A return to Clockworks may not be all it seems – the new doctor is unconventional, the layout doesn’t remain constant, and there’s definitely something oddly familiar about one of the staff. Is there any hope of escape?

The shock ending last week would lead, in a normal comic book show, to a breathless fight to escape the new prison in which our heroes find themselves, probably with some kickass action sequences and big explosions, or a heroic presence striding in to save the day with a grin and a quip. But this is Legion, and normal is never on the menu.

This is possibly the talkiest, most slowly paced episode to date – there’s no action sequences at all, and the minor incidents which occur feel all the more emphasised for this. But that’s not to say that what we see isn’t interesting. More than that, it’s fascinating.

The way in which each of the characters explains away their ‘delusions’ as part of some mental health issue or other, encouraged by Doctor Busker, is fascinating and heart-breaking to watch in equal measure. Cary and Cary attempting to explain their age-mismatched closeness in awkward, halting sentences, Melanie expressing a simple longing for her departed husband, and Ptonomy’s recollection of a defining moment in his childhood are all deeper insights into what drives the characters in the real world, while at the same time being false explanations of themselves. Combined with the dreamlike nature of the presentation, it adds up to compelling viewing.

On that shooting, the writer and director are clever. Whenever it seems that one of the group might pull too hard at a thread that would unravel the illusion, something occurs to stop them – something which, in the confines of their environment seems plausible enough, but which sets the viewer on edge. There’s also a constant sense of displacement, such as one would expect from a dream – a feeling that events and people are jumping from one scenario to the next with nothing in-between. It’s creepy, and it works.

And no action scenes doesn’t mean no big moments – one character in particular gets to really flex in this one, and a particular sequence that is as wonderfully weird as it is fun to watch. I’m guessing the actor in question relished filming this particular episode.

Of course, it’s not all friends here – The Eye has been brought on this little journey with the rest, and although he seems as disoriented at the rest in this new environment, that doesn’t mean that he’s playing any nicer. His scenes are genuinely unsettling, one in particular causing me a genuine shiver. Mackenzie Gray’s performance in the show to date has been a masterclass in ‘less is more’ and that applies more than ever here. We don’t need our bad guys to be loud, or mad, or funny – sinister does the job just fine.

The episode signs off with another surprise cliffhanger – with two episodes left to go, we’re clearly building to an explosive conclusion.

Verdict: Magnetic to watch. Every actor is playing their ‘A’ game in this episode and it shows. When you have characters and writing this strong, there’s no need to cover it in big explosions and fancy VFX. Perfect. 10/10

Greg D. Smith