‘Legion’ series takes Marvel to a new medium

By Arbogast, Brandon, March 22, 2017

By Drew Henderson// Staff Writer

From Noah Hawley, the Creator of “Fargo,” and Marvel Television comes the next big comic book television show hit, “Legion.” “Legion” is not your typical superhero show either, as its style and way of storytelling is more in the veins of “Mr. Robot,” “Twin Peaks,” “Fargo,” and “Hannibal” than anything that Marvel has put out in recent history. “Legion” is a visually slick and different type of television show than anything else out there, and the first four episodes have proven that.

The first episode of “Legion” introduces us to the world that David Haller sees through his eyes. Haller is a patient at the Clockwork Psychiatric Hospital and has been deemed a paranoid schizophrenic and suicidal. He bounces around into the past and present, not knowing what is real or fake. But after an incident with Clockwork’s newest patient, Sad Barrett, he also discovers something else he might be— the most dangerous and powerful mutant on the planet. The first episode creates a perfect slow burn that shows off David’s history and powers, with his first breakdown in his kitchen where he also meets The Devil with Yellow Eyes, a disfigured and hideous entity that haunts David to his escape by the mysterious Division 3. Dan Stevens (“Beauty and the Beast”) is amazing as Haller as he portrays him as someone who truly is suffering and can not distinguish what is reality and what is his reality. The supporting cast is good, too, with Audrey Plaza (“Parks and Recreation”) as Lenny, David’s friend, and Rachel Keller (“Fargo”) playing Syd Barrett, a mutant who becomes David’s love interest. Keller and Stevens have great scenes together; she helps ease David into the world of Mutants while also wishing they could become closer, as she can’t have physical contact with anyone due to her powers. Plaza comes to serve as the comic relief, however, her character really does not play a big role in episodes to come and is mostly present in David’s past.

Even though chapters two and three are still great, they are slower than the first episode and focus on David’s past and unlocking his abilities. After David escapes from Division 3, David and company go into hiding in an isolated location, ran by Melanie Bird, a psychiatric therapist who helps mutants unlock their full potential. What happens in these next two hours is akin more to psychological horror, as David and company try to find out what kick started David’s powers. This brings out David’s “memories” with the Devil with Yellow Eyes and another entity fighting back the progress they are trying to make. Jean Smart’s (“Fargo,” “24,” and “The Accountant”) introduction as Melanie Bird serves as the mentor to David, giving the usual exposition that is needed to understand the bigger picture that is the mythology of X-Men.

While chapters two and three started to drag, revisiting the same memories over and over again, chapter four begins to get somewhere. Leaving off where chapter three ended, David is lost in his own mind, wandering through a dimension called the Astral Plane. While David is exploring this plane and meeting up with Dr. Bird’s husband, who himself made the trip to this plane but has been stuck for many years, we also learn the actual truth of David’s past. Now these revelations aren’t ground breaking, but they show that David has been lying to us, the audience, and that some of the things that we see might be completely made up. This episode also goes into the backstory of one of the Summerland Mutants, which is so interesting and weird that I would rather you see it than tell you about it. By the end of the episode, key events have taken place that set the wheels in motion for an eventful second half, while also possibly revealing the reason behind David’s suffering. Chapter four sets the second half of “Legion” perfectly, taking a trippy look into David’s subconscious while also moving the question forward of what really happened to David in the past.

Even though this show is based on the X-Men comics with David Haller being the anti-hero Legion and the estranged son of Professor X, it is not in the same boat as “The Avengers,” or even “Wolverine” because it is in an alternative reality. But I could tell you that even if you hate superheroes, this does not feel like anything that Marvel has produced since it started making live action properties, with the biggest call out to X-Men being the use of the term “mutants.” Other than that reference, there is no X-Men, no Professor X, and no Wolverine, just the twisted mind of David Haller trying to discover who he really is. If you loved the unreliable protagonists of shows like “Westworld” and “Mr. Robot,” and enjoyed shows with trippy visuals like “Hannibal” or “Twin Peaks,” “Legion” is your next TV addiction.