"Legion" officially premiered today on FX, and much to its promise, it indeed presented something new. The story presented itself with the expected superpowered lead, bringing audiences on a journey that is in his seemingly fractured mind.
The X-Men offshoot does not; disappoint X-Men fans who come to see powerful mutants, a malevolent government organization, and a sanctuary for these mutants. However, the similarities stop there.
The anti-hero "Legion" is depicted similarly in a way, but different from the comics. According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Legion" is a major departure, and it embraces complexity and confusion, presenting a subjective view of the world from David Haller's (Dan Stevens) eyes.
"Legion" deviates from heroics favoring its rich narrative, focusing on the variability of memory while struggling to cope with a debilitating mental illness. It is okay to be confused, for it was not made for easy comprehension of the plot.
Viewers will be greeted with fragmented images from David's life, that is so scattered and without a point of reference what came before or after, according to Vulture. Fans of the X-Men universe will be in a quandary at first, but the first episode seems to put the audience in the viewpoint of the protagonist.
"Legion" in the comics, aside from severe mental illness has multiple personalities, and each persona "Legion" has that surfaces have its own mutant ability. That alone is a prospect worth seeing into since the character has potentials that cannot be easily boxed or contained into one or two stereotypes. That is if the show will draw from this bit from the comics.
Before the episode's end, the audience will be left thinking that David's perception cannot be trusted. Not even when he asks, "Is this real?" The first episode will also leave audiences second-guessing everything, which might prove to be exhausting after a time. For now, the next seven episodes if it plays along the lines of the first episode could as well be a touch of incohesive madness.
