The Umbrella Academy Season Two is available to watch now on Netflix.
The superb The Umbrella Academy was one of the brightest lights in the Netflix catalogue last year. Based on the Dark Horse comic series, season one buzzed with eccentric energy, its characters finding a place in the heart of every viewer, and now the gang are back with season two.
The apocalypse at the end of the first outing threw our band of misfit heroes back in time to sixties Dallas thanks to Number 5; however, what may have seemed like a lucky escape as the earth burnt to a crisp, is another time-travelling blunder. Number 5 (Aiden Gallagher) has seen the future, and it’s not good! The mission is clear, to reunite each member of the Academy, all of whom are dotted around time in the lead-up to Kennedy’s assassination. The story that ensues is very much a continuation of season one while also finding its own sophisticated voice in allowing for further character development.
READ MORE: TITANS: SEASON TWO
The second season of any show is often the most challenging to pull off, so the question is: Does The Umbrella Academy Season Two meet expectations? The answer is yes, mainly due to the character development it relishes from the get-go. The three characters that benefit the most from this focus are Tom Hoppers Luther, David Castañeda’s Diego, Justin H. Min’s Ben and Emmy Raver-Lampman’s Alison. However, it’s Aiden Gallagher’s Number 5 and Robert Sheehan’s Klaus who truly steals the show.
READ MORE: FOUNDATION
Season two’s intelligent screenplay sometimes feels like a modern take on Quantum Leap as it transplants a diverse group of characters into a world of early 60s discrimination and oppression. Here the fight for black civil rights, women’s equality and LGBTQ freedoms merges with science fiction, and fantasy as past, present, and future collide in an ocean of time travelling complexities. But, it wouldn’t be The Umbrella Academy without the deliciously dark humour and season two builds beautifully on the anarchy of season one. Here we have Swedish assassins, talking fish and the return of a dastardly villain to keep us entertained. That said, this is undoubtedly a more serious outing than the first, and some viewers may feel short-changed by the less eccentric approach.
The Umbrella Academy continues to offer something fresh and unique to the myriad of current superhero tv shows. Here its only direct competition comes from the highly underrated Doom Patrol. As season two ends, I do not doubt that The Umbrella Academy will return, for this story is far from over as the credits roll.
Cast: Ellen Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher, Justin H. Min
