Umbrella Academy

[thatguy]

I just finished season Two. I had started season One a long time ago, but like some of you, wasn't sucked in and it's just been sitting the queue ever since. Last week, I decided to give it another go and found it much more engaging. Ended up binging the entire season in a few days and since it ended on a cliffhanger, jumped right in to the next season. 

Minor spoilers: season two begins with the cast in Dallas, but spread across the early 60's. The Kennedy assasination is the main focus, and the activities of a Time Commission. This came out first, and the graphic novel before that, but there's a lot of Loki-esque TVM going on. There's even a training video with a cartoony guide, like Ms Minute.

I thought I was going to be annoyed by brother Klaus, but he's grown on me as he has some great lines...

It's interesting to see the Vanya character develop in parallel to Ellen/Elliot Page's transition.

The prosthetics eventually get explained and and slightly less distracting. 

The ending of season three is less of a cliff hanger and more of an opening to a new chapter.

I recommend watching S1&2 in one go. We'll see how the next ones are...

--tg

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I was thinking about Ellen Page's stint on Trailer Park Boys and found this deleted scene clip which was typical

[thatguy]

Season 3 finds the cast in a new timeline. They thought they were back "Home", but it's a parallel timeline, with its own team of special kid super heroes - The Sparrow Academy who don't appreciate these interlopers. Much of the season is spent on overdone rivalry. It's still high production, decent soundtrack. Since they can't stay at the already occupied academy building, the Umbrellas hole up in a hotel (kinda like the one in the Altered Carbon series on Netflix, if you watched that...) More exploration of Vanya -> Viktor transition. Klaus continues to be my favorite character. Ben has a bigger role in this season, but the character is extremely 1-dimensional.

For some reason, they seem to need to break into collective dance scenes repeatedly in this series. The cast appears to be having fun with it, but it's really conspicuous. No idea what the producers were trying to achieve. IIRC, One of the episodes has a tentacle vs sword battle. Another has a lot of call backs to Kubrick: the room where Dave lives out his life at the end of 2001, the bath scene from the shining, the carpet from the shining, kubrick's framing...

I don't recall if they did this in the first two seasons, but they shot this one with an almost constant, subtle vignette. Like we are seeing the scene thru someone else's eyes. 

I think the writing wasn't as strong in this season. Characters like Allison seem to say/do things without good or logical reasons. A lot of "I am saying this part now so the plot can move along" moments. 

Less recommended than the season 1/2 combo, but ok if you are following the story. 

On to season 4...

--tg

[thatguy]

Season 4 - this season is shorter...only 6 episodes, instead of 10. They think they are back in the correct timeline as normies, with no powers, and after six years of assimilating in their one separate ways, we catch up on what they've been up to. There's a reunion of sorts and after Ben spikes their drinks, they all are sucked back into being superheroes that have to save the world again.

Lots of star power in this one: Meghan Mullally (who I didn't recognize at all), her husband, Nick Offerman, David Cross.

The look is great, but the writing is a little tired. They are constantly fighting with each other, but also having to save each other. They never seem to get the lessons learned from previous episodes. The whole "we are family" thing is laid on pretty thick. They also seem to not grok how time/cause-effect works because they keep saying stupid things like "what will happen to this kid if their parent was erased from existence"...duh...

They try to wrap the whole thing with a bow at the end and it's a meh ending.

There's a great moment in a fight scene at the CIA where they recreate the famous Dali flying cat photograph.

--tg

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