‘The Umbrella Academy’ Season 2 Review: “More Than Just A Worthy Successor”

From the end of the world to a Tiffany dance party, the first season of Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy delivered the goods as it brought the dysfunctional group of super-powered siblings into live-action. The show ushered in a never-before-seen charm to the superhero genre, brought on by its complex cast of characters, which included the likes of Robert Sheehan’s Klaus and Aidan Gallagher’s Five. But with a stellar debut outing under its belt, it seemed unlikely that a second season would be able to up the ante. Well, it’s suffusive to say that Season 2 pulled it off, and a whole lot more.

The events of the second season pick up right after Season 1’s massive cliffhanger. After believing they stopped the apocalypse, the Hargreeves children realize that Vanya blew up the moon, and its pieces were careening towards Earth. Acting swiftly, Five decided to use his ability to time travel to save his family from the appending doom. It wasn’t until the trailer for Season 2 that we learned that Five’s quick thinking landed the family, not a few weeks or months before Vanya’s concert, but almost six decades.

Having the family end up in the 1960s was a bold choice by the creative team, but one that shouldn’t be overlooked. Taking the show to an unfamiliar period for the characters allowed for a whole host of new problems for the team to tackle, which ensured that nothing in the new season felt stale. The individual journies each of the characters take also felt fresh, with nobody taking a step back from one outing to the next. The best example of this is Allison, who spends most of Season 2 wrapped up in a situation that tackles a topic rarely discussed in the superhero medium.

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As for the rest of the cast, Season 2 has some fresh faces that bring their own flair to the series, including Ritu Arya’s Lila. Her character spends much of the season caught up with the family’s hijinks, which meant she had a lot on her plate as she attempted to fit into an already dysfunctional family. Luckily, Arya’s performance fit like a glove, and her character didn’t skip a beat when bouncing off of some of the show’s more bombastic performers. The same can be said for newcomer AJ, one of the season’s main antagonists who just happens to be a goldfish.

If you’re looking for an average superhero show that takes two dozen episodes to beat a middling threat, the second season of The Umbrella Academy isn’t for you. This show deals with hard subjects while never losing the uniqueness that makes it one of the better streaming shows today. For those looking forward to another outing with the Hargreeves family, this season is more than just a worthy successor.

Rating: 10/10

The Umbrella Academy Season 2 hits Netflix on July 31.

The series stars Ellen Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher and Justin H. Min.

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