“Chapter 5” of Legion shatters so many illusions: that of David’s (Dan Stevens) progress, his relationship with his sister, and possibly even the hope that he can get better. After his brief visit to the astral plane, where he met Oliver (Jemaine Clement), David finally thinks he’s in control. His self-confidence is misleading, though, because it’s not actually coming from him, as we soon learn. The demon that’s made its way out of the shadows of his memories is here to stay, it seems, and he’s the one in charge. Only, he’s not always a “he”—this parasitic mutant can also take the shape of Lenny (Aubrey Plaza), and, yes, a canine.
But in the brief time that David is in control, he rescues his sister Amy, played by Katie Aselton. Amy only recently admitted that she’s always known about David’s abilities, but she drops an even bigger bombshell here. The A.V. Club spoke with Aselton about Amy’s betrayal, David’s disturbing show of force, and her fear of all things Plaza.
The A.V. Club: There were a couple of huge reveals this episode. Let’s start with the one your character, Amy, shares with David: that he was adopted.
Katie Aselton: Yeah, that’s a big one, right?
AVC: It’s huge.
KR: It’s like a nice episode of Dr. Phil.
AVC: [Laughs.] It is. But what does this mean for Amy and David?
KA: I mean, it sort of breaks my heart, but I feel like it is a chink in the armor, of David and Amy’s relationship, and the trust that’s between them. I think the fact that she held this from him—she was the one person who he trusted to love and take care of him, and she’s then been holding this out from him. And that really breaks his heart. And I think what’s scary about it is, we’re at a point right now, where what we’ve seen is “don’t trigger David.” So it’s not a great time for the reveal. She probably should have brought it up before.
AVC: Why was she so reluctant to accept David’s abilities early on? In the previous episode, Amy admits to his former doctor that she’d witnessed his powers firsthand.
KA: Yeah, I think that that is something that no one really wants to acknowledge in their lives. I think to acknowledge that would make it real, and to make that real would be very scary. And I think Amy is a very composed person, and her life is very put together. And having a brother with insanely powerful mutant abilities really messes with that. Also, it’s scary—she worries about him, and if she can contain him in a hospital, he can be safe in there. And he was safe in there for many years. But I think to acknowledge those powers, you have to then accept everything that comes along with them, and that’s a lot, especially for someone you love.
AVC: Amy certainly seems grateful for the rescue—
KA: Well, the cell was terrible, and the food was awful. Not to mention the leeches. The leeches were the worst. So she was very grateful for the rescue.
AVC: But it’s funny because when David takes her to their family’s vacation home, she immediately starts referring to his new team and home at Summerland. She sounds almost anxious to get away from him. Is she?
KA: Well, I think there’s definitely something off about his energy. Something has shifted in him. Melanie mentions it, and Syd mentions it at a certain point, and you definitely feel a very different energy from David. And the idea that he brought her there, and not to this place where she had heard he is, I think is suspicious.
AVC: Yeah, she knows something is up.
KA: For sure, and there’s something weird in his eyes. You can see it.
AVC: Yeah, those scenes with the security footage, where he’s making his way through Division 3. He’s skipping over these bodies.
KA: Yeah, all that crazy dancing. It was wild.
AVC: Amy has never seemed concerned that she might have also inherited David’s mental illness, because she knew he was adopted. But after the events of this episode, is her mind still intact? Because she’s seen some stuff that she probably would never have imagined before. We’re talking shape-shifting women coming out of mirrors.
KA: Yeah, she went from being in total denial, to what her brother’s powers and abilities were, to truly seeing the other side of the rainbow. And I think that’s a lot for one person to handle, especially someone who is as emotionally fragile as I think Amy is.
AVC: The other big revelation might come as confirmation for some viewers: The demon that we’ve seen in David’s memories (and maybe outside of them) is actually a parasitic mutant. Does that make things better or worse?
KA: I think it’s terrible. I think it’s real bad news that there is a parasitic mutant in the body of the most powerful mutant on Earth. I think that’s not good.
AVC: Because it also means David is definitely less in control than he thinks, right?
KA: Yeah, and you see that in the white room. You see him thinking he has control over it, and thinking he has a safe place, but that safe place is no longer safe anymore.
AVC: That demon or parasite has taken on several forms here, which it runs through right in front of Amy. Which do you think is the scariest? Because there’s a Son Of Sam thing going on with David’s dog, King, but Aubrey Plaza is also really menacing, isn’t she?
KA: Oh, Aubrey is terrifying. And she only gets more terrifying. Aubrey is hands down the scariest version of that parasitic demon.
AVC: Okay, I have you down as voting for Aubrey Plaza as the most terrifying part of this entire show.
KA: Yes, I’m definitely Team Aubrey if we’re talking about her being terrifying. I’m Team Aubrey everything.
AVC: So what is next for Amy? Because by episode’s end, we see her just sitting on the ground, staring at her reflection.
KA: I think the best way to put it is that Amy for the next episode or two is there, but not there. And we get to dip into the craziness of Aubrey’s character’s reality, and where she’s at, and what she can do. I will say no more, because it is brain-boggling, but it’s awesome.