Legion

***Legion*** is an American television series created by Noah Hawley and co-produced by Marvel Television and FX Productions. Based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, *Legion* tells the story of David Haller, a schizophrenic young man who learns that he is a mutant born with psychic abilities. He finds himself caught in a conflict between mutants and a government organisation that seeks to eliminate them. As David uncovers the secrets of his past and his powers, he discovers that a more powerful enemy is lurking from within.

FX renewed *Legion* for a second season on March 15, 2017,  and a third season and final season on June 1, 2018.

## Synopsis

### Season 1

Legion, based on the Marvel Comics by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz, is the story of David Haller (Dan Stevens), a troubled young man who may be more than human. Diagnosed as schizophrenic as a child, David has been in and out of psychiatric hospitals for years. Now in his early 30s and institutionalized once again, David loses himself in the rhythm of the structured regimen of life in the hospital: breakfast, lunch, dinner, therapy, medications, sleep. David spends the rest of his time in companionable silence alongside his chatterbox friend Lenny (Aubrey Plaza), a fellow patient whose life-long drug and alcohol addiction has done nothing to quell her boundless optimism that her luck is about to change. The pleasant numbness of David's routine is completely upended with the arrival of a beautiful and troubled new patient named Syd (Rachel Keller). Inexplicably drawn to one another, David and Syd share a startling encounter, after which David must confront the shocking possibility that the voices he hears and the visions he sees may actually be real. A haunted man, David escapes from the hospital and seeks shelter with his sister Amy (Katie Aselton). But Amy's concern for her brother is trumped by her desire to protect the picture perfect suburban life she's built for herself. Eventually, Syd guides David to Melanie Bird (Jean Smart), a nurturing but demanding therapist with a sharp mind and unconventional methods. She and her team of specialists - Ptonomy (Jeremie Harris), Kerry (Amber Midthunder) and Cary (Bill Irwin) - open David's eyes to an extraordinary new world of possibilities .

### Season 2

Syd led David to "Melanie Bird" (Jean Smart), a demanding but nurturing therapist who heads a team of specialists - "Ptonomy" (Jeremie Harris), "Kerry" (Amber Midthunder) and "Cary" (Bill Irwin) - each of whom possesses a unique and extraordinary gift. Together, they helped David to recognize and harness his hidden powers. With their support, David finally unlocked a deeply suppressed truth - he had been haunted his entire life by a malicious parasite of unimaginable power. Known as the "Shadow King," this malevolent creature appeared in the form of David's friend "Lenny" (Aubrey Plaza), but is actually an ancient being named "Amahl Farouk." In an epic showdown, David and his friends battled his demon, ultimately forcing it from David's body. Unfortunately, Farouk found a new host - Melanie's husband "Oliver Bird" (Jemaine Clement) - and escaped. Just when they thought they'd earned a moment of respite, a mysterious orb appeared and took David away to an unknown place. With David and Oliver missing and Farouk on the loose, the team forms an unlikely alliance with their former enemy "Clark" (Hamish Linklater) and his well-funded government organization, Division III. Meanwhile, Amahl Farouk (Navid Negahban) is on a new path to attaining infinite and world-ending power.

### Season 3

From childhood, David shuffled from one psychiatric institution to the next until, in his early 30s, he met and fell in love with a beautiful and troubled fellow patient named “Syd Barrett” (Rachel Keller). After Syd and David shared a startling encounter, he was forced to confront the shocking reality that the voices he hears and the visions he sees are actually real. With the help of Syd and a team of specialists who also possess unique and extraordinary gifts – “Ptonomy Wallace” (Jeremie Harris), “Kerry Loudermilk” (Amber Midthunder) and “Cary Loudermilk” (Bill Irwin) – David unlocked a deeply suppressed truth: he had been haunted his entire life by a malicious parasite of unimaginable power. Known as “The Shadow King,” this malevolent creature appeared in the form of David’s friend “Lenny Busker” (Aubrey Plaza), but was actually an ancient being named “Amahl Farouk” (Navid Negahban). During an epic showdown, David managed to push Farouk out of his body and gain control of his mind. With Farouk on the loose, the team formed an unlikely alliance with their former enemy, “Clark DeBussy” (Hamish Linklater), and his well-funded government organization, Division 3. Unfortunately, the hunt for Farouk reawakened the dark voices in David’s head, and with them, a lust for power. At odds with everyone he once considered a friend, David enlists the help of a young mutant named “Switch” (Lauren Tsai) whose secret ability is key to his plans to repair the damage he caused.

## Cast and characters

* Dan Stevens as David Haller
* Rachel Keller as Sydney Barrett
* Aubrey Plaza as Lenny Busker
* Bill Irwin as Cary Loudermilk
* Jeremie Harris as Ptonomy Wallace
* Amber Midthunder as Kerry Loudermilk
* Katie Aselton as Amy Haller (season 1; recurring season 2)
* Jean Smart as Melanie Bird (seasons 1–2; special guest season 3)
* Navid Negahban as Amahl Farouk (seasons 2–3)
* Jemaine Clement as Oliver Bird (season 2; recurring season 1; special guest season 3)
* Hamish Linklater as Clark Debussy (seasons 2–3; recurring season 1)
* Lauren Tsai as Jia-Yi (season 3)

## Episodes

### Season 1

* "Chapter 1"
* "Chapter 2"
* "Chapter 3"
* "Chapter 4"
* "Chapter 5"
* "Chapter 6"
* "Chapter 7"
* "Chapter 8"

### Season 2

* "Chapter 9"
* "Chapter 10"
* "Chapter 11"
* "Chapter 12"
* "Chapter 13"
* "Chapter 14"
* "Chapter 15"
* "Chapter 16"
* "Chapter 17"
* "Chapter 18"
* "Chapter 19"

### Season 3

* "Chapter 20"
* "Chapter 21"
* "Chapter 22"
* "Chapter 23"
* "Chapter 24"
* "Chapter 25"
* "Chapter 26"
* "Chapter 27"

## Notes

* *Legion* is the first live-action TV series to be based on *X-Men* comics, the second being *The Gifted*.
* Executive producer Lauren Schuler Donner confirmed that *Legion* exists in its own universe separate from that of the *X-Men* films.
* The title of the series originates from David's alias in the comics, which itself is inspired by a biblical tale known as the "exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac". In all accounts of this story, Jesus encounters a man who is possessed by multiple demons. When he asks what their name is, the demons respond with: "My name is Legion, for we are many".
* "Chapter 18" marks the first time that "Legion" is spoken in the series. Melanie Bird, under the control of the Shadow King, refers to David as "Legion, the world killer".

## References

1. ↑ http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2017/03/15/fx-orders-season-two-of-legion-412015/20170315fx01 (June 10, 2017)
2. ↑ https://deadline.com/2018/06/legion-renewed-third-season-fx-1202402005/
3. ↑ http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch/legion (June 10, 2017)
4. ↑ Legion: X-Men Producer on How Professor X Fits In and Future TV Plans