Review | ‘Umbrella Academy’: the end of the world continued
All in all, the second season of “Umbrella Academy” offers a fantastic sequel to an amazing debut. SAM ANDRUS Photo Editor
When episodic shows attempt to save the world in their first seasons, it often becomes a death sentence for the seasons following – I’m looking at you, “Heroes.” Fortunately for fans like myself, “Umbrella Academy” is the exception to that rule.
After a well-received first season, the show was renewed immediately after release. Fans waited over a year for any hints of a new season with the knowledge that the first season had ended on a massive cliffhanger, with the academy failing to stop Vanya from putting into motion the end of the world and Five using his time travel powers to take his siblings back in time. Where most writers would choose to have the heroes save the world and end the season on a high note – thereby setting themselves up for failure in the future – showrunner Steve Blackman never wrote that his characters would save anyone. In fact, they caused the apocalypse itself. Because of this, they were in the perfect position to start season two: the end of the world.
Season two picks up exactly where the first season left off, by showcasing members of the “Umbrella Academy” one by one in different years leading up to 1963, when Five pops up.
The opening scene sets up the second season perfectly and pulls you in from the very moment the first characters, Klaus and Ben, pop out of a time vortex in the 1960s. Each character follows and acclimates in their own way to their new time period. Eventually Five arrives and walks out to see the streets littered with bodies and his family members using insane, evolved versions of their powers, each one having unlocked a new aspect that is honestly amazing to watch. My only critique of the first season was that we didn’t get to see nearly enough of the awesome power of the “Umbrella Academy,” especially when they were working together; most of the time they were using their powers to fight each other or Hazel and Cha Cha. But from the first few minutes of season two, I could tell that this season would be a lot more enjoyable in terms of pure demonstration of superpowers.
What’s more, Blackman uses historical context to weave the “Umbrella Academy” perfectly into the 1963 assassination of former president John F. Kennedy and other notable historical events such as the sit-ins for Civil Rights – making the second season extremely timely due to the current socio-political climate. The show bounces between different characters, showing the audience how each of them have adjusted to a different decade. This is especially interesting due to the diversity within the “Umbrella Academy,” consisting of an African American woman, an openly gay man and a closeted gay woman, as well as someone with a perceived mental illness. The show shines a light on our failure as a country, with each of those characters getting a fitting story arc that develops them individually while exposing the cruelty of Americans towards them and their demographics at the time.
All in all, the second season of “Umbrella Academy” offers a fantastic sequel to an amazing debut. Aside from the story aspects which I previously mentioned, the show’s cinematography exceeds that of its previous season entirely by changing color grading based on a different decade, which makes the show more visually appealing as well. Additionally, the soundtrack is just as catchy and fitting as the first season’s, featuring more music that you’ll be sure to add to your playlist. Yet at the end of the day, again, the best part of the second season is the expansion of the show’s story which is sure to continue to an interesting place.