Netflix has often catered to the lowest common denominator of programming, but there was a time when it had peak storytelling. In 2019, the streaming platform debuted The Umbrella Academy, an adaptation of Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá’s inventive graphic novel. The Netflix series was just as delightfully weird as the source material and didn’t cater to anyone’s sensibilities. The ensemble cast included Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, Robert Sheehan, and Colm Feore, among many others who made up the titular team.
Despite its promise, the series came to a screeching halt in Season 4, with an ending that divided all who watched it. After averting apocalypse after apocalypse, the adoptive siblings’ efforts are essentially for nothing as the series ends on a nihilistic note. If fans have learned anything from endings such as Game of Thrones, poor reception shouldn’t alter the legacy of the series. The ending of The Umbrella Academy shouldn’t tarnish the few seasons of immaculate character and plot.
‘The Umbrella Academy’ Hit its Peak In Season 2
From the start, The Umbrella Academy’s visual style and sharp dialogue set it apart from everything else on the platform. The story wastes no time in introducing fans to the wacky circumstances of this fantasy world. One day, 43 children are born to random women all around the world who had no signs of pregnancy the day before. Eccentric billionaire Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore) adopts seven of them, all of whom develop unique supernatural abilities.
Season 1 follows these found siblings after the death of Hargreeves, uniting the estranged family. Each has their own ills and complaints because of the brutal way they were raised, and throughout the narrative, they come together as a family in an attempt to stop the apocalypse. Each season focuses on a different end-of-the-world scenario, a butterfly effect impacted by the Umbrella Academy’s attempt to stop the one before.
Season 2, however, is where the series truly hits its stride. The sophomore season embraces the weirdness of the series even further, shooting its characters back in time to the ’60s. Number Five (Aidan Gallagher) has to contend with another time-traveling version of himself who is instructed to assassinate JFK, Klaus (Robert Sheehan) is a cult leader, and Allison is a civil rights activist with a family. This was peak zaniness for the series but also where it fully developed the emotional stakes that should define The Umbrella Academy’s legacy.
Later seasons of the show became more dour and depressing than the show ever had a right to be, but Season 2 was the series at its most fun and inventive. The siblings have to contend with the culture of the day while also working together to avoid another catastrophe. The inclusion of another super-powered sibling, Lila (Ritu Arya), puts a wrench in everyone’s plans while Kate Walsh continues to deliver as the Handler.
Umbrella Academy deserves a second chance, particularly because when the show was good, it was amazing. Unafraid of bizarre storytelling and the frequent pop music needle drop, this was a show that should have been the crowning achievement of Netflix. After the demise of the show, the streamer started playing it safe when it should have been looking for something as unique as its best series.
- Release Date
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2019 – 2024-00-00
- Directors
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Jeremy Webb
- Franchise(s)
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The Umbrella Academy
