A remote control pointing to a blurry television.
Umbrella Academy is a new series on Netflix. I’d say it’s urban fantasy, my favorite genre to read and watch.
Despite some irritations, I loved this show. I had no knowledge of the comic so had no expectations, which may have allowed me to enjoy the show instead of looking for where it diverged.
The premise seems to be this: On October 1, 1989, 43 women who had not been pregnant that morning gave birth. A rich entrepreneur adopts 7 of them. He trains them as superheroes to combat crime. Each child has a unique superpower. For some reason, unexplained but perhaps hinted at, the children go their separate ways. This story takes place when they reunite at their father’s death.
Many of the characters are a bit stereotypical. But can we expect more from comic book villains and heroes? We saw their flaws and strengths in concrete terms. However, I found most of them to be sympathetic. I tend to be attracted to stories of broken heroes and this one gives me three--Luther, Diego, and Klaus.
There were a few others worth mentioning. I adored Hazel and the donut lady. I liked Bobo and felt so much emotion from “mom” even though she was supposed to be an automaton. I cared and worried about these people. On the other hand, one major irritant was the show’s inconsistencies. Luther’s size was all over the board. And the speed of the relationship between Leonard and Vanya was hard to believe. Speaking of Vanya, I also couldn’t believe her total personality metamorphosis took only 3 or 4 days. As this was a major part of the season’s arc, I had some difficulty staying connected to the storyline.
Even with the irritants, what the series does well had me hooked--Giving viewers a reason to care about the characters. I watched the entire season in two days. And I’m sure I’ll watch it again.
