TV Review: Legion Season 1
Since the start of the 2010's, we have had more superhero shows than ever. We have the DC multiverse on the CW, the MCU on Netflix and Marvel is expanding to Freeform and Hulu. It wouldn't be surprising to hear about FX trying to join this fad but FX decided to go against the standard superhero norms and give us a new experience. And that my friends, is Legion.
Legion follows the story of David Haller, an alleged schizophrenic who discovers he has powers. After escaping a mental hospital, David gets recruited by a group of mutants to help them take down Division 3, a mutant hunting government task force. But David ends up creating more problems than helping due to his instability.
First of all, I just want to say Legion really surprised me. I was initially disappointed when I found out that David isn't exactly like in the comic books. When I first heard about Legion I was mildly interested since it was part of the X-Men franchise. As I started reading up on the character, I started to get more excited. And when Noah Hawley from Fargo was brought on to be the show runner I was like:
Later I found out that David doesn't have multiple personalities like in the comics which left me underwhelmed. But after finishing the show I have come to appreciate Noah's own take on David's mental instability which was fused with his unique (and messed up) style of storytelling to create a fascinating psychological horror tale consisting of a great cast, amazing special effects and a well written and detailed storyline.
Aubrey Plaza was definitely the breakout star of the show. Despite being a fan of her comedy work, I was skeptical of her being cast. However she managed to bring her quirkiness in to the show without hindering its serious nature. Her portrayal of David's friend Lenny really upped the crazy factor on the show.
Composer Jeff Russo also deserves my praise for his music compositions. The songs on the show suited every situation perfectly, especially the song "David" which added a sense of urgency in every scene it was used. Using songs from amazing bands like Radiohead was a nice touch, most notably the Pink Floyd songs used in the finale.
Following a great pilot, the show slowed down in episode 2 ( it was a setup episode) only to pick up the pace in episode 4 from which the quality went upwards. It's not surprising since many of my favourite shows had slow beginnings. My suggestion is to binge watch the show as that allowed me to enjoy the show without any interruptions or loss of interest. Its pretty easy to do so since Season 1 only has 8 episodes.
Overall, Legion has proven itself to be one of the best shows of the year, while further solidifying FX's status as being part of the golden cable trifecta (The 3 best cable networks being HBO, AMC and FX). With that being said, I am really looking forward to Season 2 coming next year.
Quote of the special: "Who are we, if not the stories we tell ourselves?"
FX
Legion follows the story of David Haller, an alleged schizophrenic who discovers he has powers. After escaping a mental hospital, David gets recruited by a group of mutants to help them take down Division 3, a mutant hunting government task force. But David ends up creating more problems than helping due to his instability.
First of all, I just want to say Legion really surprised me. I was initially disappointed when I found out that David isn't exactly like in the comic books. When I first heard about Legion I was mildly interested since it was part of the X-Men franchise. As I started reading up on the character, I started to get more excited. And when Noah Hawley from Fargo was brought on to be the show runner I was like:
Later I found out that David doesn't have multiple personalities like in the comics which left me underwhelmed. But after finishing the show I have come to appreciate Noah's own take on David's mental instability which was fused with his unique (and messed up) style of storytelling to create a fascinating psychological horror tale consisting of a great cast, amazing special effects and a well written and detailed storyline.
FX
Aubrey Plaza was definitely the breakout star of the show. Despite being a fan of her comedy work, I was skeptical of her being cast. However she managed to bring her quirkiness in to the show without hindering its serious nature. Her portrayal of David's friend Lenny really upped the crazy factor on the show.
Composer Jeff Russo also deserves my praise for his music compositions. The songs on the show suited every situation perfectly, especially the song "David" which added a sense of urgency in every scene it was used. Using songs from amazing bands like Radiohead was a nice touch, most notably the Pink Floyd songs used in the finale.
Following a great pilot, the show slowed down in episode 2 ( it was a setup episode) only to pick up the pace in episode 4 from which the quality went upwards. It's not surprising since many of my favourite shows had slow beginnings. My suggestion is to binge watch the show as that allowed me to enjoy the show without any interruptions or loss of interest. Its pretty easy to do so since Season 1 only has 8 episodes.
Overall, Legion has proven itself to be one of the best shows of the year, while further solidifying FX's status as being part of the golden cable trifecta (The 3 best cable networks being HBO, AMC and FX). With that being said, I am really looking forward to Season 2 coming next year.
Quote of the special: "Who are we, if not the stories we tell ourselves?"
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