Legion airs on FX and is the first live action X-Men TV series, but it is not your usual sci-fi/action/drama/humans with powers series. If I had to compare Legion to existing TV shows, it would be the TV series that would exist after Hannibal’s Bryan Fuller and Wes Anderson’s love child just saw The Exorcist TV series and read all the X-Men comic books, but wanted to take a stab at the film franchise on TV. Legion has an ensemble cast, but it is helmed by Dan Stevens, whom most people adore from Downton Abbey, which I have yet to see. Legion asks what would happen if the guy in the insane asylum actually was the most powerful mutant on Earth, but did not know about mutants, and everything that he thought about his life was a lie. I watched Legion in one sitting and am sad that I do not have enough time to watch it again.
I think that the first three of Legion’s eight episodes are the most visually arresting and have the most complex narrative because they are shot from the perspective of the main character, David, so everything is discombobulated and surreal. As David gets a tighter grip on reality, Legion still plays with perspective, but it is more straightforward. Also by the fourth episode, Legion depicts the other characters’ point of view, and because many of them are mutants, that translates into interesting camera work and editing.
What I really appreciated about Legion is that it did replicate the story that most shows with mentally ill characters depict: the character discovers that he or she is not mentally ill then everything is fine in the first five minutes. It did not send an inadvertent message to viewers that drugs and therapy are unnecessary. I always want to scream at these storytellers, “Do you know how hard it is to get a mentally ill person to even admit that something is wrong and may actually need help?!? And even then, that person may not accept therapy or adhere to the prescription regimen!” The entire season is a mutant version of therapy and medicine until the problem is resolved, and even then, it is not. It is an incredibly tragic storyline about how mental illness has the potential to erase your identity, your relationships and your life.
I have been a fan of Dan Stevens since The Guest, but he is back to his normal human body in Legion. I’m so glad that I live in a world that knows what to do with Aubrey Plaza, whom I loved in Parks & Recreations. Rachel Keller reminds me of someone, but I can’t put my finger on who—perhaps Luther’s Ruth Wilson. I’m always happy to see Jean Smart. Bill Irwin as a member of team mutant is great unconventional casting. Jeremie Harris is under utilized during the second half of Legion. I was so hyped to see Dark Shadows’ David Selby in the first episode. Hamish Linklater shows promise, but I kept wondering if the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. knew about his organization.
I’m really looking forward to the second season of Legion so I can find out what happened to David, does Jean Smart’s character have powers, how is Oliver doing, does Farouk want to go back to his original home, etc.