In episode “Chapter One” of Marvel Comic’s Legion, the new FX Network television series, Legion aka David Haller is in a mental hospital aka government facility; here, he meets his new girlfriend, Sydney Barrett.
While in the mental hospital, David receives treatment. His psychiatrist says: “And how does that make you feel.”
However, the doctor’s using a strange kind of therapy. While with David, the doctor mutters: “Devil with blue eyes.”
Later, the doctor conducts a group therapy session. Here, David meets Sydney Barrett, who explains this in group session: “Please keep talking so we can all pretend the problems are just in our heads. It means you are in here becasue somebody said, ‘You are not normal,” like “normal” is the, but you know who else wasn’t normal. Picasso. Einstein.”
In therapy Sydney continues to question the nature of her problems. She suggests: “What if your problems aren’t in your head? What if they aren’t even problems?”
With that, Sidney thinks she’s normal. She tells the group: “You’re in a mental hospital. All I am saying is that thing they tell us is crazy. ‘How, I don’t want to be handled!’ Where you see stuff and hear whatever, voices. That’s what makes you ‘you’!”
While discussing issues in group, David begins to have feelings for Sidney. Later, David tells Sydney: “Do you want to be my girlfriend?”
Sydney likes David, too, and she agrees to be his girlfriend. However, she replies: “Ok. But don’t touch me. Ok, find me at dinner.”
As well, David’s friend, Lenore Busker, also a mental patient receiving treatment, thinks Sydney is hot. She smiles and tells David: “Why are the hot ones so crazy?”
That being said, the doctors think Sidney is a delusion of David’s mind, since they don’t see her. While interviewing David, the doctor says: “The girl… Part of your delusion?” Apparently, David can only see Sydney.
During this segment, we learn the mental hospital is just a front for Division 3, a secret government facility. It’s explained by Sydney to David that he’s really in a government facility. And soldiers are watching him, and the government wants to study Legion and his powers.
Throughout most of this broadcast, the hospital doctor has fooled David. In the middle of his acting role, he confides to David: “I am afraid for you. You are a very sick young man who stopped taking his medication. Are you a danger to yourself or others? I think that’s what we’re here to ascertain.” Legion totally believes the charade.
Moreover, in this program, we learn Sidney can switch bodies. David reveals to the doctor: “I looked in the mirror and I was her. Somehow she took my place and I took hers when we kissed.” Sidney is a mutant, too, with the power to switch bodies with people without them aware of it.
Still, the doctor doesn’t believe David about Sydney’s existence. While guards surround David, the doctor examines him and asks: “I just want to get it right. You were her. She was you. Continue.”
On a sad note, during this installment, David kills his friend, Lonore Busker. While sitting in his sister’s basement bedroom, Lonore confronts David in his mind, explaining: “You killed me. not kewl… What you did to the hospital. when she had your powers. They’re coming and they are going to kill you.” Apparently, this death happened when Sydney switched bodies with David; nevertheless, Lenore warns David about Division 3’s plan to kill him.
When Sydney and some people break David out of the government facility, David meets the mysterious Melanie Bird. She has a message for David: “You are not schizophrenic. You have powers. The things you see are real. You are very important to us, David. The divisions were created by our government to track and study people like you and Sidney. And the ones they can’t control they kill.”
In brief, this was a good starting point for the television series Legion on the FX Network. We learn about Legion aka David Haller and his powers. We learn about Sydney Barret, a mutant with the powers to switch bodies with unaware people. Also, David escapes from the mental hospital aka government research facility. This episode established story lines for the future, which are necessary to understand the Marvel comic Legion.
