Legion Series 2

[brat-sampson]

Noah Heawley's X-Romp returns with April Ludgate, the band member from FotC that gets all the work nowadays and 'Wait, he's British?' in tow, once more giving great performances in a frankly bizarre and beautiful show. Look too closely at the plot and it may just fall apart, and sometimes the levels of Inception and magical weird things these sods' brains' powers can achieve can be a bit draining, but the cinematography, palette, dream-like nature and feel of the show are like nothing else (even if Lynch did it all way better just last year). For what is ostensibly a program about an X-Men this punches way above its weight. I glided through the first episode and am looking forward to the rest.

[Alberon]

Oh, I thought this was tomorrow it was released.

Really looking forward to watching this!

[surreal]

Well that was just as weird and trippy as last season... No idea what's going on but I love it.

[phantom_power]

Annoyingly I fell asleep watching it last night (not an indicator of quality, I was very tired) but what I saw was great and bizarre, like the first season.

This is a conversation about time

Did anyone recognise Jon Hamm doing the voiceover?

[brat-sampson]

Did anyone recognise Jon Hamm doing the voiceover?

Not at first, but when he was talking about the delusions, I clocked it. I now of course really want him to turn up in the actual show.

[phantom_power]

I think he is supposed to be in it more, but I don't know if it is just more voiceover

[Replies From View]

Can't wait to see how many hard light holograms are made.

[Small Man Big Horse]

I'm adoring this so far. Noticed the second episode was directed by Ana Lily Amirpour and I hope she does more as it was visually playful and inventive throughout. I love the cast as well, and unless they fuck up the ending I can't see how this won't be seen as something really special in years to come.

[phantom_power]

Yeah love it. So stylish and confident. Great cast, great writing.

[phantom_power]

This season is definitely keeping up the quality and WTFness of the first one. This may be my favourite show of the last 10 years

[Small Man Big Horse]

I'm loving it still, but I want more Audrey Plaza in it.

[phantom_power]

Well get her fucking name right at least

[Chairman Yang]

Man, I'm not feeling this one like the first series. It's really riding that line of being showy in service of the story, and showy because the director is up their own arse. I think it's missing the frantic pace of end of the last series; everything falling to pieces and the visuals swirling along to match. Hope the story picks up the slack soon.

[Ant Farm Keyboard]

It's basically a collection of reenactment of cover art designed by Hipgnosis with some story to explain the transitions.

[phantom_power]

The plot may have slowed down a bit but there is plenty of intrigue. Plus Jon Hamm's voiceover sections are little wonders in themselves

[Small Man Big Horse]

Well get her fucking name right at least

Never, at least until she changes it by deed poll for being so stupid in the first place.

I was thinking about this last night and I think what it's slightly lacking is a central villain. Sure, we've got the Shadow King but there's supposedly also something far far worse out there, but we've yet to be introduced to it so it doesn't seem that threatening. I'm also missing Jemaine Clement, as he always brightens up the place when he's around.

I don't want to suggest I'm not still loving it though, and I'm sure it'll satisfy overall once the season is over.

[Alberon]

The most recent episode was very straightforward, but I am enjoying this season. If there is a big bad for this season (and to be honest I've gotten bored of the season long arc thing so many shows do) he/she hasn't been revealed yet, much like the Shadow King wasn't until later into the first season.

I'm not sure of the new Lenny arc though, but I'm more than happy to see what they do with it.

[Bingo Fury]

I'm also missing Jemaine Clement, as he always brightens up the place when he's around.

He's had a decent amount of screen-time so far, but seems much more subdued this time around. Nothing yet to compare with his brilliant delivery of the "Figure yer shit out! That's my ... that's what I'd say" outburst last season.

[Alberon]

So episode four seemed to be spinning its wheels for a bit as we watch Syd's story (which we've already mostly heard) play out, but then ends with an interesting cliffhanger. I got the impression towards the end of the episode that Syd (or at least Future Syd) is this season's new threat. Though I'm probably completely wrong.

[phantom_power]

Even when it is spinning its wheels this show is great. Obviously it looks amazing but the music is brilliant as well, and the acting top notch. Syd's backstory is pretty tragic, especially the final reveal

And I loved that the opening credits finally came about 10 seconds before the end ones

[Small Man Big Horse]

I thought that was a much needed episode, a reminder of why we should like these characters as I was starting to struggle on that front. No need to do it again for a while, but I'm glad they did it when they did.

[Alberon]

This season is already two episodes longer than the first season. Now an extra episode has been revealed so the season will be 11 episodes long. As far as I can tell it's a proper episode and not some clip-show series-so-far sort of thing.

Seems to show some confidence in the show by the network anyway.

[sirhenry]

Batshit gorgeous!

Some painfully sophomoric philosophy on the nature of reality and just about every basic variation on narrative (especially the unreliable narrator) but it just looks so good and takes such delightful twists that most episodes of this series (1,2,4,and5 so far) have left me with a stupid grin at the end.

Don't remember when a TV show last did this for me; Pushing Daisies keeps coming to mind but they are such different beasts...

[Alberon]

Haven't had a chance to actually watch the latest episode fully yet, but the short Lenny recap at the start of the current one subtitled 'Apparently on Legion' rather than the usual 'Previously' just sums the series up perfectly.

[Jack Shaftoe]

I'm wavering with this now, suddenly got a bit bored of the main characters chatting to each other in various artificial settings where the last series threw them into all sorts of weird scenarios. Shame, because the first series was one of the best chunks of telly I've ever seen.

[phantom_power]

I am still loving it. This week's was like some freaky horror film. It looks stunning as well. The style, atmosphere, music , the whole package just hits my sweet spot

[olliebean]

This is essentially a Pink Floyd screen film with added dialogue, isn't it? Even some of the music was very Floyd-adjacent.

[Chairman Yang]

This is essentially a Pink Floyd screen film with added dialogue, isn't it? Even some of the music was very Floyd-adjacent.

Ahh, so that's why it's aggravating me :D

I really want to like this, but the only thing keeping me interested now is the Shadow King. A flashback explaining who Bucket Head is and a five minute music video of people bumbling around the salt flats is really taking the piss.

I think they must have concluded that what people loved about the first series was the cinematography and just threw out the idea of actually writing a story; which is a shame since the show has actually become quite ugly, in that 'too many filters' sort of way.

[phantom_power]

I am interested in the plot but I am not that fussed how fast they advance it. I just enjoy experiencing the episodes in all their visual and aural glory

[Small Man Big Horse]

I am interested in the plot but I am not that fussed how fast they advance it. I just enjoy experiencing the episodes in all their visual and aural glory

That's how I feel about it too. I've a minor complaint with the most recent episode as it felt a little too slow (and the Jon Hamm narrated bit towards the end was weak) but I've enjoyed the rest of the season an enormous amount and am completely seduced by it's visual style.