[legion]

Is anyone else watching the new show Legion on FX? And no, this series has nothing to do with my chosen handle.

I've always thought that good Sci-Fi allows us to explore the human condition by taking normal circumstances to currently impossible extremes. It lets us reason through if certain truths are really true in all conditions. I think one of the best examples of this was the reboot of Battlestar Galactica.

Legion takes place in the X-Men universe, but doesn't make any mention of this (so far). Prior knowledge of Marvel comics is not required to enjoy it. (I don't have any and I enjoy it quite a bit.) The series basically explores the concept of people with superpowers and mental illness. Many of the major characters have been institutionalized because their "powers" (or claims of powers) were mistaken for mental illness. The main character clearly has "powers", but it is unclear whether or not he is also schizophrenic, faking it, or something else.

Rather than casting "superheroes" as people who are morally superior and always justified in using their "powers", it explores the practical implications of what would really happen if one were to use these gifts. In one particularly memorable scene, one character describes how her teenage self used her newly acquired powers in a way that lead to an unintentionally horrific conclusion.

The series has a unique visual style and story-telling method. One episode, where the main character is confused about himself, is told through a series of confusing, disjointed flashbacks. The episode doesn't make you understand the character, it makes you understand his confusion. Colors, shadows, sound, silence, music, dance--all are effectively used to tell the stories. In one scene, "The Rainbow Connection" is sung in such a terrifying way that it would make the banjo player from Deliverance frightened.

In conclusion, I HIGHLY recommend this series to Sci-Fi/Fantasy fans. Or people that like psychological thrillers. Or people that like shows that don't spoon-feed them.