A review of ‘The Umbrella Academy’ season 2
By Udeshi Seneviratne, Illustrator
4/5
The series, adapted from writer Gerard Way and publisher Dark Horse Comics, has a tighter and more adventurous plotline than its predecessor. This season’s pacing and execution make it enjoyable to follow these emotional basket cases on their adventures of maneuvering disasters and figuring out how to stop yet another apocalypse.
After failing to save Earth from the Moon fragment apocalypse in season one, quick-witted Five (Aidan Gallagher) suggests they all time travel to the past, fix Vanya (Ellen Page), and return to the existing timeline. Their sure-fire plan is unfortunately hindered by some time jumping difficulties that scatter the super siblings across 1960 to 1963 Dallas. If that were not enough to worry about, the family also has another apocalypse to deal with.
The siblings rebuild their lives in the years they land in, each with a profession different enough so that they are all prevented from crossing paths. Klaus (Robert Sheehan) becomes a cult leader, which is strangely fitting, and all the while is still accompanied by the bickering ghost of his brother Ben (Justin H. Min). Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman) becomes a civil rights activist and Vanya (Ellen Page) deals with her amnesia in a barn. Luther (Tom Hopper) makes his living by fighting in an underground club, and his brother Diego (David Castañeda) is put into an asylum.
Season two gives us more detail into how the absentee father affected the siblings. Since the characters are made to fend for themselves for quite some time, they have more room to evolve. These inventive events give viewers a chance to delve into what makes each character unique, and see their heart-warming care for one another. New characters introduced also contribute to the colourful personalities of the Hargreeves family. However, some new villains appear to be overstuffing, such as the apocalypse-ensuring assassins replacing Cha Cha and Hazel but with much less personality and flair.
The show still delivers with an unpredictable plot, humorous name calling, a killer soundtrack, and their innovative methods to avoid the armageddon. It exceeds season one in character development and ridiculously witty banter. If you are looking for bold one-liner material, this is the show for you.
