Legion Episode 1-5 Reviews: A BatSh@t Crazy Thrill Ride (Series Premiere)

"Legion" is currently airing on FX. There have been five episodes to date. For those unfamiliar, in the Marvel comics source material Legion (ie David Haller) is the son of an important "X-Men" character. "Legion" hasnt discussed the relationship yet so I wont give it away either.

If you didnt know this to start with though, the premiere would be a bit more confusing. I wasnt sure what I was seeing. David (Dan Stevens of "Downton Abbey") is confined to a mental hospital. He's been there for several years. A female patient (Syd Barrett) arrives. David is immediately smitten with her. She doesnt want to be touched. We also meet Lenny Busker-- David's antisocial crude druggie BFF both inside and outside the hospital-- maybe. I say "maybe" because it's impossible to tell what is real and what's not at this point.

Episode one switches multiple times between the hospital, David's youth (where we see his sister Amy, his dog King and glimpses of his adoptive father and other realities. There's a "Devil with Yellow Eyes". He's a scary blubbery thing with WAY more than a double chin. There's a creature from a children's book "The World's Angriest Boy In The World". It's about a child who chops off his mother's head). Errr, probably not the best option for bedtime reading.

It's hard to pin down the time period for "Legion". There's lots of sixties elements (clothes, furniture) but also futuristic ones. All the mental patients wear a copper colored track suit. The stripes on the sleeves indicate the patent's danger level. Lenny's is red indicating she can not be trusted. Syd's is yellow. She's harmless.

They also do some weird stuff with colored lights. One minute the hospital corridor is lighted normally. Next it's all red. Next the background may be pink or green or blue. There are lots of cool camera angles, unusual shots and stellar special effects which enhance the feel of the show.

Syd is discharged from the hospital. David runs to say goodbye and kisses her causing a MAJOR event. David doesnt understand what is happening but Syd does. If Syd is touched, she changes bodies with that person. She inhabits David's body but is unable to control his powers. People die, many are trapped in their rooms and Lenny is killed by being stuck in a wall.

Syd later reappears to David. She says he's being held captive in a government facility. She and some others with special powers (Rudy is super cool) break David out. Great escape sequence! It was one long shot.

We finally get some answers in episode 2. David is taken to Summerland where Dr Melanie Bird works with other mutants. They include Cary Loudermilk and Kerry Loudermilk. The younger girl lives inside the older man. Each is specialized. He's all sciency while she's all action. Interesting concept! David had been captured by a government agency known as Division 3. They try to control those with special powers or, if that doesnt work, they kill them.
Just when we think the show cant get any crazier, it does. Amy is captured by Division 3. Dr Bird, Ptonomy Wallace and Syd enter David's mind multiple times. Lenny is still running around in there and is not the nicest person to deal with. The Devil with Yellow Eyes grows more menacing by the day.

Over five episodes there's tons of shape shifting, astral projecting (David meets Melanie's husband Oliver) and fighting the Eye and Division 3. Luckily there was a little time for lovin' as David transported he and Syd to a white room where they can safely touch each other. Syd's recounting her "first time" to David was horrifying.

David secretly heads back to Clockworks Asylum to free Amy. Syd and the others arrive to view the carnage. Many soldiers are killed including a number that are fused into the ground. We get our best view of the Devil with Yellow Eyes to date. I'd scream if I saw him coming too.

Do we know if David actually has schizophrenia / dissociative identity disorder? Are ALL the other people/creatures in "Legion" just projections of his mind? Or is the DWYE (Devil with Yellow Eyes) some sort of demon that's been feeding off his powers for years? I'm not sure of anything at this point. ESPECIALLY since at the end of episode five practically everyone in the show ends up in a group therapy session back at the asylum that's being led by Lenny. Craziness I tell you!

Grade: 4 1/2 Monsters (out of 5). If ya like spoon-fed TV, "Legion" is not for you. Given the structure of the premiere, some audience members may have bailed early. I know the writers/producers wanted to create a sense of disorientation but I would have cut it back a bit in the beginning (but no one asked me). It's a shame for those who did leave since it got freaky good later. The special effects, the writing, the sets and the acting are all stellar. Dan Stevens does some extremely heavy lifting as the troubled David. Extra credit to Aubrey Plaza as Lenny. She jumps through about every emotion possible this week. I hope to see much more of her in the future. And Jean Smart is excellent in everything she does. I'd watch her read the phone book (IF we still had such things).

"Legion" is not your typical Marvel Superhero-Saves-World story. It requires some thought. The show is more akin to "Doctor Strange" than "Thor" or any of the other properties. But dont take my word for it. Check out "Legion" for yourself. With just eight episodes in the season, it's a quick watch.