Legion

Starring: Dan Stevens (27 episodes), Rachel Keller (27 episodes), Aubrey Plaza (27 episodes), Bill Irwin (27 episodes), Jeremie Harris (27 episodes), Amber Midthunder (27 episodes), Hamish Linklater (22 episodes), Jean Smart (20 episodes), Navid Negahban (19 episodes), Jemaine Clement (17 episodes), Katie Aselton (12 episodes), Quinton Boisclair (9 episodes), Lauren Tsai (8 episodes), Jelly Howie (8 episodes), Mackenzie Gray (8 episodes), Brittney Parker Rose (8 episodes), Lexa Gluck (8 episodes), Luke Roessler (8 episodes), Marc Oka (7 episodes), Jon Hamm (Narrator) (7 episodes), Margaux Brooke (6 episodes), Ellie Araiza (5 episodes), Brad Mann (5 episodes), Devyn Dalton (5 episodes), Scott Lawrence (3 episodes), Harry Lloyd (3 episodes), David Ferry (3 episodes), Pearl Amanda Dickson (3 episodes), Tatyana Forrest (3 episodes), Eddie Jemison (2 episodes), Christine Horn (2 episodes), Jason Mantzoukas (1 episode)
Directed by: John Cameron (4 episodes), Noah Hawley (3 episodes), Tim Mielants (3 episodes), Michael Uppendahl (3 episodes), Dana Gonzalez (2 episodes), Dennie Gordon (1 episode), Hiro Murai (1 episode), Andrew Standon (1 episode)
Rating: TV-MA
Genre: Action, Drama, Science Fiction
2017-2019

Seasons Seen:
Tim: 1 - 2 - 3

Summary: David Haller (Dan Stevens) has been in mental facilities for much of his life with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. When he learns his experiences may be the result of mutant powers and not mental illness, his entire world changes.

Review:
Tim: I remember feeling excited when I heard that the X-Men universe was going to come to television. "The Gifted" was pretty much what I expected, but a lot worse. "Legion" was not at all what I anticipated and it blew my mind. Noah Hawley is a genius for creating such an original, fearless, remarkable show. "Legion" is easily the trippiest show I've ever seen. It deals with mental illness, mutant powers, grave conspiracies, time travel, and has some horror elements that are especially frightening. It's a series that defies all convention or explanation. I could never hope to capture even a part of what this series is all about in a review like this. I'll touch on a few aspects, but just know that it's impossible to accurately label or describe a series like this.

"Legion" is an incredibly compelling series that never panders to the audience. It throws a ton at us and expects us to follow along. There's a lot of complexity to this series- there's so many moments where I thought, "I have absolutely no idea what's going on, but I love it." It never felt so fun to be so confused. There's nothing easy or simple about the three season story told here. Sometimes it didn't make much sense on purpose, but this was always intentional to serve the larger story. It was absolutely crazy, brave, insane, and fun. Hawley and the production created something here that hadn't been done before and would be impossible to replicate.

I want to talk about the cast, as they really made the show. I'll probably always like Dan Stevens for his incredible performance as David Haller. He was believable as this man who thought he had mental illness and then discovers he's the most powerful person on the planet. The journey into and through madness always put Stevens in the hot seat and he came through with flying colors. It's hard to describe everything Stevens had to do to pull this character off, but he did it. I loved the character, even when I couldn't like him or his actions. It's an incredible role and Stevens rose to the occasion.

Rachel Keller was good, too. She came across a bit too wooden at times, but that was part of the role. She made Sydney Barrett a memorable, complex, and fascinating character. She worked well with Stevens and the rest of the cast. Aubrey Plaza felt like an odd casting choice at the beginning, but she won me over by the conclusion of the series. I can't imagine this series without her strange Lenny Busker. Bill Irwin and Amber Midthunder couldn't have been more different, but made for a remarkable team. They both added a ton of heart to the series. Hamish Linklater made a huge impact in the first season, and had some good moments in later ones. It was fun seeing Jean Smart here. It's hard for me to describe how much I loved Jemaine Clement in this show. His performance was always unexpected and odd, but he stole nearly every scene he was in. Clement was absolutely fantastic here. And, as good as Clement was and as much as I loved him, the best supporting actor has to be Navid Negahban. His Amahl Farouk is one of the most complex, fascinating, incredible characters I've ever seen on television. You hated him, you couldn't take your eyes off of him for a second. I probably enjoyed his performance more than anyone else's, including Stevens'. Negahban was unforgettable here. Although it was just in the final season, Lauren Tsai was fantastic as Switch. As a whole, this the rare series where the supporting characters are just as compelling as the leads.

I have to applaud Hawley and others for delivering a series where you just had no idea what to expect from episode to episode. It was a mind-bending, trippy, insane journey. The use of music was incredible, including two songs that immediately became favorites (22 Over Soon and Something For Your M.I.N.D.). The way those songs were weaved into the narrative was stunning. There were also two scenes where the characters themselves sung- there's no reason that should have worked, but those were some of my favorite moments of the entire series. There's never been anything quite like this.

Part of me is sad that Noah Hawley believed the story should be wrapped up in three seasons. I would have loved to see the misadventures of David Haller and friends continue. On the other hand, Hawley maintained the incredibly high level of quality from beginning to end. The final episode was excellent and I enjoyed the final line. It felt like the story Hawley wanted to tell was able to be told and there wasn't any sense of slowing things down or dragging things out to add more episodes. "Legion" is one of my favorite series and one that I will never be able to stop thinking about.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Series, We Recommend: The Gifted, Fargo, Maniac