Legends reviews

[lighty]

Well, I finally watched it (thanks, Sable :)  ), so here's my review.

Sean is great - really good and he seems to be enjoying himself.  Not surprising; he's a damned good actor and this role lets him stretch a bit, so it has to be more fun.

The supporting cast is . . . um . . . uh . . .

Ali Lauter is okay.  Just old enough to be believable as a senior agent and talented enough to pull it off (unlike that chick on Blacklist - yerg).  She's a bit tense in the role, but I suspect that will improve.  The character itself isn't all that believable, though.  If she is the agent in charge of the covert ops, the chances of her doing field work are between slim and none - though it appears that financial cutbacks have severely impacted the LA field office.

Steve Harris as the boss?  What is up with that?  Is he supposed to sound like he's reading from a storyboard?  Harris is a better actor than that . . . and please tell me he isn't the token black guy.

The young techy kids.  The one they killed off was more interesting than the other one - maybe she'll grow on me.

The chiselly jawed agent?  A non-starter.  What was his purpose in the pilot?

The ex-wife and kid?  The kid is cute, but nothing but filler.  The ex-wife?  Who knows?  The premise of Odem having an ex-wife and kid?  No where good to go with that.  Unrealistic if supposed to be authentic - if part of the "big secret" then it implies someone has been successfully manipulating Odem for at least a decade.  Gets a resounding "meh" as a plot device.

The dialogue bounces between interesting and painfully trite - as if they passed the screenplay around a table of talented writers and talentless hacks.

I'm unconvinced that they can successfully combine the standard "good guy catching bad guy" genre (yawn) with the much more interesting (in this I disagree completely with the "areyouscreening" review just above) and potentially complex and intellectually challenging story of watching Martin Odem figure out what the hell is going on in his life.

In the end, I'm hopeful Sean can carry it - because I don't think there's enough there there to stand.

[Frances]

Thanks for your review lighty!

[patch]

Legends - Chemistry - Review

Back for its second episode, “Legends” delivered some tense moments and an episode that sets up what looks to be a longer-running FBI plot, as well as continued to develop the characters and show insight into Martin Odum’s state of mind. The gap between the development of the pilot and the second episode showed with a slight shift in tone in Odum’s character and the start of building a new FBI-case storyline with more layers that what we saw in the pilot.
 
Whereas Sean Bean’s Odum in the pilot is clearly unraveling under the pressure of his job and having to adapt to one legend after another, his character in Chemistry seemed a little more collected and guarded. While the confusion is still there (Odum signs himself into the FBI building as Lincoln Dittmann, the name of his most recent alias), Odum is quick to cover – telling a psychiatrist in a job-mandated psych evaluation that it was a joke, without pausing to blink. He deflects during this evaluation, showing that he’s an expert casual liar, and makes light of the session afterward when Yates asks him how the session went, with the quip, “Feeling much better now.”
But while Odum is more outwardly composed – which could be attributed to the fact that in the pilot, Odum was just emerging from six months in deep cover and there was more confusion – Odum’s fractured mental state is conveyed through flashbacks during his eval session that are broken into blending screen shots, as Odum is heard to tell the psychiatrist that he keeps the different parts of his life, his family and his job, separate from each other.
Yates tells Odum not to tell anyone else about what McCombs said. While the apparent reason is that he doesn’t want to fuel any more concerns in the FBI about Odum’s sanity, as I’m watching this (being suspicious as this is a show with a conspiracy), I’m wondering if it could mean that Yates is trying to hide something. I was also looking for double-meaning in Yates’ comment, “what a goddamn mess,” after Troy was killed (thinking this was a second week in a row someone on his team got killed), and partially suspicious of Crystal’s reaction of fear going into the job, wondering if it’s a clue that there’s more going on with her than we know. I’m overthinking this, I know, but that's the fun of watching a show with conspiracies.

As for the FBI case (I’m going to stop calling it the case of the week for now, because this current storyline has a longer span than a week), I felt like it slowly built as the episode continued. As we end the episode, the kidnapped man, Russian chemist Alexander Nevelsky, or Richard Hubbard, is now developing a chemical bomb that the team believes will be launched in Los Angeles. Odum gets a nice Jack Bauer moment in the case, as he plays his own version of Russian Roulette with a reluctant criminal informant’s body parts, to get him to talk. The show ends with Odum preparing to adopt the legend of Dante Orbach, or “Lord of War,” an English playboy death merchant who the team believes is the best legend to quickly get close to a chemical weapon. It’s an intriguing legend, and Yates seems to be talking in part to the fans as he says, “Sit back and watch. It’s his show now.”

http://www.spoilertv.com/2014/08/legends-chemistry-review.html


Legends: "Chemistry" Review

While still maintaining a fair amount of rough, rudimentary elements ("No more of that cowboy s***!" Larter's Agent McGuire scolds), "Chemistry" improved upon the pilot episode by not only keeping Sean Bean's Martin Odum mostly out of the undercover game, but also by focusing more intently on the larger conspiracy arc started last week with the murders of Bobby and the homeless man.

 Also, by having the "case of the week" get drawn out over (who looks like) two episodes, it helps blend the show together into a much more serialized affair. And it also helped make Odum's undercover work seem more vital and important. Because hearing that he's the best undercover agent over and over gets tiring very quickly. And so "Chemistry" worked to show us just how important the decision is for Odum to go back into the field, calling upon one of his established identities, so quickly after the "Founding Father" events of the premiere. The show is making sure that the psychological dangers are evident and ever-pressing.

The Verdict

By sticking with the conspiracy angle (even bringing in a new character to help compartmentalize it a bit) and giving our heroes a not-so-easy to solve terrorist puzzle, "Chemistry" was a better episode than the pilot. Plus, Odum going back into the field so soon was treated like a big, dangerous deal and that instantly helped sell the psychological dangers of the job. So hopefully at some point soon, with all those things working its favor, the series will shuck some its more familiar elements
 

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/08/21/legends-chemistry-review



Legends Episode Two: The Russians Are Coming (Recap/Review)

*May Contain Spoilers*

This series is a great vehicle for Sean Bean and Ali Larter. The Brit actor has that rugged countenance that makes any physical role he plays very believable. Legends has given him a chance to show off his acting chops. Ali Larter shines as the tough boss who does things by the numbers and who does not trust Bean’s character. In episode two, the Russians are coming to ruin everyone’s day and it looks like Martin will have to put aside searching for his “real” identity a bit longer.
 

http://guardianlv.com/2014/08/legends-episode-two-the-russians-are-coming-recapreview/

[patch]

Legends After Show Season 1 Episode 2 "Chemistry" | AfterBuzz TV

AFTERBUZZ TV – Legends edition, is a weekly “after show” for fans of TNT’s Legends. In this show, hosts Dave Klein, JB Zimmerman and Carrie Long discuss episode 2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVWsaVUWDzI

[lasue]

Unfortunately, I went camping for a few days and missed episode 2. I'm going to try to see it this week on the
true TV channel. So is it safe to assume that most of the viewers LOVED IT ???


                                                                                   

[Waverunner]

I  loved it!!!

[Waverunner]

Just in case anyone missed the first 2 episodes and might miss the 3rd one this week

According to a I did on search on TVGuide.com all 3 of the shown eposides will be shown on Wednesday September 3rd

•   TNTLegends — Pilot 11:00 AM (1 hr)
•   TNT Legends — Chemistry 12:00 PM (1 hr)
•   TNT Legends — Lords of War 1:00 PM (1 hr)

[lasue]

Thank you that's good to know !!

[purpledaisy]

Yes! Thank you!!  I missed the last one too!! 

[moonflower]

I've definitely enjoyed both episodes!

[patch]

http://www.tracking-board.com/tb-talks-tv-legends-review-lords-of-war/

This week’s episode brought a new alias into the mix and one that Odum seems familiar with, taking over the role seamlessly. He’s starting to have identity issues and, in an unusual mood for the private character, goes to his ex-wife for help in remembering details. It only scares him further but can’t deal with it as the meeting he’s been waiting for is made. It’s intriguing to watch Sean Bean transform into these different characters with such complicated story lines and inner demons.

The storyline is getting more interesting as more of his Legend alias’ pop up and new elements are added into the mix, such as Agent Rice and his never-ending pursuit of Odum for the homeless man’s murder. As the episodes continue, however, they seem to get darker and more gruesome, for lack of a better word. A hot iron to torture a man into answering something was a bit much, however he soon was forced to administer a fatal nerve gas, something he was clearly uncomfortable with. It affected him in a way that was hard for him to conceal and leaves me with this thought; if this is episode three and we’ve progressed to this, what will appear in the future episodes?

As the episodes continue to air I’m getting more and more hooked into this series and this man that is the best at what he does but is losing himself slowly to his alias’. While I hope the actions of the characters don’t get too disturbing in the future, I’m interested to see what’ll happen when Odum really starts to lose himself and how he’ll bounce back from that. Meanwhile, I’ll enjoy the variety of acting that Sean Bean gets to showcase on a weekly basis.
 

http://www.tracking-board.com/tb-talks-tv-legends-review-lords-of-war/


Legends – Lords of War

The short-lived relationship between Dante and the Ana Paulanos (Zadegan) is the highlight of the show’s third episode. Hopefully we’ll see her again. While working his best Dante magic to earn the woman’s trust (both in and out of the bedroom), Martin also enlists the help of Nelson Gates (Steve Harris) to deal with the FBI agent (Morris Chestnut) Martin accidentally put on his scent when he began investigating the death of the mysterious homeless man whose warnings the undercover agent has been unable to shake off.

Although the scientist is recovered, Martin is forced to do the Colonel’s bidding to keep his cover and move one step closer to achieving his goal. The short conversation between Martin and his ex-wife (Amber Valletta) also clues us into the fact that Martin is having trouble with distinguishing past events from his real life with legends he, or someone else, has created for him. The continued foreshadowing of some dark secret about the real Martin continues to be teased but it may be some time before we get any real answers to who Martin Odum really is.
 

http://www.razorfine.com/television-reviews/legends-lords-of-war/



'Legends' recap: Don't mess with Dante Auerbach

Legends rebounds this week with an hour of intensity, brutality, and the debut of Martin’s most notorious legend, Dante Auerbach. Dante is an international arms dealer who likes to get his hands dirty, and they were filthy by the time this episode was over. Sean Bean gave a killer performance as it felt like he sunk his teeth into this character more than previous legend, Lincoln Dittman. Dante gives off a cool, sexy vibe, but with a gleem of bad intentions behind his eyes. I think this week only scratched the surface of what Dante Auerbach is capable of.
 He forces Dante to take an eye dropper full of liquid VX gas and…. you should watch the episode. This scene was disturbing for Dante, and the audience, but it reenforced the fact that Martin will do anything to keep his cover. I hope this element of his personality continues to escalate as the season goes on because it will make for a fantastic series.

http://community.ew.com/2014/08/27/legends-recap-season-1-episode-3/


Legends: Lords of War Review
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode follow...

The Verdict
I enjoy the Dante "legend" that Odum's currently locked into, as well as the fact that the gas terror plot is continuing on into another week, but some of the action cliches are still abound. Like villains firing warning shots and hot female arms dealers interviewing potential clients in bed. I get that Paulanos probably made up that "rule" because she liked Odum, but it still felt silly. Also, Agent Rice is already tiresome. 

http://in.ign.com/legends-lords-of-war/63444/review/legends-lords-of-war-review

[patch]

Legends 1.03 Review: “Lords of War”

Before we start the review of Legends, I’d like to personally apologize for the tardiness of the review. Totally my fault; had something come up last night and then spent all day today busy. I wasn’t able to get to the episode until now. So, my bad.

With that aside, lets get started.

If you’ve been reading my reviews at all, you know how critical I’ve been of the show. Very critical, in fact. Justifiably so. It’s been a clichéd mess of a clichéd mess. Not much about this show had been original. This episode is a little bit different. That’s not to say its actually original; there is a lot of the show that is derivative and boring and stupid. But it also has its moments. It’s three episodes in and it’s on the move. They don’t let plot hang. The Tony Rice storyline is progressing forward nicely, painting a more complex picture of Agent Rice than before. It’s allowed the best parts (the character beats with Odum and Gates, Bean’s incredibly engaging performance) to take over the episode.

And the plot this week wasn’t terrible! Last week, dealing with the same storyline, it was terribly boring. I couldn’t have given less of a shit about what was going on. And to be honest I’m not even sure what they did different this episode, to change my feelings on this. But it was so, so much better. The opening scene, in which the good Russian-American doctor Alexander Nevelsky bashes in the head of his guards, frees his family, and nearly escapes the compound, was 100x more dynamic and exciting and real than the whole episode preceding it. Odum’s legend is better too. As Dante Auerbach, Bean gets to swagger around, but also shown a vulnerable side. Yes, I know his previous characters showed “vulnerability” but for whatever reason it just worked better this time.

Oh, and man, his chemistry with Necar Zadegan (who plays arms broker Ana Paulanos) is just off the charts. There’s a really great scene in which Zadegan and Bean are having a drink, trying to close a deal. Bean is telling fake Auerbach stories, playing his cover well. Zadegan is smiling, laughing, enjoying herself, but there’s something more there: if you look really closely, her smile and her laughter is not so much about enjoyment, but about satisfaction. She’s pulled something over on him. She’s played him. She’s got guys searching his apartment to verify his identity. It’s a really good bit of acting. The whole episode was worth watching just for that scene.

There’s also much more character fleshing than ever before. The mad colonel Yuri whose forcing Alexander Nevelsky to make VX gas it filled in. Ana Paulanos is filled in. Auerbach is filled in. Even Bean’s Odum is filled in! All of them have various little quirks and histories that reveal new and interesting sides.

But that’s also what’s so frustrating, too. The writing of the show remains, at best, a C-. Every interesting thing they bring forth is layered with mounds of shitty writing. Stop selling Odum’s brilliance! Stop saying the persons name in dialogue, in every piece of dialogue! Stop having Larter’s McGuire be the negative nancy because Odum is “unorthodox!” Do SOMETHING DIFFERENT. Let these characters play! LET MY PEOPLE FREE!

No. But for real; this show should be better. The cast is working hard. Bean is dropping actor-bombs like it’s the end of the world. Legends is actually showing signs of potential. I just hope it doesn’t get tv troped to death before it gets there. This is the second episode of this particular story arc, and it feels like its going to be here for a while. Which makes the pilot episode even more strange in hindsight, because it feels so disconnected with the rest of the show. I don’t know. Let’s hope next week improves to the degree that this one did.
 

http://www.tvovermind.com/reviews/legends-1-03-review-lords-war-238837


Legends TNT Action Thriller Continues (Recap and Review)

*Contains Spoilers*

By the end of this week’s Legends it looks like Martin has just doomed another man to instant death by inserting a drop of nerve agent in his eye. TNT has taken a spy/action thriller which continues to raise the stakes and pits an FBI undercover specialist against the bad guys and himself. Sean Bean still lives and he is still “knocking his performance out of the park.”
Read more at http://guardianlv.com/2014/08/legends-tnt-action-thriller-continues-recap-and-review/#psjqbpEdFkB7hfch.99

http://guardianlv.com/2014/08/legends-tnt-action-thriller-continues-recap-and-review/



Legends: Episode 3 Review – Lords of War

This show is not high art; it’s not award winning. It is a fairly solid, entertaining show, and if you like James Bond, Jason Bourne, Mitch Rapp and other spy/action thrillers, you’ll probably be willing to overlook the cliches. I’m glad that we didn’t have to see poor Crystal (Ali Larster) tossed into a skimpy dress, or less, again – maybe they’ll start treating her with the respect her character’s position deserves. But with the addition of the identity storyline, this has become more interesting. It’s being introduced slowly – and I expect to see more about Martin’s difficulty figuring out who he is in coming weeks – but the pace works. The little bits of his personality disintegration making it into his legends works. He signs checks with the wrong name, he puts bits of his faulty memories into his legends. Sean Bean is a compelling actor, even if he’s surrounded by several fairly wooden actors (although I do like Steve Harris as Nelson Gates), and carries the show fairly well. Next week’s episode will continue with the Dante Auerbach legend, and I hope they don’t spend any longer than that with Dante – one of the show’s hooks is to see how Martin can transform himself into a number of different characters -but I’ll stay with it! How about you?

http://www.threeifbyspace.net/2014/08/legends-episode-3-review-lords-of-war/#.VAAetMIcSAg


Legends After Show Season 1 Episode 3 "Lord Of War" | AfterBuzz TV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfRGr6TgFk0

[patch]

Legends: "Betrayal" Review

Warning: Full spoilers for the episode follow...

The Verdict

There was some good action this week. The FBI fake out, when it looked like Dante had massacred everyone to free Yuri and Ana, was pretty cool. And the bus attack was notably cruel. Even if it was pretty convenient that Yuri had that sort of back-up terror plan in place. Odum having to re-enter the scene as Dante was good too - though reminiscent of when he had to resume being his undercover "legend" back in the premiere. A risky, last-ditch effort to get the villain to drop their guard. At least here he got to come back as Dante the vengeful badass and put the screws to Yuri.

I feel as though Legends will truly reach a new level once it stops running old plays and I can no longer predict what's next.
 

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/09/04/legends-betrayal-review?utm_campaign=ign+main+twitter&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social


Legends: Guilt, Sadness, and a Right of Passage

Warning: Spoiler Alert

   have to say, at this point, I am almost disappointed when there is closure to anything in this show. I think I love the idea that there is no telling when the episode will end. Story line wise. That said, a very enjoyable episode. And here is the fun part. I get the suspicion that all of these episodes, the Virginia Extremist group to bomb the economic summit all the way to Anna and the Colonel, are a set up before we venture into the larger overarching story of Martin Odum’s legitimate identity. I think with closure on this story line, combined with Rice perhaps believing that Odum didn’t kill the man in the green jacket, and now the way this episode ended feels like a nice transition to the bigger story. However, this show is anything but predictable.

http://notjustanothertvsite.com/


Legends Review: “Betrayal”

  "Legends” seems to be following a few cases over the course of the season, which is a welcome change from the perceived case-a-day format shows like this usually take. It seems, however, to be growing more graphic every week, and while most wouldn’t notice that, it irks me that they feel it’s necessary. There’s a fine line between necessity and vanity and this show frequently crosses it.

This week was a welcome break from Martin’s identity crisis, as it wasn’t part of the story or relevant to the episode. While it appears it will come back full blast next week (it is the point of the show after all), as we begin to learn more and more about Odum’s past, this week proved that it isn’t a necessary plot line to keep an audience interested or the show moving forward. Sean Bean plays this role well and the show could easily be about him and his different “Legends” with the occasional self-crisis thrown in.

This week was a great break from his identity problems but next week it appears we’ll learn more and begin to answer the question: exactly who is Martin Odum?

 

http://www.tracking-board.com/tb-talks-tv-legends-review-betrayal/



Legends 1.04 Review: “Betrayal”

Over the last two episodes, Legends has made great cinematic strides. The clichés are kept to a minimum, the story flows along with suspense and dynamic tension, and the character beats hit home. I don’t know where this show was in the first two episodes but it is reborn.

Nearly.

 
There’s a cool undercurrent of abuse of power in this episode and the last. They really skip past all the regulations and ethics and just do whatever they want to do. Yes, its for a good cause, but with Odum willing to fake an affidavit and them backdating a search warrant and them taking away the rights of Yuri and Ana (as deserved as it may be) it’s painting a complex picture of the work they do.

Let’s just hope they do something with it. I really hope its intentional plotting for the rest of the season and beyond, because if its just the writers living out adolescent right-wing power fantasies I am going to write a really stern letter.

 

http://www.tvovermind.com/tv-news/legends-1-04-review-betrayal-239385

[Waverunner]

Great to see that reviews are becoming more positive and supportive of the show. Hope the trend continues and the audiences increase. I am really enjoying the show (yes, primarily because of Sean’s superb acting skills but also the storylines and plots) and would hate to see it have only one season.

[purpledaisy]

I really enjoyed the latest episode too.  I think Sean is really superb but I think the plot lines are a little predictable (I think one critic said that also).  But it keeps getting better so I hope it continues.  Also, I think more than the plot being predictable it's that the supporting characters are all just super cliché.  It bugs me a little.  Sorry.

[Waverunner]

I really enjoyed the latest episode too.  I think Sean is really superb but I think the plot lines are a little predictable (I think one critic said that also).  But it keeps getting better so I hope it continues.  Also, I think more than the plot being predictable it's that the supporting characters are all just super cliché.  It bugs me a little.  Sorry.

As far as I am concerned, no need to be sorry. I have to agree about the supporting characters. It bugs me a little too. I have seen some improvement in most of the characters over the course of the episodes - notable exception is the Crystal character - Hopefully they will continue to improve.  :)

[Sable899]

Very surprising to see Sean in full-on pissed off Dante mode. He hasn't done anything like that in a long time. They sure aren't dancing around the violence in this series.

[patch]

Legends After Show Season 1 Episode 4 "Betrayal" | AfterBuzz TV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1glXCIkiUY

[lasue]

I was also surprised by the all the violence. However, it worked with the story as did the sex scenes. This
episode has so much tension and suspense that I never changed the channel during the commercials !!


                               

[patch]

Legends: "Rogue" Review

Warning: Full spoilers for the episode follow...

  I have to say, I really liked how this show went fully serialized this week. It had already surprised me by not playing by "case of the week" rules when it extended out the VX gas plot over three episodes, but now there're no cases at all. Just Odum and his spinning psyche. Which is really for the best since Sean Bean is the best part of the series and so keeping the focus on him and his dizzying drama works out best for everyone

Sadly, I don't have too many good things to write about Odum's "Len Barlow" persona. The idea of watching Bean flex his chops a bit and play different roles sounded great...until I heard his southern drawl. A suave, rich arms dealer? Sure. A disturbed, militant nut? Okay. It was fine. His American voice was passable. But a s***-kicking cowboy? No way. Didn't fly. And Bean, perhaps knowing his shortcomings in the accent department, seemed like he decided to mumble his way through most of it. In fact, Odum appeared to catch a severe case of marble-mouth once he landed in Texas.

The Verdict

Despite Bean's lackluster cowpoke drawl, the show made a smart play by going full series arc in "Rogue" - in a manner that suggests that there might not be any way to turn back until the entire mystery is solved once and for all. Which is great, I suppose, if Legends was designed to be a one season/one story show.
 

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/09/11/legends-rogue-review


Legends 1.05 Review: “Rogue”

Remember how I said Legends had taken “great cinematic strides?”

This episode was total garbage. Total and complete garbage. I’ve watched a lot of garbage over the years. This was in the top ten of all garbage. Even literary garbage.

I mean, this whole episode was a non-sequitur. Nothing followed correctly. Everything was out of place. The characterization and plot were totally absurd and bizarre. Every stride the show had made over the last two episodes was just ripped into shreds and flushed down the proverbial toilet.

I can’t stand this. How do you do two consecutive episodes of strong, solid television and then write something as heinously bad as “Rogue?” I don’t understand. I am so worked up over this.

I’m just complaining now. Something positive: Sean Bean is the best.
 

http://www.tvovermind.com/reviews/legends-1-05-review-rogue-239826