Tell-Tale TV Season Premiere Panels: Legion

FX’s newest show, Legion, is definitely not your standard Marvel TV show.

You spend most of the premiere trying to figure out what exactly is going on with Dan. You see Dan has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, but after meeting Syd, he starts to consider the possibility that the voices he hears in his head, and the belief he has that he can move objects with his mind, are very, very real.

Below, some of our writers share their thoughts on the premiere. You can join the discussion by leaving your thoughts in the comments.

Our panelists are:

• Caralynn Lippo, staff writer for Tell-Tale TV
• Charles Dulaney, staff writer for Tell-Tale TV
• Amanda Steinmetz, staff writer for Tell-Tale TV

Did you enjoy the premiere?

Charles: Yes I really did! I thought it was unlike any other comic-book show out there today. Like if David Lynch had decided to make a X-Men show. Dan Stevens is a strong leading man, and I see nothing but good things coming up.

Amanda: Absolutely! It was probably one of my favorite pilots this year. This is really unlike every other comic book/superhero show. Everything from the music to the color palette to the editing was captivating.

Caralynn: I loved it. I’m a big fan of Noah Hawley and his very particular style/cinematography.

Like Charles and Amanda said, this is an incredibly unique show — not just for a superhero/comics show, but in general, it’s unlike anything else currently on TV. I expected it to be visually interesting and well written but the acting was even better than I expected. Dan Stevens was SO good.

What’s the show’s biggest problem?

Charles: I suppose confusion for some is the biggest problem. If you miss even a tiny little bit of it, you could get lost. So this might not be the best show for newcomers to try to jump into later on into the season.

Amanda: I agree with Charlies. The jumping around of time and reality was definitely confusing, but I’m hoping all this craziness will start to make sense as the episodes move forward.

Caralynn: At times the show is hard to follow, between David’s hallucinations and the erratic timeline. Like a Charles said, you need to pay extra careful attention so you don’t get entirely lost.

Who or what do you want to see more of?

Charles: Lenny. When you have a talent like Aubrey Plaza, you showcase her as much as you possibly can. Having her inside David’s mind is most likely the best use of her, and I can’t wait to see how much she messes around inside there.

Amanda: Definitely Lenny. I wasn’t expecting her character to be killed off so quickly, but I also love the idea that she will be talking to David inside his head.

Caralynn: Three for three — I like the fact that she’s going to be David’s “invisible friend”/the little voice in his head. Aubrey Plaza is comedy gold and so perfectly weird, so she’s a great choice for this role.

What was your favorite quote/moment from the premiere?

Charles: I have to say it was the closing rescue of David. It blended in a ton of action with nice little character moments. “I love you…..well aren’t you going to say it back?” A excellent ending to a excellent pilot.

Amanda: There were a lot of stand out moments, but I especially loved the montage of David and Syd’s courtship. The entire sequence was delightfully sweet and weird and very Wes Anderson-y.

Caralynn: In general, I loved the use of special effects. They were just really cool. So I’d have to say my favorite were David’s various freak outs/powerful moments in the kitchen and in the interrogation room. I also really liked Sydney’s speech in group therapy.

Legion airs Wednesday at 10/9c on FX.