Plot: Five warned his family (so, so many times) that using his powers to escape from Vanya’s 2019 apocalypse was risky. Well, he was right – the time jump scatters the siblings in time in and around Dallas, Texas. Over a three year period. Now the Umbrella Academy must find a way to reunite, figure out what caused doomsday, put a stop to it, and return to the present timeline to stop that other apocalypse. All while being hunted by a trio of ruthless Swedish assassins. But seriously, no pressure or anything.
Review: A breakout hit for Netflix last year, The Umbrella Academy is not your typical superhero series. Based on the comic book by Gerard Way, the series explores elements of enhanced characters through the twisted lens of a dysfunctional family. Full of action, humor, and character development, the first season of The Umbrella Academy was well received by critics and fans. I enjoyed the season quite a bit despite some room for improvement in the overall momentum of the story. With my expectations fully in check for the new second season, I am pleased to say it is even better than the first. With the Hargreaves clan back for more adventures, season two takes a big risk by deviating from the source material which allows this season to develop these characters in much different ways.
If you have seen the opening sequence of the season recently shared online, you have the perfect glimpse at why this season is so good. Apart from a handful of action sequences, the first season of The Umbrella Academy was a lot more talking and exposition wrapped in a killer soundtrack. Season two still employs a mixtape selection of songs worthy of James Gunn but it also amps up the intensity with every episode chock full of action. The season premiere alone is faster, louder, and more thrilling than the entire first season altogether.
Picking up immediately after the end of season 1, this sophomore effort runs for 10 episodes (all of which were made available for this review). You may think that using the plot device of the world ending in a set number of days means the writers, led by showrunner Steve Blackman, are being lazy, but this is not the same Hargreaves clan we saw before. When Number Five (Aidan Gallagher) drops them back in time, each character arrives at a different Dallas ranging from 1960 to 1963. Where the first season was about bringing the family back together, this year finds them all separated and assuming the rest of their siblings are dead. This means Luther (Tom Hopper) finds work as a bouncer working for a nefarious criminal, Diego (David Castaneda) is in a mental ward, Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman) has found a new life, Vanya (Ellen Page) works as a caregiver, and Klaus (Robert Sheehan) and Ben (Justin Min) explore the hippie movement.
After seeing what is coming in less than two weeks (watch the opening scene embedded above), Five must rally his siblings but what if they don't want to be rallied? The original Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba comic book's second story arc was called "Dallas" but it did not involve the Kennedy Assassination nor time travel quite in the same way as this season uses the plot device. In fact, having read the comic book, I enjoyed this interpretation much more. The comics are far more off the wall than this show if you can believe it, and sometimes fails to develop the characters as much as this show does. The fates of many of the main characters are vastly different here than they were in the book and I like every decision Blackman and the writing team have made.
Out of respect for your viewing experience, I will not spoil any of the twists and reveals this season has in store, but rest assured that it not only ties in almost everything (and everyone) from the first season in interesting ways, but it manages to do so without feeling forced. Like any sequel, The Umbrella Academy was faced with the challenge of continuing the story of these characters while adding new ones. The cast here is much bigger and features new faces including Marin Ireland, Yusuf Gatewood, Ritu Arya, and more who get a good deal of screen time without detracting from the main cast. The entire main cast here are excellent with Ellen Page given a lot more depth to Vanya this time around while everyone else gets to explore sides of their characters we did not get to see last season.
The Umbrella Academy 2 continues to prove that you don't need to be affiliated with DC or Marvel to deliver a top tier superhero story. This is a very inclusive cast but never hits you over the head with social awareness messages. The fact that these characters can be from different genders, sexualities, ethnicities, and more and it organically works in the context of the story without pulling the audience out of the story is refreshing. This series never shies away from the societal clashes of a 21st-century family stuck in the 1960s but it does so brilliantly. The Umbrella Academy 2 finale alone is worth sitting through the entire season and maybe one of the single best episodes of television in 2020. This show found a way to improve in all of the right ways and made itself into a must-watch this weekend. This show is better than ever and you will not want to miss a second of it.
The Umbrella Academy 2 premieres on July 31st on Netflix.