‘Legion’ Season 2: Admiral Fukuyama, Vermillion, Amahl Farouk & More From 'Chapter 9' Explained
The Legion Season 2 premiere was perhaps the strongest in the series. David arrives back at Division 3, free from the Orb that kidnapped him last season, and we’re quickly reintroduced to the pursuit of Shadow King. Even if you're an avid comic book fan with a quick eye, there are tons of things to miss in this jam-packed, 52 minute episode. It’s safe to say that dance battle sequence will go down in history as one of the greatest superhero fight scenes ever, though. As for the rest of the episode, we’re fairly confused too. So here’s everything we gathered--a quickfire list of names, places, observations and questions heading into Legion Chapter 10 next week. If you don't want to know any specifics about the Legion Season 2 premiere, now is the chance to turn back.
Was That Jon Hamm?
Yes, that was Jon Hamm’s voice narrating. It all starts in a section of the episode marked as “Delusions” where Noah Hawley tells us a brutal tale to breakdown the definition.
When Does Legion Take Place?
Per Syd, we are 362 days after the Legion Season 1 finale where David was sucked away in a mysterious orb.
Admiral Fukuyama
Also known as, “The basket head guy,” Admiral Fukuyama appears to be running things at Division 3. We have yet to learn his or her true motives, as they can’t be as simple as taking down the Shadow King. Before Shadow King was fully introduced, the organization was hunting down all mutants, including everyone at Summerland. When David was first brought into Division 3 custody in the latest episode, Fukuyama ordered him to be executed. Thank god Loudermilk intervened.
The Vermillion
Once boys, now feminine androids with mustaches who sing and were apparently based on Dennis Franz, these creations are Admiral Fukuyama’s voice and personal assistants. It’s unclear how many of them there are running around the three Divisions.
Upgraded Division 3
The multiple new divisions of this mutant oversight organization were sparked by what Ptonomy calls “The Lazarus Affair.” Division 1 takes care of global command and communications. Division 2 is the nerd department--science, genetics and technology. Division 3 is the field workers who run investigations and tactical.
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Amahl Farouk and His Body
Shadow King was separated from his body after Professor X won the battle in the astral plane years ago. If Shadow King is able to find his true body, Amahl Farouk, he’ll be nearly unstoppable. The question is where is it? We learn a little bit about Amahl in the episode. Well, only that he’s an ancient mutant originating from the 1800s.
The Orb
At one point in the episode, Loudermilk mentions that he could have sworn he created The Orb. While taking it apart, the tech specs feel familiar to him. Is that actually because he made the Orb and sent it back into the past to capture David? That’s what the final scene with Syd sort of suggests...
Is Future Syd Real?
In the final scene with Syd, she’s not able to speak so she plays charades with David. This scene takes place during David's time inside The Orb. Syd tells David that he is in fact in the present, and she is in the future. This is true, because she is wearing the compass necklace David gave her earlier in the episode, signifying that their earlier interaction in the present time must have been real. In the trailer after the premiere, David confronts Syd and she has no recollection of that interaction where she told him to work with Lenny and Oliver to find Shadow King's body. Her not remembering actually makes this more intriguing, because it is more confirmation that David talked to a future version of Syd/ his Summerland friends. Unless, of course, Daivd is only convincing himself that interaction happened.
What Happened At The Club?
Division 3 found David at a dance club, but David has no recollection of anything between that time and when he was captured in the aforementioned Orb. Oliver, who is under Shadow King’s spell, was also at the club. Was David somehow tainted by Shadow King at that club, or was he able to fight him off? He did not show normal signs of Shadow King's infection back at Division 3 when he arrived. While Syd is only a little suspicious about the fact that David doesn't remember anything, Ptonomy Wallace is very paranoid becuase he saw memories that David isn't admitting.
“The Catalyst”
The Catalyst is the nickname of the infection seemingly caused by Oliver’s presence under Shadow King's direction. It leaves victims frozen with chattering teeth for what appears to be an undefined amount of time. We don’t know much about it, but it must be bad if Division 3 has mass amounts of people locked up in the facility and blaring announcements warning folks to pay attention to reality. We also know that it doesn’t affect children under a certain age. Noah Hawley probably wouldn't have mentioned that if it wasn't important.
Is everyone but David infected?
How has Division 3 fought off Shadow King without David this entire time? Melanie Bird appears to have been infected as well. How do we know that Shadow King hasn’t already gotten to Syd, Ptonomy, Loudermlik and everyone else? Maybe David is the sane one. We can't rule out this option even though last season, it was David who was struggling to see reality for what it was.
Professor X
All we know about David’s father is that he battled Shadow King in the astral plane and won. What else isn’t Noah Hawley telling us about Professor X, though? Last season, it was clear Melanie was protecting David from information about his father. It's only a matter of time before we get more clues.
The Amplification Chamber
The Admiral orders David to see Loudermilk in the lab to try out a device that will help him recall his memories and locate Shadow King. Loudermalk calls it the “amplification chamber,” and so far it seems like the first prototype, or at least Legion’s very own play on, Professor X’s iconic device from the movies and comic books: Cerebro. The experiments weren’t exactly a success, and the formula--the fluid is 80 glucose, bicarbonate, and five percent strawberry extract for conductivity and to give it pleasant aroma and taste--could still use some work. We'll have to wait to see what kind of upgrades Loudermilk makes to this technology.
Any thoughts on the Legion Season 2 premiere? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check out our interview with Legion's production designer.