Legion- A Retrospective





I’ve been putting off writing this for a while now, Legion Season Two was the first ever review I wrote on this blog and the whole show has been an influential part of my life since the pilot aired in February of 2017. Noah Hawley’s mind-bending, convention-breaking and creatively-refreshing show based on the obscure comic book character of David Haller has mesmerised me throughout it’s bizarre three seasons of content. I’m going to break down what made ‘Legion’ the show I have religiously watched and loved for it’s fascinating three year run by looking at some of my favourite moments of the show.





The Entirety of the Pilot





‘Chapter 1’ of ‘Legion’ is still one of my favourite episodes of the show, Hawley isn’t afraid to immediately establish how off the walls insane this show is going to be with the mind-bending Pilot. David is a mentally ill man in an institute called Clockworks but when he meets Syd and falls in love, everything changes, maybe. Nothing feels quite real in this episode, the barriers between reality and dreams are played with as memories and identities overlap and disorientate the viewer. Whether it be the Bollywood dance sequence, the subtle hints at The Devil With The Yellow Eyes or demonstrating the power of David Haller, every second of this pilot is outrageous and entertaining. Hawley demonstrates that this show is going to be about our own limited perspective, that there should never be an easy way to demonstrate something and that due to the fact our protagonist believes he’s insane, why can’t we let go of reality a bit?





Aubrey Plaza as The Shadow King





Throughout Season One Aubrey Plaza plays a supporting character that steals every scene she is in, initially as the crazy Lenny in Clockworks but then in the big season reveal that Lenny isn’t real and is in fact The Shadow King she comes into her own. Her reveal in ‘Chapter 5’ is insanely entreating and this sadistically entertaining character is formidable. Plaza demonstrates range, as she indulges in playing the group’s therapist and her iconic dance sequence is so entertainingly evil it is almost mesmerising. She creates this personality that you can’t help but love even when she is at her most evil, as the show goes on she becomes more and more sympathetic as we see the real Lenny trapped in the mind of Farouk. Her reunion with David in Season Two is emotional and Plaza really sells this character as something else, as a real person and her death in Season Three is melancholic and upsetting. She really comes into her own as The Breakfast Queen in Season Three, with moments of authenticity coming from this outlandish character as she falls in love and deals with losing her own child, Plaza really deserved an award of some sort for her work in the show.





Season One’s Pacing and Structure





To many, Season One is the perfect season of television and I would have to agree, the way the entirety of the first season is structured and put together is amazing. Things like the stellar appearance from Jermaine Clement as Oliver Bird giving this wonderful monologue leading into his important appearance and revelation around the Astral Plane. What you see may not make sense now, but it will later. The narrative keeps moving and moving but at no point does it ever feel exhausting or rushed, when you look at actual plot points of the season it seems simple and short, but it is how the Season approaches these events which add to the characters and themes. I think that a lot of the season really takes it time in introducing every element, there is this real sense of planting the seeds for what is to come, exploring ideas that Hawley clearly planned to pay off throughout the three-season arc.





Jon Hamm’s Conceptual Monologues





‘A delusion starts like any other idea, as an egg’. Season Two introduced these lectures by a mysterious narrator about several ideas revolving around the concept of delusion. Exploring societal flaws in patterns and the disturbing implication around group thoughts and ideas, such as the increasingly disturbing cheerleader allegory. Although, when watching the season as a whole it is unclear as to what these short monologues allude to, the payoff is fantastic and the ambitious twist at the end of the season wouldn’t have been as impactful at all. It offers this thematically ambiguous conclusion; do you believe in the idea of group delusion? or is it a man’s single delusion? or maybe it’s just both. I can’t begin to really understand the extent of what Hawley is trying to demonstrate with these monologues, but their visual aesthetic and thematic ambition is simply something I have never seen before in television.





The Real Amahl Farouk





I was insanely excited to see the real face of Amahl Farouk come Season Two and I couldn’t ask for a better portrayal of this complex antagonist than Navid Negahban. Negahban emits charisma and intelligence that breaks down this previous idea of The Shadow King as this unsympathetic villain, he is in fact a person. There is this undeniable class to Farouk, he emits wisdom with evil and compared to David’s erratic and anxious persona they have this fantastic chemistry between them. The fact that he commits acts that are genuinely disturbing yet with this fantastic level of composure makes him an incredibly memorable and complicated villain that took me by complete and utter surprise throughout the majority of Season Two and Three. Of course, it is the finale to Season Three that really shows Negahban’s skill as an actor, the genuine care and complex emotions he feels towards David are fascinating and he makes that finale feel like something unique and exciting.





Syd’s Redemption





Throughout the majority of Season One, I wasn’t a big fan of Syd’s character, I found her to be a bit too willing and lack a sense of independence or any real charisma however Rachel Keller still delivered a fantastic performance. But come Season Two, she becomes exciting, sympathetic and really the show’s true protagonist. Syd is ambitious and forthright in the entirety of the second season, her conversations with Melanie give her agency and a running compelling arc for her character. ‘Chapter 12’ is still one of the most surprisingly genuine and needed episodes in the show, exploring her past was a much-needed revelation and it will hit you like a train in those emotional closing moments. Everything makes sense for her character after this episode, her fear of opening up, her desire for intimacy playing at constant contradiction with her absolute fear of the consequences of her intimacy. And equally important is ‘Chapter 25’ which shows her being reborn and growing up under the helping guidance of Melanie and Oliver, here Syd learns empathy and understanding of other perspectives as priority before judging people’s intentions, it is an incredible progression and it is essential in those closing moments between the two characters.





Chapter 14





Legion gets criticized a lot for its disregard for plot momentum as moments and whole episodes are almost completely conceptual and don’t advance the running narrative at all, ‘Chapter 14’ is one of those episodes. However, I would definitely argue that this isn’t a bad thing, in fact for ‘Legion’ it is essential on moments of thematic and emotional weight. ‘Chapter 14’ is completely a conceptual look at the multi-verse theory but from David’s perspective, we explore several versions of David from arrogant billionaire to disturbed homeless man in this incredible feat of television. The episode has this disturbingly melancholy tone to it, Hawley emotionally demonstrates the possible lives David could have lived however as it progresses the audience slowly realises the point of this episode, David always needs Amy, his sister. After the events of last episode revealing the death of Amy Haller, this episode is the sad realisation that the darkest timeline is the one where David doesn’t have Amy and it is an emotionally ambitious episode that I love every second of it.





The Turn of David





Season Two has the difficult job of the entirety of the season being a vehicle of revealing that David is in fact mentally unwell and dangerously psychotic, to the point of delusion. It was a very slow burn throughout the season, but every element comes together to reveal its purpose is showing how a man turns evil. The character work throughout the season is fascinating, revolving around trust and distorted perspective it makes the whole season feel tense and uncertain. Division 3 slowly turns into madness due to the mysterious Admiral Fukuyama, the group become progressively more suspicious, but David is quick to find the problem and defeat the delusion, revealing that Division 3 turning on David isn’t a delusion. Melanie’s talks about men taking advantage, David losing Amy, Syd revealing a past of mistrust and Future Syd’s warnings about David are all pieces in the puzzle that compels the reveal of David’s true nature. The tough assault scene on Syd was a daring choice by Hawley but luckily throughout Season Three David remains delusional and it is his ego that ultimately undoes him.





Charles and Gabrielle Xavier





My god was it a treat to witness these two in ‘Legion’, from the beginning I was unsure if Hawley would ever show us David’s parents and their history but ‘Chapter 22’ did not disappoint. The inclusion of time travel in Season Three gave us the nightmarishly uncomfortable episode exploring David’s parent’s past and it was beautiful. In typical ‘Legion’ fashion, time jumps around and nothing quite makes sense, we witness their meeting in a mental hospital that worryingly and disturbingly mirrors David and Syd. The episode has this fantastic colour palette to it making the whole thing feel cold and distant as well as this excellent inclusion of Captain Fantastic’s ‘Wot’ creeping in whenever David is near. Harry Lloyd makes you forget that James McAvoy ever played the iconic character, he is suave and likeable and has a real human touch to him. However, Stephanie Corneliussen as Gabrielle is the Season’s standout performance as David’s mother as her performance is genuine and emotional, compelling the Season’s ambitious arc. Charles’ confrontation with a younger Farouk is glorious and the way these characters fit so well into the show is mind-blowingly impressive.





The Time Demons/ The Blue Meanies





This was definitely an unexpected inclusion into the climactic season, and it was a very welcome one at that. The Time Demons were some of the most inventive villain’s I’ve ever seen in my life and the show took complete advantage of every creative possibility they could have with these creatures. Their design is creepy and unnerving, but the visual effects work is just outstanding, creating this pseudo stop motion feeling to them where the frame rate increases if more of them are in the frame thus meaning they move faster. It is beyond impressive and I can’t even imagine the effort that went into creating these creatures. I couldn’t have asked for a better apocalypse than this and Hawley really let loose with these new creatures. I still can’t believe they included a clip from ‘The Shield’ to disorientate the viewers, played with shot composition and editing to the extent where the entirety of their appearance is an absolute highlight.





Press Button to Start Again





Three seasons of ambiguous and ambitious big idea creative sci-fi surely can’t stick a realistic and satisfying ending, but ‘Legion’ does and it pulls the rug from underneath you and creates a finale that is beautiful. Life is complicated, life is uncertain and what influences the person we are is a factor we have very little control over and this episode reveals that it isn’t as simple as Good and Evil. It is about learning to understand other perspectives, what the show has been exploring for its entire run is the importance of a positive helping hand and care from others. Maybe it is the support from a sister, a mentor or a mother but whatever it is, it is valuable and arrogance towards caring for other people is a dangerous thing. Ultimately, these characters are granted a poetic and earned ending that resonates with me, hey, maybe I am looking into this finale way too much or projecting my own beliefs, but it is definitely a stellar emotional concept to base your finale around and I love it to bits.





The Entire Soundtrack and Score





This is a bit of a cop-out but thanks to ‘Legion’ I have fallen in love with so many new bands and artists as Hawley well occasionally seems to be throwing stuff onto the screen with an amazing soundtrack and I don’t disagree. The use of music has undeniably made so many scenes and moments absolutely memorable and iconic in my mind. The show opens with ‘Happy Jack’ by The Who and closes with the exact same song and I remember bursting into tears when I heard the song again because of its association to the show. I first heard The Velvet Underground with the inclusion of ‘Heroin’ in ‘Chapter 13’ which is a band that I have become obsessed with of late. Song choices such as ‘The Daily Mail’ by Radiohead, ‘Behind Blue Eyes’ by The Who or ’22 (Over Soon)’ by Bon Iver are amazing inclusions that elevate the emotional impact of some of my favourite scenes. Jeff Russo also composes a glorious score to the entire show that compels psychedelia with opera to an amazing extent, he cleverly uses certain musical stings to signify themes and ideas that are so quick you could miss it.





It’s Always Blue





I could write for hours upon hours about ‘Legion’ I’m truly in love with every element and idea that the show has presented. I said this in my review of the second season, but for all its critiscm from frustrated fans and confused critics, I can’t really fault it at all becomes of the amount of creative ambition that goes into every single episode. The outstanding and downright insane attention to detail in the production design compelling fans to work out charts revolving colour coordination in order to understand the themes and ideas is something I haven’t seen before in a community around a TV show. Every performance feels committed and excited to be there, it is a collaborative project of creative people enjoying pushing the boundaries of artistic expression and well, it’s also a pretty good superhero show.





Thanks for reading!