Critical reviews
"Chapter 11" received mostly positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 80% approval rating with an average rating of 7.9/10 for the episode, based on 15 reviews. The site's consensus states: "The third episode of Legion's second season proves to be a visually stunning - if occasionally inconsistent - dose of surrealism."[4]
Ryan Matsunaga of IGN gave the episode a "great" 8.3 out of 10 and wrote in his verdict, "Legion is promising some big things to come, but despite being three episodes deep into the season, its biggest questions feel no closer to being answered. For most other shows, this would be a major hindrance to enjoying it week to week. Legion however manages to keep things interesting, despite an ever more complicated narrative. All of the ingredients feel present for a mindblowing finale, we'll just have to keep our fingers crossed that it'll all feel worth it in the end."[5]
Alex McLevy of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A-" grade and wrote, "The series is trying to get at the ways in which we all construct our own realities, once more attempting to close the gap between David's immense power and the rest of us."[6]
Alan Sepinwall of Uproxx wrote, "It's another visually inventive episode that feels a bit low in calories, particularly when we get to the obligatory sequence where David travels into the minds of his friends to free them from the monk's spell. This is familiar genre stuff, the kind every show like this eventually tries because it's a more interesting way to delve into the psyches of the characters than to, say, put them in therapy for an hour."[7] Evan Lewis of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "The resurfacing of some horror elements is a good look for Legion, although the show hasn't quite made it back to season 1's levels of psychological spookiness. Part of that difference stems from how powerful David has become."[8]
Oliver Sava of Vulture gave the episode a 2 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "There's so much rich material to explore here, especially in regards to how people emotionally process trauma, but that's all getting lost in the larger Shadow King narrative."[9] Nick Harley of Den of Geek gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "There's so much to like in this episode, even if it ultimately just shows us the whereabouts and background story of Farouk's body and really nothing more, save for Ptonomy being infected by that little gooey madness creature. With Syd roaming the hallways of Division 3 as a cat, another electric Aubrey Plaza showcase, and the striking images of the monk stuck on the wall, Future Syd's spelling, and that damn minotaur again, this episode's smoke is so engrossing, it doesn’t matter that we're lacking some more fire."[10] Josh Jackson of Paste gave the episode a 8.8 rating out of 10 and wrote, "Of course, this being Legion, even reality is filled with the stuff of dreams."[11]