FX's "Legion" Isn't Your Average Mutant's Marvel

Marvelamp8217s most recent addition to its everexpanding TV universe is Legion real name David Hallers played by Dan Stevens in an environment light years away from the postEdwardian England of Downton Abbey David is a powerful mutant with psychic abilities but due to a childhood diagnosis of schizophrenia this is something he has yet to discover though suspicions abound While residing in Clockworks Psychiatric Hospital he meets Sydney Barret Rachel Keller a woman who doesnamp8217t like to be touched or think that being different means something is wrong with you and he takes an immediately takes a liking to her Early in the pilot Davidamp8217s sister Amy Katie Asleton visits him for his birthday and when the visit comes to an end he says amp8220Something new needs to happen soonamp8221 Sydamp8217s arrival is that something new and their amp8220romance of the mindamp8221 is the catalyst that finally launches David towards the truthIf one goes into this blind meaning they watch the show with no prior knowledge whatsoever including what Iamp8217ve written above amp8211 he or she may find it hard to understand what theyamp8217re looking at from time to time Series creatordirector Noah Hawley taking a pause from Fargo isnamp8217t shy about attempting to put the viewer in as perplexed a mental state as the showamp8217s title character The narrative is being told from Davidamp8217s perspective and more often then not itamp8217s unreliable at best He hears peopleamp8217s thoughts relives memories both correctly and incorrectly and is processing whatamp8217s actually happening in front of him all at once If it wasnamp8217t for the spectacular presentation of it all this would seem like a lot for the casual viewer to digest Thankfully none of whatamp8217s being done is frivolous Every question raised by an unexplained image or sound bite is eventually explained and if it hasnamp8217t been it willAnother one of the showamp8217s strengths is the fact that there are so many directions in which Hawley can take this series At the time Iamp8217m writing this FX has already telecast four episodes and yet no one has even alluded to the name amp8220Legionamp8221 which is his eventual superhero moniker Does Hawley plan to pace himself and spend this season and perhaps more solely on the developmentdiscovery of Davidamp8217s powers Will David assume his mutant identity and dive headfirst into the fray against Division an antimutant section of government or will he end up being the amp8220this isnamp8217t my fightamp8221 kind of guy This show isnamp8217t shy about death either so will one of his new alliesfriends eat it before seasonamp8217s end And then thereamp8217s the milliondollar question Powers or no powers is David saneI could go full nerd right now and explain all the subtle ties this show shares with the surrounding Xmen universe convoluted as those timelines may be or discuss how true the series is being to the comics of origin I could speculate on what actual year show the takes place in due to the fact that it seems to jump back and forth between the late Seventies and the present day My official guess is 1979 and Iamp8217m fairly sure Iamp8217m right I could talk about all these things for hours if allowed but the best part is I could be wrong about all of it The idea that we canamp8217t really trust anything weamp8217re being shown is genius to say the least and that fact alone is a huge selling point to me For all intents and purposes Legion is a psychological thriller that actually visualizes the psychological making it as trippy as it is grippySmall piece of advice I could probably write a separate article about the soundtrack and sound design of this show itamp8217s just that good so do yourself a favor If you get the chance to watch this in surround sound or wear overtheear headphones while viewing do it Trust me itamp8217s worth itThe intense anticipation I get at the end of each episode reminds me of the feeling I get at the end of an episode of Westworld or Game of Thrones The enthralling narratives unique characters and overall intensity of the drama are the common threads each of one these unique shows share and much like tasting a delicious dish thatamp8217s only available in a specific restaurant I wonamp8217t find the same particular satisfaction elsewhere There is nowhere else one can get their sentient robotwestern fix or their HBOstyle Lord of the Rings fix other than those two shows respectivelyThe same thing can be said for Legion There is nothing else on TV right now that will give viewers the same feelings they feel while watching this program They have to return to the source In a landscape thatamp8217s currently riddled with cookiecutter superhero shows FX and Marvel have managed to punch a hole in that world and give it a muchneeded blast of fresh airLegion is telecast Wednesdays at 10 pm on FXClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this article are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggersamp160

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FX's "Legion" Isn't Your Average Mutant's Marvel

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Ainsley Andrade

"About That with Carl Mayer:" Alaina Donnellon (Episode 6) - By Carl Mayer

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FX's "Legion" Isn't Your Average Mutant's Marvel

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Ainsley Andrade

"About That with Carl Mayer:" Alaina Donnellon (Episode 6) - By Carl Mayer

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