Review on The Umbrella Academy

Image courtesy of sky.com

By Kat Kaderabek

The Umbrella Academy is a one hour-long, 10-episode show which recently appeared on Netflix. The series details the lives of five adults who had once been childhood superheroes living under the care of an eccentric, abrasive billionaire.

The show itself is based on the early 2000’s Dark Horse comic book series under the same name. However, unlike the comic books, this adaptation brings more frank humor and modern-day action to the plot.

Blessed with powers, seven children were adopted immediately after birth and raised to fight crime. Now, almost twenty years later and two members short, the five misfits of society are reunited after the death of their “father.”

When celebrating his untimely demise, the sixth member of their team, Number Five, is thrust through a time portal into the living room after having been missing for over sixteen years. Number Five hasn’t aged a day, yet his consciousness is over fifty-eight years old.

Overall, the show is easy to breeze through due to the interesting plot that keeps the viewer guessing after each episode. Each character is suspect at some point throughout the season in being the instigator of the apocalypse. There were many times when the plot purposely misleads the audience to believe they know who was behind it all.

The characters themselves are diverse and amusing, especially Klaus, played by Robert Sheehan. Each hero took a different path after the dismantling of The Umbrella Academy. Klaus, who possesses the power to communicate with the dead, turns to a life of drugs, alcohol, and breakthrough fashion design to cope with the death of his team member, Ben. His witty lines always come at the most opportune moments and his journey from self-medicating drag queen to a useful team member is entertaining to watch.

Unlike many other superhero shows, the unique characterization of The Umbrella Academy students are what bring the series to life. While there are some unique and unrealistic aspects to the series, such as a robotic mother and a wise, talking monkey named Pogo, there are very real, emotional elements that capture the audience’s attention.

The theme of time is ever-present in the show. Number Five’s power allows him to jump from location to location, but also to jump through time. There are scenes which take place in the future, only for them to be rewritten by characters in the past. This dynamic was intriguing, as filmmakers have yet to attempt to rewrite an entire show/movie in the middle of it. Umbrella Academy has started this idea of rewriting history that will most likely continue in following seasons.

The show comes highly recommended for the soundtrack alone. Every episode features iconic music such as Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” and “I Think We’re Alone Now” by Tiffany. The use of upbeat music during fight scenes is entertaining and occurs frequently in this first season. Most of the songs are reminiscent of the 80’s and 90’s and bring about positive elements to every episode.

The set design was also phenomenal and one of the most notable aspects of the show. The academy is located in a townhouse in an unnamed city. The house itself contains grand foyers, museum-like architecture, and quirky nooks that the characters go to find refuge from their overbearing father and the pressures of the outside world.

Season two of The Umbrella Academy has not been confirmed by Netflix yet; however, a season two is expected given with how the final episode of season one ended.

Overall, The Umbrella Academy is a unique, humourous, jam-packed show that I would recommend to anyone looking for an entertaining way to spend a rainy Saturday.