Season 2 of The Umbrella Academy is here and it does not disappoint. The emotions are high, and the stakes are even higher.
The first season did a good job of explaining who the characters are, what their super powers entail, and provided us with some insight into their uncommon upbringing. Overall, however, this review wasn’t sold on the series. It moved too slowly and the characters didn’t have any redeeming qualities. If it hadn’t been for the great soundtrack, I’m not sure I would have stuck around long enough to become invested. That being said, I am happy I gave it another try, because this latest season, which debuted on Netflix July 31, was amazing and the soundtrack was even more epic.
Spoilers ahead.
Unlike in its first season 1, this season we saw a more in-depth version of each of the siblings as their personalities so much more this go around. Whether it’s Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman, Central Park) taking a stand for civil rights, or Diego (David Castañeda, Sicario: Day of the Soldado) falling in lust with The Handler’s daughter or watching Klaus (Robert Sheehan, Misfits) preach the wise words of TLC to his cult following — it was great getting to see new sides to each of these characters. We saw more of their interpersonal connections, and their humanity this go around.
In Season 1 they were still battling with who they were raised to be by their adopted father, and coming to terms with the way they treated their sister Vanya (Ellen Page, Inception), whereas in this season they’re actively finding out who they really are, and facing the lasting effects of years of emotional trauma caused by Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore, House of Cards), in part due to some unpredictable time travel.
With the siblings being displaced across different years, they’re required to build lives of their own outside of what they’ve always known. Vanya, having no memory of who she is or what previously occurred finds shelter with Sissy (Marin Ireland, The Irishman) — a Midwest housewife raising her son in an abusive marriage. Klaus creates a cult with Ben (Justin H. Min) still in tow, though he refuses to acknowledge Ben’s existence to the others once they all meet up again.
Luther (Tom Hopper, Game of Thrones) is fighting and working as a bouncer. Diego is currently residing in a mental hospital due to his attempts to warn everyone about Kennedy’s impending death, which hasn’t happened yet. Alison is helping fight for equality and married to a man who has no idea about her powers or her former family life. Five (Aiden Gallagher, Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn) is at the center of it all since he is the last one to finally arrive in 1963. This time he has to find his siblings before the world ends, yet again, in seven days’ time. We know this because he witnesses his siblings attacking or defending Dallas from troops when an atomic bomb explodes in the background.
Before everything goes to sh*t, Five runs into Hazel (Cameron Britton, Mindhunter) and is given a briefcase and a copy of a film reel from the date Kennedy was shot showing an image of his father amongst the crowd. This leads the crew to have a few run-ins with their father, the woman their robotic mother was modeled after and even a young Pogo. These moments give the audience a little insight into the future home life of the Hargreeves children.
We also learn that The Handler (Kate Walsh, Grey’s Anatomy) has a daughter of her own whom she plucked from a family that an “older” Five was ordered to kill. She raises this child, Lila (Ritu Arya, Last Christmas), to become a trained assassin and sends her undercover to the mental hospital for Diego to form a bond with. Lila, who is unaware of the true circumstances surrounding the death of her parents is loyal to The Handler for most of the season, helping her to carry out a massive plan to overtake the agency and kill the Hargreeves siblings. That is, until she finds out the truth, that she is in fact one of the same group of children born on the same day with special abilities and that her adopted mother had her real parents killed off.
While the Hargreeves siblings inevitably end up saving the world (for now), it is not without confronting harsh realities about themselves, their past, and the loss of their brother Ben, yet again. But in a surprising twist of events, when they return to their once home, they find that the course of history has been changed and are confronted by their father who doesn’t recognize any of them, as well as a very much alive Ben who is part of the Sparrow Academy. What does this mean for the members of the Umbrella Academy? Suppose we’ll have to wait until Season 3 to unravel that mystery. Oh, we also find out that Reginald is actually an alien, but at this point is anyone really surprised by that?
What’s so great about this season is how the storyline was able to explore civil rights issues, same-sex relationships, special needs, domestic abuse, and childhood trauma all while allowing for each character to develop and work towards growth in their own way. One of the most compelling examples of this is when Vanya is lost inside herself seconds away from going nuclear and Ben sacrifices his after-life existence to help her control her power, forgive herself, and also share with Klaus that it wasn’t his fault Ben didn’t initially cross over.
With the amount of intense, controversial, and depressing events that occur in this season, it could have been a very heavy show to watch, but the writers found a way to successfully address these scenes throughout the course of Season 2 while allowing for the perfect amount of humor, sass, and sarcasm to help cut the tension. Through the use of clever music from both the 1960s era and today, perfect quips and comments, as well as fun interactions amongst the cast, it was the perfect juxtaposition of violence, chaos, family relationships, and fun.
Umbrella Academy Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me0eoCwLj-A
