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Legion Series Premiere Excites Fans, Confuses in a Good Way

Plus: Poll! What did you think of FX's trippy new X-Men series?

by | February 8, 2017 | Comments

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Legion poster (FX)

Since those first teaser trailers of Aubrey Plaza and Dan Stevens waxing poetic on a mental hospital co-patient’s drool, Legion has been one of this season’s most hotly anticipated new series — and with good reason!

Sitting pretty at 94% on the Tomatometer at its premiere Wednesday night, the small-screen adaptation of the cult-favorite X-Men comic book series comes from Fargo showrunner Noah Hawley, so you know you’re in good hands. Add to the mix gorgeous cinematography from Dana Gonzales, a killer British-invasion soundtrack, and standout performances from British leading man Stevens as David Haller and Rachel Keller as his psych-ward love interest Syd Barrett, and we’ve got a superhero series that lives up to its hype.

Warning: Stop reading if you have not watched the episode — spoilers ahead!

Legion is not a series, however, for the easily distracted. Particularly in its first 90-minute pilot episode, David — who’s prone to violence, hears voices in his head, and has involuntary telekinetic habits to boot — is struggling to determine what’s real and what’s not real. Hawley brilliantly executed his internal dilemma by pretty much subjecting audiences to it, too. We don’t know whether or not what we’re watching is real, and several sequences throughout play like fever dreams and schizophrenic memories.

The approach reeled some in from the start, but others were left scratching their heads, even after David breaks away from his captors with Syd and connects with Melanie Byrd (Jean Smart), who is intent on helping him and other mutants.

Get a taste of what viewers were saying below.

It took most viewers a few minutes to really dive in and digest the series in front of them. Some longer than others.

Others got it by knowing that they weren’t supposed to get it…got it?

But keeping audiences on their toes made the emotional payoff that much more worth it!

And how about that final fight and escape sequence? Done in one single shot! Talk about a payoff.

Despite the series inherent darkness, there’s a sweetest by way of Syd and David for us to hang onto and hope for.

It’s too bad they can’t touch…

…Unless they want this to happen.

And um…. What the hell is that thumb-like devil with the yellow eyes?

While we’re at it, what the hell was that dance sequence? We don’t know either, but did we love it? Yes!

 

Is this actually the last of Plaza’s Lenny, David’s psych ward pal who died in the crossfire of his powers?

And don’t worry, keen viewers are already drawing comparisons to their other favorite mind-teasing series, Mr. Robot and Stranger Things. Everyone loves waffles, but especially people with telekinetic powers.

Legion airs Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. on FX

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