20 Best TV Episodes Of 2017

16. Legion - Chapter 7

Legion Lenny
FX

In a hotly contested field, Noah Hawley's Legion has a strong claim to being the weirdest TV series of the year. A dizzying portrayal of David Haller, superpowers, and mental illness, there's little actual resemblance to anything X-Men or Marvel here, but that all works to the show's advantage.

It didn't always make sense, and some viewers were disengaged, but those who stuck with it were in for a real treat with Chapter 7, an episode that took everything great about Legion and hurled it at the viewer in a mesh of kaleidoscopic visuals, mutant powers, and silent horror movie homages.

At this point of the season, it still wasn't clear where Legion was headed. Chapter 7 offered up some satisfactory answers, but did so without losing any of the show's inherent oddness or ability to bend minds.

Dan Stevens once again does terrific work as David, playing two versions of the character interacting with each other; there are moments of humour between Oliver and Cary; a surprising (and surprisingly great) animated sequence that connects the show to the comics and answers some big questions; and of course, the thrilling, terrifying black-and-white sequence - featuring title cards and set to Bolero - that leaves an indelible image on the viewer and confirms Aubrey Plaza as the show's MVP.

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Contributor
Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.