David makes a deal with the devil. But can he really hope to be an even partner in this arrangement, and how will he hide his intentions from the others?

Having smashed a lot of stuff into its opening hour last week, Legion settles down to a more (for it) sedate pace, focusing on David’s choice after his ‘conversation’ with Syd-from-the-future. But the trouble he has is that in order to carry out that choice, he faces challenges on two fronts. First, he must contend with Al Farooq himself, and that is something which the whole first season left us in doubt as to his ability to do. Indeed, regardless of whatever ground rules David feels he can set, there is never any guarantee that the Shadow King will be interested in complying.

The second, equally difficult challenge will be doing all of this while keeping his intentions secret from everyone around him. That’s particularly difficult when one considers that a) nobody at Division 3 fully trusts him anyway, for various reasons and b) we are dealing with Al Farooq, for whom considerations such as subtlety, secrecy and subterfuge are more a matter of his own personal entertainment than a consideration of anyone else.

There’s a point in here that slightly troubles me. Al Farooq was built up so effectively as an all-powerful nightmare in the first season that the idea of a team-up with him (and what such a team-up suggests) is a bit much. On the other hand, it is far from clear why the team up is necessary (or indeed, even if it is) and Al Farooq himself shows no signs on the evidence this time out of being anything less than what we would have expected based on the first season.

This plot is basically the main driver throughout the episode. There are little offshoots involving other characters, including a new and very unique struggle for Cary/Kerry, but mostly the focus here is on grabbing the most vicious of tigers by the tail and trying desperately to hold on. There’s one particular confrontation between David and the Shadow King which plays out in the signature style of the show, and leaves us in no doubt that whereas David might be powerful, he is not as all-powerful as he and his allies might like to think.

On that note, Melanie (who spent most of last week’s episode bemoaning the fate of being attached to a great man and all it entails) may be the most realistic and clear-sighted inhabitant of the Division 3 base. Her exchange with David shows how much she has changed over the course of time, and that change may signify the last line holding David to anything approaching a sensible and/or cautious path. From now on, all bets are off, and who knows where the chips might fall as events unfold?

Verdict: One of the less complex episodes of Legion, but no less enjoyable for it. Its style and presentation are still such that you must focus on every second to ensure you miss nothing. Even at its ‘dumbest’, smarter than almost any other genre show out there. 8/10

Greg D. Smith