Legion tells the story of David Haller (Dan Stevens), a troubled young man living inside a mental hospital. He was placed there after a lifetime of hearing voices and a series of inexplicable accidents resulted in a diagnosis of schizophrenia. After an encounter with the group known as Division 3, David is rescued by a group of mutants, with the help of a fellow prisoner, Sydney "Syd" Barrett (Rachel Keller). With the help of psychiatric therapist Melanie Bird (Jean Smart), David delves into his memories, unlocking the secrets of his past, and discovering his true potential as a mutant. But as their enemies hunt them down, the greatest dangers are shown to lie inside David's head.
Legion is, first and foremost, a character study. This was a very good move; throughout the entirety of the season, the focus is kept tightly on David. Even with such a simple plot, the show manages to do a lot with the exploration of his character. The character that is crafted is greatly helped by a fantastic performance from Dan Stevens, who has to almost constantly balance instability and wonder. But as he slowly gains a better understanding of his powers, some more confidence starts to emerge. The Legion character from the comics is a source of seemingly limitless power, and the gradual evolution that David undergoes feels very natural, given how he is tested. David's arc, and his progression into his true potential, while facing the enemies that lie within him, is a fascinating journey.
That journey is supplemented greatly by the supporting cast; who helped to establish the show's unique atmosphere. Something about everyone's acting felt a bit off; maybe because the show had no real adherence to seriousness, the actors didn't want to play everything completely straight. The characters themselves are over-the-top and ridiculous in many ways - beyond their mutant powers - so not too much seriousness is brought to the table. When the show does buckle down and try to be dramatic, it feels almost disingenuous. Legion really shines when it embraces ridiculousness and insanity. Since so much of the season takes place inside of David's head, portraying reality isn't an important goal of the show.
Legion is delivered with such quality and such a confident, deft hand that it feels more like an extended film than your average comic book TV show. It does take inspiration from the comics - especially in regards to the true villain's identity - but it crafts its own, distinct story. I have no familiarity with the stories of Legion in the comics, but I assume that the influence of the source material is light. Humour is also a key part of the story, and keeps things from being too serious. The combination of different visual styles from episode-to-episode - or even from scene-to-scene - makes every new part of the story feel fresh and new. The biggest detriment to the show is that it's difficult to tell reality from imagination so often that it gets a bit tiring to wonder whether you should be invested in what's happening. Eventually, it's easier to just settle in and enjoy the ride that the season takes you on.
Legion in general is difficult to talk about (or, more accurately, write about). The inherent abstractness and unique style of the show creates a primarily visual experience, and the story beyond "David learning about his powers" gets into spoiler territory. It's a show that needs to be experienced; it's such a uniquely crafted story and world that trying to explain it doesn't really do it justice. Almost all of the effects - aside from some awkward green-screen - are high-quality, which helps make the unique atmosphere feel all the more real. The short length of the season, at least in comparison to most TV shows, moves the story along at an appropriate pace. Any longer just would have stretched the story out too far, and the side characters don't need any more development than what they're given. In many ways, they're all accessories to David's journey.
For its first foray into TV, Legion shows that the X-Men franchise can deliver a very unique, smart, and entertaining story - which it can rarely do in films. Dan Stevens is proving himself time and time again to be a rising star with a lot of potential, and even with a character as powerful as David, the show brings a lot of humanity and vulnerability to his story. Legion is a trippy experience from start to finish, and while it doesn't stand out as a revolutionary story in the superhero genre, it does stand out as very new and very different. So much is done with such a simple story, and while many of the show's reveals were just as capable of confusing me as intriguing me. But the show was intriguing enough to carry me through to the end of the season. Since the story is so contained, whether Legion can do that again in a second season remains to be seen.
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