“Legion” aims for a Syd-focused episode in “Chapter 12” and ends up asking some tough questions in the process. David is trapped inside Syd’s mind, trying endlessly to figure out what makes her tick, leading to a surprising revelation.
Watch It Again | This episode was essentially a role reversal of the entire first season, as this time, it was Syd’s past under the microscope. David is forced to live her childhood on a seemingly endless loop, constantly trying to figure out what her true desire is so he can free her. Every single time, Syd tells him that he’s getting it wrong and he needs to try again, giving the episode a “Groundhog Day” feel.
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Just a Kiss | David keeps seeing key moments of Syd’s past replayed over and over, notably a moment in which a teenage Syd kisses a boy and then, in his body, uses a lacrosse stick to beat up the bully girls accosting her, so she can throw the blame on the guy she kissed. Equally disturbing is another moment, briefly described in season 1, in which Syd switches bodies with her mother and gets to touch her mother’s boyfriend, only for them to switch back mid sex, understandably scarring everyone for life and leading to the boyfriend’s arrest.
Trapped In a Loop | The crazy thing is, David and Syd aren’t even trapped in the Catalyst anymore. Cary and company realize that the monk’s suicide lifted the infection, but David and Syd are still frozen in place, trapped in Syd’s mind. In said mind, Syd tells David that the pain and suffering she endured makes her stronger and they must embrace the pain to save the day. In one of the most thoughtful and memorable quotes of any television show of the year, Syd tells David, “God loves the sinners best because their fire burns brightest. Burn with me, baby.” David and Syd finally wake up, just in time too, because Lenny is back in the flesh and arrested by Division 3.
“Legion” airs Tuesdays on FX.