show's success would heavily depend on DVR viewing "to bolster what might be a likely smallish live audience". The episode ultimately received a 0.7 percent share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49 in the U.S., and was watched by 1.62 million viewers. These ratings were described as "OK, not great", in line with other cable series debuts, but lower than other high-profile FX debuts such as American Crime Story and Hawley's own Fargo. Including DVR numbers, the episode was eventually watched by 3.59 million viewers over its first week of release. This was considered a strong increase for the episode, and made it the second-most watched episode on cable for the week. Critical response The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 88% approval rating for the episode, with an average rating of 8.71/10 based on 16 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Equal parts innovative and absurd, "Chapter 1" plunges the audience into a boldly creative universe that seems likely to warrant continued viewing." James Poniewozik of The New York Times noted that flashbacks and nonlinear storytelling can often turn series into puzzles, but for Legion "the chaos is immersive", creating an episode that Poniewozik thought was stunning but also hard to follow. He also felt it was grounded by Stevens' performance, and quipped that he hoped the character would never become "a full-fledged superhero, because it's so engrossing to watch his origin story." Robert Bianco at USA Today said that episode was initially confusing and frustrating, but gave Hawley some "creative leeway" due to his previous work, and praised Stevens. He ultimately felt the episode's "visually spectacular style amplifies its substance", which he felt was superior to the similarly stylish series The Young Pope. Writing for IndieWire, Ben Travers praised the episode for combining elements of science fiction, romance, comedy, action, and horror while still focusing on Haller, and for its artistry which he called "atypical of superhero stories ... and at least on par with the best design on TV." Travers was also positive about the elements that embraced the series comic origins, namely the climactic action sequence, which he thought would remain in the mind of viewers even more than the rest of the episode. At The Hollywood Reporter, Tim Goodman called the "trippy" episode "a boldly rewarding dissociated narrative that's both weirdly compelling and deeply confusing", praising the decision to not introduce