On February 15th, 2019, the world was introduced to a TV show on Netflix, called "The Umbrella Academy".
Based on the comics of the same name, created by Gerard Way (Yes, THAT Gerard Way) and Gabriel Ba (the name has a ' on top of the "a", but I cant seem to put it in. Apologies), the show is about a family of 7 children with a very dysfunctional family.
The story starts off with the birth of 43 children, who were all born on the same day, to women who were never pregnant before that single day. A wealthy entrepreneur and well known scientist, known as Sir Reginald Hargreeves, came and purchased 7 of the 43, and began the Umbrella Academy, raising the children and hone their powers, to Save the World.
The children were given numbers, and as such, to the outside world, this is what they were known as. Number 7, Vanya Hargreeves never really showed any signs of powers when she was little, so she wasn't ever seen by the public. The rest of them showcase various powers, some of which grow as the series progresses.
The first part of the story starts off when their father, Sir Reginald Hargreeves dies, and the siblings (having been estranged for the past few years) have come back for his funeral.
The show follows the general plan of a super-hero story, but with elements in it that make it seem far more realistic than its comic book counterpart.
The characters are properly fleshed out, and we get to see how these characters have developed. As the viewer, we get to see the present time events, as they happen, but then we also get glimpses into the pasts of the Hargreeves children.
When the team of the Umbrella Academy reminisce, we see how things were when they were children, and still going out and saving the world as a team. When we get to see Number 5 (only known as "The Boy") and his memories of HIS past, we get to see the future.
The story starts off a little slowly, introducing the characters, one by one, but doing so in a way that isnt expositional. The main elements of the tale, begins with the resurgence of the missing Number 5, a time traveller, who had disappeared for about 17 years, due to a miscalculated time-jump into the future. There he discovers that the world has ended and that he was the only person still alive.
Staying in the post apocalyptic world till he turns 58, he keeps trying to get back till he succeeds eventually. However, due to some potential miscalculation, his body reverts back to that of a 15 year old boy, the state when he first made the time jump.
On coming back, we, as the viewers are told that the world is about to end in exactly seven days, and that number 5 is on the case. And this is where the MAIN part of the story begins.
Anything further than this is best enjoyed by watching the episodes themselves.
One thing I noticed in this series, is how the team interacts with each other. Its so obvious that they're siblings, that makes you wonder why more shows dont show familial interactions more accurately like this. Just those moments of "Attaboy" when people use their powers in more fun ways, as a way to encourage their siblings, and the number of small and petty fights between them in the middle of a high tension situation.
Klaus, Number 4, the one who can talk to dead people, is easily one of the best things to come out of this show, for who he is as a person, and what development he goes through. Some of the best lines in this shows come from this man alone.
The direction is amazing, as we are able to move seamlessly from one scene to another without wondering how we got there. We have smooth transitions between the past/present/future timelines, all the while, seeing it how the team sees it in their heads. The CGI is perfectly on point, and at no point during the whole season do you question the existence of the Butler, Pogo.
The show does end on a cliffhanger, but it's par for the course considering:
1) It's a super hero show, and nothing will ever end peacefully on a super hero show without foreshadowing things for future seasons. (Looking at you, Flash)
2) In today's day and age, we have things like unnecessary cancellations of good tv shows that the public doesnt want to stop watching, such as Brooklyn 99, and Lucifer, and things that are utterly pointless and boring keep going on and on, well past their "best by" date. Stuff like this is what is needed to keep networks from unjustly cancelling shows which shouldn't be cancelled (such as Deception)
It has been renewed for a second season, and most people who have seen the show are looking forward to it.
Unfortunately, while doing some amount of research into this show, I also managed to read the comics that this show is based on, and my feelings on the source material is that of dismay.
Not because the source is bad or something, but that it does tend to have bleaker outcomes than what the the TV adaptation shows. The characters are a bit more untethered, and are designed to fit more of a stereotype, than actual characters.
The first volume of the comics is called "Apocalypse Suite", and the second is called "Dallas". You notice that when you read the two volumes, that there are changes in the stories, such as appearances of certain characters from the second volume, since the show is mostly based on the first alone.
This is to say that the show's creators do take some liberties in not strictly following the comic book's storyline.
For one thing, we dont really ever see the previous villains that the Umbrella Academy faced when they were children (which I feel is for the better). We also see more about the relationships between the children as they grew up with the flashbacks, which aren't seen as in detail in the comics.
There are characters missing of course, such as their butler, and most of the plot of the first volume of the comics has been changed, again for the better.
I feel that retconning the story, or rather, making it as an adaption, rather than a strict following of the comic storyline was a wise move, as it now has potential for a less bleak outcome of the whole event.
Overall, it's a brilliant show, and a must watch.
Personally, I found that the events of the first episode move a little too slowly regarding introducing the characters, but others found it alright. Others also had a problem wherein the latter half of the season moved a little too slowly regarding the plot, to their liking. There were a couple of red herrings thrown in for good measure, but I feel that its more indicative of changes in the timeline, thanks to the efforts of Number 5, than negligence or bad writing.
I'll write a more in-depth review of this series once more people have seen it, since the show only came out on Netflix on the 15th of Feb this year, and its not even half a month in.
Till then,
I recommend that you pick up this series as quickly as possible.
Cheers,
Ryan.
Based on the comics of the same name, created by Gerard Way (Yes, THAT Gerard Way) and Gabriel Ba (the name has a ' on top of the "a", but I cant seem to put it in. Apologies), the show is about a family of 7 children with a very dysfunctional family.
The story starts off with the birth of 43 children, who were all born on the same day, to women who were never pregnant before that single day. A wealthy entrepreneur and well known scientist, known as Sir Reginald Hargreeves, came and purchased 7 of the 43, and began the Umbrella Academy, raising the children and hone their powers, to Save the World.
The children were given numbers, and as such, to the outside world, this is what they were known as. Number 7, Vanya Hargreeves never really showed any signs of powers when she was little, so she wasn't ever seen by the public. The rest of them showcase various powers, some of which grow as the series progresses.
The first part of the story starts off when their father, Sir Reginald Hargreeves dies, and the siblings (having been estranged for the past few years) have come back for his funeral.
The show follows the general plan of a super-hero story, but with elements in it that make it seem far more realistic than its comic book counterpart.
The characters are properly fleshed out, and we get to see how these characters have developed. As the viewer, we get to see the present time events, as they happen, but then we also get glimpses into the pasts of the Hargreeves children.
When the team of the Umbrella Academy reminisce, we see how things were when they were children, and still going out and saving the world as a team. When we get to see Number 5 (only known as "The Boy") and his memories of HIS past, we get to see the future.
The story starts off a little slowly, introducing the characters, one by one, but doing so in a way that isnt expositional. The main elements of the tale, begins with the resurgence of the missing Number 5, a time traveller, who had disappeared for about 17 years, due to a miscalculated time-jump into the future. There he discovers that the world has ended and that he was the only person still alive.
Staying in the post apocalyptic world till he turns 58, he keeps trying to get back till he succeeds eventually. However, due to some potential miscalculation, his body reverts back to that of a 15 year old boy, the state when he first made the time jump.
On coming back, we, as the viewers are told that the world is about to end in exactly seven days, and that number 5 is on the case. And this is where the MAIN part of the story begins.
Anything further than this is best enjoyed by watching the episodes themselves.
One thing I noticed in this series, is how the team interacts with each other. Its so obvious that they're siblings, that makes you wonder why more shows dont show familial interactions more accurately like this. Just those moments of "Attaboy" when people use their powers in more fun ways, as a way to encourage their siblings, and the number of small and petty fights between them in the middle of a high tension situation.
Klaus, Number 4, the one who can talk to dead people, is easily one of the best things to come out of this show, for who he is as a person, and what development he goes through. Some of the best lines in this shows come from this man alone.
The direction is amazing, as we are able to move seamlessly from one scene to another without wondering how we got there. We have smooth transitions between the past/present/future timelines, all the while, seeing it how the team sees it in their heads. The CGI is perfectly on point, and at no point during the whole season do you question the existence of the Butler, Pogo.
The show does end on a cliffhanger, but it's par for the course considering:
1) It's a super hero show, and nothing will ever end peacefully on a super hero show without foreshadowing things for future seasons. (Looking at you, Flash)
2) In today's day and age, we have things like unnecessary cancellations of good tv shows that the public doesnt want to stop watching, such as Brooklyn 99, and Lucifer, and things that are utterly pointless and boring keep going on and on, well past their "best by" date. Stuff like this is what is needed to keep networks from unjustly cancelling shows which shouldn't be cancelled (such as Deception)
It has been renewed for a second season, and most people who have seen the show are looking forward to it.
Unfortunately, while doing some amount of research into this show, I also managed to read the comics that this show is based on, and my feelings on the source material is that of dismay.
Not because the source is bad or something, but that it does tend to have bleaker outcomes than what the the TV adaptation shows. The characters are a bit more untethered, and are designed to fit more of a stereotype, than actual characters.
The first volume of the comics is called "Apocalypse Suite", and the second is called "Dallas". You notice that when you read the two volumes, that there are changes in the stories, such as appearances of certain characters from the second volume, since the show is mostly based on the first alone.
This is to say that the show's creators do take some liberties in not strictly following the comic book's storyline.
For one thing, we dont really ever see the previous villains that the Umbrella Academy faced when they were children (which I feel is for the better). We also see more about the relationships between the children as they grew up with the flashbacks, which aren't seen as in detail in the comics.
There are characters missing of course, such as their butler, and most of the plot of the first volume of the comics has been changed, again for the better.
I feel that retconning the story, or rather, making it as an adaption, rather than a strict following of the comic storyline was a wise move, as it now has potential for a less bleak outcome of the whole event.
Overall, it's a brilliant show, and a must watch.
Personally, I found that the events of the first episode move a little too slowly regarding introducing the characters, but others found it alright. Others also had a problem wherein the latter half of the season moved a little too slowly regarding the plot, to their liking. There were a couple of red herrings thrown in for good measure, but I feel that its more indicative of changes in the timeline, thanks to the efforts of Number 5, than negligence or bad writing.
I'll write a more in-depth review of this series once more people have seen it, since the show only came out on Netflix on the 15th of Feb this year, and its not even half a month in.
Till then,
I recommend that you pick up this series as quickly as possible.
 |
| From left to right: Vanya (Number 7), Number 5, Michael (Number 4), Allison (Number 3), Diego (Number 2) and Luther (Number 1). Ben (Number 6), is not here, and you'll need to see the tv story, or read the comics to find out why. |
(Yes, that's how they look like in the comics)
Cheers,
Ryan.
I binge watched it yesterday ! Thoroughly enjoyed it. I love Klaus the most !
ReplyDeleteGood review Ryan , totally on point .