The X-Men universe is back on TV! Sort of! The new series Legion -- which debuts on FX in the U.S. on Wednesday, February 8, at 10 PM ET/PT -- pulls its main character, David Haller, from the pages of Marvel Comics. But of course, the X-Men’s live-action adventures on the big screen are not part of the MCU, and so it also goes with Legion. That means no connections to the Avengers, etc., but also it seems as though Legion will be keeping its distance from Fox’s X-Men movies as well. And judging by this first episode, that is a very, very good thing. For Legion isn’t a superhero show anyway, but it does have the potential to be the most unique and perhaps even the best comic-book based TV series to come around in quite some time.

Legion: Series Premiere and Character Gallery 19 IMAGES

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The History of the X-Men on TV 18 IMAGES

Once the show debuts, I’ll be writing about Legion each week after an episode airs. Future reviews, therefore, will feature full spoilers.

Aubrey Plaza plays David’s “friend” and fellow patient Lenny in tried and true Aubrey Plaza fashion. Time will tell if the character is brilliant or annoying.

Who do we think “the devil with yellow eyes” might be?

Comics fans, of course, know who David is on the printed page, but I’ll avoid mentioning that for now…

When a comics adaptation has room for a Busby Berkeley number, I’m automatically in.

Legion comes to TV with a strong pedigree. Noah Hawley, who created the show for television (based on the character created by Marvel's Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz) has most recently done very well for himself and FX with the TV adaptation of the Coen brothers' Fargo. Therefore, the expectations with this show go well beyond that of a typical comics adaptation, and “Chapter 1” delivers in that regard. Legion isn’t looking to ape the tropes of the genre, and in fact viewers could very well watch most of this first episode without even realizing that there’s a comic book at the heart of the story.This first episode opens with a quite spectacular montage of David’s early life, progressing through quick snippets from his infancy through childhood and all the way to adulthood while The Who’s “Happy Jack” plays on the soundtrack. But those glimpses of the smiling baby and the little boy on his bike very quickly give way to scenes of pain, disaster, and madness as the world around David begins to engulf him. You see, David hears voices, a seemingly unending barrage of whispers and anarchy -- but are they real, the telepathic and telekinetic impulses of a power uncontrolled, or is he simply insane? Even he’s not sure at first. Either way, it’s one of the most chilling depictions of emerging superpowers ever filmed.His doctors eventually treat him with meds, bringing an even keel of numbness to the now adult David (played by Dan Stevens of Downton Abbey) as he lives out his days in the Clockwork Psychiatric Hospital. But even then, in a creepy and ingenious touch, Hawley (who wrote and directed this episode) has David seeing people who aren’t there. As his sister visits him, for example, in the corner of the meeting room two figures sit talking and giggling to themselves. Are they really there? Are they telepathic impressions of people who are elsewhere? Do they even exist? It’s impossible to say, but it’s freaky.One day, David meets a girl named Syd Barrett (an appropriate call-out, of course, to the Pink Floyd member of the same name, considering how trippy Legion is at times). Played by Rachel Keller, who also appeared in Fargo’s second season, Syd has her own issues, like the fact that she doesn’t want to be touched. Ever. But her and David make a connection all the same, and in a humorous moment the two decide during group therapy that they will be girlfriend and boyfriend.To say much more might take away from the experience of seeing the episode unspoiled, but suffice to say that Legion is not concerned with linear storytelling. Just like its main character, the viewer may find themselves wondering what’s real and what’s not, who’s who, what time period we’re in, and sometimes, what the heck is going on exactly. But that’s the point, as we come to see how David perceives the world around him. It also makes for exciting and visually impressive television.Some notes: