Spoilers Legion - Season 3

[The Nth Doctor]

Damn, Legion is going all out in the surrealism department in its final season. Granted it's a hippie commune on this show, but even still, it was all kinds of freaky.

I really enjoyed the structure of this episode, starting with a wonderful introduction to Switch, where we see her normal life before she picked up on David's "advertisement" for a time traveler and fell down the rabbit looking for him. Then Division 3 attacks...and succeeds. Lucky for David he just happened to get a time traveler exactly when he needed one and manages to escape, but not before Farouk discovered Switch and her sudden allegiance to David. In the final part of the episode, we catch up with Division 3 and what they've been up to, leading up to their attack on David's commune from their perspective...only to find the commune physically leaves its physical space (and thus showing just how powerful David has become).

I love how the show depicts time travel with Switch walking down curved corridors with alloted time doors and an instruction manual in her Walkman. I'm curious about this so-called demon she has to avoid waking up if she travels too far back. I guess it's some "natural" mechanism to prevent people from mucking up the timeline too much? Or perhaps its something artificially placed by someone?

I don't know if anyone else noticed this, but thanks to Shazam, I discovered that the group that performed the song in the Pregnant Virgin...lobby (for the lack of a better word)...is a real band who played one of their own songs: Superorganism and "Something For Your M.I.N.D."

As usual, I need to watch this again before even attempting to try to pull my thoughts together on it. This is one of the few shows where it's annoying when they interrupt the credits with some network promo lol.

However, I did find some interesting information on Lauren Tsai who plays time traveller Switch and it seems she's definitely a nice choice to be on a stylish Marvel show.
Some info on Tsai and Switch:
https://www.bustle.com/p/who-is-swi...racter-got-a-drastic-makeover-for-tv-18138449
Some variant Marvel comic covers she's done (she got some cred)
https://www.marvel.com/articles/com...sai-draws-a-variant-for-west-coast-avengers-1
https://www.instagram.com/p/BpBHF-0lT23/
And to more of her art:
https://www.instagram.com/laurentsaiart/

Oh, that's cool. I hadn't realized she was previously known character, nor did I know that Tsai had created covers for Marvel in the past. Thanks for the links!

I am a late comer to this show. I had been a aware of it from the beginning but never took the time to check it out. I feel like I watch too many series already. But recent mention of it in the X-men movies thread had me looking in to it more.

A couple weeks ago I watched season 1 from the library and absolutely loved it! I get a lot of tv series from the library I barely get into. Was dubious if I would get far. But this taps into a lot of my sensibilities.

A copy of season 2 from the library is waiting for me to watch on my day off, likely today. I watched the start of season 3 on FX last night. Was not sure if could follow having missed a season. Not sure it matters with this show like others. Had some ideas based on a little I read. Still loved it. More motivation to watch season 2 before next weeks new episode,

Welcome to the madhouse! Enjoy the incredible ride.

 

[Set Harth]

For Legion that was pretty easy plot to follow. And it introduced time travel to the show too.

Well, we already had timey-wimey time-travelly stuff in S2, with a character in the future communicating with characters in the present, and there was a background reference to time travel in S1.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

Forgot all about that. I probably would've remembered that if stupid Fox had put season 2 out on blu-ray.

 

[Set Harth]

And there was that damn orb.

Though I enjoyed the S3 premiere very much, I too am disgusted by what went down with S2 on home video.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

I thoroughly enjoyed the first episode of S3.

 

[Booji]

First season 3 episode was really good. The hook was cracking me up! Unfortunately, it seems David continues to be a rapist... At least that's what I got from the pregnant virgins. Did I read that the wrong way? I really hope Syd gets to blow his head off without a time travel reset. I doubt it though.

 

[Set Harth]

That woman was already pregnant in S2, presumably before meeting David.

 

[Booji]

That woman was already pregnant in S2, presumably before meeting David.

I have absolutely no recollection of that. Thanks!

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Cool short little interview with Noah Hawley. I found some of his answers interesting.
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-noah-hawley-legion-fargo-20190624-story.html

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Not shying from making David unlikable, I wonder if it’s going to attempt redemption at some point or not. His whole "I deserve love" bit really gets under the skin.

It was visually and aurally arresting as usual but with so few episodes left it’s hard to shake a feeling that it’s being a bit too leisurely. As much as I like Switch and Squirrel, and it’s interesting how the narrative has gone through them, I’d like to see what Melanie and Oliver are up to or if there was any purpose to bringing Ptonomy back. Actually, now that I say that the story did set up things and move forward but I guess it feels odd since they're doing it through different faces.

As far as different faces go it's nice to see Cary in a more prominent role. In the past, he's been called upon more than he's led the charge.

Strangely, I found myself more angry over David forcing his will on Lenny than I did on Syd. Saw a bit of the old Lenny spark during the brief Mad Hatter sequence. Aubrey Plaza really has crawling down to a science at this point lol.

Legion really taking the piss with Charlie Brown songs now!

Would I get in a Cheshire Cat van filled with Manson Girls? ... I might

https://twitter.com/LegionFX/status/1145933872216956929

 

[gblews]

Just caught up on the first two episodes of season 3. Yeah, Switch is great. Love the way she cuts through the haze of BS that seems to surround David now. She quickly pulled Lenny (and her questions about Switch's sexuality), up short.

Makes perfect sense that David would be able to easily create a cult and form a commune. With his powers, I could easily see his commune becoming huge.

Love the way Switch's time travel is depicted in such straightforward and practical ways. She finds a way to create a sub space portal (or whatever it is) and falls, slides, walks into it. The hallway with the time signatures is perfect.

I like that there is still a way for David and Syd to interact one on one. The two characters have great chemistry.

But is the show going to make us choose between rooting for a rapist vs a body snatcher and mass murderer? Destroying the world is pretty bad , I know, but I hope they establish that Farouk has his own agenda and reason for wanting David stopped. Seems like the team may have forgotten who they've allied with. Farouk right now is looking way too heroic (at least potentially).

 

[The Nth Doctor]

A jealous Lenny is a dangerous Lenny. She's going along with the "let's make Cary help Switch allow David to time travel" scheme, but I wonder if Lenny will continue to misconceive David's focus on Switch so he can "repair" his relationship with Syd as something that takes away from their own relationship and go crazy. I mean, more crazy than she already is. Not that I don't think Lenny is any kind of real threat to David, but just enough to cause a problem.

Speaking of going crazy, I loved her Mad Hatter tea party. Unless I'm forgetting something, I'm surprised it took the show this long to do an Alice in Wonderland motif.

I loved that Bill Irwin was given a chance to briefly revisit his clown roots with bit of Vaudeville act when he woke after being kidnapped. It was completely unnecessary (much like many of the show's divergences) but it was still a lot of fun to watch. Irwin's nerdy Cary has always been one of my favorite parts of the show, but it's good to see this side of him again.

I'm glad they're not shying away from the controversial moments of the season 2 finale, yet it's still unnerving that they're trying to make him sympathetic in some fashion. I don't know if he's beyond redemption (certainly not in Syd's eyes) but I'm intrigued to see where they're going with this.

It was visually and aurally arresting as usual but with so few episodes left it’s hard to shake a feeling that it’s being a bit too leisurely. As much as I like Switch and Squirrel, and it’s interesting how the narrative has gone through them, I’d like to see what Melanie and Oliver are up to or if there was any purpose to bringing Ptonomy back. Actually, now that I say that the story did set up things and move forward but I guess it feels odd since they're doing it through different faces.

Yeah, I would like to see more of Melanie and Oliver, but based on their final scene last season, I wouldn't be surprised if we've seen the last of them sadly. As for Ptonomy, I have no idea. I've long since stopped trying to predict what the show is going to do!

Saw a bit of the old Lenny spark during the brief Mad Hatter sequence. Aubrey Plaza really has crawling down to a science at this point lol.

She really has. I could watch her improvise anything all day long.

Legion really taking the piss with Charlie Brown songs now!

True, but I still love it!

Would I get in a Cheshire Cat van filled with Manson Girls? ... I might

Yeahhhhh...same here.

https://twitter.com/LegionFX/status/1145933872216956929

That was probably my favorite moment of the whole episode.

But is the show going to make us choose between rooting for a rapist vs a body snatcher and mass murderer? Destroying the world is pretty bad , I know, but I hope they establish that Farouk has his own agenda and reason for wanting David stopped. Seems like the team may have forgotten who they've allied with. Farouk right now is looking way too heroic (at least potentially).

'm surprised they're still allied so strongly with Farouk. Yeah, David is a major issue, but it seems like Syd and company have largely have forgotten who exactly Farouk is and what he's capable of.

 

[Jayson1]

One thing I have noticed is that most of the characters are bad and you could even say it features 4 rapist. Even Syad raped her moms boyfriend and even her mom since she took over body. Cary and Kerry are the exceptions. I do expect this new time traveller character to be the ultimate hero who stops them. Jason

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Considering the story Legion ended telling about Charles Xavier, it makes sense the show cast the always wonderful Harry Lloyd in the role instead of bringing back James McAvoy or Patrickc Stewart. We see Charles in a very different place in life than what we saw in the films, one where he and David's mother, Gabrielle, both reside in a psychiatric facility and, much like David and Syd, fall in love while there.

This episode is probably one of the most straight-forward stories the show has ever told, essentially depicting David and Switch omnisciently observing how Charles and Gabrielle met, fell in love, produced David, and eventually lost David to Farouk's influence. Prior to this episode, I hadn't ever expected to see Farouk's arrival into David's mind, but I'm glad we got it because the story isn't about David, rather it's about his mother. We discover that she was in the aforementioned hospital because was in a Holocaust camp and became catatonic until she met Charles. She always feared that she would relapse after Charles helped her and it was that very fear that Farouk exploited in order to take revenge on Charles and reside in David's mind.

Perhaps I'm misinterpreting the moment or perhaps it's irrelevant because Farouk would've still found a way into David's mind, but it seems to me that David accidentally created his own tragedy by appearing at his crib side in astral form in a failed attempt to help his distressed mother at Farouk's bidding. This distraction falsely convinced Charles into thinking that David's form was the real threat in the house, which allowed Farouk to enter David's mind while Charles comforted his unconscious wife without realizing that Farouk was the actual cause of Garbrielle's relapse.

While the show has thrived on vagueness and obscurities, I do wish it had clearly stated that after this incident, Charles chose to put David for adoption because Gabrielle was no longer healthy enough to take care of him and he would be too busy seeking out new mutants (and perhaps forming some for of the X-Men). Or perhaps simply put him up for adoption so he could focus on taking care of Gabrielle, although that seems less likely

One thing I didn't see coming at all: The Angriest Little Boy in the World doll came from Gabrielle, which explains why David had it when he was growing up. Question now is why did she have it and why was so protective of it while she was in the psychiatric facility? I suspect we won't get answer to that, but it's interesting that the doll has reappeared after not seeing it last season (at least I don't think we did).

 

[Turtletrekker]

Patrick Stewart was considered at one point...

https://www.superherohype.com/tv/45...-using-patrick-stewarts-xavier-for-legion/amp

 

[Dick Whitman]

But flashbacks were almost certainly going to be part of Xavier’s role on the show. It would have meant casting a younger version of him too. They do not have the budget for de aging Patrick. Unless it would have used a standin without seeing a face and Patrick’s voice only until David met him in the present.

Ultimately Patrick Stewart’s involvement in Picard as not just actor but a producer likely would have prevented any role in this. Beyond an episode or two at most.

I view Legion as an alternate timeline to the X-men movies. But it’s not that far of a divergence. Having the parents met post WWII certainly puts Charles age fairly close to the movies.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I forgot to mention before: I was seriously weirded out by Farouk's illusion of baby David with no face when Gabrielle kept turning him over. *shudder*

 

[auntiehill]

I forgot to mention before: I was seriously weirded out by Farouk's illusion of baby David with no face when Gabrielle kept turning him over. *shudder*

Me, too. That was downright disturbing.

 

[Set Harth]

I view Legion as an alternate timeline to the X-men movies. But it’s not that far of a divergence. Having the parents met post WWII certainly puts Charles age fairly close to the movies.

Having Charles apparently fighting in WWII makes Charles' age in Legion incompatible with the movies. ( This aside from the fact that the movies are themselves internally inconsistent on the issue of Charles' age: his stated age range in Logan is incompatible with First Class. )

I'm glad they're not shying away from the controversial moments of the season 2 finale, yet it's still unnerving that they're trying to make him sympathetic in some fashion.

Farouk walking around freely in Division like he's a good guy... David the putative villain... do we really think this is what the endgame looks like?

I hope they establish that Farouk has his own agenda and reason for wanting David stopped. Seems like the team may have forgotten who they've allied with. Farouk right now is looking way too heroic (at least potentially).

You think?

It's almost like Farouk has successfully manipulated everyone... including the audience.

His whole "I deserve love" bit really gets under the skin.

Calling it a delusion was a bit harsh, wasn't it? What's the message of the show here? People don't deserve love, and if they think they do they're hopelessly deluded? Incels should know their place? Seems a bit cold and merciless...

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Legion + Time Travel = My Head Hurts