Chapter 17 (Legion)

Lore & Background

Thirteen days prior to the events of the previous episode, Melanie uses drugs to cope with losing Oliver again. Oliver appears in her mind, showing their life when they were younger in an attempt to make her forget about her feelings whenever he left. Farouk starts manipulating Melanie's perception of reality, making her reveal any important plan from David. David, meanwhile, communicates with Cary and Kerry in retrieving an important weapon from Division 3 and leaving it in a Chinese restaurant parking lot. Back in Division 3, David asks Clark for help in retrieving "the clock", only to be knocked unconscious by Melanie, on Farouk's orders.

Lenny, now free from Division 3, returns to her old house where she starts using drugs again with her old friends. However, she is still haunted by Amy, who manifests in her consciousness and reprimands her for wasting her body just on drugs. Motivated by Amy and the vision she experienced earlier, Lenny leaves her house to help David. She arrives at the parking lot and enters the car, which vanishes in front of Cary and Kerry. The car transports her to the desert before bursting in flames. Lenny retrieves the weapon and starts walking. With a GPS tracking unit installed in the weapon, Cary and Kerry also set out for the desert.

Reader's Guide

The episode was seen by an estimated 0.362 million household viewers and gained a 0.2 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, a 12% decrease from the previous episode. It received generally positive reviews from critics, with an 86% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 7 reviews. Critics praised the performances but also criticized the pacing, narrative, and exploration of certain themes. Alex McLevy of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B+" grade, noting the opportunity to spend quality time with the Loudermilks. Evan Lewis of Entertainment Weekly commented that with only two episodes left, the show needed to start playing the game instead of adding more pieces. Beth Elderkin of Gizmodo wrote that Legion's female characters were trapped by love and men, and she was ready for them to break free. Oliver Sava of Vulture gave the episode a 2-star rating, drawing attention to the show's difficulty bringing dimension to its supporting ensemble. Nick Harley of Den of Geek gave it a 3.5-star rating, calling it a solid if not outstanding episode.

Did You Know?

• The episode 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.
• According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.362 million household viewers.
• The episode received an 86% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 7 reviews.