The Defenders Season 1 Review

Spoilers for The Defenders and all proceeding Marvel Netflix series:

What the minds behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe accomplished with The Avengers was a minor miracle.  Bringing together the stars and storylines of four major blockbuster film franchises for one huge team-up film with only a few supporting characters and plot points existing as connective tissue was an idea that could’ve gone horribly wrong.  As pretty much anyone who sees movies knows, that wasn’t the case and the massive critical and financial success of The Avengers meant that an attempt at a similar phenomenon was inevitable.  While the Avengers saga has continued in many big screen efforts, the first Marvel project to actually replicate the build-up and hype towards that first magical meeting of heroic minds comes on TV.  Or streaming, to be more precise.  Four years ago, it was announced that Marvel and Netflix would partner up to bring viewers individual series focused on edgier heroes Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist before teaming them up in The Defenders.  That fifth series is finally here and while not without its flaws, it’s well worth the wait, a television event that can’t be missed.

Despite kicking off to immense critical acclaim for Daredevil‘s brutally honest take on vigilante justice and Jessica Jones‘ dark depiction of the horrors of PTSD and sexual violence, Netflix’s Marvel slate has been stumbling as of late.  Strong senses of racial politics and musicality and a charming performance by Mike Colter as the titular character weren’t enough to save Luke Cage from problems in the story department, with character development and plot that were both too thin to fill thirteen episodes of television.  Iron Fist was a mess all around and completely tone deaf towards the problematic cultural, economic, and racial aspects of its lead character, as well as the fact that he was simply not likeable.  While it’s not the groundbreaking genius of the first two solo series, The Defenders tops its latter predecessors simply by virtue of the fact that it knows what it wants to be, and what it wants to be is an immensely fun, but still emotionally complex, tale of four damaged people coming together to fight a nearly unstoppable evil.

In terms of plot and mythology The Defenders is much more closely tied to Daredevil and Iron Fist than it is Jessica Jones or Luke Cage.  The Hand, that pesky dark magic ninja death cult that’s been bothering both Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Charlie Cox) and Danny Rand/Iron Fist (Finn Jones) throughout their respective series is back with a vengeance.  The shadow war Stick (the wonderful hardass Scott Glenn), Matt’s mentor and leader of more well-intentioned (though no less murderous) ninja outfit the Chaste, has been fighting his whole life is finally hitting a fever pitch and it doesn’t take long for it to attract the attention of our heroes.  Luke (Mike Colter) and Jessica (Krysten Ritter) are brought in fairly easily through their own vigilante activities.  Jessica finally takes a case at her private investigating job when curiosity about a missing husband who doesn’t seem to simply be cheating breaks through her careful act of apathy and Luke looks into the mysterious activities of the brother of an old (dead) ally.  It’s actually Matt who takes the longest to get sucked in.  The most experienced crime fighter of the bunch went through a meat grinder in the second season of his solo series as his personal and vigilante lives collided and it cost him loved ones and relationships on both sides.  We find him in the most interesting place, trying to put his civilian life back together by hanging up the horned helmet.  It’s a great way to continue the themes of Daredevil, which has as its thesis the idea that Matt’s super heroic night job is a compulsion that he just can’t shake, no matter how dangerous it is to his physical and mental health (and occasionally to the society he’s protecting).  Matt Murdock is a fighter who can’t really fit in normal society and Cox’s soulful performance makes these struggles and realizations fascinating to watch.

To believably sell the idea that all our heroes are really needed the threat they were facing had to have a real weight, much more so than the rather generically evil Hand members we’ve seen so far.  Thankfully, the main villain of the series comes in the form of Sigourney Weaver, who’s Alexandra is a much more complex and intriguing figure than most of her colleagues.  She’s understandable and at times sympathetic while remaining utterly devious throughout and is one of the most entertaining elements of the show, especially in the first two episodes as the pieces are moved into place for the titular team to finally come together at the end of the third hour.  Other reviewers have complained about this pacing decision, and while going almost halfway through the series before getting to its actual purpose, that being Matt, Luke, Danny, and Jessica both getting to know each other and taking down bad guys as a unit, is a bit odd, this slow build is (mostly) necessary to both establish where the characters’ heads (and hearts) are at.  Matt’s arc in particular needed a gradual start to show how different his life is without Daredevil.  Jessica and Luke also have intriguing struggles, her with her newfound local fame after killing vile super-powered rapist Kilgrave and the heroic calling she’s starting to realize she might not be able to ignore forever, and him with how to effectively help Harlem while still having a life of his own.  Its, predictably, only Danny who’s really boring to watch during this buildup period.  Finn Jones simply doesn’t handle heavy emotional material well, and the character’s trajectory isn’t established on as strong a basis as his team members’ are.

The slow burn of the series’ first half, as well as its other, smaller faults (most of which are hard to describe without veering into in-depth spoilers) are more than made up for when our four heroes finally do get together.  First uniting in a ginormous fight scene at the end of the third episode, the quartet of New York saviors is simply electric to watch and once that fight starts the series shifts into another gear and doesn’t ever let up, making it relatively unique among these Netflix and Marvel collaborations in how well it maintains momentum (with the exception of Daredevil‘s first season all the other shows have meandered a bit around their tenth episodes or so).  Giving the show with four main characters five less episodes than those with one sounds strange on paper but it works wonders.  Once one sees the whole picture they’ll see the need for those earlier small moments and it becomes clear how well constructed the whole eight-hour run is.  Pretty much every scene in the second half of the show provides either long awaited answers about the Hand (some more satisfying than others), delightful character interactions, or dynamic team-up fight scenes.

The cast and characters are by far the biggest selling points of The Defenders.  The dysfunctional group dynamic makes this by far the funniest of the Netflix Marvel series and the snarky quips are sure to delight both the general audience and fans of the comics of Brian Michael Bendis (who pretty much single handedly originated the idea of these four particular characters as a loosely organized but emotionally close crime fighting unit).  However, the real beauty comes when the show goes deeper than the typical team up shenanigans.  As fun as it is to see Jessica make fun of Matt’s superhero costume (“Nice ears”, “They’re horns…”) it’s even more satisfying to see them bond.  As curt as their first meeting is, it quickly becomes clear that the two really are the perfect friends for each other, both understanding one another and each challenging the other to be better people when all their other loved ones have only been able to do one or another so far.  Ritter and Cox are beyond even their talented co-stars throughout but when they’re together there’s genuine magic on screen.  The show’s other go to duo is no slouch either though.  The iconic Luke Cage/Iron Fist bromance is represented well here, in fact much better than many who watched Iron Fist the series probably believed possible.  Nearly all the complaints viewers had with the Danny Rand character are brought up in Luke’s tough love advice and Colter’s perfect blend of pathos and cheese brings out much stronger work from Jones, who is at his best playing up Danny’s youthful goofiness, leaving the angst to the more rightfully damaged characters and more reliable actors.  There’s still a significant amount of work to be done to really salvage this interpretation of the character (if we’re supposed to like Danny, watching Luke rip into him for his white privilege probably shouldn’t be quite so satisfying) but the potential is there.  While these are the most frequently used pairings of characters, the show knows to give viewers plenty of time with the Defenders as a foursome both for action and dialogue (the series absolute highlights along with the Jessica/Matt duo) and to make sure the other relationships among the team get enough time, with Jessica and Luke subtly realizing they still have feelings for each other after their screwed up romance in Jessica Jones and Danny idolizing Matt being other gems worth mentioning.  The group dynamic really is a marvel (no pun intended) of subtle and emotionally logical writing.  The show’s creators are smart enough to know that their new superhero buddies shouldn’t supplant say Trish Walker (Rachael Taylor) in Jessica’s heart or Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) or Karen Page (Deborah Ann Wool) in Matt’s and they make this clear through the short but sweet use of such characters.  That being said, it is also clear that the four Defenders have a strong familial bond by the series’ end, with the actors nailing the kind of nearly tangible love that only comes from outsiders finding people who truly understand them.

As well as the show does spreading its focus to everyone, Matt is pretty much definitively the main character.  This is fairly logical as he was the first character most viewers were introduced to and the comic version has the most diverse and consistently impressive catalogue of stories (The Defenders being a very loose adaptation of the second half of Frank Miller’s famed first run on the Daredevil comic) but it’s worth noting for those audience members who are here primarily for Jessica, Luke, or Danny (that last breed of fan being particularly rare, I know).  However, the story the creators have crafted around Matt as he tries to salvage the soul of resurrected love Elektra (Elodie Yung) from the Hand while dealing with his three new compatriots is so engrossing I can’t imagine many people complaining of Daredevil fatigue.

The more specific details of the series are a bit of a mixed bag.  Yung and Glenn are joined in the main non-villain supporting cast (or not purely villainous in Yung’s case) by Jessica Henwick as Danny’s lover and partner Colleen Wing, Simone Missick as Detective Misty Knight, and Rosario Dawson as the nurse with a million super friends, Claire Temple (characters like Taylor’s and Henson’s put in more brief appearances).  Of these five the characters originating from Daredevil fare a lot better than the two who don’t.  Henwick gets to play out some decent sword fights but Colleen is a victim of inconsistent and repetitive writing that makes her emotional moments more of a chore than they should be.  The Defenders as a show, much like Luke Cage before it, seems to think Misty is some awesome butt-kicker when she remains an annoying bureaucrat.  Missick’s arrogant performance simply adds to the idea that the character thinks she’s a lot more clever and useful than she really is.  Thankfully, Glenn and Dawson are their reliable selves and prove the best sounding boards for the four main heroes.  Yung relishes playing an almost entirely new character most of the time before giving an affecting flash of the crazy warrior woman we know and love from Daredevil Season 2.  Other than some of the fights, the most obvious technical strength of the series is its lighting.  Throughout the series’ beginning the sections devoted to each individual hero can be identified by a distinct color palette (blues and the occasional menacing flash of purple for Jessica, green for Danny, a golden yellow for Luke, and a deep, haunting red for Matt).  As the four worlds slowly begin to fuse the colors begin to blend in a wonderful piece of visual storytelling.  The fourth episode, which spends almost its entire run time in a neon bathed Chinese restaurant as the Defenders have their first impromptu meeting, is the most visually spectacular hour of television the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ever produced. 

Ultimately The Defenders is far from perfect but gets by on how entertaining it is and its ability to deliver on the things that count.  The absence of the social commentary that made the best of Marvel and Netflix’s best collaborations is almost made up for by the fun of seeing the characters we’ve grown to know over sixty-five previous hours of television finally getting to know each other.  Especially dynamic performances from Cox, Ritter, and Yung tie things together into a dark and riveting superhero spectacle.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D Season 4 Review

Spoilers for the entirety of the series follow:

How is a comic book show to follow up a season which leaves one of its lead characters a fugitive after her love interest made a messianic sacrifice to  save the world from annihilation at the hands of an alien squid monster while the other lead received a major demotion?  That was the question Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D  faced after the end of its third year.  The exquisite fourth season provides the answers by introducing a mystically powered vigilante with a flaming skull, making thoughtful observations about humanity through the examination of artificial intelligence and virtual reality, strengthening the show’s political and social opinions, and further developing an increasingly complex and layered cast of characters, all while developing an innovative new structure for serialized broadcast dramas and maintaining the show’s clever, often deliciously self-aware, sense of humor.

Thoroughly heartbroken after both the death of her boyfriend and her own villainious actions while in a mind-controlled state, Daisy Johnson (Chloe Bennet) has left her surrogate family at S.H.I.E.L.D, fearing that her continued prescence will only lead to tragedy for her friends.  Using increasingly ruthless and reckless tactics, Daisy has been combatting the Watchdogs, a terrorist organization that hunts and kills Inhumans, the race of genetically altered superhumans to which she belongs.  Two of Daisy’s friends, former S.H.I.E.L.D Director Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Alphonso “Mack” MacKenzie (Henry Simmons) have been deployed by new director Jeffrey Mace (Jason O’Hara) to bring Daisy in before her actions cause irreparable damage to S.H.I.E.L.D’s already fragile public relations.  Daisy’s encounters with Robbie Reyes (Gabriel Luna), the latest mortal possessed by the benevolent demon called the Ghost Rider, drag herself and the rest of the titular Agents into darker, magical, corners of the Marvel Universe.

One of the most important factors in S.H.I.E.L.D‘s success this season came from its innovative narrative structure.  A full year series order of more than twenty episodes (twenty-two in S.H.I.E.L.D‘s case) is a lot of content for TV creators to produce (roughly the equivalent runtime of ten or eleven feature films) and sci-fi/fantasy series often struggle with maintaining satisfactory pacing (S.H.I.E.L.D‘s less than perfect first season can attest to this).  While S.H.I.E.L.D had success last year in employing the mid-season winter break to essentially divide the third season in half, marking the split with a shift between two separate, yet related, villains, this time around the creators take it a step further, splitting the fourth season into three distinct “pods” of episodes, subtitled Ghost Rider, L.M.D, and Agents of Hydra respectively.   The pod structure works wonders in keeping a viewer’s attention.  Even in the earliest episodes of Ghost Rider, significant revelations and events are allowed to take place because while certain narrative threads are weaved throughout the entire season, others are concluded by the end of that pod’s short but sweet eight episode run.  While ingeniously connected by certain McGuffins, themes, and character arcs, (most importantly a troublesome dark magic book), the pods each have dinstinct highlights and specialites all their own.

Ghost Rider is the most fun pod thanks to the blockbuster action provided by the titular character and the perfect use of meta humor, but is also given a strongly beating heart by the straightforward, but emotional character beats given to Daisy and Robbie, with Bennet and Luna giving great performances.  Daisy’s arc is particularly affecting, showing both growth that is natural to the character and the series while also containing respectful and inspiring messages about important topics such as post-traumatic stress and suicidal tendencies.

L.M.D is the least exciting of the three but this is mainly because the viewer misses Luna’s electrifying presence (his triumphant return doesn’t come until the end of Agents of Hydra). That being said, L.M.D has strengths all its own, mainly the thoughtful answers to the question of what separates artificial intelligence from real life.  L.M.D is also unique in that aside from significant screen time for Coulson and Mace, the pod puts its focus more on the antagonists.  The tightening of the connection between anti-Inhuman senator Ellen Nadeer (Pamrinder Nagra), the Watchdogs, and a mysterious Russian named Ivanov (Zach McGowan) not only give our heroes some true evil to fight (with McGowan proving particularly entertaining as essentially a spoof of Bond-style villains) but provides some of the show’s most biting and effective social commentary yet (think about that again; a bigoted, idiotic politician who accepts support from known violent racists all under the manipulation of a former KGB agent. Sound familiar yet?)  But it is the pair of more gray opponents that really shine.  John Hannah is wonderfully deluded as mad scientist Holden Radcliffe.  Starting as a newly gained ally for S.H.I.E.L.D after being rescued from forced service to last season’s villain, Radcliffe proves himself to be more trouble than he’s worth, constantly doing the wrong thing for the right reason and vice versa.  The man’s decision making is seriously flawed (even when his mind isn’t being altered by  the demonic book I mentioned earlier) and L.M.D does a wonderful job of showing how much damage a person like him can cause when given too much power.  Many sci-fi and fantasy series boast of morally ambiguous characters when all they really have are heroes who occasionally make mistakes or villains with a couple soft spots.  Radcliffe is an example of a genuinely unpredictable character, one who always has a fifty-fifty chance of making the right choice.  But in situations as volatile as those the Agents constantly find themselves in, fifty-fifty simply isn’t good enough.  The other complex antagonist S.H.I.E.L.D explores this year is Radcliffe’s android assistant, Aida (Mallory Jansen), and while her real showcase comes in the final pod, Jansen is consistently outstanding throughout the season, entertaining as a stereotypical, emotionless robot, chilling as she starts to exhibit subtle anger at being used like a slave, and both endearingly and frighteningly naïve when overwhelmed by her first full experience with emotions.

Speaking of that third pod, Agents of Hydra is perhaps the most consistently strong batch of episodes Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D has ever produced.  The core six agents (and Mace) are thrust into a Matrix-like virtual reality called the Framework, in which America is under the control of Hydra, the secret surviving Nazi branch S.H.I.E.L.D has warred with in the past.  Daisy and Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) are the only ones of our heroes in control of themselves, with the others’ memories having been replaced by those of their respective Framework counterparts.  The problem is that in the Framework Leopold Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen) are high ranking members of Hydra.  While the creators clearly enjoy the dystopian thrills offered by placing their characters in a 1984-like setting, the real dramatic importance is what this means said characters’ morality and psyches.  The writers come firmly down on one side of the nature vs. nurture debate, arguing that changing formative moments in peoples’ lives can fundamentally alter their identities and this is mainly articulated through the changes to Fitz.  The scary thing about Framework-May is that she is essentially the real May, just in different circumstances, demonstrating how authoritarian that character can be, but Fitz is another story.  By altering his childhood history, the Framework has turned the eternally compassionate Fitz into an absolute monster and watching Caestecker, who has long since proven himself to be the show’s best actor, mix coldly detached sadism with some of the same personality quirks the viewer associates with the sweet, loveable technician he usually plays is darkly enthralling.   But Agents of Hydra isn’t all about existential considerations of human nature.  It’s also the most political the series has ever been, making clever, undisguised comparisons of the dystopia the Agents find themselves in to Trump’s America and all the people behind the series deserve praise for sticking firmly to their ideals and not shying away from expressing their opinions for fear of controversy.  Moments in when Coulson calls out the ridiculousness of ideas like “alternative facts” are priceless.  In these uncertain times we need art to take strong stances or the people poisoning this country will run right over it.  After all, as Jemma says when reminding a Framework child of Hydra’s history, “they’re all Nazis”.  If Agents of Hydra doesn’t have a single mind blowing episode like Ghost Rider’s “The Ghost” or “The Good Samaritan” or L.M.D’s explosive finale “Self-Control”, it makes up for it with the consistent strength of every hour.

There’s so much more to praise about S.H.I.E.L.D this year.  While the characters I’ve already discussed are the real focal points of the season, the entire cast is as strong as ever.  This is also the least predictable group of episodes in the shows run, with expectations subverted at every turn.  But in summary I’ll just say this: with its fourth season Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D elevated itself, truly becoming can’t miss television.  It’s a fun, emotional, and funny series with some really important things to say, and I for one can’t wait for season five.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Following up 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy wasn’t going to be an easy task.  By making a film about one of their least known superhero teams (one which includes among other members a smartass talking raccoon and a tree who repeatedly says the same single sentence) a critical and commercial hit Marvel proved they could make cinematic gold out of pretty much all of their comic book source material.  Fortunately, Marvel recognized that the key to the film’s success was writer-director James Gunn, keeping him on for the sequel and seemingly granting him more freedom than they have been known to give most other directors under their employ.  As a result, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is an exceptional sequel that delivers more of the unique blend of comedy and heart that made the first movie so special.

Since saving the galaxy in the first movie, the Guardians have spent the last couple of months doing well intentioned mercenary work.  After Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) double-crosses a client the Guardians find themselves under attack before being rescued by Ego (Kurt Russell), a godlike being who also happens to be the birth father of Peter Quill (Chris Pratt).  Here the influence of The Empire Strikes Back on Vol. 2 becomes obvious, as the Guardians find themselves split into two distinct groups until the finale, with Quill, Gamora (Zoe Saldanna), and Drax (Dave Bautista) remaining with Ego and his companion Mantis (Pom Klementieff) so Quill can learn more about his mysterious origins, while Rocket and Baby Groot (Vin Diesel) become tangled up in the misadventures of Nebula (Karen Gillan) and Yondu (Michael Rooker).

One of the most beneficial elements of Vol. 2 is its unique structure.  A gradual pace and the splitting of the team work wonders, allowing for deeper exploration of most of the characters.  Coming off such a successful first effort many writers and directors would have been unwilling to change, only intending to repeat what audiences loved about the first film.  Gunn admirably goes the opposite way, recognizing that as great as it is, the first movie isn’t perfect, and Vol. 2‘s script does an admirable job of stripping away what didn’t work last time around.  There aren’t any boring space cops in Vol. 2 (which also means no wasting of talented actors in bit parts), nor is there any of the half-assed attempts at social commentary.  Gunn instead smartly doubles down on his strengths, those being character development, jokes, and visual vibrancy (this is possibly the most wonderfully colorful superhero film of all time).

That all being said, Vol. 2 is itself imperfect.  Technically the film is a bit of a mixed bag.  Although Gunn constructs another wonderful soundtrack of beloved songs from the 70s and 80s, the original score is nothing special.  Furthermore, there aren’t any really bold choices in terms of direction or cinematography other than the astonishing special affects and aforementioned color.  Gunn elects to let the actors and script get most of the attention, and while both are strong enough to earn this faith it is somewhat of a safe choice.  There isn’t even that much action in the film, at least not many beats that aren’t comedic in some way, with Yondu getting the only really memorable set piece.  While this may be something of a problem for some viewers (most people reasonably expect a decent amount of exciting fisticuffs when they go to a superhero movie) it’s another sacrifice in favor of telling the most emotional and funny story possible.  It really is spectacular how this film is able to either make one laugh or tug at their heartstrings in practically every scene.  Unified by the idea of what it takes to keep a family together, Vol. 2 has some really touching character arcs.  Yondu and Quill remain the best characters and Pratt and Rooker are the best things about the movie but pretty much all the major characters and actors have good showings.  Bautista is hysterical, increasing the unique energy that made Drax such an unexpected delight in the original film.  The violent sisterly rivalry between Nebula and Gamora is complicated in interesting ways and Saldana and Gillan make the most of some of the script’s most directly dramatic material (these are the only characters who aren’t really given any comedic beats).  Mantis is the only character who falls somewhat flat, and Klementieff doesn’t make much of an impression, though that may be because she’s mostly paired off with the comedic gem that is Bautista.  Rocket can seem like a jerk early in the film but this is in service of putting him through the most complicated development.  All in all, Vol. 2‘s strengths far outweigh its weaknesses and it is a delightful experience, with an unapologetic, effective optimism that the comic book genre hasn’t seen since X-Men: Days of Future Past.

 

 

Legion Chapter 1 Review

“Is this real?” David Haller (Dan Stevens) demands of his girlfriend Syd Barrett (Rachel Keller) in the closing moments of the first episode of creator Noah Hawley’s Legion.  This question is representative of both  the guiding appeal of the show and the reaction I believe many viewers will have to it.  Being that Legion is loosely set within the world of 20th Century Fox’s X-Men film series, casual viewers may be reluctant to accept it.  Superheroes are taking over television just as they have film and while being a longtime comic-book fan I couldn’t be happier, I understand why members of  the general audience may be suffering some fatigue.  However this is actually where much of Legion’s appeal lies; this show (or at least its pilot) stands apart as highly original and unique among comic book television adaptations and television in general.  Admirable technical production, mind-bending twists, heartfelt emotion, and a powerful performance by Dan Stevens are just some of the many wonderful qualities on display in Legion‘s extended debut.

Despite being one of the lesser known characters in Marvel’s X-Men family of comics, the story of David Haller (Legion is his code-name in the comics) lends itself to teleivision quite well.  Comic-book David has severe multiple personality disorder and while the show’s pilot leaves his diagnosis vague, (even if the voices that can often be noticed quietly speaking in the background hint at a condition that is at least similar) it doubles down on using him as an unreliable narrator (a trend becoming more and more popular on cable), questioning whether David is truly a mutant and whether or not the supernatural events he experiences are truly happening or not, and if so, how.  Around half of this 90 minute episode consists of scenes depicting David’s time in a mental institution (calling them flashbacks may not actually prove true given the show’s nonlinear storytelling).  While the show is clearly designed less as an exploration of mental illness and more to entice audience members with the question of how much of what they are witnessing is actually happening versus how much is a construct of David’s troubled mind, it doesn’t sensationalize David’s condition.  The viewer wants David to get better, even if his mental state opens up intriguing storytelling possibilities.

Much of the sympathy the viewer has for David is earned by Stevens.  The Downton Abbey alum does admirable work here, playing David’s anger and confusion as well as his kindness and humor with equal grace.  The pilot’s constant alternation between time frames allow Stevens to craft a multifaceted performance that is highlighted by the differences between scenes in which David’s behavior is  regulated by medication and those when it is not.  Throughout all of this Stevens imbues his performance with a foundational sense of longing and pain that is moving.

While Stevens himself is elctrifying, the first episode of Legion is strong across all categories.  The supporting cast is solid, even if Keller and Aubrey Plaza (playing David’s best friend) make noticeably stronger impressions than other actors such as Katie Aselton and Hamish Linklater (as David’s sister and a possible government agent respectively).  The first episode is expertly paced and edited, knowing which scenes need to be allowed to slow down and breathe, while also making use of a couple of well-executed montages.  One does wonder, however, if the show will have to speed up a little in future episodes with traditional run times.  Despite all this, the real star of Legion other than Stevens is Hawley’s style and visual storytelling.  This is an aesthetically stunning episode of television with vibrant cinematography that adds to the emotion of every scene.  An early scene in which David kisses Syd’s reflection in a window to work their way around her phobia of physical contact is one of the most beautiful, visually and emotionally, that I have seen on television in a while.  Skilled direction ensures that the viewer recognizes they are seeing everything from David’s perspective, which adds to the show’s mystery, given that we know how unreliable that perspective is.

Ultimately Legion is a gem, with one of the best pilots a comic book show has ever had, behind only those of Jessica Jones and Daredevil.  The questions this show asks are highly intriguing and I believe anyone who watches this episode will feel compelled to stay with the series to find the answers.  While television savvy offers the most probable explanations to some of the most obvious questions (I for one don’t predict that the series will end by saying David has truly imagined all his powers), but there are many more areas in which it is  genuinely impossible for me to see where it is going.  And that is very exciting.  Is this real?  I certainly hope so.