Review: The Umbrella Academy, Season One

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Literally everyone I know started watching The Umbrella Academy pretty much the moment the series appeared on Netflix. In fact, one of my friends who works in film even helped make the show (it was filmed in Toronto). Perhaps more importantly, everyone I talked to seemed to like it.

The logo for the Netflix series The Umbrella AcademyAlso, Ellen Page is one of my favourite human beings, so I’m always happy to support her work.

So it didn’t take me long to dive into Umbrella Academy despite knowing very little about it.

Based on a comic book, The Umbrella Academy is the story of a dysfunctional family of superheroes. There were seven adopted siblings in the “academy,” all of which but one (Number Seven/Vanya, played by the aforementioned Ellen Page) have fantastic powers. Their adoptive father trained them to be heroes who would save the world, but after Number Five disappeared and Number Six was killed,* the team broke apart, and the dream died.

*(Like way too many things on this show, what happened to Six is never explained.)

The story begins with the remaining members of the academy reuniting for the funeral of their father. As old family tensions flare, events take a new turn when Number Five suddenly reappears after being lost in time for decades.

Shenanigans ensue.

Basically, it’s one part X-Men, one part Hellboy, one part Sanctuary, and one part Arrested Development without the jokes.

There is a lot that I don’t like about The Umbrella Academy. For one thing, it takes itself a smidge too seriously. I do generally prefer my superhero stories hew towards the gritty and realistic, but that only works so well in a story about a bunch of squabbling siblings whose main parental figures are a super intelligent chimpanzee butler and a robotic 1950s housewife.

The Hargreeves siblings in The Umbrella AcademyAlso, as I said, this show doesn’t explain anything. I get that too much exposition can bog things down, but seriously, WHY DO THEY HAVE A TALKING CHIMP BUTLER.

It’s clearly a show that wants to be taken seriously, which is ironic when you realize Umbrella Academy is actually a very simple story with very few genuine surprises.

There’s pacing issues, too. The early episodes really drag, while the last few are almost rushed.

Despite all those complaints, though, this is still a series that I found more enjoyable than not, on balance. Mainly because it has two big things working in its favour.

The first is the cast. Pretty much all of the characters are compelling, and the acting is pretty excellent. I’m especially fond of Number Five, who is just such a delightful little curmudgeon. A show like this lives or dies by the strength of its characters, and that’s the one thing I can’t fault The Umbrella Academy on.

The other is that I’m a big fan of this kind of story. There’s a reason the X-Men have always been by far my favourite superheroes. Eclectic bands of weirdos trying to save the world despite their own flaws? That’s my jam.

And that, I think, is how I would define Umbrella Academy: It’s good if you’re a fan of this particular subgenre. It’s not the best example around, but if you like these kind of stories already, it’s good enough to satisfy. If you’re not already a fan of these tropes, I doubt Umbrella Academy would win you over.

Overall rating: 7.4/10

Song of the Month: The Tragically Hip, Fiddler’s Green

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More Canadian content today. The most Canadian, in fact, for there can be no more quintessentially Canadian band than the Tragically Hip. I feel unpatriotic for not sharing one of their songs sooner.

With their massive catalogue, there’s any number of songs I could have picked, but perhaps unsurprisingly, I’ve gone with one of the saddest, Fiddler’s Green. It was written for the nephew of the lead singer, who died young during the writing of this album.

I blame the time of year. I may be the only one who feels this way, but spring depresses me something fierce. The peace and beauty of winter are replaced by gloom, rain, mud, and misery, and I dread the coming of summer’s heat.

Of course, any Tragically Hip song now takes on a bittersweet tinge following the passing of the singer, the late great Gord Downie. I remember them playing Fiddler’s Green during their last ever show. Forget the house; there wasn’t a dry eye in the nation during that song.

Those of you in other countries who don’t know the Hip may think I’m exaggerating. I am not. There’s no way to adequately describe in a short blog post what this band and Gord Downie meant to Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau himself was in tears on national television when the news of Gord’s death broke, and absolutely no one in the country thought this was unreasonable.