Love and War in ‘Chapter 12’ of ‘Legion’

“Chapter 12” of “Legion” revisits the traumatic stories of Syd’s (Rachel Keller) life over and over and over again. Except this isn’t a tale about pity, or “the story of the little girl whose mommy couldn’t hug her, who grew up wishing a prince’s kiss could erase all her damage,” as David (Dan Stevens) aptly puts it. “It’s about the damage itself, and how it makes us strong, not weak.” In the fourth episode of its second season, “Legion” finally pays attention to one of its main characters, Syd, who has been undeservedly underexplored until now. “Chapter 12” reveals a wider emotional range for Keller, a potentially disturbing twist to David’s lovey-dovey story, and the multifaceted character work needed for Syd to be more than just a supporting star.

In “Chapter 12,” Syd shows David how her ability to switch places with people through physical touch shapes, breaks, and makes her life. They watch a scene of her infant self shying away from her mother’s touch. a scene of her standing up to her school bullies by switching bodies with the lacrosse player who tried to forcibly kiss her, beating the bullies with the lacrosse player’s stick, and then framing him after she switches back into her own body.

David walks through these scenes again and again, trying to understand the point Syd is trying to make. He takes several guesses, all of which miss the mark. “Again,” Syd says dryly, unimpressed. At one point, he adorably (and somewhat frustratingly) tries to make the revelation of Syd’s memories about him, assuming that she is ashamed of her past and wants David’s stamp of approval.

But that’s not what Syd’s story is. The turning point in the episode (and maybe in the season) comes when David visits a scene Syd mentioned in Season One. Curious, Syd switches places with her mother and then gets in the shower with her mother’s boyfriend, who sees his girlfriend’s body, not Syd. Syd and her mother abruptly switch back, people start screaming, and the boyfriend is presumably arrested for statutory rape.

That’s when things click for David. “It’s not about being alone, or being in love. It’s about the things you survived,” he says. “And as it’s written, ‘The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.’” Syd isn’t here to be the pretty love interest in David’s fairytale story. For Syd, those dreams are foolish and unnecessary, a perspective that works as a welcome new facet to her previously underwritten character.

“You said you saw the future, and it’s an apocalypse. Who survives that? The lovers? Or the fighters?” Syd asks. “They sell us this lie that love is gonna save us. All it does is make us stupid and weak.”

“Thanks,” David says, looking and feeling pathetic. Throughout this episode, Keller has remained ice cold in her portrayal of Syd, while David furiously runs around her life, propelled by his fanciful notion of love. The juxtaposition between the two acting styles—between detachment and passion—beautifully comes into place, not only serving as necessary character work, but also as a way to build up potential conflict in a nearing plotline. “Legion” has hinted at what the monster of Season Two is—something so powerful that the heroes need to team up with the Shadow King in order to stop it. So far, one of the likeliest bets is that the monster is David, making Syd’s prioritization of survival over love all the more important. If Syd eventually has to choose between love and living, it’s likely that Syd will choose the second option. “Look at me,” she says to David. “Love isn’t going to save us. It’s what we have to save.”

But for now, it looks like David will be sticking around for the ride. In the center of a small igloo with only two sources of light—the ice bricks’ blue glow and the plastic fire’s flames—Syd extends an invitation to David. “God loves the sinners best because our fire burns bright, bright, bright,” she says. “Burn with me.”

—Staff writer Grace Z. Li can be reached at grace.li@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @gracezhali.