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DivisionPost
Jun 28, 2006

Nobody likes you.
Everybody hates you.
You're gonna lose.

Smile, you fuck.
"There’s, whatever, 9,000 superhero stories right now. They’ve got all the running and kicking covered. I think my goal with this is to do something whimsical and imaginative and unexpected. Not just because I want to do something different, but because it feels like the right way to tell this story.

"We’ve got the time, right? It’s not a two-hour movie. It’s an 8- or a 10- or a 12-hour movie. Let’s tell the parts of the story that you couldn’t tell on the big screen. What is it really like to hear voices or to be able to move things with your mind or to think you can move things with your mind, but you’ve been hospitalized and they’ve been talking you out of the idea that you can actually move things with your mind. If there’s one thing that television doesn’t really do, and has never really done, is to tell a surreal story."


That's Noah Hawley, the dude who put UFOs in a motherfucking Fargo adaptation and somehow made it work, explaining his approach to the X-Men spinoff he was developing at the time Vanity Fair interviewed him. And in his defense -- not that he needs one at this point, given that he's one of the most exciting storytellers working today -- most comic book nerds will tell you that he's probably right.



Legion is the name given to David Haller (Dan Stevens, Downton Abbey, The Guest). As a young man, he was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic and committed to a mental asylum. As an adult, he bonds with Syd Barrett (Rachel Keller, who played Simone Gerhardt in season 2 of Fargo), a young woman who cannot be touched. Together, they come to realize that they may, in fact, be powerful mutants.

That's the basic gist of it. The show also stars Aubrey Plaza as David's best friend Lenny, and Jean Smart -- another Fargo S2 alum -- as a therapist working with David. Reviews can tell you more, but it sounds like this is a show best discovered tabula rasa given that they all say poo poo like:

Alan Sepinwall, for Uproxx, posted:

Legion is so strange, so idiosyncratic, so outside the norms of anything we’ve come to expect from modern comic book adaptations, on the big screen or small, that it was hard not to wonder if I was just imagining the whole thing, or if it was an elaborate, expensive prank perpetrated by FX and Fargo creator Noah Hawley...

Maureen Ryan, for Variety, posted:

...offers a jittery take on many of the genre’s familiar themes, and it hurls them together with such boldness that the entire concoction ends up carrying quite a kick...it won’t be for everyone, but those who are pulled into the surreal, jagged orbit of this distinctive drama are likely to stay there for the full eight-episode run. It is, literally and figuratively, a trip — and it’s often an exhilarating one.

Todd VanDerWerff, for Vox, posted:

Every time I thought I had Legion figured out, Hawley would jet off in some new direction.

Danette Chavez, for The AV Club, posted:

David might be the most powerful mutant, or he might be a young man with a mental illness. Though the evidence leans in one direction more than the other, viewers shouldn’t get too comfortable with what they think they’ve seen or heard. Hawley’s mind is playing tricks on us. The sonic layers made up by the soundtrack, voiceovers, and dialogue are as disorienting to the viewer as David; try to filter one out to understand the other, and you could miss out on something important.

So yeah, doesn't seem like Hawley's loving around on this one, and judging by the 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes (at least at the time of this writing), seems like it's working for him. So who am I to get in the way of that?

Legion premieres tonight at 10 ET on FX.

DivisionPost fucked around with this message at 17:32 on Feb 8, 2017

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bagrada
Aug 4, 2007

The Demogorgon is tired of your silly human bickering!

I wonder if this will borrow anything from Simon Spurrier's great run on X-Men Legacy: Legion. The four trades are $4 each for kindle digital.

Space crime demands space justice!

Aphrodite
Jun 27, 2006

bagrada posted:

I wonder if this will borrow anything from Simon Spurrier's great run on X-Men Legacy: Legion. The four trades are $4 each for kindle digital.

Space crime demands space justice!

From what I've seen, he doesn't seem to have the whole gimmick that the "Legion" name refers to in this?

Unless that's being saved for later.

Open Source Idiom
Jan 4, 2013

Aphrodite posted:

From what I've seen, he doesn't seem to have the whole gimmick that the "Legion" name refers to in this?

Unless that's being saved for later.

Ten to one, they're at least teasing that given that the pre-release has made a big deal about a love interest who won't let him touch her. Plus they look very, very similar, despite the height difference. So I've been assuming that she's another facet of his personality.

(Informed speculation based on trailers, vague comic book knowledge and reviews, but I've spoiler marked it just in case).

Shageletic
Jul 25, 2007

bagrada posted:

I wonder if this will borrow anything from Simon Spurrier's great run on X-Men Legacy: Legion. The four trades are $4 each for kindle digital.

Space crime demands space justice!

At least one name mentioned in the show's press was in the comic

The Eye

Escobarbarian
Jun 18, 2004


Grimey Drawer
I am unbelievably excited for this show

BSam
Nov 24, 2012

what is this, superheros?


when?

nate fisher
Mar 3, 2004

We've Got To Go Back
Noah Hawley plus Dan Stevens of The Guest is all I needed to hear.

oliwan
Jul 20, 2005

by Nyc_Tattoo
I put Fargo season two in the absolutely top tier of TV together with the wire, the sopranos and mad men. It's unreal how good it is.

DivisionPost
Jun 28, 2006

Nobody likes you.
Everybody hates you.
You're gonna lose.

Smile, you fuck.

oliwan posted:

I put Fargo season two in the absolutely top tier of TV together with the wire, the sopranos and mad men. It's unreal how good it is.

Remember when Noah Hawley opened up the finale with an unexpected Raising Arizona homage and then used that to go into a sort-of chase scene set to loving "War Pigs"?

God dammit why is it not 10 o'clock yet.

oliwan
Jul 20, 2005

by Nyc_Tattoo

DivisionPost posted:

Remember when Noah Hawley opened up the finale with an unexpected Raising Arizona homage and then used that to go into a sort-of chase scene set to loving "War Pigs"?

God dammit why is it not 10 o'clock yet.

It's so good, I just get goosebumps thinking about everything in that season: the storytelling, the thematics, the cinematography, the big gently caress you all in the finale uuugghhhh I'm cumming.

oliwan
Jul 20, 2005

by Nyc_Tattoo
It's a revolution in literary TV, and it will only get more recognition as it ages. It's an unreal masterpiece.

oliwan
Jul 20, 2005

by Nyc_Tattoo
Anyway, legion

Codependent Poster
Oct 20, 2003

So, pretty confusing so far, but very pretty.

hcreight
Mar 19, 2007

My name is Oliver Queen...
This poo poo is loving cool so far.

howe_sam
Mar 7, 2013

Creepy little garbage eaters

BlackJosh
Sep 25, 2007
That was something. Very interesting, a little confused, but man about as far away from the beaten path of superhero media as you can get. Very interested in seeing where this goes.

Cael
Feb 2, 2004

I get this funky high on the yellow sun.

That felt like Fargo mixed with Hannibal. And that's one of the highest compliments I can pay.

BlackJosh
Sep 25, 2007
Yeah I too got a strong Hannibal vibe and it definitely has me on the hook for at least a few more episodes. Very interesting and adventurous visually and aurally.

Adept Nightingale
Feb 7, 2005


This was absolutely gorgeous and jarring throughout, I'll definitely be catching this live all season.

DoctorWhat
Nov 18, 2011

A little privacy, please?
My friend thinks the ending credits music of this show sounds like the 90s X-Men cartoon theme.

General Dog
Apr 26, 2008

Everybody's working for the weekend
That pilot was so good that I kind of just want to walk away now. Whatever the show ends up being, I can't see it living up to this, even if it's still very good.

Pan Dulce
Jan 4, 2011

Beautiful cinnamon roll too good for this world, too pure



That was a trip. Made me have to think about what I saw and what was actually true. This is going to be a fun ride.

Grem
Mar 29, 2004

It's how her species communicates

That curly haired man is Mystique, right? I swear I saw him in an X-Men movie.

X-O
Apr 28, 2002

Long Live The King!

Grem posted:

That curly haired man is Mystique, right? I swear I saw him in an X-Men movie.

No. This is not connected to the X-Men movies at all.

Zythrst
May 31, 2011

Time to join a revolution son, its going to be yooge!

Grem posted:

That curly haired man is Mystique, right? I swear I saw him in an X-Men movie.

I think he's some kind of wolf man. Also I like this, I like this very much.

Blazing Ownager
Jun 2, 2007

by FactsAreUseless

General Dog posted:

That pilot was so good that I kind of just want to walk away now. Whatever the show ends up being, I can't see it living up to this, even if it's still very good.

I think I've figured out what's going on, but I could be way off.

I think everyone he's interacted with among his "allies" is an alternate personality, and that each and every one has a different mutant power, which is why he's so powerful and unpredictable. If you watch that escape sequence, nobody is shooting at his comrades, and people are just.. exploding; one of his allies "shoots" some people, but that's it for interaction.

I mean there's some definite holes with what happened at the mental ward but I'm still convinced that is, more or less, what is going on. The name Legion fits exceedingly well on that front. The devil with yellow eyes isn't too far off from how you'd describe Nightcrawler, so I'm not even convinced that personality is evil, just telekinetic.

Also if that is the case, those scenes are kind of masterstrokes; they take on a whole different perspective if he was just running by himself and murdering like 100 guards, rather horrifically. Either way I'm really hyped for the rest of the series.. it started a little too weird and I hope it didn't drive off too many viewers because about 20 minutes in it felt like it got into full gear.

Blazing Ownager fucked around with this message at 10:28 on Feb 9, 2017

Blazing Ownager
Jun 2, 2007

by FactsAreUseless

DoctorWhat posted:

My friend thinks the ending credits music of this show sounds like the 90s X-Men cartoon theme.

For a while I thought someone stole Ramin Djawadi of Game Of Thrones and Westworld (esp. Westworld) fame from HBO.. (well that and System Shock 2 and Thief 1/2, which I found out recently!) but it turns out it's not him. I really dug the music, both the creepy stuff and the real cyberpunk vibe stuff. I want the soundtrack now.

ED: No seriously, I want the soundtrack, is it available anywhere yet?

HUGE SPACEKABLOOIE
Mar 31, 2010


That was loving bananas holy poo poo

Qmass
Jun 3, 2003

Blazing Ownager posted:

I think I've figured out what's going on, but I could be way off.

I think everyone he's interacted with among his "allies" is an alternate personality, and that each and every one has a different mutant power, which is why he's so powerful and unpredictable. If you watch that escape sequence, nobody is shooting at his comrades, and people are just.. exploding; one of his allies "shoots" some people, but that's it for interaction.
err the main guy actually doing stuff (that isn't "David"), throwing all the dudes and poo poo around gets shot through the shoulder and you see the wound... ?

plus I don't think zodiac with an old lady on it makes a convincing personality

Escobarbarian
Jun 18, 2004


Grimey Drawer
That was a great pilot. Can't wait to see where they take this.

Metalshark
Feb 4, 2013

The seagull is essential.
I was impressed with how compelling this was throughout despite an admirable commitment to being weird and obtuse plus it was so, so Pink Floyd even beyond the obvious name. The whole thing was channeling the isolation of The Wall or the rage of The Final Cut to me.

Mameluke
Aug 2, 2013

by Fluffdaddy
Yep, very intrigued by the pilot. Will be following this series closely.

BlackJosh posted:

Yeah I too got a strong Hannibal vibe and it definitely has me on the hook for at least a few more episodes. Very interesting and adventurous visually and aurally.

- Had to check if the score was Brian Reitzell
- the fake interrogation room reminded me of the Kubrick bathrooms they used a couple times in the first season
- hallucinations seem to be treated as "what if Will Graham saw the truth"

ArmedZombie
Jun 6, 2004

This episode is one of the best single episodes of tv I've ever seen. Dan stevens is really good in this role.

ukle
Nov 28, 2005

ArmZ posted:

This episode is one of the best single episodes of tv I've ever seen. Dan stevens is really good in this role.

Its possibly the best 'superhero' TV/film ever made, just that beach scene blew away anything from the X-men movies, never mind the rest of the program. The whole program was outstanding and completely bizarre yet made sense - even though its obvious everything is not as it seems.

Only issue is there is no way the rest of the series is going to keep that standard up.

qbert
Oct 23, 2003

It's both thrilling and terrifying.
Holy poo poo that pilot was amazing. I'm all in.

ukle posted:

Its possibly the best 'superhero' TV/film ever made, just that beach scene blew away anything from the X-men movies, never mind the rest of the program. The whole program was outstanding and completely bizarre yet made sense - even though its obvious everything is not as it seems.

Only issue is there is no way the rest of the series is going to keep that standard up.

Critics who reviewed later eps admit they seem quaint directing-wise compared to Hawley's pilot, but the writing will remain strong so I'm okay with that.

Open Source Idiom
Jan 4, 2013
That was fabulous. Some real Terry Gilliam vibes going on there (I guess 12 Monkeys is a big touch stone with this show), and some Wes Anderson too.

The show's never going to have the budget to do some of this kind of stuff again, and apparently the cinematography calms down in later episodes (going from the Vox review of the first three episodes), but if it's even half way near this level I'll be super impressed. I'm also excited to see what the show can do when it gets to go to town, budget-wise (i.e. the finales, whatever midseason excitement they cook up).

Mameluke
Aug 2, 2013

by Fluffdaddy

Open Source Idiom posted:

The show's never going to have the budget to do some of this kind of stuff again, and apparently the cinematography calms down in later episodes (going from the Vox review of the first three episodes), but if it's even half way near this level I'll be super impressed. I'm also excited to see what the show can do when it gets to go to town, budget-wise (i.e. the finales, whatever midseason excitement they cook up).

Maybe they should take the Hannibal similarities and make them explicit, at least on the crew side. That show knew how to stretch a dollar better than any.

Muscadine Wine
Feb 13, 2009
. As an adult, he bonds with Syd Barrett (Rachel Keller, who played Simone Gerhardt in season 2 of Fargo), a young woman who cannot be...

Shine on you crazy Diamond

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Escobarbarian
Jun 18, 2004


Grimey Drawer
Yeah I laughed when he first said that out loud.

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