(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 2.11

This show is such a weird and cool experience. That opening scene was such an oddity I watched it again as soon as the episode ended. Cool foreshadowing to David singing that he was the bad man.

Three years later? What happened to all of our characters outside the ice cube? Oh, okay. We're going right back to the action.

"You were beating him to death. That's not a love story." That is a great line.

This thing has taken a dark turn of self-destructive reflection. But talking to three versions of yourself probably means you really are crazy. And those other two versions of you aren't that different. It's like having a devil on one shoulder and the devil's personal assistance on the other shoulder.

Implausible shot fro Lenny, but I'll allow it.

Farouk's not wrong about forcing love on someone. It just stinks to hear that rational argument coming from him.

Inception, Minority Report, #MeToo: they are getting as many pop culture references into one episode as they can tonight.

David and Lenny: the Thelma & Louise of mutants.

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 2.10

I'm not one that normally cares about what a girl looks like on television after something happens, but after roaming through the desert the entire day and sleeping in a tent smaller than a dorm room, Sydney would definitely not look that good with her hair and makeup so perfect. I'm just saying.

Yes, we've all heard that definition of insanity.

You remember the television show Out of This World? It was about a girl whose dad is an alien and gives her the power to freeze time. The theme song was what Oliver was singing. Burt Reynolds was the voice of the dad, right? Woah! David is going all Zero Dark Thirty on Oliver.

Did Professor X ever break bad in the comic books? Could he have been like David if humanity had pushed back a little more against his team of mutants?

I know I keep saying this, but I live Aubrey Plaza.

I always forget that David tried to kill himself. He really is one tragic figure in this show. He's been through a lot. Yet, I am starting to question whether David might be the hero of this show. The Shadow King was a valid reason to blame his bad behavior, but he truly might be insane.

Let Kerry kick some butt! ... Nice! ... Oh come on! It's not fair that she has to fight even more of those henchmen.

A Lenny and Kerry spin-off! That's the show I want.

Surely next week is the season finale. We've been building to this all season. It cannot be dragged out any longer, right?

Yep, season finale. Looks promising.

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 2.9

I need a "Previously on Legion." If any television show needs a "previously on," it's Legion.

This episode is like a PSA for drugs. Parents, don't let your kids do drugs or they will end up like lazy, abandoned wives holding a grudge against their husbands who are trapped inside an ice cube.

I love Cary/Kerry.

Oh yeah! This is the episode that Lenny goes nuts and parties hard. I was looking forward to this one.

I'm no biologist, but I'm pretty sure you can't make a prince that way.

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 2.8

As far as episodes go, this one was pretty straight forward for Legion. The plot seemed to move forward giving its characters a clear objective while unraveling a bit more of the mystery regarding Farouk's body's whereabouts. It really only had one side-tracked tangent about delusions in the middle of the episode, including the sweet-sweet voice of Jon Hamm telling us about people living in caves and watching society unravel through shadows on the walls.

The teaser for next week looks extremely interesting with Lenny being all Lenny like. More Aubrey Plaza is always appreciated.

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 2.7

Ostensibly on Legion.

What do the Amish building a barn have to do with moral panic?

Ah, not Amish, but pilgrims. And I see where you're going with this.

Did we run out of money and the sets are all just white backgrounds now?

Ha! He really is at the kiddie table.

I want to eat where there is a conveyor belt of entrees.

Did we know the mustache girls were robots? I don't remember them ever establishing that they are robots. Of course, I don't think I remember ever seeing more than three of them at a time. I just thought they were triplet females who wore mustaches (never thought I would type that in my lifetime).

Yeah, I don't really understand the tree as a computer thing. I'm confused.

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 2.6

If multiple realities are really a thing, would we be the same person in each and its our surroundings that alter or would we have different personalities? Would we be victims of circumstance in each reality or would our different selves dictate the reality?

I knew that was a Clockwork Orange reference before the kids showed up. I recognized the camera shot when he walked into the tunnel.

Oh dear! But they put a much stranger twist on the scene than Kubrick did.

I thought I wanted to go back to corporate climbing David, but he turned out to be an a-hole.

I feel like I need to rewatch each episode immediately to fully understand what is being asked of me on a conceptual level. Maybe even watching the entire series again prior to each episode would help. This is my life now, watching Legion over and over again each week prior to every new episode. Quit my job, give up my 401K, pour everything I am into Legion. Sorry kids, daddy can't play with you today. He has to watch episode six of season one for the 37th time.

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 2.5

Not "Previously on Legion," but "Apparently on Legion." Nice!

I hate that little tar frog creature. It's creepy.

I don't even know what to say about that ending. Wow!

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 2.4

Was that one of those fake stage fires in the igloo?

Syd has some anger issues. Understandably so.

That is one of those fake stage fires! You'd think the production budget would be big enough to get a permit for a real fire on the set. Maybe the igloo was made of real ice and it couldn't withstand the heat. Or, and I can believe this in regard to this show, the decision to have a fake stage fire was purposeful.

Only took 55 minutes of a 60-minute program to get the opening credits.

There's Aubrey Plaza! Love her.

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 2.3

I'll try not to keep being a week late on these. They limited my Internet access at the office, so I am unable to post any longer at my work computer.

If Cary (the male) dies when Kerry (the female) is outside his body, does she die? Or does she then have to live a normal lifespan on her own? I feel like they covered this in season one, but I don't remember. What if he dies with her in him? Do they both die?

Aubrey Plaza deserves all the awards for this role. Just, whatever awards there are out there, back the truck up and give them to her. She is fantastic.

It is usually lazy writing to just simply solve a problem by saying, "I did a thing in your head." But it works here for some reason.

Uh, what? Not cool Legion. You can't just end there? I don't care that you are following up on this thread in a week. I don't want to wait a week.

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 2.2

I'm either getting acclimated to the oddities of this show or episode two took it easy on the psychedelic antics. Speaking of psychedelic antics, while watching this episode I started wondering about the correlation between the main characters of Legion and different drugs. Being that I've never taken part in a drug harder than liquor and cigarettes/cigars, I'm not exactly a leading expert in this area, but let's take a look at whether I can make this metaphor work.

Regarding our main hero, David Haller, and his counterpart, the Shadow King, they represent hallucinogens, such as LSD, also known as acid, trips, mushies, and tabs. Like their name suggests, hallucinogens produce hallucinations, which correlates pretty well with the telekinetic and telepathic abilities of David and the Shadow King.

Amphetamines, or speed, whizz, ice, and uppers, would be most associated with Cary Loudermilk, who is the brains of the operation. Amphetamines are a stimulant that speeds up certain chemicals in the brain and used to treat ADHD. In other words it helps you focus. Cary is a scientist focused on helping David cope with his multiple personalities and essential in solving many of the mysteries of the show.

Cary's counterpart, Kerry Loudermilk, would be the manifestation of cocaine, or coke, freebase, crack, Charlie, C, and rock. Cocaine produces a feeling of increased alertness and reduced fatigue. This makes me think of someone who is amped up and ready for a fight, which is most certainly the best way to describe Kerry. She is a mutant who lives inside Cary and can separate from his body when necessary, which is usually when a bit of muscle is needed.

As for cannabis, or marijuana, pot, weed, mull, leaf, and gunga, Sydney "Syd" Barrett is our girl. Syd is David's girlfriend and her mutant power is that she swaps minds with others for a temporary period. Because cannabis can be a depressant drug but also cause hallucinogenic and stimulant properties, Syd seems to represent this drug the most. Depending on the person (or cat in the case of this episode) she swaps with, her demeanor can change to reflect the person she is supposed to be imitating.

Lenny Busker is the epitome of ecstasy, also known as es, XTC, echoes, pills, and bickies. This drug has both stimulant and hallucinogenic properties. It is sometimes referred to as a psychedelic amphetamine, which Lenny is all too happy to embody, metaphorically.

Finally we have Melanie Bird. So far in season two she would represent heroine, or hammer, H, smack, horse, white, and beige. Heroine is a depressant that slows down the whole body, including breathing and heart rate. Thus far this season, all we've seen Melanie do is get high and lay in bed.

Again, I've never done a hard drug before in my life, so I really don't know if this is an accurate depiction of the characters and their drug counterparts. This is simply what I was contemplating while watching the episode, which is the point of these posts.

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 2.1

It's a new season for David and his mutant friends. That means another season of not live tweeting about Legion. Instead, I will post my collective thoughts after the show has aired and post it to the blog. So instead of live tweets, you are getting carefully constructed and thought-out blog posts.

It should be noted that if you haven't yet watched this week's episode, don't read on. Spoiler alert provided.

Jon Hamm!!! Voice-over narration by Jon Hamm. I'm already in love with the second season.

What is the cost of a single episode of this show? The production value is incredible. Sheesh!

Thanks Hamm. Now every crazy idea I ever have will be rendered in my mind as an oily mess of a stillborn chick.

I love the way Rachel Keller says, "He's my man." It's been used in a lot of the promos leading up to this season and there's something in her deliver and inflection that is solid.

What it must be like in the Legion writers' room: "Guys, we are really onto something, but you know what we need in this episode? A dance off!"

This show shouldn't exist. No network has executives smart or patient enough to let a show like this on the air. Let alone renew it for a second season.

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 8

I don't really have a ton of things to say about this episode.  I've finally come to a point that I am comfortable with everything they are throwing at me.  Overall, the series was very solid, horrifying at times, and constantly made you question what you were viewing.

The episode ends on a cliffhanger, like 95% of television series these days.  Lucky for us a second season has already been approved.

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 7

"Is she, I want to say, Chinese?"

Even though it makes zero sense in the context of reality and/or television conventions, the silent movie treatment works for this show.

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 6

Nina Simone + Aubrey Plaza = Winning

Kudos to the production team and behind-the-scenes crew/interns for the detailed work.  Having to destroy, clean, again destroy, again clean, and then repeat another six or seven times a scene in David's apartment kitchen from the past for a two-second clip in a single episode is the work of the unsung heroes.

Are we ever going to address the man living in the willow tree at the psychiatric hospital?

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 5

It took more than half the season, but I finally feel comfortable in this world.  Things that a single episode before would have resulted in needing to either watch again or it would have resulted in me sitting with my mouth open as unexplainable things passed over my dumb head, now I finally feel like I am starting to get a firm grasp.

There's a moment in this episode that feel like Wes Anderson directed.

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 4

Just when you think you are starting to get a firm grasp of this show, they start with a wicked curveball that completely throws you off again.

"See, memory is an illusion."  Great line.

Beat poetry?  Where else but FX?

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 3

This episode would be what happens if Stephen King's It monster and Christopher Nolan's dream team from Inception had a child that eventually became a member of the X-men.

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 2

Welcome to the second of eight posts that will deal with the FX program Legion.  This will be short and sweet.

The audience is, I believe, supposed to be as much in the dark about the goings on of this show as David is.  It seems the creators of the show are putting the viewer in David's shoes in that we are learning the potential of David's powers, what is reality and what is inside his head, and who David really is at the same time David is doing so.

I dig it.

(Not) Live (Not) Tweeting 'Legion' Episode 1

While I'm nearly three months late and I don't have a Twitter account, I feel the FX television show Legion deserves a bit of a review, and it needs to be done on an episode-by-episode basis.  So this is my live tweeting version of watching Legion that is neither live nor in tweets.

First off, this show is weird.  And I don't mean weird like with Fargo, another FX series, that characters are quirky and oddball events happen in a 60-minute period.  When I say it is weird, I mean it doesn't completely make sense after a single episode.  But it is also filmed in a weird style.  The pacing and editing is extremely confusing (purposefully so).  Although I've never watched Mr. Robot, I feel like Legion is similar in that it makes you question every second of what you are viewing as to whether it is the main character's imagination or the show's reality.

However, that doesn't mean I don't like it.  Anything that starts with music from the Who and later includes the Rolling Stones is going to be enjoyed. 

I look forward to the remaining seven episodes and will try to have some reflecting thoughts following each episode for these (not) live (not) tweeting posts.

R.I.P. Robert Osborne

A long-time houseguest of mine passed away today.  Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne died at the age of 84.

Osborne started his Hollywood career as an actor, but quickly made the transition to writing.  He penned a reference book about the Academy Awards and had a column in The Hollywood Reporter for more than 25 years.  He eventually made the move to television, where he started on The Movie Channel, but when TCM began broadcasting in 1994, Osborne was there to introduce the network's very first film, Gone with the Wind.

In regard to Osborne's career on TCM, Screencrush writer Matt Singer says it best:

"Though Osborne wielded an expert's knowledge of film history, he never came off as an elitist snob.  He never made viewers feel inferior just because they hadn't seen Dark Victory before; he was always excited that they were ready to watch Dark Victory now.  He made old movies accessible, setting an inclusive tone and striking an inspiring example."

Several of my friends know, even if I'm not going to watch television, I turn the TV on and set it to TCM simply to give the network ratings.  It is because of that odd sense of loyalty that Osborne could be heard throughout my house nightly.  It is a disappointing day for film lovers.