LEGI⨂N Season: 1 Review

(All reviews on this webpage contain spoilers.)

Well, it has been quite a trippy ride to say the least. So, let’s dive right into it...

Synopsis

The show’s premise is that David Haller, a man who may or may not be schizophrenic, finds out that he is a mutant during the time in which the U.S. government is just finding out about mutants, so they create a division called Division: 3. Division: 3 is a task force that seeks to exterminate some mutants and control others. David also finds out that he has an evil mutant parasite in his head that has been controlling him for years, while altering and fabricating many of his memories.

The Non-Action Factor

At the end of the first episode, there is an extremely action-packed scene when David is being rescued. I’m talking: bad guys being telekinetically flung miles away, bullets being fired from every angle, the works! I really thought that this was setting the stage for more action. For God’s sake, this WAS the first episode after all. Why would I not expect this type of action in many other episodes too? I was highly disappointed to find out that this scene was the most action in THE WHOLE ENTIRE SEASON. After seeing the whole first season, I have a better understanding on the genre mix here. Meaning: It’s a drama/suspense/horror/sci-fi show, with very, very limited action. I mean, it’s supposed to be a war between Mutants and (the humans of) Division: 3. In other words: people with powers vs. people with semi-automatic weapons and grenades. This show would have become one of my favorites, had they given this show a stronger action presence beyond the first episode. At the very least, I thought that the season finale would offer more shooting and fighting, but nope! Only during The Shadow King’s escape scene did anything really happen -- and even then, it was mostly just wire work being used for telekinetic stuff. Division: 3’s leader mentioned that there was a B team waiting to take the mutant’s base. I’d have preferred Division: 3’s B team getting mowed down by a bunch of mutants. But somehow we never saw even saw the B team in the whole episode. *Sigh* Well, I guess this show is no Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D season: 3, is it? Heck, it’s not even season 1.

The Problem with Division: 3

The mutants that save David are fighting a war against Division: 3. Yet whenever Division: 3 show up, there are either hardly any shots fired, or no shots fired at all (aside from the rescue scene of the first episode of course). I often felt like I was watching a stage play, where I know that there isn’t going to be a shoot-out at all, only capture scenes, escape scenes, or p’wn the bad guys in one fell swoop scenes. They really feel like non-daunting Storm Troopers painted black. After the first few times seeing them, I can say that I don't fear them at all whenever I see them on screen now -- and going into season 2, I certainly won’t fear for the heroes when Division: 3 is on screen, unless they stop being Disney XD Storm Troopers for once and actually make their presence felt more harshly.

The Imagery

You want a show with crazy, trippy, creepy, nightmarish visuals? A show that looks waaay different than any other show on TV? Then this is the show for you! At times it’s hard for me to tell what is CG and what is practical effects (and some parts I believe are practical effects which are altered in-computer). The quick horror-esque camera cuts help to drive it home too! This is where this show really shines. It often looks so very seamless where any kind of effects are involved. There’s a great mixture of practical camera tricks at play here too. Great show for anyone to study that wants to be a cinematographer, or already is one. I’m sure they’d pick up some great tricks, ideas, and inspiration for sure!

The Story

I’m not going to make this more than it is; I won’t sugar coat it. This season is just an 8 episode story about a guy finding out that he has a psionic mutant parasite in his head, and that parasite manipulates events to jump out of his head, into someone else’s head, then drives off to (presumably find Charles Xavier for revenge?). That’s it! That’s the whole season, more or less. Good show, but I can’t call it one of my favorites. I like it, and I will continue to watch it. It’s just a show that tells a standard story in a way that is very interesting to the eye, but not as much from a writing perspective. I kept watching, episode after episode, thinking there was going to be more of a clever element narrative-wise, but the clever element never came. I kept saying to myself “I shouldn’t just write this show off, from first looks. I think there’s going to be some highly intelligent, cerebral plot angle or plot twist that makes me say that this show is pure genius.” But alas, that moment never came. I got to the big reveal and I'm like "Ok, that was cool. That's a cool villain to use here, but, ok, what else you got, though?" They set-up the next season nicely, but didn't give me enough THIS season. Season 1 feels like half a season as far as giving me a satisfactory story. The way it ended felt like a mid-season finale cliff-hanger. Sure it was a short season, but in some ways that makes me feel like it should have gotten a bit more done in the period of time that it had to work with.

The Final Verdict

While the show has great CGI, practical effects, practical creature make-up, sound design and camera tricks all working nicely for it, it’s story, while told in intricate and suspenseful ways, leaves more to be desired. I can’t say that I was 100% satisfied with the narrative or level of action. Season 1 offers some great visuals, an ok story, but not nearly enough action for a show that’s supposed to have a “mutants vs. humans” element to it. The pacing could be better too -- not by much, but still they could have taken out an episode, or 2, and it would have moved a bit faster toward its destination -- or keep those episodes in, and injecting them with more action would’ve worked well too. I have no idea why other show elements have so much happening with them, but there's so little when it comes to action. Season 1 of Legion gets 2 out of 5 stars. ★★★★★ (Disclaimer: This isn't an April Fool's Day joke. It really is 2 stars.)