The penultimate episode of Legion season 1 has a lot of work to do.
The end of Legion “Chapter 6” left David and the others still trapped within the world created by the monster within David’s mind. I was rather surprised at that because it adds another thing that the remaining two episodes must accomplish but does not really build any tension. We know that David and the others will escape the monster’s reality, so nothing was really added to the story by remaining in David’s mind through the end of the episode. It just kept the characters in stasis for a bit longer instead of allowing them to grow and develop.
And it’s not like there’s a lack of things happening in the real world, or at least what I assume is the real world, to keep them occupied. There’s the threat from Division 3, the war that Melanie apparently recruited David for, and David’s continuing journey of self-discovery. Seeing as Legion has now been renewed for a second season, “Chapter 7” and the rest of the season do not need to bring up or resolve all these things. It has time to explore all of them individually in season 2. However, they shouldn’t leave too many storylines left hanging if Noah Hawley and the other show runners want season 1 to stand on its own as a compelling story.
Cary has also finally identified and recognized the Devil with Yellow Eyes. In a promo for “Chapter 7,” he gave him a name: Amal Farouk, the Shadow King. Fans of the comics have speculated for a while that that might be the Devil with Yellow Eye’s true identity, and Cary just confirmed it. Any conflict with the Devil/Shadow King will have to take place in David’s mind/on the astral plane because he does not have a physical body. With only two episodes left in season 1, I doubt the showdown with the Shadow King will happen this year, but they could begin to lay a base for it.
The synopsis for “Chapter 7” reads:
"David tries to find a way out of his predicament"
I hope this doesn’t mean that David will remain in the monster’s reality for most of “Chapter 7.” In the final moments of “Chapter 6,” we learn that Cary escaped the illusion with Oliver’s help. Presumably, he showed up in Syd’s room to bring her out as well. This indicates that Oliver, maybe thanks to the protection of his ice cube, was able to remain outside the monster’s reality. Of course, he lives in what is essentially his own reality anyway, so the monster may not have affected him at all.
Remember, the monster was shut out of the ice cube when David visited in “Chapter 4”; we could see it pacing outside the walls. We also know that Melanie described him as having powers similar to David’s that allowed him to create the ice cube in the first place. So theoretically, the ice cube could serve as a conduit back to reality.