Legion follows the story of David Haller, a troubled young man diagnosed as schizophrenic, who after a strange encounter discovers he has special powers that could change his life forever. It's a collaboration between Fox and Marvel that airs on the FX channel. The show isn't part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but is instead said to be set in a universe parallel to the X-Men films.
The story is told from the warped perspective of Haller, who was diagnosed as Schizophrenic at a young age. Showrunner and creator, Noah Hawley, said that he wanted to show Haller as an "unreliable narrator", including mixing 1960s design with modern-day elements, and filming the series through the title character's distorted view of reality. By doing this, they can avoid any apparent inconsistencies with the X-Men films, as that could just be chalked up as David's view of reality.
Haller is actually Professor Xavier's son, which is why he is classed as one of the strongest Omega-level mutants in the whole X-Men universe. In the comics, Legion has Dissociative Identity Disorder with each of his personalities controlling one of his many powers. He serves as a sort of Antihero in the comics, in part due to his mental illness. Exactly how many personalities, and by proxy superpowers, Legion actually has is unknown.
Legion has to be one of my favourite things on Television at the moment, with it's unique brand of storytelling and trippy visuals. I think this is partly why the X-Men franchise is so popular amongst those who are different when compared with the rest of society, the stories often revolve around acceptance of oneself and by your peers. I like the direction they've taken the character, making him more relatable in my eyes. Hawley has also said that he drew influence from Pink Floyd, the British prog rock band, and especially Syd Barrett, the former frontman for the band who eventually succumbed to mental illness, most likely made worse by his drug habits. Hawley in fact created a character called Syd Barrett, a fellow mutant and eventual girlfriend of Haller's.
When I first started watching Legion, it did take a good two viewings for me to start to get my head around what was going on. You're not going to be spoon-fed the story, with the viewer needing to determine what is real and what is inside Haller's head. Metaphors and psychedelic visuals are everywhere.
The show stars Dan Stevens as David Haller, along with Rachel Keller, Aubrey Plaza, Bill Irwin, Jeremie Harris, Amber Midthunder, and Jean Smart. There's a very welcome appearance of Jemaine Clement of Flight of the Conchords. Season 2 is currently airing, so go get caught up on Season 1 if you haven't already.
Have you seen Legion? What did you think? Let me know your thoughts and feelings in the comments down below, and as always make sure to follow me for the latest Cryptocurrency, Internet and Pop Culture updates. Until next time, Peace!
Sources:
Legion on Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legion_(TV_series))
Legion on IMDB (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5114356/)