I still think Legion has the best visual interpretation of psychic battles yet. The Behind Blue Eyes battle is an amazing way to visualize the constant one-upmanship that is happening. Far better than an actor with closed eyes and fingers to their temple looking like they are "trying real hard".
I was simultaneously thrown off by how ridiculous and and confusing and morally muddled this series got, and happy for it because that's basically what David is. I knew going in who "Legion" was and was baffled as to how they could make a whole narrative show around a guy when his whole thing is being trippy and confusing. He's a MAJORLY powerful telepath with mental issues, who basically lives in his own weird shifting reality. And every story I've seen him show up for, he messes with everyone ELSE'S sense of reality until he basically wanders away with his little cult and whoever encountered him is like "Was he a good guy or a bad guy? Is he ok? Is he even a real person? What even just happened?"
This show's advertising with its promos and print ads was absolutely brilliant and I still go back to look at them now and again. FX always has top tier marketing
Perhaps the first opportunity for Aubrey Plaza to showcase her range. She was incredible in this series. Considering rewatching this. Think it was deliberate for cult followers.
I'm still obsessed with her psychiatrist look. I definitely did not dress up as a librarian cum assassin for my last day when I quit my shitty office job 😂😂
Considering? I watched it like 5 times, and that's the best superhero TV I ever saw. I simply love everything about this show, from the beginning to the end.
It’s one of the rare occasions I’m thinking of rewatching a tv show. I’ve only done it for Dark. Last week I restarted watching legion again. The show is that good.
@@arkoudiou I tend to do so when a subsequent season is returning soon. Refresh and view with new eyes. Considering doing so for The Leftovers as well.
I respect the show putting its foot down that David's trauma ultimately doesn't excuse his behavior and not attempt to let him redeem himself, but it doesn't feel great to have a show about a man battling his demons where he unquestionably loses. Especially when other characters also do heinous things that go largely unaddressed.
what syd did was wrong, legally, that guy her mom met did nothing wrong, but i dont think anything syd did as a teenager was as misunderstandably selfish as what david did as an adult
The thing I love about the story of Legion, is just that David (and Farouk) are portrayed in the comics as reality warping mutants. And this explores what happens when mutants at that scale drop acid. Two people having a debate about ethics can end up having a battle based on abstract concepts, and not literal bodies doing stuff in space and time. They have an actual dance-off. There’s a rap battle. We see an idea turned into a literal being of sludge that grows as it spreads from person to person, Inception-style.
Exactly. Thats what kept me coming back. The mind can get freaky when you have individuals that can do these reality warping things. You HAVE to think outside the box to even come close to capturing what it would be like witnessing it.
This is the first time I saw a comic book show that was at once trying to fully do its own thing with the material and yet also deeply tied itself back to the mythology of the comics it came from. The Shadow King, Professor X, you get the feeling that the superhero stuff is happening just out of frame of what our heroes can see and interact with and the run off is informing the story we're watching. It's fascinating.
yeah it did :) I think it was one thing that may have helped the show was to hint more of what was really going on. it seemed the truth about legion was too scary to actually say out loud or hint more then it did with its visuals, for me the ending is so tragic because if you know, you know. They all will dance the dance again just to a different beat. And god forbid the dancing ever stops @@procrastinator99
Legion is such a difficult character to even wrap your mind around just reading his stories in the comics. In the comics not only is Legion able to completely rewrite reality, but he's called Legion because he has an unlimited amount of personalities or entities inside his head and every single one of them have a different power set and a different personality. I'm very impressed with how well the writers and directors were able to capture his character and his story. I think that having some knowledge of his comic interpretation really makes the show a masterpiece because instead of thinking of this as one interconnected story and David having a complete arc through the seasons, you instead wonder if every season is a different personality or even if everytime David is out of sight if the next time David's seen is a different personality. They really, really took that multiple personality trait of Legion and used it in an interesting way.
The part of the show that fascinated me the most was the moments that felt like they were happening inside David's head, but became reality because of his powers. Much of Season 1 feels this way and it's an incredible amount of work from the actors and cinematographers that made it happen.
I believe Charles raising David would allow David to grow up in a family that could handle his “growth spurts.” He would also have started his life without Farouk in his head. David would have his entire life without the big issues that plagued him the first time around. Being able to know that he is a mutant, being trained in how those powers affect him and the people around him, and not being riddled with nightmares/memory edits/false memories would ultimately give David a chance at being better, just not the David we met.
I don't think him being raised by Charles will change much. David's power is his mental illness. I think a young Xavier might try to hard to push his moral compass onto David. And in the comics, David might have been engineered by Charles and Moira MacTaggert. Let someone like David find out about that, and we're back to having David as a villain. Charles isn't exactly a great father figure. He basically ran a boarding school of child soldiers. On multiple occasions, he got those kids killed. He even tried to seduce his student (Jean Grey) as well as became a villain (Onslaught) when his mind was fused with Magneto. Surprisingly, this mental break occurred much like when David manifested his powers in the comics.
@@robinmaibals1193Most of what you said happens in ultimate comics. Not the main line. In most continuities, there is no "child soldiers" outside of the x men teams. And he trains the broader atudents to prepare them for undeniable prejudice and BS like the sentinels. For the most part, your average student gets a full on education at the institute, a mansion to stay in, a safe space, and a way to control their powers. Hed undeniably be a great father. As he was to those like Jean, or Cyclops.
Also the fight inside David and the shadow king’s minds was an amazing portrayal of a psychic fight, changing fighting styles and arenas as fast as one would imagine a stream of consciousness would look like visually.
I remember being very confused by the first 3 episodes of Legion until I sat and really thought about the visuals I was seeing. David and Lenny cooking a "meal" in a back alley and having a party really impressed me. How to show a drug user without spelling of out to you. A very good series all in all.
I think FX is really under appreciated as one of the best networks, sure Legion and Atlanta were never gonna be as popular as Stanger Things and Squid Game, but their willingness to greenlight such bizarre ideas gave way to so many of my favorite shows. Legion, Atlanta, It's Always Sunny, The Americans, Fargo are all better than anything on Netflix
What a show. Idk who had compromising photos of what exec to have this insane and wonderful show, the likes of which we will unfortunately never see again.
so glad to see you cover this series, it really is one of a kind. i love the parallel you drew between Syd and David's SA plot points in season 2, the fact that they never directly drew a comparison has ALWAYS bothered me. also that people place too much blame on David despite the fact that like 85% of the bad stuff that's happened is due to Farouk's manipulations. stellar video as always
If you think about it though, then anyone could have been a Farouk. If not Farouk, then it would have been someone else that would trigger his mental illness. There will always be someone like Farouk, Division 3, Lenny, Melanie or Cary that would manipulate/trigger David to use his powers out of malice. If you see David like Homelander, then you know he doesn't need a specific person to make him do what he did. He's a man-child seeking approval, and lashes out when he is rejected. Farouk was just one of many Doctor Frankensteins that created this monster.
Been waiting for this show to FINALLY get some love! Before the MCU this was the closest thing to seeing a dedicated live-action representation of comic characters (excluding the X-Men and Spiderman movies - which were far in my rearview by this point). Besides that, it was a trippy, thought-provoking, wildly entertaining thrill to watch. Once it was gone it was like it had never existed. Glad you’re keeping the memory alive.
Fucking THANK you for your diatribe about Syd. It has NEVER sat well with me how the show tried to frame her literally raping a guy as her being violated somehow...the double standard between her and how David uses his powers to violate her is genuinely one of the main reasons I dropped the show. It's so fucking confused
This is part of a larger issue with the show, I feel. One of the messages of the show is that guys like David are dangerous because they think of themselves as being the main characters of the universe. They can't conceive of something that is emotionally important to THEM not being equally important in a cosmic sense. But the show constructed a scenario where the world basically DOES revolve around David. Sydney doesn't get scrutinized like he does because nothing she does, almost by default, can be as important as what he does. Every action he takes is treated as morally charged, significant not just for himself but for everybody. Whereas Syd is a moral agent only insofar as she relates to David.
Thanks Slip another great video. I remember watching the first episode of Legion in college, sick, baked, and alone, and thought my mind was melting. 10/10 episode wish the rest of the series could've held up to the first season
I loved this show so much. I can agree its not for everyone but that's ok. Not everything has to be for everyone. It was a mind freak with amazing visuals and a really solid story with crazy twists.
I loved this series. I imagine it might have been disappointing for the fans of the comicbook but I really liked the psychadelic but literal way it explored/presented memory & trauma & someone struggling with identity/self actualization.
The first season of Legion, especially the pilot, is a masterclass mashup of a psychological thriller and dark comedy. If only it could've maintained that level of quality it would've been an all-time series.
Thanks so much for this. As a teen collecting comic books in the 80's, I ran into Bill Sienkiewicz's unreal art, and the intro of Legion. This show is close to my heart, it's challenging, and amazing. My number2 alltime Marvel related video content after Moon Knight (there's Bill Sienkiewicz again...), followed by Jessica Jones.
When I tapped on this video I was just looking for something to pass the time. I didn't expect such a quality recap and review tbh. When I noticed how good it was I checked your subscribers and was shocked it wasn't higher.
I took 2 years to watch the first episode because it went straight ahead my head and I couldn't get the grip. Little did I know it was preparing for something bonkers. It's been 2 years since I binged the series ❤❤
So glad you did recap on this show I never finished on the initial airing so this video will be good refresher and explains the crazy shit I couldn’t wrap my head around
26:54, The optimist in me had hoped the pain Syd alludes to in her past isn’t just the frustration and isolation she felt that made her lash out, but also shame over how she used it as an excuse to abuse her body-swapping and to hurt others, physically or otherwise. Her twisted lesson appeared to be a somewhat misguided attempt to get David to stop viewing his past actions so negatively or let his issues keep him too emotionally or mentally stunted to be able to make a better future for himself. Regardless, David lacks the maturity to fully understand what Syd was trying to tell him anyway (as evident when he parrots Syd’s words as an intended badass boast to a hypnotized Oliver, who he believes is Farouk, when preparing to torture him, showing that he perhaps took the wrong lesson from Syd’s lecture and is attempting to portray himself as no longer weak to cover up his insecurities) his attempts to reinvent himself as a hero who gets the girl aren’t motivated by genuine virtue, but out of shame towards his past and his persisting mental issues he fears he can never heal from, a complete inability to accept himself as he is, flaws and all. 35:10, He does let his issues keep him too emotionally or mentally stunted to make a better future for himself and ends up exploiting his powers and hurting other, physically or otherwise, to try to make things the way he thinks will be better. In concept, this idea could work quite well, but the execution of this idea perhaps may have been done differently and maybe not involved something as controversial or charged.
Ohhhh mmyyy god what a joy to behold!!! I feel like no one I know ever watched this show, and yet I always wanted to hear other's opinions on it. I can't wait to hear your thoughts! Looking forward to getting to watch this over the next couple days :)
Yeah its interesting to hear what happened in this show because i never made it past the beginning of season 2. Would love to see a retrospective of Justified someday.
I'm glad you took the time to make this video. Season 1 blew me away, I got into so many arguments over season 2's ending, and season 3 had my favourite episodes even though it felt disappointing compared to what had been set up. Still, it was the best live action x-men show and the visuals alone make it worth watching even if the plot and characters do fall off.
This show was soooo incredible. I was a big comics fan before, so i was skeptical going in (lot of comic adaptations dont work well) but this show was such a unique interpretation while also pairing homages/nods to the source. Absolutely phenomenal show
Awesome video. The scene from episode 105 set to Radiohead’s “Daily Mail” is early peak Legion. And the following scene that shows David giving some Division 3 soldiers the “Thanos” treatment by literally snapping them into dust, a full year before the purple titan would be seen on the silver screen doing what David did but on a universally massive scale in Avengers Infinity War.
oh I want to watch this so bad. I've watched the first season of this show. it's an incredible show. it's so unique and hilarious and Aubrey plaza is such a treasure. I'm sorry slip maker. I'm not going to be able to sit through this one right now. I'll come back to it. bless you
""... if you didn't get into Inception, God help you if you try to get into Legion." As someone who LOVED Legion (I only got to see season 1, unfortunately), I found that line hysterical. Also, side note, my housemate at the time got to see a proper nerd-gasm. You see, I'm also a X-Men comic fan (in the comic the premise is basicly what if someone has multiple personality disorder & each of those personalities had a super power - from memory the pyrokinetic is a young girl - possibly a nod to Stephen Kings Firestarter - DC comics touched on a similar premise with the Doom Patrols Crazy Jane), so with the season 1 poster (a reference to a classic comic cover) & Legion's name David Hellier making it clear they were referring to the comic character to some degree, by the end of episode 1 I was sure there was no real link beyond "inspired by" between comic & TV series, then came the blackboard scene about how the monster had infiltrated David's mind & OMG!!! It's all about the comic origin!!! David is Xaviers son, the monster in his mind is the Shadow King!!! My house mate just sat back, probably thinking "Oh this is what a nerd-gasm is, it's quite amusing." One day I'll get to see series 2 & 3 - the one down side of streaming platforms over DVD, streaming platforms have a liscence to screen a show for a limited time (and good luck working out which platform is screening your favourite show when you want to watch it), DVD's are theoretically forever. P.S. The cast were as uniformly superb as the writing & the direction & the set design. P.S. I also read somewhere that Lenny was originally written as male, but then they managed to snag Aubrey Plaza to play the role & didn't alter the script at all! & you're right, in a cast of excellent actors, she is the stand out, she's incredible.
Heyo very enjoyable video... so incase you weren't aware. David IS Schizophrenic+DID (although its shown insensitively) and the strange elseworld of the dozens of David's each with their own unique powers IS David's power(s). It helps to read the comics the character is sourced from, gives context to a lot of the mind fucks in the show. Loved the video, you've earned a subscriber!
Great vid and very fair analysis. The only thing I wish you would have touched on was Navid Negahban's performance as Farouk/The Shadow King. I though it was perfect casting and the guy just absolutely knocked it out of the park as far as delivering that particular brand ofcharming, worldly, menace. His performance is probably the thing I think about the most when remembering this show
30:02 The memory sapping is a lot more grey than it is made out to be David's premise that the only reason she shot him is lies is right but his answer of memory wiping was not thought through at all
YES. I'm always so surprised that more people don't see this. It's been a while since I watched the show, but as I remember it, David went into Syd's mind to erase the lies that the Shadow King had planted there over the course of the whole season. They then captured the Shadow King, then David and Sydney had consensual psychic sex, and only after the Shadow King broke back out later that evening and began re-infecting minds did Syd and the rest of the Division reframe these events in a negative light. The scene where Keri says "treachery!" and goes on to show Syd is AFTER the Shadow King has clearly re-infected him. If all David did was remove lies and the Shadow Kings influence, the whole situation is at least a morally grey one.
Shadow King mentally raped Syd in S1, then mentally raped everyone in S2, then used Melanie as a skin suit to mentally gaslight Syd some more at the end of S2. When Syd tries to murder David he removes all the mental gas lighting, which makes him the bad guy, then everyone is pals with the mental orgy rapist. I find it kind of shitty no one seemed to remember what SK put them through at the end of S1, and they're all buddy buddy in S3 without even a mention of it, yet they dogpile on David at every opportunity.
@@mulattomanthe reason is that for all the horrible shit SK could do isn't comparable to the total annihilation and extinction that David could bring. Is like choosing between an evil that you know or the one who could literally annihilate you at the point of absolute non-existence. Apart from the literal meanings of the show is important taking into account that this isn't Marvel. Is more akin to Happiness (1998) with Twin Peaks. All horrible characters, deeply flawed, but at the end real in their flaws. At the end David won through total forgiveness. Like the repetition of a nietzschean cow: rechewing in the total oblivion where all wounds and scars can be forgotten and can give life it's place apart from death and mere promises of an afterlife. David forgiving SK like a child can forgive his abusive parents. David at the end is the catalyst of metaphorical redemption.
I kinda thought Syd was a hypocrite even without her past. Didn't she accuse David of being responsible for everything Farouk did while possessing him, but when he used his powers to have sex with her she was not responsible in any way. If he was responsible when possessed then why was she not also responsible?
This show was just so good. Big swings, some misses, but an utterly fascinating and compelling watch. Even when it was eating its own tail or getting in its own way, still better than 99% of what has ever been put out on television. And the performances and casting holy smokes
A always look forward to your Retrospectives, they are so well done and very entertaining. You've covered shows that I've watched and loved, as well as some shows that started and gave up on. This one I never got started with this, it wasn't convenient at the time for me to watch and the trailers never enthused me enough to put in the effort, also none of my close circle of friends and colleagues were watching it. You portray it very differently than how it was portrayed in trailers, it feels like it has enough of a weird vibe to be more like Preacher than X-men. Although you've covered Breaking Bad, Dexter and iZombie which are both shows I LOVE, your Retrospective on The Americans is probably my favourite, that one one that I gave up on at the time after about 3-4 episodes. Again, fantastic work.
What I completely loved about the series was to FINALLY see something that was a new fresh creative work rather than the incredibly predictable and thus boring garbage we are almost exclusively offered.
Maybe it's already been said, but I'll go ahead and say it since I just watched through the episodes. Syd actually DOES mention that she swapped bodies, then swapped back to her original one in the mention of her sexual encounter in season 1. Which honestly, makes the episode in season 2 even weirder, because there is no reveal at all that we didn't already know from season 1. The fact that David seems surprised by the revelation really confused me, because she really did straight up tell him that she swapped back into her body during the act already. He already knew this. Just hadn't seen it. Still a terrible character moment for Syd. It's... understandable that a kid who doesn't understand the world would do something like that, but her adult self not seeing it as a terrible violation of someone else is so strange. The show obviously wants to make the point that she was the villain in these flashbacks, but then just kinda forgets to say it and allows David to say the opposite instead. It's a weird handling of an already weird situation. But... (and it's really not defensible either way, but let me play devil's advocate because the complaint in the video dug at me for some reason that I think I can finally put into words), I said above that Syd making the mistake as a child is understandable, if not still a horrible act. But David, a grown adult, SHOULD know better by the time he decides to do a similar thing with his own powers. They are both terrible acts that should not have been done, but one was done by a child that then had to live their life mulling over what that meant to who she was. And the other was done by an adult that had already heard how Syd had done this act, and how it's messed her up inside. If I'm putting "sympathy points" on these actions, it's FAR more unacceptable what David did when compared to Syd. All that said, the point of the complaint was that the writers didn't even bother dealing with it. Which is totally still true. But I had to get that off my chest a year later.
One of my favourite shows. Definitely not without its faults, but just such a truly unique show that has three solid seasons. I love X-Men and Fargo, so it was really a no-brainer that I would love this show. My biggest issue with the show was David and Syd's relationship and a lot of the stuff you covered about the choices with them later in the show
The show is creatively magnificent. Underrated and underappreciated. It's deep enough to be its own show yet tied into the marvel superheroes mythos by unseen threads cleverly woven into its fabric.
This show's visuals are how I imagine Philip K Dick's books. Someone should do an adaptation of "Ubik" or "The three stigmata of Palmer Eldritch" with this style.
I defiantly enjoyed Legion first season whole lot in fact because it embraced the truly strangeness of comic books as a whole but sort of dropped the second season because the thought experiments were throwing me off. However, I did read New Mutants a couple of years ago and could only hear Dan Stevens voice where David/Legion with Farouk. If you want some Superhero kookiness that's similar to Legion then I recommend Doom Patrol but got cancelled just recently and left its fourth and final season on a cliffhanger.
I loved this show. Legion was a favorite character of mine in the comics even though I couldn't understand how he could help save the day given his condition. I'm you made this video it's great
the whole sid thing is meant to be allegory , you're supposed to understand that despite all the morally ambiguous things going on, these people were all extremely mentally ill, that is what the entire show is about, mental illness and its hold over peoples minds and how they're capable of terrible things, but it's really out of their control and nobody ever helps these people deal with it, which is why you enjoy the therapy session episode so much, cause it reveals that actually these are all humans dealing with extreme trauma, PTSD, addiction, depression, co-dependence etc. this story could remove all the 'powers' of the mutants, and it will still be a story about unhealthy minds, dealing with their unhealthy decisions.
Watching this seems like a better way to understand it, there's so much *nonsense* in it - Slip's hesitance to call it 'style over substance' is too cautious. There is substance, but the style seemed to be the main focus to the detriment of basically everything else in it. Everything took so damn long to go nowhere.
Yea "Style over substance" is accurate. It doesn't mean "all style, no substance", it just means that styles' the priority and I think that fits Legion neatly
Legion was a breath of fresh are in the by the numbers world of superhero movies and shows. It also made everyone aware of the weird awesomness that is named Aubrey Plaza 😊
I have devoured this show and watched it many times and here I am watching other people talk about it. the first and second season made me feel like David must have felt, and that in my book is a win. I only wish this vid was longer hahaha
Wow... lol... I was one of those who watched the Rap Battle, then was like "this is too crazy to not be good!" - but crazier side note... the actor from the episode was why I then watched "What We Do In Shadows" - the movie! Which I LOVE!
the funniest bit (unintentional) was when Cary at the end of season 2 see Syd preparing to outright murder David, and says nothing, but when David reverts her mind to before Farouk's brainwashing, he loudly yells "TREACHERY".
I still think Legion has the best visual interpretation of psychic battles yet. The Behind Blue Eyes battle is an amazing way to visualize the constant one-upmanship that is happening. Far better than an actor with closed eyes and fingers to their temple looking like they are "trying real hard".
Yeah. We really need everyone behind that battle to get on a Green Lantern movie asap.
There is no try.
had this happen to me, dont do drugs kids lol
FYI, that was a direct reference to how they showed psychic battles in the 90s comics
I was simultaneously thrown off by how ridiculous and and confusing and morally muddled this series got, and happy for it because that's basically what David is. I knew going in who "Legion" was and was baffled as to how they could make a whole narrative show around a guy when his whole thing is being trippy and confusing. He's a MAJORLY powerful telepath with mental issues, who basically lives in his own weird shifting reality. And every story I've seen him show up for, he messes with everyone ELSE'S sense of reality until he basically wanders away with his little cult and whoever encountered him is like "Was he a good guy or a bad guy? Is he ok? Is he even a real person? What even just happened?"
how ridiculous and and confusing and morally muddled this series GOT??!! don't you mean was?
That sounds awesome, makes me want to read it.
It’s about mental illness and David is schizophrenic
@@daninogil both of those words work here
@@grahamdixon1699 i meant that it was confused and muddled since episode 1
This show's advertising with its promos and print ads was absolutely brilliant and I still go back to look at them now and again. FX always has top tier marketing
the promo with the stairs was great
Brings me back to when tv was good and didn’t have to have Netflix. Fx and spike were the man channels
Perhaps the first opportunity for Aubrey Plaza to showcase her range. She was incredible in this series. Considering rewatching this. Think it was deliberate for cult followers.
me too I still like her performance as lenny busker I can't believe she dies towards the end of the series thanks to david and time demons
I'm still obsessed with her psychiatrist look. I definitely did not dress up as a librarian cum assassin for my last day when I quit my shitty office job 😂😂
Considering? I watched it like 5 times, and that's the best superhero TV I ever saw. I simply love everything about this show, from the beginning to the end.
It’s one of the rare occasions I’m thinking of rewatching a tv show. I’ve only done it for Dark. Last week I restarted watching legion again. The show is that good.
@@arkoudiou I tend to do so when a subsequent season is returning soon. Refresh and view with new eyes. Considering doing so for The Leftovers as well.
I respect the show putting its foot down that David's trauma ultimately doesn't excuse his behavior and not attempt to let him redeem himself, but it doesn't feel great to have a show about a man battling his demons where he unquestionably loses.
Especially when other characters also do heinous things that go largely unaddressed.
He is born again at the end.
The point is that if you engage with life like a battle, you become the demon you fear.
Some people do lose though. That’s a really sad Unfortuante thing.
what syd did was wrong, legally, that guy her mom met did nothing wrong, but i dont think anything syd did as a teenager was as misunderstandably selfish as what david did as an adult
what did syd do, before arriving to clockworks, before seeking help, that was anywhere near as bad as what david did after he was comitted?
The thing I love about the story of Legion, is just that David (and Farouk) are portrayed in the comics as reality warping mutants. And this explores what happens when mutants at that scale drop acid. Two people having a debate about ethics can end up having a battle based on abstract concepts, and not literal bodies doing stuff in space and time. They have an actual dance-off. There’s a rap battle. We see an idea turned into a literal being of sludge that grows as it spreads from person to person, Inception-style.
Exactly. Thats what kept me coming back. The mind can get freaky when you have individuals that can do these reality warping things. You HAVE to think outside the box to even come close to capturing what it would be like witnessing it.
This is the first time I saw a comic book show that was at once trying to fully do its own thing with the material and yet also deeply tied itself back to the mythology of the comics it came from. The Shadow King, Professor X, you get the feeling that the superhero stuff is happening just out of frame of what our heroes can see and interact with and the run off is informing the story we're watching. It's fascinating.
Agreed! I also felt like knowing who Legion is Comics-wise made the show better. At least it did for me.
yeah it did :) I think it was one thing that may have helped the show was to hint more of what was really going on. it seemed the truth about legion was too scary to actually say out loud or hint more then it did with its visuals, for me the ending is so tragic because if you know, you know. They all will dance the dance again just to a different beat. And god forbid the dancing ever stops @@procrastinator99
Legion is such a difficult character to even wrap your mind around just reading his stories in the comics. In the comics not only is Legion able to completely rewrite reality, but he's called Legion because he has an unlimited amount of personalities or entities inside his head and every single one of them have a different power set and a different personality. I'm very impressed with how well the writers and directors were able to capture his character and his story. I think that having some knowledge of his comic interpretation really makes the show a masterpiece because instead of thinking of this as one interconnected story and David having a complete arc through the seasons, you instead wonder if every season is a different personality or even if everytime David is out of sight if the next time David's seen is a different personality. They really, really took that multiple personality trait of Legion and used it in an interesting way.
The part of the show that fascinated me the most was the moments that felt like they were happening inside David's head, but became reality because of his powers. Much of Season 1 feels this way and it's an incredible amount of work from the actors and cinematographers that made it happen.
I believe Charles raising David would allow David to grow up in a family that could handle his “growth spurts.” He would also have started his life without Farouk in his head. David would have his entire life without the big issues that plagued him the first time around. Being able to know that he is a mutant, being trained in how those powers affect him and the people around him, and not being riddled with nightmares/memory edits/false memories would ultimately give David a chance at being better, just not the David we met.
I don't think him being raised by Charles will change much. David's power is his mental illness. I think a young Xavier might try to hard to push his moral compass onto David. And in the comics, David might have been engineered by Charles and Moira MacTaggert. Let someone like David find out about that, and we're back to having David as a villain.
Charles isn't exactly a great father figure. He basically ran a boarding school of child soldiers. On multiple occasions, he got those kids killed. He even tried to seduce his student (Jean Grey) as well as became a villain (Onslaught) when his mind was fused with Magneto. Surprisingly, this mental break occurred much like when David manifested his powers in the comics.
@@robinmaibals1193Most of what you said happens in ultimate comics. Not the main line. In most continuities, there is no "child soldiers" outside of the x men teams. And he trains the broader atudents to prepare them for undeniable prejudice and BS like the sentinels. For the most part, your average student gets a full on education at the institute, a mansion to stay in, a safe space, and a way to control their powers. Hed undeniably be a great father. As he was to those like Jean, or Cyclops.
Also the fight inside David and the shadow king’s minds was an amazing portrayal of a psychic fight, changing fighting styles and arenas as fast as one would imagine a stream of consciousness would look like visually.
I remember being very confused by the first 3 episodes of Legion until I sat and really thought about the visuals I was seeing.
David and Lenny cooking a "meal" in a back alley and having a party really impressed me. How to show a drug user without spelling of out to you.
A very good series all in all.
I think FX is really under appreciated as one of the best networks, sure Legion and Atlanta were never gonna be as popular as Stanger Things and Squid Game, but their willingness to greenlight such bizarre ideas gave way to so many of my favorite shows. Legion, Atlanta, It's Always Sunny, The Americans, Fargo are all better than anything on Netflix
the Shield and Justified also
For real dude, FX rocks cock
And Sons of Anarchy
What we do in the shadows too
Dont you dare forget Archer
The phrase "safety not guaranteed" ending on a shot of Aubrey Plaza was a wonderfully subtle lampshade, thank you.
I'm so glad someone is showing this MASTERPIECE some love
I think it's really up to the viewer to take away what you want, the most interesting idea in the show is making the audience feel like david
SAME!!
I know right? This is my favorite show of all time and it seems like people forget it existed.
I say this about Legion, no matter what one thinks about the show's plot, it is absolutely worth it.
What a show. Idk who had compromising photos of what exec to have this insane and wonderful show, the likes of which we will unfortunately never see again.
Sid's sly grin during the dance sequence in episode 1 hooked me deep. I was all in on this show and it did not disappoint.
Everything, everywhere, all at once is legion reimagined and perfected. I never thought I would see something like legion until I saw that movie.
i was just thinking this as well- i feel like for these reality/time bending stories long form just leads to lost plots lol. eeaao was perfect.
so glad to see you cover this series, it really is one of a kind. i love the parallel you drew between Syd and David's SA plot points in season 2, the fact that they never directly drew a comparison has ALWAYS bothered me. also that people place too much blame on David despite the fact that like 85% of the bad stuff that's happened is due to Farouk's manipulations.
stellar video as always
If you think about it though, then anyone could have been a Farouk. If not Farouk, then it would have been someone else that would trigger his mental illness. There will always be someone like Farouk, Division 3, Lenny, Melanie or Cary that would manipulate/trigger David to use his powers out of malice. If you see David like Homelander, then you know he doesn't need a specific person to make him do what he did. He's a man-child seeking approval, and lashes out when he is rejected. Farouk was just one of many Doctor Frankensteins that created this monster.
I mean I think there was a comparison drawn at some point like it’s way too intentional otherwise. But like something got lost along tje wu
Slip Maker’s
@@bobsmith8510 lmao I just noticed, thanks
Trust me, whenever he gets around to Supernatural there's gonna be a stupid boost. But i dont blame him, i wouldnt touch that show either
Thats just another challenge to not give up. Life isnt fair ,people should make it fair
he'll get there eventually , dont worry
Been waiting for this show to FINALLY get some love!
Before the MCU this was the closest thing to seeing a dedicated live-action representation of comic characters (excluding the X-Men and Spiderman movies - which were far in my rearview by this point). Besides that, it was a trippy, thought-provoking, wildly entertaining thrill to watch.
Once it was gone it was like it had never existed.
Glad you’re keeping the memory alive.
What do you mean "before the MCU"? Legion premiered in 2017.
MCU started in 08, my guy.
Wtf do you mean "before the mcu"? Do you even know what you're talking about?
Fucking THANK you for your diatribe about Syd. It has NEVER sat well with me how the show tried to frame her literally raping a guy as her being violated somehow...the double standard between her and how David uses his powers to violate her is genuinely one of the main reasons I dropped the show. It's so fucking confused
The difference is that she is a she, and he is a he. In Hollywood terms that means she is always a victim and he is always a villain.
Syd started out as a good character, but man she really started to drag the show down as it went on
This is part of a larger issue with the show, I feel.
One of the messages of the show is that guys like David are dangerous because they think of themselves as being the main characters of the universe. They can't conceive of something that is emotionally important to THEM not being equally important in a cosmic sense.
But the show constructed a scenario where the world basically DOES revolve around David.
Sydney doesn't get scrutinized like he does because nothing she does, almost by default, can be as important as what he does. Every action he takes is treated as morally charged, significant not just for himself but for everybody.
Whereas Syd is a moral agent only insofar as she relates to David.
@@sumanoskae well said.
@@sumanoskae do you think this is also why farouk gets off so easy? Literally walking around division 3
Thanks!
There's so much I love about this show, yet so much that fell flat...
We're only human after all
Thanks Slip another great video. I remember watching the first episode of Legion in college, sick, baked, and alone, and thought my mind was melting. 10/10 episode wish the rest of the series could've held up to the first season
I loved this show so much. I can agree its not for everyone but that's ok. Not everything has to be for everyone. It was a mind freak with amazing visuals and a really solid story with crazy twists.
This is crazy I literally spent a hour yesterday watching clips and edits from Legion
I loved this series. I imagine it might have been disappointing for the fans of the comicbook but I really liked the psychadelic but literal way it explored/presented memory & trauma & someone struggling with identity/self actualization.
Legion really feels like Noah directing the visuals and big picture whilst letting others do everything else.
The first season of Legion, especially the pilot, is a masterclass mashup of a psychological thriller and dark comedy. If only it could've maintained that level of quality it would've been an all-time series.
I keep rewatching just the intro, the way it fades into the full chorus cover is awesome.
Thanks so much for this. As a teen collecting comic books in the 80's, I ran into Bill Sienkiewicz's unreal art, and the intro of Legion. This show is close to my heart, it's challenging, and amazing. My number2 alltime Marvel related video content after Moon Knight (there's Bill Sienkiewicz again...), followed by Jessica Jones.
29:52 You mean remove Faruk's mind whammy on Sid? Because that 'distrust' Sid had was implanted by Faruk.
25:23 Even in Season 1 David and Syd being treated as some great love when they barely knew each other confused me.
When I tapped on this video I was just looking for something to pass the time. I didn't expect such a quality recap and review tbh. When I noticed how good it was I checked your subscribers and was shocked it wasn't higher.
I’ve just spend an hour bingeing your videos again and now you come out with a new one, day made
Aubrey Plaza definitely played a big part in the success and my interest in particular throughout the first season.
I took 2 years to watch the first episode because it went straight ahead my head and I couldn't get the grip. Little did I know it was preparing for something bonkers. It's been 2 years since I binged the series ❤❤
I loved every episode of this show. But my favourite was the animated battle. Just wonderful.
So glad you did recap on this show I never finished on the initial airing so this video will be good refresher and explains the crazy shit I couldn’t wrap my head around
26:54, The optimist in me had hoped the pain Syd alludes to in her past isn’t just the frustration and isolation she felt that made her lash out, but also shame over how she used it as an excuse to abuse her body-swapping and to hurt others, physically or otherwise. Her twisted lesson appeared to be a somewhat misguided attempt to get David to stop viewing his past actions so negatively or let his issues keep him too emotionally or mentally stunted to be able to make a better future for himself.
Regardless, David lacks the maturity to fully understand what Syd was trying to tell him anyway (as evident when he parrots Syd’s words as an intended badass boast to a hypnotized Oliver, who he believes is Farouk, when preparing to torture him, showing that he perhaps took the wrong lesson from Syd’s lecture and is attempting to portray himself as no longer weak to cover up his insecurities) his attempts to reinvent himself as a hero who gets the girl aren’t motivated by genuine virtue, but out of shame towards his past and his persisting mental issues he fears he can never heal from, a complete inability to accept himself as he is, flaws and all. 35:10, He does let his issues keep him too emotionally or mentally stunted to make a better future for himself and ends up exploiting his powers and hurting other, physically or otherwise, to try to make things the way he thinks will be better.
In concept, this idea could work quite well, but the execution of this idea perhaps may have been done differently and maybe not involved something as controversial or charged.
Please do Mr Robot retrospective.
I love your videos I'd be amazing to see you cover it.
Legion is the best series I never understood
Ohhhh mmyyy god what a joy to behold!!! I feel like no one I know ever watched this show, and yet I always wanted to hear other's opinions on it. I can't wait to hear your thoughts! Looking forward to getting to watch this over the next couple days :)
Yeah its interesting to hear what happened in this show because i never made it past the beginning of season 2. Would love to see a retrospective of Justified someday.
I never thought Slip Maker would ever do this show. Pleasant surprise!
I'm also glad I wasn't alone in my mixed feelings on S2
I'm glad you took the time to make this video. Season 1 blew me away, I got into so many arguments over season 2's ending, and season 3 had my favourite episodes even though it felt disappointing compared to what had been set up. Still, it was the best live action x-men show and the visuals alone make it worth watching even if the plot and characters do fall off.
Slip: mentions It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Me: I understood that reference
How about "Safety Not Guaranteed"? Also, I have a couple things for you you may enjoy if I can get it below.
This show was soooo incredible. I was a big comics fan before, so i was skeptical going in (lot of comic adaptations dont work well) but this show was such a unique interpretation while also pairing homages/nods to the source. Absolutely phenomenal show
one of my favorite shows with one of my favorite endings
Awesome video.
The scene from episode 105 set to Radiohead’s “Daily Mail” is early peak Legion.
And the following scene that shows David giving some Division 3 soldiers the “Thanos” treatment by literally snapping them into dust,
a full year before the purple titan would be seen on the silver screen doing what David did but on a universally massive scale in Avengers Infinity War.
The Guest ended only to have that main character (Dan Stevens) come back and then go through all the Legion shenanigans.
I loved legion, and I enjoy rewatching. It is truly it's own thing
oh I want to watch this so bad. I've watched the first season of this show. it's an incredible show. it's so unique and hilarious and Aubrey plaza is such a treasure.
I'm sorry slip maker. I'm not going to be able to sit through this one right now. I'll come back to it. bless you
she is she is the only reason I watch that show
""... if you didn't get into Inception, God help you if you try to get into Legion." As someone who LOVED Legion (I only got to see season 1, unfortunately), I found that line hysterical. Also, side note, my housemate at the time got to see a proper nerd-gasm. You see, I'm also a X-Men comic fan (in the comic the premise is basicly what if someone has multiple personality disorder & each of those personalities had a super power - from memory the pyrokinetic is a young girl - possibly a nod to Stephen Kings Firestarter - DC comics touched on a similar premise with the Doom Patrols Crazy Jane), so with the season 1 poster (a reference to a classic comic cover) & Legion's name David Hellier making it clear they were referring to the comic character to some degree, by the end of episode 1 I was sure there was no real link beyond "inspired by" between comic & TV series, then came the blackboard scene about how the monster had infiltrated David's mind & OMG!!! It's all about the comic origin!!! David is Xaviers son, the monster in his mind is the Shadow King!!! My house mate just sat back, probably thinking "Oh this is what a nerd-gasm is, it's quite amusing." One day I'll get to see series 2 & 3 - the one down side of streaming platforms over DVD, streaming platforms have a liscence to screen a show for a limited time (and good luck working out which platform is screening your favourite show when you want to watch it), DVD's are theoretically forever. P.S. The cast were as uniformly superb as the writing & the direction & the set design. P.S. I also read somewhere that Lenny was originally written as male, but then they managed to snag Aubrey Plaza to play the role & didn't alter the script at all! & you're right, in a cast of excellent actors, she is the stand out, she's incredible.
I didn't get into Inception but Paprika is my jam. Legion is definitely closer to Paprika than Inception 😂
I'm on a bit of an X-Men film kick now and this was very appreciated
this show has the best mind-battle scenes ever. the director has a lot of talent and this show deserves so much more love. what a unique show.
Heyo very enjoyable video... so incase you weren't aware. David IS Schizophrenic+DID (although its shown insensitively) and the strange elseworld of the dozens of David's each with their own unique powers IS David's power(s). It helps to read the comics the character is sourced from, gives context to a lot of the mind fucks in the show. Loved the video, you've earned a subscriber!
Great vid and very fair analysis. The only thing I wish you would have touched on was Navid Negahban's performance as Farouk/The Shadow King. I though it was perfect casting and the guy just absolutely knocked it out of the park as far as delivering that particular brand ofcharming, worldly, menace. His performance is probably the thing I think about the most when remembering this show
Amazing work. Seriously always so excited to see these in my feed!
"There really is nothing else quite like it" i'd argue that Doom Patrol does come close.
30:02
The memory sapping is a lot more grey than it is made out to be
David's premise that the only reason she shot him is lies is right but his answer of memory wiping was not thought through at all
YES. I'm always so surprised that more people don't see this. It's been a while since I watched the show, but as I remember it, David went into Syd's mind to erase the lies that the Shadow King had planted there over the course of the whole season. They then captured the Shadow King, then David and Sydney had consensual psychic sex, and only after the Shadow King broke back out later that evening and began re-infecting minds did Syd and the rest of the Division reframe these events in a negative light. The scene where Keri says "treachery!" and goes on to show Syd is AFTER the Shadow King has clearly re-infected him.
If all David did was remove lies and the Shadow Kings influence, the whole situation is at least a morally grey one.
Shadow King mentally raped Syd in S1, then mentally raped everyone in S2, then used Melanie as a skin suit to mentally gaslight Syd some more at the end of S2. When Syd tries to murder David he removes all the mental gas lighting, which makes him the bad guy, then everyone is pals with the mental orgy rapist. I find it kind of shitty no one seemed to remember what SK put them through at the end of S1, and they're all buddy buddy in S3 without even a mention of it, yet they dogpile on David at every opportunity.
@@mulattomanthe reason is that for all the horrible shit SK could do isn't comparable to the total annihilation and extinction that David could bring. Is like choosing between an evil that you know or the one who could literally annihilate you at the point of absolute non-existence.
Apart from the literal meanings of the show is important taking into account that this isn't Marvel. Is more akin to Happiness (1998) with Twin Peaks. All horrible characters, deeply flawed, but at the end real in their flaws. At the end David won through total forgiveness. Like the repetition of a nietzschean cow: rechewing in the total oblivion where all wounds and scars can be forgotten and can give life it's place apart from death and mere promises of an afterlife. David forgiving SK like a child can forgive his abusive parents. David at the end is the catalyst of metaphorical redemption.
I kinda thought Syd was a hypocrite even without her past. Didn't she accuse David of being responsible for everything Farouk did while possessing him, but when he used his powers to have sex with her she was not responsible in any way. If he was responsible when possessed then why was she not also responsible?
To this day this is my favorite show of all time, thank you for making this show!
Sopranos: Full series Retrospective next please
I recently rewatched this show and I can only say that it is a master piece
I loved how this show continually changes our perspective in any given situation :P
Fantastic synopsis. I see the series as Idealized/Devalue
Discard/Replace, narcissistic sequence of events. Beautiful show
I watched the entire series while peaking on LSD over the course of a few months, phenomenal, and I can still taste it.
There is something just so charming about your humor.
Loved the series but holy cow was it a trip
Absolutely amazing of a series Legion is. One of the most beautiful show ever made
This show was just so good. Big swings, some misses, but an utterly fascinating and compelling watch. Even when it was eating its own tail or getting in its own way, still better than 99% of what has ever been put out on television. And the performances and casting holy smokes
I’m glad someone made a video on this show, it feels like no one talks about the Hulu marvel stuff
Ahh yess! My favorite show. So glad it’s getting the recognition it deserves.
A always look forward to your Retrospectives, they are so well done and very entertaining. You've covered shows that I've watched and loved, as well as some shows that started and gave up on. This one I never got started with this, it wasn't convenient at the time for me to watch and the trailers never enthused me enough to put in the effort, also none of my close circle of friends and colleagues were watching it. You portray it very differently than how it was portrayed in trailers, it feels like it has enough of a weird vibe to be more like Preacher than X-men. Although you've covered Breaking Bad, Dexter and iZombie which are both shows I LOVE, your Retrospective on The Americans is probably my favourite, that one one that I gave up on at the time after about 3-4 episodes. Again, fantastic work.
Great video. Loved this show.
What I completely loved about the series was to FINALLY see something that was a new fresh creative work rather than the incredibly predictable and thus boring garbage we are almost exclusively offered.
Maybe it's already been said, but I'll go ahead and say it since I just watched through the episodes. Syd actually DOES mention that she swapped bodies, then swapped back to her original one in the mention of her sexual encounter in season 1. Which honestly, makes the episode in season 2 even weirder, because there is no reveal at all that we didn't already know from season 1. The fact that David seems surprised by the revelation really confused me, because she really did straight up tell him that she swapped back into her body during the act already. He already knew this. Just hadn't seen it. Still a terrible character moment for Syd. It's... understandable that a kid who doesn't understand the world would do something like that, but her adult self not seeing it as a terrible violation of someone else is so strange. The show obviously wants to make the point that she was the villain in these flashbacks, but then just kinda forgets to say it and allows David to say the opposite instead. It's a weird handling of an already weird situation. But... (and it's really not defensible either way, but let me play devil's advocate because the complaint in the video dug at me for some reason that I think I can finally put into words), I said above that Syd making the mistake as a child is understandable, if not still a horrible act. But David, a grown adult, SHOULD know better by the time he decides to do a similar thing with his own powers. They are both terrible acts that should not have been done, but one was done by a child that then had to live their life mulling over what that meant to who she was. And the other was done by an adult that had already heard how Syd had done this act, and how it's messed her up inside. If I'm putting "sympathy points" on these actions, it's FAR more unacceptable what David did when compared to Syd.
All that said, the point of the complaint was that the writers didn't even bother dealing with it. Which is totally still true. But I had to get that off my chest a year later.
One of my favourite shows. Definitely not without its faults, but just such a truly unique show that has three solid seasons. I love X-Men and Fargo, so it was really a no-brainer that I would love this show. My biggest issue with the show was David and Syd's relationship and a lot of the stuff you covered about the choices with them later in the show
Legion and Watchmen are my favorite shows of all-time. Watched both several times and I STILL don’t understand everything that happened! Thanks!
The show is creatively magnificent. Underrated and underappreciated. It's deep enough to be its own show yet tied into the marvel superheroes mythos by unseen threads cleverly woven into its fabric.
man I though I was a cynic but you really showed me for enjoying this pretty much flawless show
Saw it in the intro so commenting here - Oh man a retrospective on The Shield would be fantastic!!
Just watched that show for the first time recently, what a great series with an amazing finale
This show's visuals are how I imagine Philip K Dick's books. Someone should do an adaptation of "Ubik" or "The three stigmata of Palmer Eldritch" with this style.
I defiantly enjoyed Legion first season whole lot in fact because it embraced the truly strangeness of comic books as a whole but sort of dropped the second season because the thought experiments were throwing me off. However, I did read New Mutants a couple of years ago and could only hear Dan Stevens voice where David/Legion with Farouk. If you want some Superhero kookiness that's similar to Legion then I recommend Doom Patrol but got cancelled just recently and left its fourth and final season on a cliffhanger.
I loved this show. Legion was a favorite character of mine in the comics even though I couldn't understand how he could help save the day given his condition. I'm you made this video it's great
the whole sid thing is meant to be allegory , you're supposed to understand that despite all the morally ambiguous things going on, these people were all extremely mentally ill, that is what the entire show is about, mental illness and its hold over peoples minds and how they're capable of terrible things, but it's really out of their control and nobody ever helps these people deal with it, which is why you enjoy the therapy session episode so much, cause it reveals that actually these are all humans dealing with extreme trauma, PTSD, addiction, depression, co-dependence etc.
this story could remove all the 'powers' of the mutants, and it will still be a story about unhealthy minds, dealing with their unhealthy decisions.
The first episode of Legion and the first episode of Season 2 of Fargo are two of the single best episodes of television ever filmed
I remember when this first started, the "Demon with yellow eyes" actually gave me nightmares they way he just appears in the background at times.
Watching this seems like a better way to understand it, there's so much *nonsense* in it - Slip's hesitance to call it 'style over substance' is too cautious. There is substance, but the style seemed to be the main focus to the detriment of basically everything else in it. Everything took so damn long to go nowhere.
Yea "Style over substance" is accurate. It doesn't mean "all style, no substance", it just means that styles' the priority and I think that fits Legion neatly
Like tbh in retrospective while I think the story continuing forward is fine it’s hard to recapture the same tone of the first season
Legion was a breath of fresh are in the by the numbers world of superhero movies and shows. It also made everyone aware of the weird awesomness that is named Aubrey Plaza 😊
I have devoured this show and watched it many times and here I am watching other people talk about it. the first and second season made me feel like David must have felt, and that in my book is a win. I only wish this vid was longer hahaha
Wow... lol... I was one of those who watched the Rap Battle, then was like "this is too crazy to not be good!" - but crazier side note... the actor from the episode was why I then watched "What We Do In Shadows" - the movie! Which I LOVE!
Also Flight of the Conchords
Still waiting for a Jericho retrospective, c'mon Slip you know you wanna walk out through the Fallout
the funniest bit (unintentional) was when Cary at the end of season 2 see Syd preparing to outright murder David, and says nothing, but when David reverts her mind to before Farouk's brainwashing, he loudly yells "TREACHERY".
One of my all time favorite shows.
I was shocked at how good this series was.
Also Navid Negahban was EXCELLENT as Farouk. Amazing casting, amazing performance
Loved the series, especially the hyper intense platonic relationship of the main protagonists.