Time is running out for the gang to extract the Shadow King from David’s mind before it overwhelms him completely. The return of the Interrogator complicates things even further – is David hopelessly naïve in believing he can forge a truce with the man, and by extension, all of Division 3? And will he even have the chance to try?

Legion is a show of curveballs. Not the annoying, overused kind that are so beloved of Hollywood these days and ruined previous long-form shows like Heroes, but real, substantive twists which it earns. The finale is no different.

First off, we get a bit of a glimpse into the backstory of the Interrogator, whose name we discover is Clark. Clark, as it turns out, has a family, a life, reasons to live. We glimpse his excruciating recovery from the injuries he suffered back when David was rescued from his clutches. We see his determination to return to the job, to finish what was begun. A character who, until this point was a cypher, a charismatic but absolutely bad guy, becomes a real, three-dimensional character, with whom you can feel a certain amount of sympathy, even if you’re rooting for the guys he’s against. Curveball the first.

When we’ve taken this little flashback detour and got back to where we left everyone last time, the standoff we were given plays out in a way that you don’t really expect. The last words we heard from Clark were to ‘kill the others’ (adding to the feeling of juxtaposition with the opening) but this time when we hear the same words, with the same delivery, something is different, and the resolution of the scene is fascinating. Curveball the second.

Saying much more would spoil all sorts of surprises that a viewer of the show should really discover for themselves. Suffice it to say that, once again, in a show packed with top talent Aubrey Plaza is the runaway star. Considering she’s playing a part that was originally written for a middle-aged man, it’s potentially a mixed compliment to say that she absolutely inhabits and defines the role (and by extension, the show). When David asks her, midst the battle for control of his own mind, what he would be without her, it’s a line with real resonance. Where in another show it might sound tired, hackneyed even, the standard repartee between hero and nemesis since time immemorial, here it’s a fascinating theoretical for the audience to consider. What would David be, without Lenny living in his head? Indeed, what would the show be, absent the incandescent talent of Plaza?

As ever, it’s not a wall-to-wall action episode. Again, this is a strength, meaning that the few action sequences and uses of powers feel properly significant – there’s no danger here of becoming weary of seeing mutants ‘do their thing’, because when it happens, it has impact. The horror elements are perhaps a little less pronounced than usual, but it’s still a creepy psychodrama through and through, and by the end of it, you’ve seen enough curveballs to be on the edge of your seat, and not so many that you’re bored. Genre television as a whole – including but not limited to comic book shows – could learn a hell of lot from this show.

Verdict: As a conclusion to one of the most compelling pieces of Genre television in years, this hits the mark at every turn. Stunning drama, careful interplay of characters and mesmeric performances from all involved (and Plaza in particular). Apparently flawless. 10/10

Greg D. Smith