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So Sean Bean has returned as Martin Odum, John Cameron, Dimitry Petrovich, et al. Legends, on TNT in season two is a one man show. Gone is Ali Larter and the rest of the FBI team and all that remains is Tony Rice (Morris Chestnut) who is, according to press releases a “recurring” presence.The show premieres officially on November 2, with The Legend of Dimitry Petrovich. The season opener sports a voice over by Bean where he brings viewers up to speed on what is going on in his fractured world. The action this time around takes place outside the borders of the US and begin in London, for “present day” Odum.The episode starts in Prague, 2001. Where Odum is portraying Petrovich, a particularly nasty bit of work who has blown into town and already inserted himself into the local mob family.In present day London Martin has a one night stand and meets the young lady’s former lover, a bent copper, who tries arrest Odum as he leaves the woman’s flat.He resists arrest and does so in front of a CCTV camera and as a result enters the law enforcement system as a bolo. Now “Odum” has to avoid the police while trying to remember who he is out of all the legends he has lived.The season two premiere does a considerable amount of jumping back and forth, not just in time but locations change as well. Prague, London and an boarding school called The Sedley School where a young Odum reveals he may have a photographic memory.It is investing to note that Bean’s adult Martin sports a rather calmed down Yorkshire accent even though, according to the flashback, his younger self did not. Since most boarding schools in England require quite a bit of money to attend, it can be taken for granted that the youngster came from money. Ergo, the accent would have been that of English toff versus Yorkshire “bit of rough.” That said, with Odum’s background and the amount of Legends that the character has gone through, it is not surprising that his adult accent has changed.Taking away the expository scene set in the boarding school, which shows not only a remarkable memory, but a rebellious streak, “David Bowie the First,” leaves the jumps between Prague and London. FBI agent Ballard features in scenes that take place in both America (Washington DC) and Prague and the man has definite issues with Matin Odum, aka Dimitry Petrovich who must have been responsible for removing a limb from the agent in Prague.In terms of moving the story forward, it makes a huge amount of sense for Odum to head to Europe and England. Placing season two in a more global setting and moving away from the US also gives the series a better chance at longevity.Legends continues to entertain, the scene set at the posh boarding school (which could conceivably not be a boarding school, but as it appears to be a boys only establishment the odds are it is) where the headmaster/history instructor asks “who am I” is an excellent nod to the adult Odum’s predicament.Bean’s character still has no idea who is he or what his origins are. Just as last season, he is a tortured and lost individual. The scene where Odum meets with Graves, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, and for the merest moment thinks he is the old man’s son, is revealing and touching. These are the scenes that reveal a vulnerability that is a clear juxtaposition to the man’s violent expertise and ability to totally immerse himself into another person’s life.Harking back to the school scene once more, it is this astonishing feat of memory that obviously allows Odum to easily and automatically assume new legends as required. With total and absolute recall, the lie must become real, so much so that the real man was lost long ago.Herein lies the allure of the series and despite the loss of all those familiar faces from season one, Sean Bean’s character in Legends is complex enough, and the actor talented enough, that the show should continue to do well.Season two begins properly on November 2 but can be seen early via TNT’s online site. Tune in and see this Sheffield born actor go through his paces as Martin Odum yet again.
TNT is billing the second season of “Legends” as having been “completely re-imagined,” and for once, that’s not just hyperbole. Having apparently recognized that Sean Bean was the program’s singular asset, the producers have developed a new, more ambitious structure that proceeds along parallel tracks, featuring two stories, one set in present-day London and the other unfolding 15 years earlier. Watching season one will help, but isn’t a prerequisite, and the whole enterprise suddenly has the darker feel of a premium cable drama, if not-fully-realized one, as opposed to a rather tepid procedural with Bean as the identity-shifting spook.Season one ended with Martin on the run for a murder he didn’t commit, while still unsure of his own history. “Lies and bull—t; that’s what my whole life’s become,” he mutters in the opening episode.Yet that is, literally, just half the story, as the narrative, a bit like season one of “True Detective,” regularly flashes back to Prague 15 years ago. In that time frame, Bean is playing a ruthless Russian gangster named Dmitry Petrovich, whose activities have caught the attention of a young FBI agent (Steve Kazee), receiving reluctant assistance from a Czech cop (Winter Ave Zoli). Those characters’ stories also pick up again in the present day, slowly unspooling how their original investigation developed, while Odum’s suddenly public profile rekindles the earlier case.While seeing Bean in one piece, his multiple personalities notwithstanding, is welcome (perhaps especially for “Game of Thrones” fans), the much-improved first three episodes don’t fully demonstrate whether this notion of completely retooling a show on the fly was worth the effort, or, more pragmatically, if TNT can entice viewers to take a second bite of the apple. “Legends” might not provide a quick fix, or yield anything explosive in terms of a ratings surge (if anything, it could be narrower in its appeal, based on the network’s track record). But as a clue regarding where this Turner channel is heading, it’s not a bad sign.
