Geek . Retrieved January 13, 2023.