‘Legion’ Recap: The Shadow King

Warning: This recap for the “Chapter 5” episode of Legion contains spoilers.

Once again the script gets flipped, and we find ourselves back in a mental institution — only this time, everyone’s a patient. Are they trapped in an astral projection? Or has this entire series been the delusion of a group of people with mental disorders?

The Plot

They get Kerry back to Summerland. Cary can’t immediately absorb her, but he does eventually, taking on all of her wounds. David’s travels on the astral plane inspire him to create his own space, the White Room, where he and Syd can safely touch. He also has a newfound confidence, and he tells them that he’s going to Division 3 to free his sister, Amy. He leaves without their knowledge. They follow and find carnage at the Division 3 site. Melanie and Rudy, the telekinetic (Brad Mann), see the silhouette of the Demon With Yellow Eyes in a surveillance camera, and have their suspicions confirmed by Cary: Something else is controlling David. David psychically tells Syd that he’s back at his childhood home, and Cary joins them with a device that can separate the psychic parasite from David. They go to rescue him, but Lenny attacks them, and suddenly they find themselves in a mental hospital, with Lenny as their doctor.

Related: Catch Up on ‘Legion’ With Our Recaps

The Shadow King

It’s pretty clear that the Demon With Yellow Eyes is the character first introduced by Chris Claremont in 1979 as Amahl Farouk, later revealing himself to be the Shadow King. Rather than being a construct of David’s psyche — Cary calls it a “parasite” — the Shadow King was created by the first nightmare, and is a multidimensional entity that preys on those with psychic powers. That still leaves the question of whether Lenny and the World’s Angriest Boy in the World are also separate entities, or puppets created by Farouk (it’s safe to say, based on name alone, that King the dog is part of the Shadow King). Lenny tries to convince him to use his powers and doesn’t like the influence Syd and the Summerland people over him; the Boy seems to be intended to scare him into compliance — but maybe their motives are only similar, not the same as Farouk’s. Place your bets.

The white room

Of course, as soon as David and Syd find a way to be together, somebody comes along to ruin it. Ms. Bird tells them that spending too much time on the astral plane is the way her husband, Oliver, got trapped. There is even a hint that the reason she cares so much about David because he is the only person who could bring Oliver back to her. This retreat is even more dangerous now, because it appears he can use it to escape the prying eyes of his demons and still communicate with Syd (and probably); that means it might be even easier for the Shadow King to banish him from his own body permanently.

Violation

Again, the motif of powers as violation comes up again. This time, it’s when Syd uses her mother to have sex with her mother’s boyfriend. It’s not only that Syd takes away her agency, it’s also that her mother switches back into her body halfway through. To her, it would have seemed to her as if he raped her while she was too drunk to remain conscious. We’re continuing to see different versions of abuse and trauma expressed as the cause or result of mutant abilities, and it’s possible there may even be a causal link.

Blink and you’ll miss it

One of the things Legion does best is redefine expectations for superhero film and television. David’s telepathy doesn’t have that echo that is typical of every other onscreen portrayal of voices in minds — it just sounds like him talking, only his mouth isn’t moving. It’s a small distinction, but it makes a difference.

Music notes

Good luck ever hearing “The Rainbow Connection” again without thinking of a terrified Dan Stevens, almost fetal, being watched over by a dog and a psychotic children’s book character. Also, Dan Stevens can play the banjo? That’s a pretty impressive — and very specific — set of skills. Is it an intentional connection that both the vaping frog and Kermit the Frog are protective influences over David? Or are we overthinking this?

Legion airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on FX.

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