Can you stop for one second and imagine what it would be like to be schizophrenic? No, no you can’t.

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It is a life filled with hallucinations, both visual and audible, as well as voices in your head, yelling things you do not want to hear. And that is but one facet of the disease. Some people have animals talk to them. Some people see demons. Some people will have delusions of grandeur and think (for REAL) they are God. Those are all legit symptoms, so no, you cannot imagine what it would be like to be schizophrenic.

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Now let’s take that question one step further. Now imagine if you were a mutant with the abilities of a God, and on top of that, you were schizophrenic, so you were not sure if ANY of what you were seeing or doing was real? That is the question the FX show Legion poses to its audience, and somehow, it has risen the ranks in one season to be the best Marvel show I have seen yet (no offense to Jessica Jones or Luke Cage, as those fuckers rock, too) but Legion is so twisted, the show actually sǝʞɐɯ noʎ ןǝǝɟ ǝʞıן noʎ ǝɹɐ ƃuısoן ɹnoʎ uʍo puıɯ ʇɐ sǝɯıʇ which is pretty badass if you ask me.

The Hero is Nucking Futs

Legion Official Trailer #1 [HD] | An Original Series From FX and Marvel

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Daredevil is a passionate crime fighter who knows right from wrong. Jessica Jones is a survivor and loner who knows her faults but does not let them define her. Luke Cage is a man fighting himself and the world to make it better. Iron Fist is, well, curly-haired? But Legion, Legion is locked up in (what we assume must be) an insane asylum with a wicked cast of other miscreants who seem to be gifted but also somewhat broken.

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But when he is at his most extreme, Legion is literally insane. He can potentially turn himself into an atom bomb. Has the ability to affect matter by phasing everything around him in and out of solid matter by sheer will alone. He sees demons (more on that later) and he even sees (and partakes) in song and dance numbers in his head (or does he).

Which leads us to…

Aubrey Plaza SHINES In Her Role and OWNS the Show

Aubrey Plaza (Lenny Busker) Dance Sequence - Legion - Chapter 6

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I would snort this woman if I could.

I have been a Plazawhore (my nickname) for years. Even before Parks and Rec, way back to the movie Mystery Team, she just has a certain uncertainty about her that I find incredibly appealing. Best known for playing rather “kooky” characters, rarely has she had the chance to shine as brightly as she does on Legion.

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Problem is, we are almost done with the season and to actually tell you anything about her will ruin her many intricate plot twists and turns. Regardless, you can tell the actress is having great fun with the role and that reflects itself in the killer performance she exudes, stealing every scene she is in. Like the segment above which further cemented my undying love for her.

Special Effects are Terrific

I could watch this scene a million times.

I will have to say the “kitchen exploding” scene from Legion may be my favorite use of HD slow motion since the movie Dredd (and that movie fucking rocked, too). And that is one scene of many that are effects heavy, yet don’t look TV quality. There are people who get embedded into brick walls, there is a big scary bad guy who looks like a demon from Hell and will haunt your nightmares, and all of it looks amazing.

Side note: I initially insisted the bad guy (demon) is Mojo but internet seems to think he is the Shadow King (but why the shit does he look so much like Mojo, who was also an X-Men baddie?). I will admit, Shadow King does make more sense story wise but yellow, fat, and in a TV show. Yup, Mojo fits that, too.

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On top of all that, the futuristic yet retro look of the asylum (which we really know NOTHING about, as in even if it’s real) is designed to perfectly capture the surreal feeling the show constantly throws at the audience. What is going on? No one knows for sure, most of all, the audience.

Speaking of which…

It Makes You Question Everything You See

Yes, this show does not skimp in the effects department.

When your hero is schizophrenic and NOTHING tells the audience the difference between what he is hallucinating and what is real, it imbues a strong sense of uncertainty in the viewer. Are these people really heroes? Why are they staying there? What is that place? Why is everyone suddenly dancing? You get a great many questions, but much like the show Lost or The Leftovers, they do not gift wrap any answers for you. It is ambiguous because it is supposed to be. With each passing hellish hallucination we are wondering what is real and what isn’t, just like the lead on the show is.

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Also, forewarning, it is like Stranger Things on LSD with a higher I.Q. there is a lot of temporal time displacement and interdimensional travel and other heavy shit that is very much rooted in reality. So Legion gives your mind a workout whilst fucking it.

Which leads us perfectly back to our starting point…

It’s Batshit Insane

I will just leave this clip here and walk away, slowly.

The Devil with the Yellow Eyes

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If you are not watching Legion yet, especially after all seen and read above, my only response would be “your loss”. This shit is MAGIC!

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