Although series one of The Umbrella Academy was only released on Netflix in February, there are already strong signs that a second series is on the way.
The show is based on the comic book by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba which was published in 2007 and won the Eisner Award for Best Finite Series the following year.
It follows the life of seven young adults who were adopted as children by powerful and eccentric billionaire Sir Reginald Hargreeves. Six of them have special powers and are trained to fight crime through what Hargreeves calls The Umbrella Academy, while the seventh child, Vanya, is kept apart from her siblings’ activities because she demonstrates no powers of her own.
The first episode sees the siblings reunited as adults, after news of their father’s sudden death. They come together to find out what happened to him, which marks the beginning of their adventures.
The show is the best entertainment Netflix has offered in a while, and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the last episode. It is a breath of fresh air and full of dark humour. The cast alone is reason enough to watch, featuring as it does famous names such as Ellen Paige, Tom Hopper and Mary J. Blige.
The siblings’ characters are compelling. For example there is Allison, a famous actress who can make anybody do what she wishes just by pronouncing the words “I heard a rumour” followed by the wish. Diego meanwhile, is an astonishing fighter who tries to bring justice to his city after being kicked out of the police academy. As the only sibling without a special power, Vanya has spent her whole life trying to deal with the consequences of being the “ordinary” one in the family.
The relationships between the characters are strong but at the same time very complicated. So if you are looking for a show about a loving family then you should keep looking. The dialogue is witty and intelligent, and by the end of the first episode you will find yourself falling in love with every single character.
The reason the show is already so successful and is mentioned so much on a social media is very simple. Even though the characters have extraordinary abilities, they are also very ordinary people. They all have to deal with pain, rejection and jealousy, just like anyone else.
The show also deals with topics such as loss and addiction in a delicate but effective way. One of the main characters is a drug addict who begins by numbing his pain with pills and alcohol. But as the series progresses, so does he, though I won’t say how.
If all of the above has not already convinced you to binge watch the series, then the sound track might, because the music is as irresistible as the plot, and features classics such as “Istanbul” by They Might Be Giants and “This Year’s Love” by David Gray. As soon as the show is over you will find yourself listening to all the songs on Spotify.
So what are you waiting for? Log in to Netflix and enjoy what is rapidly becoming the world’s favourite dysfunctional family.