‘Legion 1×02’ Review – More Human than X-Men

Legion is finally here, and with a first episode like last week it is fair to say that episode two had a lot to live up to. Carrying on from where the other left off, it is time for us to learn more about the people who saved David, and maybe more about the man himself.

With David (Dan Stevens) now free and reunited with Syd (Rachel Keller) it looks like he is now safe. With The Eye (Mackenzie Gray) on his trail though time is short for him to find answers, and not only about him, but also Syd and his other new friends too.

It almost feels like familiar territory when David is being tested to work out his powers. If anything, this second episode has more of a typical X-Men feel to it. While we don’t explicitly see characters being with the names of Rogue and Professor X, Syd and Melanie Bird (Jean Smart) take these roles and they work well for the story. It is also good to see that Lenny (Aubrey Plaza) is still visiting David from beyond the grave, or at least that is what David’s brain seems to be telling him.

When it comes to Lenny we also see flashbacks that show the relationship between David and her. Plaza again steals these scenes she appears in, and it is easy to see that (so far) Dan Stevens, Aubrey Plaza, and Rachel Keller are really the stand out actors in the show. Which of course makes perfect sense when their characters are so important to Legion.

Another element of this episode that is interesting is seeing the examination of David, both mentally and physically to see what powers he has. Melanie Bird’s forthright view that everything that David is going through is all his powers is an interesting belief to ponder. He obviously has these powers that she wants to help him control, but does he also have mental issues on top of that?

It is telling that Bird is obsessed with the powers being to blame, and that David has no mental issues at all. Her stubbornness not to at least question if these personality problems are added on top of his powers is something of a flaw in her character. If anything, this view of David hinders her from helping him be able to cope with what he is going through.

What continues to be impressive about Legion is the way that it is keeping a tale that could be very extravagant in style, but is being reigned in to keep it a personal story. This is a tale about a powerful mutant who has many problems caused by his powers, and these have a huge effect on the way he uses them. When we see the yellow-eyed devil for example, this is a sign that he is going to lose control and something big is going to happen that could hurt those around him.

Legion is an exciting show for superhero fans, because it is one that we’ve needed for a long time. We have plenty of movies and shows to pick from now to enjoy Marvel and DC heroes, but they tend to focus more on the action, and don’t take things in a more interesting direction. You can’t blame the companies for taking that route, because it works. For people wanting more though, Legion is giving it.

Legion episode two continues the good work from last week and helps to keep things interesting. Time is short for David, especially with his sister being used as bait to try to get him, so we’ll be seeing David in combat sooner than later. Whether we understand his character more by the time he has to fight though will be interesting to see. One thing we can be sure of though, Legion is our new favourite superhero show.

Legion can be seen in the UK every Thursday on Fox at 9PM.

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