Superhero Lessons in Analytics — Ep. XI

Memory & Storytelling— Lessons from Legion

It has been a few months since our last episode of Superhero Lessons. The X featured the X-men, but this article will focus on Marvel’s latest television offering. At the time of this writing, Legion just aired its 6th episode on FX. The show seems to be attracting a solid following and is getting great reviews on Google, IMDB, and Rotten Tomatoes.

Legion is the story of David Haller. I think. A guy, or possibly several, with some extraordinary powers, or perhaps delusions. The show features a cast of characters who may all be imaginary, possibly dead, or perhaps none of the above. Each episode has taken us deeper, set us back, and well really just confused the hell out of everybody. It is the perfect show for analysts!

Memories Are Never What They Seem

The human memory database is not exactly built for accuracy, but at least it has only one administrator. Recent science suggests that human memory is iteratively rewritten with every recall. In other words, we technically remember remembering. This is validated by the experience of crime scene investigators and others. Witness testimony is often wildly biased by minor events. Our memories just aren’t what they seem.

David Haller’s memories are another level entirely. They seem to have been purposely rewritten. There is a still a question of exactly by who? The show further takes advantage of memory by relying on Ptonomy Wallace, a character who can visit peoples memories. Ptonomy’s powers seem capable of overcoming another of science’s recent hypotheses — human’s only really see about 20% of what we think we see. The other 80% is basically brain modeled background.

David’s memories are dark and haunting. They are also dynamic and wildly inaccurate. They make for great drama but they also remind us that the human mind is not engineered for total recall. We focus on 20% and let the rest take care of itself. Our memories are malleable and changing. They are subject to alteration. Analysts should always be careful when relying on the memory of others, or even our own.

There Are Plenty of Ways To Deliver A Storytelling

As noted above, much of David’s story is unlocked through memory, some seems to be a walk through his mind, a bit seems to be projection to the astral plane, and a small amount may actually be reality (at least the TV version). Essentially, the show takes the boundaries of storytelling and ignores them completely.

Analysts today live in a world dominated by PowerPoint decks, Answer First thinking, and on occasion — classic story telling. There is merit in all of these views. They are straightforward and typically clear. But Legion reminds us that pushing the boundaries can be compelling as well — and also confusing as hell… or David’s dreams, if you prefer.

Paris fashion shows push boundaries. The fall collections that follow are much more moderated but clearly inspired models of what is set down the catwalks each year. Legion is a catwalk for storytelling. If you use it wisely, your stories may be far more compelling and provocative (good things in analytics). Go too far and you are just going to confuse your audience, which is potentially a great hook for TV (bad for analytics).

To remind us just how bad a story can be, Legion features one of the worst. Or at least the worst memory of one…

Legion is an inspiration. It is compelling. It is provocative. It breaks boundaries. It is also a warning about the limits of memory and how a stories go bad.

Thanks for reading. Episode XII will be here soon. If you would like to catch up on the rest of this series: