The Umbrella Academy

This year I’ve been on a roll, watching shows and movies I had not intended to consume. Netflix kept insisting that I should watch this show and for whatever reason I continued to resist until my dratted insomnia would not be conquered one morning by the normally reliably somniferous 48 Hours so I chose this show on a whim.

How to describe this show? It’s supposed to be about superheroes, but are these characters actually heroes? Anyway, the premise is that on one day a bunch of women around the world become suddenly pregnant and give birth in minutes. An eccentric billionaire goes around “acquiring” the babies and raise them in a gothic mansion in an unnamed large city. The children are gifted with extreme powers and are all trained relentlessly by the loveless billionaire, except for Vonya. He belittles her constantly, telling her she’s too normal to deal with. The family is, unsurprisingly, terribly dysfunctional and they eventually go their own way, only coming back together for the father’s funeral. Then they discover they’re needed to save the world.

All the characters, and there are many, MANY characters in the show, are all very interesting in their own way. The Umbrella Academy children, numbers 1 through 7, have very different powers and personalities ranging from arrogant Diego (#2) to sad Vonya (#7). The show is somewhat based on a Dark Horse comic of the same name. I haven’t read the books but I’ve read that they are very different, and that while the comic has a comparatively straightforward plot the series has a convoluted plot that ranges from slow and angsty to frenetic and violent. It’s easy to get lost in the tangled plotlines that include time travel, differing timelines and the ebb and flow of characters and political machinations. Even paying attention doesn’t really help, and after a while I gave up trying to follow along and just let it flow over me.

There are a lot of conversational scenes that nearly did the 48 Hour trick, but I somehow stayed awake that first night and then continued to binge for a couple of days. The fight sequences, and there are many, can be excruciatingly violent but are all beautifully choreographed. If character interactions are more your thing, then you will have plenty to make you happy. The art decoration is stellar all around. The entire show has a kind of light steampunk feel leavened by late twentieth century technology. It’s an interesting and different look that I enjoyed all the way through the series. Costuming is super important and helps distinguish the characters as well as enhance characterization.

One of my favorite things in the show are the dance numbers. They are all unexpected, fun, plot serving and just odd. I loved them all, especially the “I Think We’re Alone Now”  one from the first episode when we’re first learning the characters. The “Footloose” sequence with the Sparrow Academy is laugh out loud funny and I rewatched that one a few times, too.

If you’re like me you will have some favorite characters. The “children” are all very different though they strongly consider themselves to be family. The completely unnamed “5” is the brains of all the outfits and an often lost time traveler. Aidan Galagher plays an old man trapped in a tween’s body, and I just love how all of season one he wears the same short pants school uniform. He’s not my favorite character, though close, but the actor does a bang up job all the way through the series and is a good reason to watch. Elliot Page plays Vonya, #7, as a sad and confused young woman who in season three transitions to Victor. The timing of this transition mirrored the one going on in the actor’s life and I greatly applaud the showrunners for not making any kind of big deal out of it and completely going with the flow. It’s fascinating and unique, and Page is a great actor. The biggest disappointment, I thought, was Lila, played by Ritu Arya. The actress is great, but the arc the writers put her through was awful. By the end of the show that character is just a vague shell of her beginning evil ball of fire and I was disappointed.

This may not be one of my favorite shows, but it kept me interested for days and I’ve got quite the hangover from watching it. There are no plans for season five and I’m a little sad about it, but glad they made the four seasons that we did get. I highly recommend seeing this, but you’ll need a good chunk of time and the ability to not overanalyze things. The first three seasons are ten episodes each and the last a squished six. The very last sequence of the show is a massive barrage of easter eggs that is as sentimental as it comes, after watching the virulent goings of for four engaging seasons.

Triggers: violence both gruesome and funny, mind twisting time travel

Available on: Netflix

LINKS:

• The Umbrella Academy – Official Netflix Site
• The Umbrella Academy – IMDB
• The Umbrella Academy – Wikipedia
• The Umbrella Academy – Comic Book Reading Order

CFR: In Addition

Oh I am so glad Cranky reviewed this show. My late husband Scott and I watched every season and enjoyed all of it. We both loved the quirky characters and sets. We also felt an emotional pull towards the show. I think that will always be it for me and The Umbrella Academy. I felt for these characters so much. Scott and I could see how broken they were and we wanted them to heal. Also of note: The Umbrella Academy is a comic book. It is still on my list of things I must read.

Now there is a thing about casting and casting directors where sometimes the characters all end up looking like each other. These seven actors do not. They tend to have dark hair but that is it. They are each distinctive in their looks and I like that very much. The individuality of each character was important. And oh YES! I love that Ellen Page going to Elliot Page was seen as normal and accepted and it was wonderful. Also, totally in keeping with the show.

The Footloose scene Cranky mentioned is here. It is too good to not share. And this link I had to make sure you saw it.

If you want to see the behind the scenes video, watch here: The Umbrella Academy | Behind the Scenes of Footloose. So fun. Note: One of my favorite lines in the show “Get ’em, Luthor” is in this scene.

I have loved and watched that many times – just like Cranky.

Another fantastic dance scene was from season one when Luther and Allison get to dance together in a fantasy sequence. The dancing was fantastic and the passion was amazing. Unfortunately I have not been able to find a full version of that scene (why?!?!?!) So here a short. Please notice that this scene is amazing because the actors are amazing – Dancing in the Moonlight Short.

Speaking of music. One of the last moment of this series has the camera pans a garden and the Talking Heads song This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody) plays. The lyric “I’ll love you till my heart stops. Love you till the day I die.” I cried. It was so heart stirring and beautiful. It is also how I feel about Scott.

Umbrella Academy, I miss you. Thanks for the memories.