We just wrapped watching the Umbrella Academy. Very sad to finish its 10 episodes, but it's Netflix and you only get so many at a time. More fun than the first season. It's a complex, time-bending story that forced us to rewind, pause, and discuss scenes quite frequently. Phones were used during the pauses for research. All of it was enjoyable and fun to process. What's the show about? Here's a primer on season1:
In 1989, 43 children were born with superpowers, seven of which were adopted by a mysterious and unyielding billionaire named Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore). Raised by the strict and abusive Reginald and a kind caretaking robot named Grace (Jordan Robbins) and a dapper walking, talking primate named Pogo, the seven Hargreaves children are forged into a dysfunctional superhero team called The Umbrella Academy. Rather than call them by their names, Reginald assigned them numbers according to their perceived usefulness.
Source: Collider
The siblings reunite at the dark mansion they grew up in following the death of their tyrannical father. The first episode is a bit of a chore (meant to be) to get through until you get the rhythm for the series. The family is awkward around each other after so long, but you find out they were always a mismatched group so nothing new. One of them, Five (name), has jumped forward in time and has been gone for 16 years. He suddenly reappears after witnessing the earth's future apocalypse. A large part of the first season is Five solving the mystery of the impending apocalypse.
The action scenes are impressive for tv and the characters are hilarious together and apart. It's eccentric story writing. Mary J. Blige plays an assassin named Cha Cha, and her partner is a large man known as Hazel, if that gives you an idea. Their clever killer disguises are giant rubber masks in the shapes of a pig and dog. They hide out in a fleabag motel and a 1950's style donut shop; all giving it a vibe ala Quentin Tarantino.
Video Credit: Netflix
It all sounds a little nutty, huh? The show is based on a Dark Horse Comic series written by Gerard Way, who also happens to be the co-founder and lead vocalist of My Chemical Romance. He's not short of talent and is joined by illustrator Gabriel Ba. The Umbrella Academy comic ran for 24 issues from 2007 to 2013 before going on hiatus. The comic series resumed in 2018 with The Umbrella Academy: Hotel Oblivion. Source: Wikipedia
Season one introduces the villainous organization known as the “Temps Commission” and the assassins were sent by it to stop Five. It's a story arc that will continue on into the second season.
The actors are pretty perfectly cast and the show wouldn't be the same without their chemistry. Ellen Page and Robert Sheehan in particular stand out.
Tom Hopper aka Luther aka #1 aka Space Boy
Tom Hopper is known for –
Sir Percival in the BC series Merlin
Billy Bones in the Starz series Black Sails
In Game of Thrones, he portrayed Dickon Tarly in the seventh season.
David Castaneda aka Diego aka the Kraken aka #2
David Cataneda
PA Nichols in Jane the Virgin
Blindspot
Switched at Birth
Emmy Raver-Lampman aka The Rumor aka #3
Emmy Raver-Lampman
Theatre roles on Broadway
Wicked
Hair
Hamilton
Robert Sheehan aka Klaus aka the Seance aka #4
Robert Sheehan
Mortal Engines
Fortitude
Genius
Mortal Instrument: City of Bones
Aiden Gallagher aka Five aka the Boy
Aiden Gallagher
Disney’s Nicky, Ricky, Dicky, and Dawn
Justin H. Min aka #6 aka The Horror
Justin H. Min
New Amsterdam
Ellen Page aka Vanya aka the White Violin aka #7
Ellen Page
Juno
Inception
Tales of the City
Season 2 kicks off with a bang so we'd advise you to rewatch season 1 if you have a long break in between them. We didn't and that's what accounts for a lot of our Googling activity during these 10 episodes. There's no “previously on” the Umbrella Academy to set your expectations. Where the first season started with character arcs and the siblings learning to come together as both a family and team, this one finds them flung backward into the 1960s where they are separated not just by place but years. They are all in Dallas, TX, but living vastly different lives. One of them has amnesia and is working on a farm when earlier she lived in a city as a concert violinist. You see the inside of an asylum, a seedy underworld of boxing rings, unhappy housewives, and most fascinating of all – the buildup of civil rights activism in Dallas. Excited to see Yusef Gatewood as Raymond Chestnut, Allison's husband in this decade. Gatewood was so good in the Originals.
The show moves at a fast pace and it's hard to piece together the time travel, but it's a lot of fun to view and discuss. We liked the characters even more because they each had a chance to show their personalities individually and not under the looming influence of their childhoods. They live in very different circumstances, good or bad, and are struggling with emotions they can't always control. Throw in the Temps Commission pursuing them non-stop for violating time continuums, and it's a fast ride. The first season ends with a cataclysmic event and this with a big twist. Can't wait to see what they do with their new circumstances (spoiler) when they return to the present. Crossing fingers for 2021.
