In season two, Umbrella Academy essentially remixes the show, tasking the Hargreaves to once again to prevent a potential apocalypse, this time in the 1960s. While there is a danger of repetition in pursuing such a narrative, the show builds on the strengths of the first season to deliver a fun, tightly-crafted season that balances character development with patent comic book ridiculousness.
Loosely based on the second volume of the comic book, the story sees the Hargreaves siblings scattered throughout the early 1960s as they escape the previous apocalypse in 2019. Soon, Five (Aidan Gallagher) learns about another impending doomsday, of a war between the United States and the Soviet Union that results in nuclear destruction, and he has to get his family together again to stop it. That’s easier said than done as each of them have settled into their own grooves.
Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman) is taking part in the civil rights movement with her new husband, while Klaus (Robert Sheehan) has started a cult, taking advantage of Ben’s abilities. Luther (Tom Hooper) works as a bodyguard for Jack Ruby and fights in an underground fight ring on his off-days. Diego (David Castañeda) has been admitted to a mental hospital for trying to stop the Kennedy assassination and Vanya (Ellen Page) has been living with a family after experiencing amnesia.
The individual stories are given just the right amount of screentime, with the main narrative chugging along at a good pace. Allison’s story, in particular, is timely and relevant, showing how one can be a hero even without using superpowers. Klaus also gets some good development, with the show picking up his thread of getting stuck in Vietnam last season.
Vanya gets a reset in her relationship with not only her siblings, but also the family she lives with. She finds solace in the form of the mother, Cissy, and at a point, she wants to run away with her to make a new start, but Cissy is reluctant to leave her old life behind. In the meanwhile, Diego is deconstructed as a do-gooder. When talking about him, Five says, “Imagine Batman, and then lower.” He’s often the butt of his sibling’s jokes, much like Luther, who’s constantly made fun of for having father issues.
The Time Commission is also heavily involved, with the Handler scheming to get to the top of the organization, using her new ace (and adopted daughter) Lila (Ritu Arya) to both play the Hargreaves and the Commission. There are new assassins stalking the Hargreaves in the form of three silent Swedes, who are, at times, a poor tradeoff for Hazel and Cha-Cha in the first season.
Most of the first season’s issues with pacing and melodrama have been fixed in this new season.
The Hargreaves family is also a lot more fun to be around, and you believe that these people actually value each other despite their constant ribbing. The cast seem to be having a lot more fun, too.
There are some instances when the show does get a bit too over the top, such as the number of set-pieces in the last episode. Furthermore, this season feels very familiar, as the narrative rarely takes detours and focuses on maintaining or improving the beats of the original season. That isn’t entirely bad- hopefully, the show can experiment more in later seasons.
At the moment, Umbrella Academy is one of Netflix’s best TV offerings. It’s not as satirical as The Boys, or as outrageously weird and endearing as Doom Patrol, but it has carved out a place for itself with the second season. Here’s hoping it gets even better in later seasons.
