美国国家公共电台 NPR The Stylish FX Series 'Legion' Suffers From A Split Personality

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Tonight on FX is the debut¹ of a TV show called "Legion." It's about a super-powered man who may or may not be mentally ill. NPR TV critic Eric Deggans says it has the feel of a superhero show for people who don't really like superhero shows.

ERIC DEGGANS, BYLINE²: "Legion" is set in the Marvel³ universe inhabited by the X-Men, but there are no capes⁴, no costumes and the mutants we see in the first few episodes use their powers sparingly. It's a superhero show that resists admitting it is one. And that's both the most satisfying and frustrating⁵ thing about it.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "LEGION")

DEGGANS: Here's the setup - David Haller hears voices in his head. It's driven him to drugs and a suicide attempt. David is plagued with a twitchy earnestness by Dan Stevens, who TV fans might recognize as Matthew Crawley from "Downton Abbey." But after years in an institution, David says he's feeling restless during a birthday visit from his sister.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "LEGION")

KATIE ASELTON: (As Amy Haller) So do they let you throw a little party here, or?

DAN STEVENS: (As David Haller) Yeah. They rent the furniture. We get a DJ.

ASELTON: (As Amy Haller) Really?

STEVENS: (As David Haller) No. We do get better drugs, though.

ASELTON: (As Amy Haller) Really?

STEVENS: (As David Haller) No. It's just like - 260th Thursday as a passenger on the cruise ship Mental Health.

DEGGANS: It turns out David is actually telling the story about his sister to a man he doesn't know is an evil government henchman. And when that henchmen reports to his boss, he reveals that the voices in David's head just might be the thoughts of other people.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "LEGION")

HAMISH LINKLATER: (As The Interrogator) Well, he believes he's mentally ill. But at the the same time, part of him knows that the power is real.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) And are we clear on the scope and nature of this power?

LINKLATER: (As The Interrogator) No. But if the readings are right, he may be the most powerful mutant that we have ever encountered.

DEGGANS: It's a story we've seen many times before - an innocent with amazing abilities flees a brutal⁶ institution - from movies like "E.T." to Netflix's surprise hit "Stranger Things." Hopefully David won't escape in a flying bicycle, but "Legion" the TV show is created by Noah Hawley, the mind behind FX's amazing adaptation of the movie "Fargo." So it's got some surprises up its sleeve.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "LEGION")

STEVENS: (As David Haller) Oh.

(SOUNBITE OF DISHES SHATTERING)

DEGGANS: That's a scene where David destroys a kitchen with his mind, flinging utensils⁷, food and appliances around in a detailed⁸ slow motion shower the viewer walks through like a 3-D display. It's a stunning⁹ sequence similar to visuals in movies like "The Matrix," but given a unique bold spin here. It's also a memory. Like David, viewers are sometimes not quite sure what's happening to him now, what is a memory or what he's sensing that may actually be happening elsewhere.

It's the same kind of is-it-real-or-isn't-it storytelling used in shows like "Mr. Robot" and "Westworld," and it can be confusing. "Legion" walks a careful balance. David must sort through dark secrets locked in his mind to control his powers, which sounds like a classic superhero story. But a lot of it is about David's interior struggles with mental illness and his love for a fellow mutant who he can't touch.

This program wants it both ways - to draw comic book fans with a story set in the X-Men world while avoiding some of the classic elements of the genre¹⁰ for people who don't usually watch superhero movies or TV shows. So far "Legion" is very good, but not quite great. It's a visually impressive program with a narrative¹¹ style that just might revolutionize the superhero series on TV, that's if it can elevate its core story above the kind of plots we've already seen so many times before. I'm Eric Deggans.

(SOUNDBITE OF KIASMOS SONG, "DRAWN")

1 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 marvel   

vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事

参考例句：

• The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。
• The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。

4 capes   

碎谷； 斗篷( cape的名词复数 )； 披肩； 海角； 岬

参考例句：

• It was cool and they were putting on their capes. 夜里阴冷，他们都穿上了披风。
• The pastor smiled to give son's two Capes five cents money. 牧师微笑着给了儿子二角五分钱。

5 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

7 utensils   

器具，用具，器皿( utensil的名词复数 )； 器物

参考例句：

• Formerly most of our household utensils were made of brass. 以前我们家庭用的器皿多数是用黄铜做的。
• Some utensils were in a state of decay when they were unearthed. 有些器皿在出土时已经残破。

8 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

9 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

10 genre   

n.(文学、艺术等的)类型，体裁，风格

参考例句：

• My favorite music genre is blues.我最喜欢的音乐种类是布鲁斯音乐。
• Superficially,this Shakespeare's work seems to fit into the same genre.从表面上看， 莎士比亚的这个剧本似乎属于同一类型。

11 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。