Over the past few years, many super hero
and comic book inspired series have made their way to the small screen: "Arrow," "The Flash," "Daredevil," "Jessica
Jones," "Luke Cage," and "Iron Fist" just to name a few.
From network TV to Netflix, comic book fans have access to a lot of
entertainment on the small screen. But with so many of these shows on the air,
it feels this niche has become over saturated. So when it announced that
another comic book show was in the works, revolving around the X-Men character
Legion of all people, many rolled their eyes. Personally, I immediately became
interested. FX is a network that, over the past few years, have produced
several exceptional program. And the series's show runner would be the same as the
one from FX's "Fargo," Noah Hawley. So with a talented mind and
a great channel behind it, I thought "Legion" might stand a fighting
chance. Leading up to its premier, early reviews were glowing,
which only increased my interest more. Finally sitting down to watch it, half
way through the first episode, I knew "Legion" was something special.
David Haller is a young man with a somewhat troubled past; he made some
bad friends, got addicted to drugs, couldn't keep a relationship together, and
always felt just a little bit different. It sure didn't help when one day he
tried to kill himself, was given a psych evaluation, and learned that he was a
schizophrenic. So for quite a while Haller is convicted to a psychiatric
facility, getting by day to day; but after a beautiful young woman named Sydney
arrives at the facility he falls in love at first site and begins a
relationship with her. Everything seems to be going great. Until one day he
kisses Sydney, they switch bodies, he escapes the facility, and is hunted down
by a government agency who believes he might be the most powerful mutant alive.
And things only get crazier from there, with the occasional musical number.
Considering that, over the past few years, several exceptional comic book series have made their way to the small screen, "Legion" had a lot to live up to just to compete. Fortunately, it may be the best of the genre we've seen yet. From start to finish, Legion is a riddle wrapped in an enigma. It tells a fascinating and entertaining story that never makes it easy on the viewer. Some of the show's biggest secrets aren't even explained, leading directly into the upcoming second season. What helps is the colorful cast of characters played by some very talented actors. There is no useless character like we see in some shows; everyone has a purpose, and you root for them. The show's writing is top notch; from the dialog to the storytelling, it's clear "Legion" has some of the television's best writers working on it. What I think I loved most it just the way this series is shot. It's reminiscent of some of FX's other shows but taken to another level. Every scene is a painting and it is beautiful. It helps the production and costume design is on point, doing a great job encapsulating the 1980s. I also appreciate their use of color, the show is vibrant and colorful which is something many shows on TV often seem to forget. And lastly I have to give props to the writers and the show runner for how they approached the tone of "Legion." When it comes to comic book shows there are two schools of thought when it comes to their tone. Either very serious, with the occasional joke thrown in, such as all of the Marvel Netflix shows. Or the over the top, almost cartoony, light hardheartedness we get with the CW shows. "Legion" has found a good middle ground between the two. Keeping things light hearted and fun while being a serious and occasionally a dark drama. The first season of "Legion" was impressive to say the least. It's another hit series for FX that will hopefully have a long run. My only major complaint was that it was a short season at only eight episodes, when the credits were rolling for the last time I felt that the series would have worked better with 10 episodes. But while annoying, it is forgivable. "Legion" was brilliant and my new favorite comic book series out there right now. And I can't wait to see what's to come.
Considering that, over the past few years, several exceptional comic book series have made their way to the small screen, "Legion" had a lot to live up to just to compete. Fortunately, it may be the best of the genre we've seen yet. From start to finish, Legion is a riddle wrapped in an enigma. It tells a fascinating and entertaining story that never makes it easy on the viewer. Some of the show's biggest secrets aren't even explained, leading directly into the upcoming second season. What helps is the colorful cast of characters played by some very talented actors. There is no useless character like we see in some shows; everyone has a purpose, and you root for them. The show's writing is top notch; from the dialog to the storytelling, it's clear "Legion" has some of the television's best writers working on it. What I think I loved most it just the way this series is shot. It's reminiscent of some of FX's other shows but taken to another level. Every scene is a painting and it is beautiful. It helps the production and costume design is on point, doing a great job encapsulating the 1980s. I also appreciate their use of color, the show is vibrant and colorful which is something many shows on TV often seem to forget. And lastly I have to give props to the writers and the show runner for how they approached the tone of "Legion." When it comes to comic book shows there are two schools of thought when it comes to their tone. Either very serious, with the occasional joke thrown in, such as all of the Marvel Netflix shows. Or the over the top, almost cartoony, light hardheartedness we get with the CW shows. "Legion" has found a good middle ground between the two. Keeping things light hearted and fun while being a serious and occasionally a dark drama. The first season of "Legion" was impressive to say the least. It's another hit series for FX that will hopefully have a long run. My only major complaint was that it was a short season at only eight episodes, when the credits were rolling for the last time I felt that the series would have worked better with 10 episodes. But while annoying, it is forgivable. "Legion" was brilliant and my new favorite comic book series out there right now. And I can't wait to see what's to come.
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