The Umbrella Academy Season 1

By Sonia Aviles

Netflix’s new series The Umbrella Academy is a whole lot of fun and kept me on the edge guessing the plot of this show so far. The first episode starts off a bit cute then turns to a whole lot of weird and it left me with lots of questions. To put it simply, on the first of October in the year 1989, 43 women around the world gave birth, however these women were not pregnant on the beginning of that specific day. Let that sink in.

From there a strange older man by the name of Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore) sought out to adopt seven of these special children and raise them to be “extraordinary” superheroes. Simple premise, right? No. It gets a bit more intricate than that as the episodes unravel bits and pieces of a bigger puzzle.

The first episode meets only six of the seven heroes that come together for their father’s funeral: Luther (Tom Hopper), Diego (David Castaneda), Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman), Klaus (Robert Sheehan), Vanya (Ellen Page), and “Number 5” (Aidan Gallagher). While they are at their family home, they discover something is off about the way their father died, which introduces the audience to the plot. However, what is strange is the focus on their father’s missing manacle, which apparently, he never left behind. Their “mother” seems to be a malfunctioning robot, and “Number 5” came back out of seemingly from the future where everyone in the world is dead. From that point onward, it is one strange ordeal after another, that somehow connects. This also a talking and very intelligent monkey who is now in charge of their home, which I found intriguing and delightful. Planet of the Apes, anyone?

All jokes aside, not only are these ordeals strange, but somehow it feels like the show is trying to feed me clues to keep note for future episodes. Or at the very least keep me guessing.

Which brings me to my next point; the atmosphere. I want to really emphasize that the atmosphere of this show isn’t the typical “superheroes saving humanity”. This show is gritty, dramatic, and strangely comical. The creators of this show creatively strip down the cliché superhero stigma and gives each of these characters realistic human strengths and flaws, while revealing bits of the story one episode at a time, keeping me hooked from episode one.

I found myself trying to figure out the plot, all the while watching a dysfunctional family trying to come together. However, instead of acting like a family, they are all estranged and almost self-absorbed in their own way. Which is okay in my book because it adds to the drama and creates potential for character growth.

However, this show isn’t all drama. In fact it aims for that perfect combination of comedy, drama, and action, and let me tell you, some of these characters are sparky and comical. Characters like Klaus and Number 5 will have you smiling, giggling, and shaking your head all at once. While other characters like Vanya will tug at your heart strings and make you feel for her. Although to be fair, Ellen Page easily does that with any role she plays.

Lastly, the action. The action in this show is not immediate, nor is it overdone with CGI or fast-moving shots. The action really starts taking place in episode three and onwards. While it is not over done, by no means is it not absolutely attention grabbing and exciting without being over exaggerated with superpowers or guns a blazing for five minutes straight.

Drama? Check. Comedy? Check. Action? Check.

Refreshingly new? Check.

This is specifically a Netflix series with ten episodes, each about an hour long, and is honestly one of those series that can be a hit or miss for most but must be given a chance. You’ll know when you stumbled on a good show when it baits you to continue episode after episode and this is exactly what The Umbrella Academy does best.