THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY: A Somber Tale Of Superheroes Makes For Engaging Television

In our brimful world of superheroes, comic nerds and casual moviegoers alike crowd their local theater or cozy up before their television screens all for another heroic tale of good versus evil—although in recent years, cinema has made this divide a lot more ambiguous. Comic conventions have never boomed this much, and we’re sure to see plenty of renditions of Heath Ledger’s Joker or Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn every Halloween. With powerhouses Marvel and DC Comics leading the way for these live-action comic book adaptations, Netflix has gone with a dark horse, whose publisher is coincidentally labeled Dark Horse Comics, and found stride with The Umbrella Academy.

The dysfunctional family of heroes were created by Gerard Way of the renowned emo band My Chemical Romance and Gabriel Bá, and the new Netflix series draws heavily from the Eisner award winning comic series of the same name. Of course, the television show recycles tropes seen in both the superhero genre and family dramas too, but The Umbrella Academy juxtaposes the two while still implementing its own twists and turns, as it introduces a band of misfit heroes embodied by wit, quirk, and hints of charm.

The Hargreeves Family Vs. The World

On the first of October, 1989, 43 women inexplicably became impregnated and fell into labor. Soon after this discovery, billionaire and scholar Sir Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore) tracked the women down and offered to adopt their messianic children. Seven of the women accepted, and Sir Hargreeves’ seemingly impulsive decision would prove theoretical, as six of the children grow up to gain superhuman abilities (which leaves you to wonder, where does the seventh fall into place?). Sir Hargreeves is a mentor to the children, but more than anything he’s an estranged, dictatorial father—because, of course, you can’t be a hero without a little childhood trauma.

The Hargreeves siblings become distant in age, then consisting of a druggy, vigilante, actress, moon-dweller, and author, with one of the siblings stuck in the future and the other dead. Upon their father’s death, the siblings return to their childhood home, which leads to plenty of quips and clashes, but as we all know, it wouldn’t be a superhero show without the impending end of the world.

Ellen Page returns to television for her role as Number Seven, Vanya Hargreeves, who’s the black sheep of the family. Vanya is constantly being left out of missions and family meetings because she’s deemed “ordinary”, and Page draws deep to create a believably despondent and traumatized character. Her story is among the most intriguing to unravel the bizarreness and affection presented in The Umbrella Academy.

Another great addition to the series is Aidan Gallagher as Number Five (who’s never given a reasonable name due to disappearing into the future before his mother could offer him one). Number Five grows to be 58 years old while in the post-apocalyptic timeline, but when he travels back to eight days before the end of the world, he reverts to his child-self with his 58 year old consciousness intact. This concept is ripped straight from the comics, and it translates to television with all its charm and pizzazz—bringing fun and witty dialogue with it and making Gallagher’s performance all the more impressive.

The Academy’s Pitfalls

Netflix usually does well on creating faithful and fun comic book adaptations, and The Umbrella Academy is no exception, but the show is not nearly left unblemished. During the middle of the season, the series begins to lose its footing with some repetitive story beats and unnecessary progressions involving subplots, particularly with the family’s emotional arcs and Number Five’s (Gallagher) relationship with the time traveling assassin organization. It begins to fill space with moments that do nothing to drive the series forward and even feel ludicrous at times (I particularly wasn’t fond of aspects in episode 6).

For all the good it has to offer, the biggest problem with the series is its inability to convey its emotional arcs in a sympathetic way. There are plenty of moments that attempt to draw out reactions from the audience, but they especially fall flat with Diego Hargreeves’ (David Castañeda) character. (Skip to the next paragraph if you’d like to avoid minor spoilers.) Diego goes through would-be heart-wrenching moments involving his relationships with his mother (Jordan Claire Robin) and Detective Eudora Patch (Ashley Madekwe), but the show fails in fleshing out the characters and allowing enough time for the audience to build an emotional connection with them. Because of this, we’re left with nice glimpses instead of powerful, moving scenes.

So The Show Isn’t Perfect, But Which Show Is?

There’s plenty to get enthralled by with The Umbrella Academy, with humor lurking around every corner and mesmerizing CGI (see Pogo the talking monkey), and the show does an adequate job at never becoming too dull to shut off. If you’re able to look past its occasional flaws, you’ll embark on a ride you won’t want to stop and could hardly wait to see continue.

Another thing to note is it’s well placed and foot-tap-inducing soundtrack. The pilot gives us our first pure and gleeful moment among the chaos, as the Hargreeves siblings break into dance along to Tiffany’s “I Think We’re Alone Now”. The family is isolated but at the same time very together, making the montage especially heartwarming. It’s among my favorite scenes in the series, but the show also places together complementing music and exciting moments—and Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” has never felt so good alongside incessant gunfire and super-powered action.

The Umbrella Academy: Conclusion

Although it never quite captures the drama of Netflix’s Daredevil or the wit seen in the pilot of DC’s Doom Patrol, The Umbrella Academy is an exciting and free-spirited edition to Netflix’s catalog of binge-able TV series. Showrunner Steve Blackman and comic creator Gerard Way and the incredible cast and crew came together to bring us an engaging atmosphere, and although the show comes with its issues, it usually feels fresh in a saturated genre. The cast offer well-rounded performances and bring to life a captivating and fantastical story.

What did you think of The Umbrella Academy? Where does it rank among your favorite Netflix shows?

All episodes are now streaming worldwide on Netflix.