LEGENDS [Series Premiere Review]: Stayin’ Alive! Ah, ha, ha, ha.. Stayin’…

Our own Derek Divine gives the GHG congregation yet another glimpse into an awesome book-turned-TV-show. Allow Him to break down the multifaceted enigma of.. Legends.

 Legends is based on the novel by master spy novelist Robert Littell and stars Sean Bean (Game of Thrones) as Martin Odum, an FBI/covert-ops agent who has the “ability” to change his identity when he goes undercover to take down terrorists and all sorts of baddies. These alternate personas he makes, of course, are called “Legends.”

The agency proclaims Martin to be the best agent they’ve ever had– despite the multitude of therapists needed to clear him for duty. Odum has also always insisted on running things on his own. Shame that his superiors declare quite the opposite.

Enter Crystal Quest (Heroes‘ Ali Larter) as the task force point runner, Maggie (Veronica Mars‘ Tina Majorino) running the computer tech, and Troy (The Client Lists‘ Rob Mayes) as a fellow agent who thinks Martin is past his prime and should pack it in.

I wouldn’t mind Divine– if it wasn’t for his obsession with Katheryne Winnick!

Before I go any further, let’s check out some of the pressing issues the Divine One has:

After checking out a Legends panel at WonderCon, I didn’t understand what the show was really about. Thing is– I’m STILL not really sure what this show is trying to do! Yes, Odum slowly starts to show signs of taking on the traits of his “Legends” by slipping in and out of his personas, even when he is back in his normal life (gestures, speech, language).

So, is this guy suffering from MPD, or is he just losing his shit from doing this for so long? Is this show keeping us in reality, or hinting that maybe there’s more going on? Oh– and there’s a homeless man constantly following Martin who — when confronted — tells him that he might not be who he thinks he is and he needs to “trust no one.”

That’s certainly enough to ruin your fucking day.

They’re killing me off again, aren’t they…

But, let me tell you why I gave this one a shot. No, not to see Sean Bean die right away (although you’d think it were obvious by now…), but rather the fantastic tension and suspense that goes along with that possibility.

Bean, ever so stellar, plays Martin as intense and dire as can be, a rather confused man who can tell something is not quite right with himself, but not sure what to do about it. The supporting cast all have sound, distinct personalities that make them an effective and interesting team to watch. Larter, in particular, seems like TOO much of a badass for this role. She’s bringing it so hard, I feel the agency itself might need to fear her! Hmmm…

The pacing of this show doesn’t leave much time to drift off and lose interest, either, giving the audience enough story to build on Martin’s outside life. The congregation also has to give it up for bringing on the always spectacular Zeljko Ivanek (Revolution, 24) to play the first villain. It would be nice to see him stick around for a couple more eps. Although TNT’s latest gander may throw people off with all its whimsicality, there’s enough promise here to send off the summer TV season on a high note.

3 (out of 5) Bibles

Legends will air on TNT every Wed at 9/8c.