Chapter 21 (Legion)
David seeks help to time travel; Division 3 hunts him.
"Chapter 21" is the second installment of the third season of the FX surrealist superhero thriller *Legion*, which is based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. The episode was penned by series creator Noah Hawley, along with co-executive producer Olivia Dufault and co-producer Kate Thulin, with direction from Carlos López Estrada. It aired on July 1, 2019.
The series centers on David Haller, a mutant diagnosed with schizophrenia as a child, who struggles to manage his psychic abilities while fighting the forces that seek to control him. After betraying his former allies at Division 3, they now view him as a threat and pursue him. In this episode, David discovers that Switch’s time-travel abilities cannot get him past a barrier, leading him to seek assistance from Cary.
Nielsen Media Research estimated that 0.381 million viewers watched the episode, with a 0.1 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. Critics gave it mostly positive reviews, highlighting the character development, performances, and direction.
After teleporting the compound, David discusses Switch’s time-travel powers with her. She opens a doorway to demonstrate, but David cannot enter, despite her efforts to pull him in. On a Division 3 aircraft, Clark interrogates a cult member about David’s location. When the member refuses to talk, Clark drops him with a parachute. Lenny picks him up, unaware that Clark has planted a tracking device on him. Meanwhile, David and Syd communicate via astral projections. David says the community helps more people in trouble, but Syd disagrees. He claims time travel will fix everything, but Syd insists he is the problem and refuses to see that he will cause the world’s end. This upsets David, whose emotions fuel the cult’s drugs, making the members aggressive.
Lenny takes the member to a tea party in the woods, inspired by *Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland*, to drug him. Division 3 agents arrive and capture the members, but find no trace of Lenny. She sneaks in, steals a car, and locks Cary inside. Cary is taken to the compound, where he escapes his containment room by tricking a stoned member and encounters David. David asks Cary to build a device that will boost Switch’s power so David can time travel. Lenny drugs Cary, aligning him with David in a process similar to his bond with Kerry. Cary agrees to help Switch and is given a new lab. Davi
- Series
- Legion
- Season
- 3
- Episode
- 2
- Title
- Chapter 21
- Air date
- July 1, 2019
- Network
- FX
- Viewers (households)
- 0.381 million viewers
Lore & Background
In the episode, David Haller finds that Switch's powers won't allow him to pass the barrier to time travel, prompting him to get help from Cary. After teleporting the compound, David talks with Switch about her time travel powers. She opens a doorway to show it, but David is unable to enter, despite Switch attempting to get him inside. Onboard the Division 3 aircraft, Clark interrogates a member of David's cult about his whereabouts. When he refuses to elaborate, he is dropped from the aircraft with a parachute. He is picked up by Lenny, unaware that Clark planted a tracking unit on him. Meanwhile, David and Syd communicate through astral projections. David states the community is used to help more people in trouble, something that Syd rebuffs. He claims he will use time travel to fix everything, but Syd proclaims that he is the problem who fails to acknowledge that he will end the world. This affects David, whose emotions are the source of drugs that the cult uses, causing them to become aggressive. Lenny takes the member to a tea party in the woods, which is inspired by Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, to drug him. Division 3 agents arrive and capture the members, but find no trace of Lenny. Lenny sneaks in and steals one of the cars, locking Cary inside. Cary is taken to the compound, where he escapes his containment room by fooling a stoned member and encounters David. David states that he wants Cary to create a device that will allow Switch to increase her power and allow David to time travel. Cary is drugged by Lenny and is subsequently aligned with David in a process similar to him and Kerry. Cary accepts to help Switch, being given a new lab to start working. David, through Cary, states that this will allow him to save the world.
Reader's Guide
The episode was written by series creator Noah Hawley, co-executive producer Olivia Dufault, and co-producer Kate Thulin and directed by Carlos López Estrada. This was Hawley's sixteenth writing credit, Dufault's first writing credit, Thulin's first writing credit, and Estrada's first directing credit. According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.381 million household viewers and gained a 0.1 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. This was a slight increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 0.377 million viewers with a 0.1 in the 18-49 demographics. The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 7.7/10 for the episode, based on 5 reviews. Critics praised the character development, performances and directing.
Did You Know?
- The episode was directed by Carlos López Estrada, his first directing credit.
- It was the first writing credit for both Olivia Dufault and Kate Thulin.
- The episode's tea party scene was inspired by Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
- The episode saw a slight increase in viewership from the previous episode, from 0.377 million to 0.381 million household viewers.
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