Sophomore Slump

"You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." -Harvey Dent, "The Dark Knight"

Year two of a series can be difficult. Sometimes that's because there shouldn't be a year two, like with "Thirteen Reasons Why," which I wrote about on Sunday. Sometimes it's because the issues you were willing to overlook during a first season become magnified in year two. Such is the case for a pair of sophomore series I liked a lot in year one that have fizzled a bit in year two. One is the drama, "Legion," which wrapped up its season on Tuesday. The other is "Brockmire," the wild comedy whose eight-episode season two wraps up on Wednesday.

First to "Brockmire," which may right some of the wrongs with a finale that puts things back on track. So we'll have to wait and see. But the first season of the show really snuck up on me. It's about a disgraced former baseball announcer whose life went off the rails. He tries to find his way back calling games for a hard luck minor league team in the middle of no where. Jim Brockmire (Hank Azaria) was a fun, and funny, character, but one with a lot of flaws. But the first season seemed to have a clear arc. The interplay with Jim and Jules (Amanda Peet), and their unconventional love story, was the heart of the show for me. And their work to save the minor league team was also a lot of fun. In fact, at times, it reminded me of "Major League."

The finale seemed to be busting that up and heading in a new direction, which left me concerned for year two. And throughout this second season, those concerns have seemed founded. Jules has hardly appeared, and Jim has gone from a loveable guy with some major flaws to something much darker. I find it hard to laugh, or even care, about Jim's journey, and that's a bummer.

I can't help but think perhaps this concept and character would have been better as a sports movie rather than a series. Maybe it's just running out of steam.

"Legion" is a different story. It's always had fantastic and creative visuals, and season two was no exception. In fact, I was fascinated by the creativity in the opening sequences of the finale, too. And it's a season that has had some good moments. I enjoyed the mid-season bottle episode where David (Dan Stevens) considered all the possible variations he could have gone down, partly due to grief at the loss of his sister (Katie Aselton). And it's a good cast. Aubrey Plaza and Rachel Keller continue to be great. There is a lot of potential.

But this second season, which ballooned from eight episodes to 11 episodes, seemed to ramble more and to have a more confused plot. The real momentum only kicked in at the end when the show finally stopped clearing its throat and got to the point--David isn't the hero of this journey. He's the villain.

Much like Harvey Dent in "The Dark Knight" he saw himself as a savior, and he had some noble intentions, but his methods were deeply flawed. And his mental state didn't hold up to the rigors of the world. And all the time we thought he was building toward his hero moment, he was moving toward something else.

But it's not like this was a total shock. After all, they've been dropping hints for a couple years. And Syd even verbalized it, saying, "What if you're not the hero? What if you're just another villain?"

And I think there's some potential in the idea of David going full super villain. I don't know what it means for the longevity of the story (though I've always wondered if this was a series that would have a naturally shorter life cycle). But it's possible this direction will provide more narrative clarity and focus in season two (and possible provide some more interesting performances).

"Legion" has always been one of the most crazy and visually engaging series I've seen. I just wish season two had been more narratively engaging as well. Hopefully that will come in season three.