Review: The Umbrella Academy | First Season

The concept of family is something that has two different forms, depending on the point of view of each one. There are people for whom it is most important and their reason for living, and for others it is a problem from which they want to separate. We all know or have a dysfunctional family, because it is not easy to support it. The causes can vary, from the extreme authority of the parents, lack of preparation, etc. Now, let's imagine all this misfortune but with members with super powers and who were raised by someone who only saw them as an experiment.

Patience is a virtue!

This series is based on the comic written by Gerard Way, and introduces us to a world where 43 children were born to mothers who were not pregnant at the beginning of the day, but only seven could be adopted by a scientist named Reginald Hargreeves. From here, he creates the team of "The Umbrella Academy" to fight crime, but due to his lack of skills as a father, that added to the disappearance and death of two of the adopted children, the group ended up dissolving at the same time. Years later, in the present, Luther, Diego, Allison, Klaus and Vanya meet again for the funeral of their "adoptive father". Even so, their encounter was not so simple because Number 5, more specifically the lost member, returns from the future to avoid the apocalypse that will come in 8 days.

To begin with, the universe and its plot are very interesting. Although if part of the stereotype of the dysfunctional family, the relationship and the development of the characters usually give constant changes and you even come to understand them, due to their motivations and trauma. It is very common to wonder how siblings relate to each other, their childhood and how their relationship reaches the point of how they show it to us at the beginning, but with what little there is that one can understand. The first episode encapsulates this very well, especially in the scene where everyone dances in a different room. What connects them is music and nostalgia, but they still have problems dancing together, they have their problems but they don't stop being brothers. In my opinion, the most interesting characters are Vanya, Number 5 and Klaus. Vanya is the one with whom it is easier to empathize, because she is the only one without powers, and that also makes her the rejected one. This manages a depression and sensitivity so strong that surely more than one came to a family memory. As for the others named, Klaus and Number 5, they are very charismatic characters and contribute a lot to the story. Although, I must say that Ghallagher's work was promising. And some negative points in the characters, Diego and Allison, fell a little short and at times feel very flat.

Unfortunately, all the expectations that this episode could generate vanishes with the following ones, at least until the seventh. The plot takes you from one point to another, and it comes to nothing, it becomes very predictable and there are like 2 episodes where you will even feel that you wasted your time, more than all the temporary paradoxes that it handles. Even so, it still has some unexpected twists that give it that bizarre touch that it takes from the comic.

One of those stories that doesn't end at all, Hazel's story, is arguably the most unnecessary. The viewer throughout the season will be thinking that all that problem will have some weight in the main plot, but no, it is just a love story that is to generate empathy I guess. And if that character does not fit himself, the organization he works for much less. This is called "The Commission" which is an organization that seeks to maintain the order of the timeline and the second antagonist. My problem with this organization is more subjective, because it is difficult to understand what the timeline is. Are you looking to eliminate some alternative reality? How do you know you are not confusing the timeline? These are things that are difficult to take seriously and that really make you think that they are not really a hindrance to heroes.

To finish, another negative point is the end of this first season. It is a very sudden open end, which does not even generate emotion for a second season. Of course, there are several unresolved unknowns, which I suppose will be resolved in the future, but not giving a sense of closure is usually very discouraging.

In summary, The Umbrella Academy is a very entertaining series that requires a lot of patience. It has both good and bad moments. Its soundtrack is good and accompanies important moments very well. It is a series that generates interest in you, especially because of the premise and some characters that are very good but within everything, it is a recommended experience despite its ups and downs.